A strange epic of a story about the strangeness of a town. Uniquely written and entertaining. Keeps you on your toes.

And to be honest I chose this book for the cover. I love maps and this one was intriguing, whimsical.

Fortunately, Rotherweird did not disappoint.
From the beginning I was beguiled by this world. A mysterious town with quixotic architecture, eccentric residents and a singular attitude to history.

In contrast to the Medieval flavor of Rotherweird’s streets and buildings the inhabitants seem to have a relatively modern approach to life: using steampunk-style solutions to make up for their lack of phones, computers and other 21st century forms of communication, many of these contractions being created by the Polk brothers who play an important role in the developing story.

We enter the town with Jonah Oblong the rare insider, invited to live in Rotherweird in order to teach the town’s remarkably clever children. He is brought into replace Mr Flask who disappeared in unexplained circumstances and is reputed to have dabbled in Rotherweird’s history – a forbidden subject.

As the reader and Oblong become acquainted with the town, the surrounding valley and their inhabitants we become aware that there in another ‘outsider’ in town: Sir Veronal Slickstone. He has more than enough money to convince the corrupt Mayor Snorkel to allow him to refurbish the previously out-of-bounds Manor and from the start his name singles him out as the villain. But what exactly is he up to?

And then there is Lost Acre, the curious parallel wilderness that few people are aware of and misuse of Lost Acre’s strange power seems to be entwined with the mystery of Rotherweird. But now it appears to be undergoing a primordial upheaval. How will this affect Rotherweird and our protagonists?

Despite the large cast of characters the author managed to give each person a distinct voice and history, and ensured I was concerned for their welfare.
The mixture of bookish study, the wildness of nature and the bonds of friendship gave the narrative a distinct tone which immersed me in the story and kept me turning pages to discover what happens next.

Rotherweird inhabits an odd ball, idiosyncratic world but carefully keeps to the entertaining side of the line between quirky and annoying.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading and every time I put the book down I wanted to return.

The only minus is that not all questions are answered by the end of the story.
However this is not much of a problem as I will happily read a sequel to discover the mystery of Flask’s true identity, to follow the development of Orelia’s love life and to keep in touch with the charming characters who populate this world.

I had such high expectations for Rotherweird - I was hoping for something along the lines of Neil Gaiman or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.  It seemed to offer the intriguing amalgam of our world and other which first made me fall in love with Harry Potter all those years ago.  However, while there are rich descriptive passages aplenty, the obligatory band of quirkily named characters each with their own eccentricities, a heap of detailed backstory and the finished edition promises beautiful illustrations, before I was too far in I hit an issue.  I found it all utterly, insufferably, unremittingly dull.  At numerous points I considered giving up, but  the numerous other glowing reviews made me keep going in the vain hope that the action would pick up but when I finally hit the finish line with relief, all I could do was promise myself to steer well clear of the remaining two volumes of the trilogy.  I wanted so much to like this and instead it has sent me running for the hills.

The premise is that the town of Rotherweird has, by quirk of history, always been independent from the laws, statutes and governance of the rest of the United Kingdom.  People tend to shrug and move from this fact without questioning it and travel in and out of the town is heavily restricted and little is known of those who live within.  Young history teacher Jonah Oblong leaves a disastrous job without a reference and the only place prepared to take him is Rotherweird School which is not interested in such mundane matters.  There are certain required conditions however.  Oblong will teach modern history only - nothing before 1800 - and studying the history of the town itself is strictly forbidden.  As Oblong arrives, so too does Sir Veronal Slickstone, along with an actress being paid to play his wife and a Cockney street child employed to play his son.  The 'family' set up in the long-closed-up manor and the town's secrets threaten to spill out.

The frustrating thing about Rotherweird is that it has a lot of the ingredients of an interesting story.  A lot of the characters are interesting but there are far, far too many of them and with so many peculiar names, I found it very difficult to keep track of who was who and I would emphasise here that this is not something I traditionally have an issue with.  I did like the simple-minded PE teacher who came so close to winning the yearly boat race but then apparently floundered every year because he always sprang to the aid of any ladies he thought needed saving.  The kindly publican of "The Journeyman's Gist" was another character I felt I could have warmed to had he been given more screen time.  The actress' quest to give the character of Lady Slickstone was also interesting.  But it was all so bogged down in the backing and the forthing and the black tile and the white tile and the Lost Acre and the back story and who knew Latin or didn't know Latin and who was a countrysider and who was an outsider and who came from town and oh dear  - it all got too much.  I am beginning to think that Colm Toibin is right and that too many flashbacks are a very bad thing.

