I'm not bothered by novels that take a while to come together -- which is a good thing, since that's definitely the case here. Turnbull's novel features a large cast of characters, and it moves back and forth between their storylines (which aren't chronological, or possibly even in the same universe/timeline). It takes over half the book for these characters and their storylines to start gelling into something cohesive, and some parts don't click into the place until the literal end of the story.

Normally, I would be okay with that. My problem here -- and it is MY problem, rather than a problem with the novel itself -- is that Turnbull's writing style lacks the extensive description and detail that I am often drawn to in novels. Instead, his prose is straightforward, with an emphasis on dialogue and a focus on action. This kind of narrative pacing holds my attention less and doesn't give me a world and characters that I can imagine and use to ground the plot; I know there are many other readers out there who prefer the opposite and will be happy with Turnbull's work.

4.0
Bill
No Gods, No Monsters
No Gods No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull


No Gods No Monsters is one of the books that had me admiring it more than enjoying it. Strongly crafted on a sentence level, built on a structure both complex and deftly handled, and dealing with some seriously weighty themes, the book still left me, despite all that, a bit cold, a bit resistant to its charms. Still, as you’ll see, I’m mostly strongly recommending it, even if it didn’t wholly win me over.

We begin with a scene that seems all too familiar. One of the main characters, Laina, is at the morgue standing over the body of her brother Lincoln, an unarmed black man killed by a policeman as he was “running through the streets as bare as on the day he was born.” High, Laina assumes of her drug-addicted brother, but then rumors of a tape being kept secret by the police crop up, followed by a visit from Rebecca, one of Lincoln’s friends, who tells Laina he had sobered up and was on his way to see her the day he was killed. The same day Rebecca visits, the tape mysteriously shows up in Laina’s place and what it shows turns her world upside down. The cop, his bodycam shaking in fear, is being chased by a massive doglike creature but when he shoots it dead, it transforms into Lincoln. Her brother was a werewolf. Soon after, Laina posts the video to several streaming sights, and though some try to claim it’s a hoax, when a group of werewolves (including Rebecca) block the interstate and transform themselves while cameras shoot, the entire world is awakened to the fact that “monsters” of all sorts (shapeshifters, invisibles, fire-breathers, vampires, etc.) have long existed but have hidden themselves away for safety’s sake. The night of revelation becomes known as “The Fracture.” What still remains unknown to the public is that the monsters are not monolithic in their viewpoints, that there are a number of ancient secret societies, some acting in concert while others are at odds in an uneasy truce that is about to be violently broken.

This is the world of No Gods No Monsters. Along with Laina and Rebecca (who eventually enter into a relationship), the wide-ranging and highly diverse cast of characters also includes:

• Ridley: Laina’s asexual, trans husband who owns a co-op bookstore
• Harry: recently divorced, in an attempt to distract himself he goes down internet secret society rabbit holes, becoming more obsessed after The Fracture
• “Dragon”: a young monster seen as a tool by others
• a woman who can become invisible
• Sondra: a senator from St. Thomas who is also a were-dog
• a semi-omniscient narrator who remains a mystery until the end.

The settings too are diverse, shifting all over the place, as does the quasi-linear narrative, and this combination creates a mosaic novel, a kaleidoscopic reading experience as individuals weave in and out and groups begin to form. Or maybe a jigsaw puzzle is a better analogy, as Turnbull often withholds information so that the reader is always trying to put the pieces together while having to re-evaluate what they had thought the picture was supposed to be. While all this shifting is mostly handled adroitly — if the reader is unsure about things, it’s because we’re meant to be — I do think the structure sometimes causes some pacing issues.

The worldbuilding as we tend to think of it in fantasy (where do these gods come from, what sort of powers do the monsters have, when and where did these societies form) is somewhat thin, but again (I’m assuming) not due to a lack of writing skill but because, at least in this first book of a projected trilogy, Turnbull is more focused on character than plot, on people rather than backstory. What’s important is what motivates characters here — what traumas, what outside events, what inner demons, what goals and desires — and while all that takes place against this semi-mythical backdrop of gods and monsters and secret societies that is vitally important, it is still backdrop. At least for now. And then, more prosaically in terms of character and plot, many of these characters have their own reasons for keeping information close to their chests, and so we as the reader aren’t privy to a lot because the characters, as opposed to the author, aren’t willing/ready to share. They can lead to some potential frustration, especially for a certain type of reader (you know who you are). For me, it wasn’t so much leading to frustration as creating distance between me and the story.

The themes are plentiful and weighty: power, race, class, bigotry, capitalism, collectivity, trauma effects, colonialism, the burden and joy of family. Some of the metaphors are obvious. Monsters have long stood in for the more mundane “others” long terrorized and marginalized in our world. A comparison made explicit in a passage summarizing one of the reactions to The Fracture:

a Latino man was pulled from his home, doused with gasoline, and set ablaze.. . An Indian woman carrying groceries was hit over the head . . . The man standing over her brough down the bat several more times . . . A Black teenage boy was found, his throat cut. These things happened before, had always happened, but now the reasons for them had changed.
Those who have been othered always make great scapegoats, and people are often rarely concerned about whether or not they’re actually any kind of threat beyond their mere existence. And that last line is devastating in its understatement and in the way it raises the obvious question of just who are the “monsters” here.

