"How is it even possible to change a person by telling them a story?" One of the many protagonists in WATC asks, before the story's climax. The answer is scattered throughout the book. Part of it lies in our power of creation, in building our world with what we believe.

WE ARE THE CRISIS opens conflict and never lets you forget what is at stake for the monsters, despite how they get on with life, and adjust to the new normal, from being barely tolerated to being hunted.

Yes, it's a book about monsters. And about inclusion, class, and negotiating power. It's urgent and furious, but does not simplify the obstacles and probable solutions, which do not rest on one chosen hero but in the collective effort of many.

I enjoyed THE LESSON, and NO GODS NO MONSTERS, and this book certainly delivers! Highly recommend.

This is a loosely connected collection of short stories about a future in which some humans change into monsters, mostly werewolves and vampires, and others want to hunt down and destroy the monsters. To the extent that the stories form a single plot, the central question is whether and how the monsters can survive.

If you like narratives with lots of gaps for your own imagination to fill in, lots of gross-outs, and the whole story being a painfully obvious metaphor for a political opinion, this book is for you. It's not for me, particularly. I didn't find any of the characters likable or relatable, didn't sympathize with either side, and thought the book was too long. And, though it can be said to stand on its own, the book consistently felt like volume two of a trilogy. You, of course, might identify with the vampires in the CIA and want the whole trilogy. The author has fans and has won awards.

Cadwell Turnbull’s latest book will release in November of this year. It starts three years after the events in "No Gods No Monsters", the first book of an expected trilogy. You can find my review of that first book here (https://steves-book-stuff.beehiiv.com/p/arc-review-no-gods-no-monsters-the-convergence-saga-book-1).

I had the opportunity to grab an advanced copy of the new book from Netgalley recently. I had such great fun with the first book (I gave it 5 stars) that I immediately dropped my other reading - I’m in the middle of four other books right now - and dove into "We Are the Crisis".

Many of my comments on the first book also apply here. The new book is also a well written page turner with multiple story lines and multiple monsters and multiple universes. It can be overwhelming, especially as you try to remember back to the events of the first book. It’s true that "We Are the Crisis" can be a frustrating read. It’s also true that it’s a fascinating mishmash of a book. I am still not sure where this series is going, but I am enjoying the ride.

I will try to give you a bit of a synopsis of the book with the caveat that no summary can do these books justice - there is just too much going on. But here goes:

In Book 1, in a world almost exactly like ours, monsters are suddenly revealed to be real. It all starts in Boston with Liana whose brother had been shot and killed by Boston police. She learns that videotape of his death is available and reveals that in fact her brother was a werewolf. Monsters are real and the world must begin to cope with that fact. Turns out that doesn’t go too well at all, culminating in the “Monster Massacre”.

Book 2 starts three years after the massacre. Monsters have gone undercover. A militant group called the Black Hand is stalking monsters. A number of plotlines reveal themselves in Book 2, some with characters we’ve met before, others introducing new characters. This all culminates in… well, maybe I shouldn’t give too much away.

Suffice it to say that enough is revealed - and not revealed - to leave me wanting more. I’ll just have to wait patiently for Book 3.

I will caution that these books are not for everyone - it takes some patience and persistence to read them, as Turnbull slowly, slowly reveals the wheels within wheels that tie these stories together. One thing that made that easier in Book 1 was the excellent writing. I didn’t find the writing in "We Are the Crisis" to be as consistently excellent. And the plotlines here seem, if anything, denser than "No Gods, No Monsters". Regardless, I devoured this book.

RATING: Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

NOTE: I read an advanced review copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing. The book will be available on November 7, 2023.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I'm apart of the Hear our voices Team and I got the pleasure of reading this book to see if we would be hosting it for our tour. I highly enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed the first book.