The aesthetic was interesting in that it all felt quite Hogwarts-esque (albeit without the 'chosen one' hero), but then Rotherweird is a city which has prohibited history, destroys the papers of all deceased persons and celebrates science at every turn.  Supposedly there are a greater than average number of scientific prodigies born within the population and that the town's high rate of inventions which it then sells off to the government is what keeps everything running.  Somehow though, it was hard to marry this apparent avante-garde scientific progress up with the Dickensian corruption of the town's administration - I found myself struggling repeatedly to suspend disbelief.  I do wonder if this is part of the issue with reading a book like this on the Kindle; if I had been given a copy with all rather than half of the illustrations, perhaps with fancy creamy paper and bevelled edges to the book, would I perhaps have found it easier to immerse myself in the world that Caldecott was trying to create?  As it was, I saw how the percentage complete just did not seem to move and I wondered if time was indeed slowing down.

For me, Rotherweird is one of a few books which I have read recently which have good ingredients but which have been put together in a haphazard manner, inexpertly edited and what is then served up is inedible.  I have reached a conclusion that I have got to stop finishing books that make me feel like this - this is what I think reading must feel like for those who hate reading.  Caldecott has experience as a dramatist and I think that had he been forced to make cuts similar to those necessary to put together a successful stage production, Rotherweird could have been a far leaner and much more compelling novel.  As it is, I think he has fallen in the trap of the first-time novelist - just because you're not paying for the props or the actors' wages doesn't mean you need to put in absolutely every idea you ever have or that you keep every single character.  Otherwise you end up with this, a book that I desperately wanted to like but which unfortunately bored me rigid.

Rotherweird is a slow-burn of a read. I found it difficult to get into a first, perhaps because of it's weirdness. But once it gets its claws into you, it's hard to step away.

The story opens with an outsider, which seems a good idea to help the reader get to know a place as unutterably strange as Rotherweird. Jonah Oblong is invited to interview for the position of history teacher at a school where he will only be able to teach modern history. For in Rotherweird, the past is forbidden and dangerous, and since Elizabeth I it has been set apart from the rest of England. Self-governing and aloof. Strange and stranger still, but Oblong accepts the job because he has failed as a teacher elsewhere. This is his last chance.

We are quickly introduced to a large cast of quirky inhabitants, both townies (who live in the middle of Rotherweird) and the countrysiders. They all have hidden agendas, mostly centred on uncovering Rotherweird's secrets.

Oblong is not the only newcomer. Veronal Slickstone buys his way into town and arrives with a hired wife and adopted son-of-sorts. He has an air of menace, gaps in his memory, and the strength to make anything he wants happen. Or so he thinks.

Meanwhile gardener Hayman Salt is off exploring places he shouldn't be, finding things that shouldn't be found, then selling them to people who shouldn't ever get to own them. And so the real thrust of the story begins. What kind of place is Rotherweird linked to? Who or what lives there? Who stands to gain power there? And who might die there?

The rest is too complicated to explain. The characters and town of Rotherweird are so complex and convoluted that it could be quite easy to put the book down while you're reading the first third of it or so. There are a lot of threads you have to carry around in your head until they start to come together. But if you can keep going, you reach the tipping point that leaves you desperate to you understand the mysteries kept within.

I believe it's the first of a trilogy. This first book wraps up quite well (potentially too neatly) but I'd definitely like to step back into Rotherweird.

Imagine a little corner of England, a village snuggled away from the hustle and bustle, where modern life has been kept at bay for centuries. It’s not that technology doesn’t exist here – in fact, thanks to the highly intelligent population and the university, much of the modern world’s tech is actually developed here – but the pace of life is still ‘ye olde worlde’, somehow. Not that the people necessarily know this, as outsiders are discouraged, and learning any history prior to 1800 is outright banned.

Why would such a place need to be hidden away? What’s so wrong with teaching history? When two newcomers – a history teacher and a new lord of the manor – arrive, both seem destined to wrap themselves in yet more mystery, as they struggle to figure out this strange, other-worldly place.