Another clear analogy in the novel relates to the question as to whether those others who can “pass” should “come out” to the world and risk the potential (and potentially fatal) backlash or hide who they are for the sake of safety and a kind of (tortured) ease. The “monsters” are not monolithic on this at all, and the unveiling protest undertaken by the werewolves at the start ignites a conflict amongst the various societies. Because the monsters are a stand-in for marginalized groups, Turnbull can further complicate things (and shed yet another light on current society) by showing us how those groups already scorned by much of society react to a “new” such group. In an ideal world, of course, it would be with immediate solidarity. But we don’t live in that world. As we see in this passage when one member of a cooperative reveals himself to be a monster and decides to bring the question of what to do out in the open:

Our collective’s mission is to support the solidarity movement. Often, that has meant supporting marginalized people. Some of you are people of color, and some of you are part of the queer and trans community, like me. Many of the most vulnerable monsters are also a part of these communities, which is why redefining solidarity to include them is so important. In that spirit, I think we should extend our support to monsters since it’s likely that they’re already in the movement but have chosen to remain silent.’
Ridley feels the reflexive terror move through the room.
Nick speaks first. ‘When you say ‘monsters,’ who do you mean?’
Melku: ‘Vulnerable ones.’
Nick: ‘And what does that mean?’
Frankie, glancing at Cassie: ‘Do you know any monsters? I’ve never met one. I’m not sure they actually exist.’
Melku: ‘Yes. I am a monster. So is Cassie.’
Frankie, turning red: ‘Oh.’
Nick makes a face anyone can recognize, somewhere between shock and rage.

While sometimes the metaphor can be a bit on the nose, I did appreciate the layered, nuanced approach Turnbull takes toward the subject. As for other topics, given the precipitating event, the shooting of an unarmed black man by a cop (a black man seen as an animal by the cop), it’s obvious at the start that Turnbull is interested in what is going on (and, sadly, has been going) in society, as well as what might spark a change or what has prevented it. To the latter, we see a world after the Fracture where a large number of people just refuse to believe it or are indifferent to whether it is true or not, which is not all that dissimilar to how many in our world treat any of a host of social ills: racism, misogyny, poverty, even climate change. While I get what Turnbull is going for here (I think), I confess I had a hard time buying into this part, as the whole “monsters exist” seemed of a different class. I could much more easily buy into that first, more violent type of reaction noted earlier. That said, while it nagged, I could go along because, again, I liked what he’s saying with it.

There’s a lot more here to unpack, the effect of trauma, how one deals with one’s otherness not in the semi-removed world of “society” but in the painfully close emotional world of one’s own family, the manipulation of power and its use, references to Le Guin, the ways in which the world is simply a mystery to us, the idea that some questions — even vitally important ones — may not have answers (certainly not easy ones). No Gods, No Monsters is not, therefore, a “zip-through” kind of book. Plan to spend some time, plan to do some work. Does it pay off? Well, as I said above, it did leave me a bit cold, a bit at a remove. But it deals with so much that’s so important, the craftsmanship is so strong, the little bits and moments of characterization so sharp, the book as whole so thoughtful, that I’m still recommending it. Highly if not enthusiastically, if that makes sense. And if it doesn’t, well, that’s more than fitting for this title.

An engrossing and timely exploration of the cultural forces that lead us to shy away from societal conflicts and deny the experiences or even existence of the oppressed. Expertly drawing together disparate threads from secret societies to worker's co-operatives to werewolves, Cadwell Turnbull kept me on the edge of my seat. Can't wait for the next one!

I loved how this story was told, with many different points of view and timelines. At times, it took me a minute to get used to each character which pulled me out of the story but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Often when we read speculative fiction, we do it as a form of escapism. We want to travel to a universe where, at least for a while, the world and our lives are different. We want to believe in fairytales, that love prevails, and justice triumphs over all. This isn't the experience you will be getting when reading No Gods, No Monsters, but that isn't a bad thing.

With powerful secret societies that influence much of how we perceive and interact with the world, the book shows us how biases work through the existence and revelation of supernatural creatures. This is the first story I've read that has people being in denial that supernatural creatures, or 'monsters', exist. Uncomfortable with the idea that the world is much more complicated than what they're used to, most of the general populace in the book do their best to avoid talking about the Fracture, the incident that changed the world. Or not really.

I love how diverse the characters are. The monsters aren't your typical werewolves, witches and vampires, oh my. The former two are involved, but there are techno witches and that's a win in my book. I also love that open relationships and asexuality are presented well in the story. While I'm glad that there are more LGBTQ+ voices and stories now, most still have very limited points of view. Additionally, the way the book talks about cooperatives makes me start a cooperative bookshop myself.

