This is an imaginative and beautifully grim eco fantasy where magic comes with a deadly price. Bacigalupi and Buckell weave interconnected stories in a world slowly choking under the weight of its own magical pollution where every spell cast feeds the choking brambles overtaking cities. The result is a melancholy sometimes brutal reflection on consumption and consequence.

The prose is rich and the atmosphere thick making it a book you do not so much read as sink into. It is less about fast paced plots and more about mood character and the slow creeping sense of doom. A powerful read for those who want their fantasy with a side of grim environmental warning.

*This review is based upon a sample only*
I found this a really intriguing glimpse into a very interesting world. Khiam has been overrun by a terrible bramble, a plant which has the power to kill and feeds on magical energy. The Alchemist believes that he has found a way to kill the bramble, and this novella tells his story. This particular story is told by Paolo Bacigalupi and it is a shame that the sample didn't have a Tobias S Buckell chapter too, but as you would expect, the prose is great and the world building is very evocative. There is a wonderful exoticism to the tale and it has a real 1001 nights feel about it. Nefarious wizards, plants that kill and family strife all mesh well together to create a very satisfying whole. I look forward to reading the finished article.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Alchemist made for a most tantalising introduction to this book, which will contain four novellas upon release.
We're introduced to a country where magic carries more immediate consequences than are usually shown - free use has resulted in a plague of almost-indestructible bramble sweeping across the country to choke whole cities out of existence. Our titular alchemist may have been able to forge a solution; but if it was that easy, there wouldn't be a story to begin with.
The writing is extraordinary, and the story it's telling is original and drew me in in a heartbeat. I'll eagerly be awaiting the release of the full novel..