My first praise for Rotherweird is that it’s a wonderfully original book, quite unlike most of the fantasy stuff out there. There are layers upon layers of mystery, and no way to guess where most of it is going – lovely!

If I’m being picky, I did find there were perhaps a few too many point-of-view characters, which I felt got a little confusing at times. Everyone has such weird names, too. The author is also clearly a very intelligent chap (he’s a lawyer by day-trade), and there were points where I felt I was playing catch-up on the clues and reveals, which took away a little from the impact.

However, overall this is just a fantastically weird and immersive world, which was amazing amounts of fun to visit. There’s a strong dose of humour throughout the writing, and some excellent mystery-building to keep you reading ’til the end. I particularly liked the historical interludes between each section, slowly revealing a little more of the enigma.

Delighted to read interviews that suggest this is the first part of a trilogy – thoroughly looking forward to seeing what’s next for the odd population of Rotherweird!

Rotherweird is a very unusual town. Back towards the end of the reign of Queen Mary a group of children came to light – brilliant but somehow potentially dangerous – and they are sent into isolation in the small town of Rotherweird. There they are placed in the care of Sir Henry Grassal who educates them, against the wishes of the Queen, so that they develop their prodigious abilities in maths, philosophy and sciences. Scroll forward to the modern day and Rotherweird is still cut off in many ways from the modern world. No cars (bar one), no computers, no connection to the politics or government of the real world – governed by their own laws: the comprehensive regulations. There are some familiar things – pilates for example – and the community funds itself by selling the products of its brilliant scientific minds. For Jonah Oblong the new history teacher at the town’s school, however,modern history is the only permitted subject. In fact the laws of the town mean that no-one can study its history or anything at all from before 1800. This is a town which history is meant to have forgotten but history has a habit of asserting itself.

This book has a huge cast of characters – mostly with strange names which I would find far too Dickensian in a Dickens novel – and a fascinating plot involving an isolated community, an unsettling parallel world and strange and powerful forces. It has humour, action, adventure and just a hint of romance. Some of the mysteries are resolved but many more remain. There are still more of Rotherweird’s secrets to be revealed in future so I’m pleased to hear a sequel is in the pipeline.

Unfortunately, I only made it through 3 chapters before I gave up. I just didn't engage with the characters.

This book is utterly wonderful. Simply one of the best examples of the New Weird. It has a mysterious town, tangled up with real history which grounds the book and releases the imagination.

It's exactly the kind of book I look out for but rarely fund. If you like Borges or Murakami or Moorcock, give this a try.

A marvellous historical fantasy with vivid and intriguing characters. A mix of Gormenghast, Jonathan Strange, and a touch of Wolf Hall. Wonderful.

Such promise in the wonderful cover and the intriguing blurb but sadly I was left dissatisfied. Caldecott's interesting conceit is an English town isolated and made self-governing during the reign of Elizabeth I for reason or reasons unknown. Jonah Oblong, an outsider, becomes embroiled in the affairs of this bizarre place when he is hired as a history teacher at the local school. Modern history only. For Rotherweird is forbidden to study pre-1800 and its own history is also proscribed, by law and Oblong's predecessor vanished after flagrantly breaking this edict. As Oblong takes up his position the equilibrium of the town is unsettled by the arrival of another stranger, the sinister Sir Veronal Slickson who has taken up residence in the empty manor with his vacant wife and unspeakable son. But this family is a lie, a construction designed to give Sir Veronal access to the closed town. The outside world is getting in and clearly Rotherweird's secrets are at risk. I'm almost drawn back in writing a synopsis! And yet the reality was disappointing.

Caldecott is clearly aiming for the bubbling, brooding atmosphere of a modern Gormenghast. You only need to see the outlandish names to recognise the influence, Sidney Snorkel, Vixen Valourhand, Morval Seer, Gorhambury. Unfortunately the names have more character than the characters themselves. Many are interchangeable and several could be removed entirely without any great loss. The narrative is simply overpopulated and it seems like more imagination has gone into the creation of unlikely names than in developing any particular personalities. Where Mervyn Peake's characters are ridiculous, exaggerated, absurd they are also sympathetic and compelling, even the monstrous Steerpike.

The plot itself is convoluted which gives the impression of complexity but by the end it is clear that this was caused more by the frequent skipping and shifting of scenes between different perspectives, often for only a couple of paragraphs or pages, in a way that is probably more suited to film. And the end. My interest had really waned by the end of the first third (a novel of half the length might have worked better) but end infuriated me. The trope in which all of the characters sit around a table and rehash the entire plot as a way of explanation is horribly unsophisticated and really only acceptable in the work of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Here it suggests a lack of confidence in the reader and in the writing if an author has to repeat the story in order to make sure it is understood. And it really wasn't so terribly complex in the first place.

It appears that Rotherweird is only the first volume in a planned trilogy but I'm afraid that one was enough for me.

The town of Rotherweird stands alone – there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird’s independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.

For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused.

But secrets have a way of leaking out.

Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothing before 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town’s long-derelict Manor House.

Slickstone and Oblong, though driven by conflicting motives, both strive to connect past and present, until they and their allies are drawn into a race against time – and each other. The consequences will be lethal and apocalyptic.

Welcome to Rotherweird!

The Spanish philosopher George Santayana once wrote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” No one in Rotherweird appears to have ever heard that turn of phrase. In the dim and distant past, the town’s founding fathers decided it made sense to bury their collective heads in the sand. A declaration was made; delving into what had gone before was strictly forbidden. Their reasoning? If no one knows the town’s history then it can’t cause any problems, can it? Turns out the answer to that question is a firm no. The history of England’s most insular community steadfastly refuses to remain hidden. Secrets will be revealed and the truth will out. It’s not just the town’s curious attitude towards the past that is raising eyebrows. Why is the Manor House now in the hands of an outsider, Sir Veronal Slickstone, and why is he so obsessed with everything and everyone? The new history teacher, Jonah Oblong, is determined to uncover the answer to all these questions. Even after he discovers his predecessor disappeared in “unexplained circumstances”. All he has to go on are a series of progressively more cryptic clues

At first glance, Rotherweird sounds like a splendid place to live. There is the unrestrained excitement of The Great Equinox Race. The latest Rotherweird fashions are available for purchase at Ragamuffin down on Grove Lane. If you want, you can pop down to The Journeyman’s Gist and imbibe a pint or two of Feisty Peculiar with Bill Ferdy. The town sounds like quite the rural idyll, I’d move there in a moment. Of course, looks can be deceiving.

There are some genuinely eccentric characters to discover. You’ll not be surprised to learn that the town’s inhabitants are all just a bit odd. This is an ensemble piece, the lives of each person meanders in and out of the main narrative like the flow of the river Rother. The little details in Andrew Caldecott’s characterisation elevate Rotherweird to the realms of something quite special. For example, the names of the characters are a constant source of delight – Sidney Snorkel, Godfrey Fanguin, Rhombus* Smith, Oriela Roc, Vixen Valourhand and Hayman Salt to name but a few.

There is a marvellously anachronistic quality to Rotherweird. The town exists in its own little bubble and feels like it exists outside the normal constraints of time as well. The author does nothing to dissuade the reader from coming to that conclusion. There is a nostalgic tone to the writing which made me smile on numerous occasions. Characters like Gregorious Jones have an almost archaic patois. Makes sense I suppose, he is like the living embodiment of chivalric attitude. Every female he meets becomes a damsel in distress. Of course, he is always wrong in that assumption. The good ladies of Rotherweird are a formidable bunch who are more than capable of looking after themselves.

I’m a sucker for slightly off kilter stories like this. Part fantasy, part mystery, Rotherweird is delightfully strange and it revels in that strangeness. It feels like it is a natural successor to the “Mouse” novels by Leonard Wibberly. In fact, part of me hopes that Rotherweird and the Duchy of Grand Fenwick share the same literary universe. What could be better than a collection of unconventional characters embroiled in a labyrinthine plot? If he was still around I’m sure Peter Sellers would have had a field day transferring Caldecott’s novel to the screen. He’d probably have played three or four characters himself.

My musical recommendation for Rotherweird is the soundtrack to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Beniot Groulx and Beniot Charest. It seems only appropriate to me that a magical novel requires a suitably magical accompaniment.

In conclusion, there can be little doubt that Rotherweird is indeed Rotherweird and the good news is that it is also Rotherwonderful.

Rotherweird is published by Jo Fletcher Books and is available now. Highly recommended, I think novel will eventually be viewed as a modern classic.

*If I ever have a son, I pledge to you now that I shall name him Rhombus.

I'm grateful to the publisher for am advance copy of this book via NetGalley. I also bought a copy - well worth it even if only for Sasha Laika's beautiful, brooding illustrations.

You won't have heard of Rotherweird. The town is hard to reach (you have to go to Hoy, change for a taxi to the Twelve Mile Post, then await the Polk Land & Water Company's charabanc). It's forbidden to write about it, and the inhabitants don't welcome outsiders.

Nevertheless, it's a fascinating place, almost an independent kingdom nestling within the English countryside. Created by fiat of Elizabeth I because of - well, that would rather give the story away. Let's just say, because reasons...

Into this somewhat baroque, somewhat Dickensian world come four strangers: Jonah Oblang, the new history teacher for Rotherweird School (forbidden to teach anything earlier than 1800), Sir Veronal Slickstone, the well-known business tycoon, and his wife, Lady Imogen, and son, Rodney. (Some of these may not be all they seem).

The newcomers soon collide with the townsfolk and countrysiders (forbidden to remain in town after 7). Oblong is intrigued by the disappearance of his predecessor, Flask. Sir Veronal has plans for the town. Lady Imogen and Rodney are there to support him, but do they have ideas of their own? And will the Mayor, Sidney Snorkel, welcome a challenge to his authority?

This is an immensely enjoyable, Gothic(ish) / steampunk/ Gormanghast-esque romp with Dickensian overtones. We see a mysterious small town whose secrets are gradually unwrapped - but only partially, to a slew of different characters in different degrees, so the reader has a distinct advantage over any. We see an existential threat - to the town, visible and hidden - develop alongside a slightly petty jostling for status (but nonetheless, a dangerous jostling). There's a tension between the absurdity of the rules that govern the town and a growing realisation that they have a purpose - a serious purpose. There is the unravelling mystery, and a sense that, even behind what are told, something else is going on.

It's a book with swags and swathes of atmosphere, created not only by the prose but through those illustrations (best seen on paper). Rotherweird itself is a great imaginative creation - a city of narrow streets and towers with bridges and walkways between them - but Caldecott doesn't let the start of the book lapse too much into descriptions: the action picks up quickly, with the setting gradually filled in as we need to know more.

To go with the twisty location there's an impressive roster of equally twisty and well drawn characters, many with impressively Dickensian names. Here it's helpful that we're given a list, to prevent confusion of Godfrey Fanguin with Gorehambury, or Gregorius Jones with Hayman Salt (which would be a risk otherwise - as I said, the action gets going quickly and the characters take a little longer to establish themselves).

I have to say that the plot is outrageously complex (more so, as becomes clear by the end, than you would actually suspect through most of the story). Not everyone likes that kind of plot. However - in my view - there's nothing wrong with a complex plot as such, and in any case Caldecott keeps the story spinning along and doesn't allow the story to sag. Indeed perhaps the complexity is as much a hint that there is more to explore in Rotherweird as it is embellishment to this story.

Overall, this is a fun, often funny, exciting and highly readable story. Get it now.

When inexperienced young history teacher Jonah Oblong is appointed to the local School, his brief is very specific - no history before 1800 and no digging into local history. But newcomer Sir Veronal Slickstone, new owner of Rotherweird Manor, is intent on turning all the regulations upside down - and God help those who get in his way.

Rotherweird lives up to its name: a quirky and endearing portal fantasy set in a town where history is banned for the Good of the Realm. Peppered with self-consciously singular names and quaint customs, it's an enticing setting around which Caldecott weaves his mysteries and pastiches. While the implications are sometimes dark, the delivery remains light-hearted as Rotherweird gets to grips with Slickstone's wicked plots.

However, as the narrative unfolds it feels a little coy - almost cosy. While it is a diverting read, I'm left uncertain what age group/market it is actually intended for - for all the twists and turns, it's oddly simplistic - appealing, yet unable to sustain emotional (or intellectual engagement.

Few of the characters ever elevated themselves beyond their initial vignettes, playing up broad strokes rather than revealing extra dimensions (Slickstone might well whirl moustachios whilst wearing his mohair trousers). Some of the plot twists were also less obscure than the narrative seemed to think (such as Ferensen's identity), with the intersecting historical chapters going a long way to undercutting the mysteries rather than escalating tension.

Top marks for inventiveness and whimsy, but room for improvements in terms of narrative control and character development.

DNF at 34%.

Rotherweird really wants to be quirky but only manages to have a cast of characters with names from the list ‘weirdest British names’. There’s for example Veronal Slickstone (he’s greedy), Jonah Oblong (he’s a teacher), Deidre Banter (she’s greedy), Godfery Fanguin (he’s a former teacher), Rhombus Snorkel (he’s also greedy), Vixen Valourhand (she pole-vaults over fences because of…reasons) and countless other characters with oh-so-funny names but no memorable characteristics. With two exceptions. Not that they are memorable, they just don’t have funny names. In fact, they have no names and are just referred to as ‘the actress’ and ‘the boy’. Few things annoy me as much as an author going ‘these characters aren’t even important enough for a name’.
Though to be fair I didn’t care much about them…but then I didn’t care about any of the characters with the quirky names either. And once you read a third of a book there should be someone you care about. Or at least something. Only the mystery about Rotherweird (which made me pick up the book in the first place) had gotten really boring as well. Thanks to something else that I find even more annoying than characters not being important enough for names: Characters not telling everything they know because…reasons. There were many conversations in which characters just alluded to things but refused to answer straightforward questions or just told a bit and then stopped for no discernible reason. I still don’t know much more about the secret of Rotherweird than I do after reading the blurb. And I really don’t care enough to read on…

Highly entertaining, a true Potter-esque tale for adults full of intrigue and whimsy.

I would normally be reluctant to embark on a debut novel by an unknown quantity, but this one had enthusiastic quotes from two writers who are not just good but good in very different fields (Hilary Mantell and Mike/MR Carey), plus comparisons to Hope Mirrlees, Jonathan Norrell and Gormenghast, so I thought I should give it a go. And I didn't even bail out in time, because you know how sometimes there's just enough to praise that you're convinced a book is going to improve, and then by the time you realise that instead it's getting worse you're sufficiently committed that the sunk cost fallacy commits you to finishing? Yeah, that.

The premise is intriguing enough: Rotherweird is an autonomous valley kept separate from the rest of Britain, where the study of the past is forbidden. It's not sealed off that effectively, mind; just a bit inaccessible, like lots of rural areas, and people do seem to be allowed to leave and return. The local government is thoroughly corrupt, and the citizenry have names midway between Rowling's and Dickens' - Rhombus Smith, Oriela Roc, Marmion Finch - though any hint that this might be part of the area's particular oddness is undermined by having the two main outsiders be Jonah Oblong and Sir Veronal Slickstone. The latter is a sinister tycoon who's just bought the town's derelict manor; the former is the awkward new history teacher (nothing local, nothing before 1800) at the town school. Soon both are engaged in forbidden researches into Rotherweird's past...

At first I took this damp valley, sealed off from the wider world, with its mutually suspicious town and countryside, its ingenious but parochial inhabitants, for a microcosm of Brexit Britain. But that prohibition on local and pre-1800 history is very much not the British approach; if anything the opposite (exceptions for two World Wars and one World Cup). And I'm not sure it altogether makes sense as a concept. Certain details have been planned out - after a local's death, their diaries and photographs are sequestered by the authorities - but there's no real taboo on family legends and the area seems defined - as remote British localities often are - by all manner of old, weird customs and conventions. Now, there might well be a story to write about the way in which a ritualised understanding of history can persevere with a few gestures, even as the wider meaning is lost - and indeed, it's a popular theme in SF from the post-apocalyptic Canticle for Liebowitz to Moorcock's giddy End of Time books. But I don't really get the sense of that avenue being pursued, and in any case I'm not convinced Caldecott has the grasp of history to pull this off. The section turning on a reference to a 'Druid priest' in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle feels way out, more in thrall to the fantasies of gentleman antiquaries and modern hippies than than the language of the 11th century; the Elizabethan using the word 'disintegration' 200 years early is simply silly*. And yes, I know this is fiddled history, but as is so often the way you need to demonstrate an utterly assured grasp of the rules in order to pull off the breaches in them.

There are similar problems with the science. And again, I don't mean the deliberately outlandish stuff, but the basics. A key detail of the plot turns on an operations manual of sorts, recording a series of experiments - but only the successful ones! Now, sure, I can accept that a reclusive community of Renaissance prodigies, working before Francis Bacon (though after his namesake Roger) can't be expected to understand the importance to the scientific method of recording also the experiments which didn't work. But none of the present-day scientists - at least one of whom is meant to be brilliant - seems to think this at all worth mentioning, even in frustration, despite its potential impact on events. Regarding those Elizabethans: the Wold Newton-style origin of the community is made clear fairly early on, and from that point the answers to many of the town's mysteries also seem obvious, at least in outline. The set-up did remind me a little of Dave Hutchinson's Fractured Europe series (though not in a way that makes me think there was any direct influence), but Caldecott reveals the outright fantastical elements much sooner, which again seems rather to give the game away and break the spell that might otherwise have been woven as the merely curious and ultra-local shades more gradually into the impossible. An influence which I'd guess much more deliberate, with the young teacher disgraced elsewhere arriving in the back of beyond to be mentored by mentalists, would be Waugh's Decline & Fall. I also got a little of the cricket match from England, Their England in Rotherweird's coracle race, though as with the other points of comparison, this is very much the 18th pale descendant. And ultimately that's the problem - the town and the valley never feel as solid in their strangeness as Lud-in-the-Mist, or Gormenghast, or Lost Hope. One acknowledgement thank the parties responsible for cutting surplus scenes and minor characters, but maybe those are precisely what would have given Rotherweird the depth and flavour it lacks (imagine the pointlessness of Jonathan Strange or Gormenghast at half the length!). And without that, without any sense of what normally abnormal Rotherweird life is like or what the townsfolk not engaged in skulduggery and the main plot get up to with their lives, none of this feels like it means very much.

*Though it is interesting how often that word seems to crop up in relation to Thomas Browne's interests, and it does share a family resemblance to the sort of word of which he did bequeath so many to English, so I could have just about forgiven its use a few decades later.

A truly imaginative and original story - a beautiful mixture of art and science fiction. The language was immaculate - the story felt neatly bound but at times confusing and long-winded. The characters each had a role to play, and they were well-made but felt too perfectly constructed to be human (or for me to have a personal connection with any of them - I did not feel like I would care if one of the main characters died). I loved the plot - an intriguing story about a town that governed itself, prohibited studying history by law and wanted to keep themselves secluded from the outside world. Sir Veronal Slickstone's arrival in the town starts ripples, and many characters begin wondering about the past (and some wandering into the past). Some things at the end didn't quite compute - like the Green Man and need to save Lost Acre. Overall the story did entertain me, and I will probably have trouble finding similar novels to compare it with in the future.

This is Rotherweird: an autonomous enclave of England where cutting-edge technology rubs shoulders with rural magic; a region inhabited by geniuses who somehow cling on to a neo-Elizabethan way of life. It does not take long to realise that Rotherweird is, well... rather weird...

Jonah Oblong, an "outsider from wider England" has just been employed as history teacher at Rotherweird School. He soon learns that the residents of Rotherweird town and the surrounding countryside are barred from enquiring into the region's past and, particularly, from researching the dark reasons for which Elizabeth I granted Rotherweird its special status. Oblong also discovers that his predecessor Robert Flask disappeared after showing an unhealthy interest in this forbidden subject. Desperate times, however, require desperate measures. "Outsider" Sir Veronal Slickstone has strangely been invited to purchase the town Manor, and his arrival brings with it the threat of ancient evil. Will an ill-assorted bunch of anti-heroes manage keep these dangers at bay?

I often read supernatural fiction although I generally avoid fantasy. This might soon change thanks to this highly entertaining novel, the first of a projected trilogy. The plot is dense but gripping, occasionally threatening to burst at the seams (like the Town's tangled buildings), but somehow managing to remain on track. What impressed me most (apart from the diverse case of eccentric characters) is the way in which various genres are seamlessly combined. Nominally a "fantasy novel", it also involves elements of crime/mystery, steampunk (courtesy of the curious inventions of Boris and Bert Polk), historical fiction/alternative history and various shades of horror (including body horror in the shape of a man-eating spider, eco-Gothic and folk-horror). There is also an underlying streak of good-natured English humour of the Wodehouse type, featuring witty wordplay and inept bachelors besotted with strong-willed women. On paper it shouldn't work. Somehow, it does.

The text is complemented by imaginative illustrations by Aleksandra Laika, which help to put the reader in the mood of this strange book.

Allow me three questions...

- It turns out that author Andrew Caldecott is a high-flying QC. When does he manage to write novels this complex? Any time-management tips welcome.
- when is the sequel out? I'm already looking forward to it.
- And the movie?

This really is quite a strange book and not in a bad way. Rotherweird is in England but is not part of it. For centuries it has been isolated from the rest of the country. It has its own customs and laws. The fact that the study of its history is banned is one of those quirks and a key to this story. The arrival of a new history teacher at the school - an "outsider" - is significant as is the fact that a wealthy outsider has moved into an old property in the town. In the main the story plays out in current time. However there are sections where the history of Rotherweird is gradually teased out as well as the reasons for its isolation.

The whole story is actually strange. However it is also intriguing, wide ranging and very inventive too. Some of the time it follows Oblong (the new history teacher) and his discovery of aspects of the town's history. There are far stranger characters than him roaming the pages of this book. It is wonderfully rich but you must not lose concentration or you may miss something important.

The cast of characters include some outstanding ones. In addition to Oblong there is Sir Veronal the rich outsider who has bought the old property in town - odd when no outsiders have usually been allowed to live in town never mind buy property. Right at the start we find out that his "family" are created for the move. Oblong, together with Orelia and Vixen, were my favourite characters in the town. Outside the town Ferensen was fascinating as was Ferox who lives in "another place"…

While I really enjoyed reading Rotherweird I do have a few small reservations about it. A combination of the number of characters and the relatively complex story does mean you really do need to pay attention when reading. There are one or two people in the story about whom I feel I never did work out their stories fully for example. I mostly enjoyed the humour in it however there are moments that have a childishness to the humour for me. One of the inventions in the book had a real "Heath Robinson" feel to it - I could almost see the cartoon - and it felt a bit like an afterthought. I never really got the background involvement of Druids in the story either. At times it felt a little disjointed too however that may be because mine was a proof copy.

That said this is one of the most appealing and fascinating books I've read in some time now. There is darkness and humour here together with invention and originality. For me there are echoes of the work of both Mervyn Peake and Neil Gaiman here.

Rotherweird is a place where we can know nothing about the past, the present is strange and the future looks uncomfortable to say the least. This is another England and "another place" and I want to read the next book!

Rotherweird is the first in a beautifully woven fantasy trilogy by Andrew Caldecott, infused with the feel of the Victorian and the Gothic. Much of the novel is given to world building and incorporates detailed descriptions of the anachronistic town, Rotherweird, and its rather eccentric inhabitants. It begins in 1558, where the troubled queen wants rid of 10 gifted children. Instead of following orders, Sir Robert Oxenbridge, saves their lives by covertly putting them under the care and education of Sir Henry Grassal at Rotherweird Manor. With the addition of two talented local peasant children, they are educated and taught to make the best of their particular gifts. In the present, Rotherweird is a town granted independence through statute, provided no-one delves into its history before the 19th century where it appears horrific events took place. However, secrets have a habit of tumbling out.

Two newcomers, Jonah Oblong, the new history teacher, and billionaire Sir Veronal Slipstone arrive in Rotherweird. Slipstone is renovating Rotherweird Manor against local regulations, has a fake actress wife, and fake son, Rodney. He is supported by the venal and ambitious mayor, Sidney Snorkel, who does all that Slipstone asks of him. Oblong replaces Flask, the previous History teacher, a man who mysteriously disappeared and transparently researching and teaching forbidden history. It is not long before it becomes clear that Slipstone has dastardly plans to take over Rotherweird and is willing to throw his money around to ensure he does not fail. Slipstone is in the slow process of retrieving dark memories from his past which are instrumental in equipping him to be a unrivalled source of power. Standing in his way are a loose collection of odd individuals that include Hayman Salt, Orelia Roc, Vixen Valourhand, Bill Ferdy, and Ferenson. It transpires that Rotherweird had faced shattering horrors in the past, and once again it must fight. It was said that in the past, the green man and the hammer saved the town, can this happen again?

There is an intricately plotted novel with a narrative that beguiles and charms. The author has outdone himself in creating a world and characters that effortlessly held my interest, although it did take a while to get going. There is humour and comic touches throughout the novel that is quintessentially British. The real strength of the story lies in the wide range of quirky and bizarre characters and how they develop. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy. A brilliant and highly recommended read. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.