The main issue I have with this book is that I'm not sure what the main theme is. There's a lot to unpack and it's great, but I'm honestly a bit lost even though I enjoyed reading the book. The way some people used the presence of monsters and the possibility that some already marginalized communities may be hiding them as an excuse treat said minorities worse really resonated with me. But that's not the central point here either. I like the message that it also highlights, that you shouldn't be too hung up by the past, but once again I'm not sure if that's the underlying connection between all the threads within the book. Maybe I need to reread it.

The style of writing is not lush or poetic or particularly beautiful. But that's fine; everything still gets conveyed, if leaving some details somewhat unclear. Reading this book requires quite a lot of concentration and effort, as there are many clues and threads to pick up on. The chapters are short and the focus jumps from character to character. The fragmented way the story is told can be confusing, but it all ties up pretty well in the end. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of questions have yet to be answered by the end of the book. Every character has their own story and much is still left up in the air.

The book turned out much more literary than I expected. It's a series, but I'm not sure I'll be picking up the next book even though I'm definitely intrigued. At its heart, I think the author has a lot to say through this series, and it's worth picking up to find out what. For me though, it's enjoyable and interesting, but not enough for me to keep going.

I have mixed feelings about this book. What I really liked was the unconventional way of dealing with diversity, making it explicitly something that emerges from within each of us, thus making the division we always try to make between "us" and "them" untenable. We are the gods, but we are also the monsters, in a fluid becoming perfectly represented by the mutation of the werewolves. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the level of 'monstrosity' to maintain this division.
Really good ideas, very well described through characters that leave their mark.
What I didn't like was the "cauldron". All these excellent ideas are placed in a framework full of allusions that would like to fill the reader with stimuli, mimicking the confusion of reality, but which instead, in my opinion, is real confusion. As shown by the attempt to set up a conspiracy theory à la QAnon, which, again in my opinion, the author could really have done without.

This beautiful yet dense novel might be hard to follow, but it is totally worth it. A lot of characters, a lot of dimensions (literally) and a lot of metaphysical questions, about what makes us monstrous and what makes us human. Or gods?

Science and fantasy create a world difficult to access, but no more than our inner world or the world we live in. We have to accept that we can't understand everything, and we have to understand ourselves. It all comes together at the end... for better or worse.

This was an incredible story. It took me a few chapters to get into the story, since Turnbull did some really interesting things with intersecting and intertwined storylines for a lot of different characters, but I really loved how all the stories connected into something much bigger going on. I also loved that the narrator had their own voice and character. It made the story super interesting to be invested in both the story happening, but also how the narrator was part of it.

Since I believe this is the first book in a new series, I'm very excited to see where the sequels will take the story next.

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

It's a weird one because I THOUGHT I knew what to expect from that blurb, but really I didn't. Our narrator, Cal, is both omniscient AND an actual character in the novel, with his own story and traumatic past. He's moving back to St Thomas (in the US Virgin Islands) and dealing with the death of his brother. But he also follows Laina, Ridley, Dragon, Rebecca,... throughout their own stories, as an invisible presence. That was one of the parts that I found most intriguing.

It's also not clear at first how everything is linked, as there are a few secret societies and invisible (literally or metaphorically) players moving the pieces behind the scenes. I found it both challenging to follow, and intriguing to try to piece it all together for myself before the story did it for me. I was still surprised at some of the twists and turns the plot took.

I definitely loved most of the characters, and the way the novel deals not just with monsters and othering/discrimination but things like cooperatives, communism, how to effect change in our society,... Ridley in particular was an interesting one for me because he's a trans, asexual man, in an open relationship with his wife Laina (who also has a girlfriend), he works at a coop bookstore, he's got a history of activism... and the events make him react in a way that's more reactionary and contrary to his values, mostly due to trauma. It was an interesting journey to take with him and see where it went.

Overall it's very much a book 1 in a series, so it leaves a lot of questions unanswered still, but it pulls enough threads together that it was a satisfying ending too.


TWs: besides the police brutality mentioned in the blurb, it also deals with other tough subjects like gun violence, drug abuse, in a cursory way also suicide, cancer and transphobia. There's one gory episode of cannibalism/torture about halfway through, so be aware of that.

This is a really disappointing review for me, because the premise for this book sounded amazing. I don't know if I missed something, or if I didn't read it at the right time, but I just didn't get it.
I couldn't understand who's perspective we were in, how the characters connected to each other, or the events that were going on. I had moments where I got it, but I lost it as soon as the perspective changed, and so I really struggled to get through this one.
I will say that the writing was beautiful, and that certain lines were really impactful. The characters were all beautifully described, with incredible diversity in the people and their relationships.
There were a lot of good elements in this novel, and I can see from the reviews that a lot of people did get it, and loved it, but personally I just felt confused.
I would love to try something else from this author, or even try to re-read this, because their writing and their characters are beautiful, but it just didn't work for me.

Firstly, this has to be a penname, right? Like, I just imagine an author with this name has a top hat and large mustache.

Basically, this book follows several characters over several different points in time. Many characters are monsters or related to/are involved with them somehow. Shit hits the fan when one of the characters leaks a tape of her brother wolfing out and being shot and killed by police. From there you find out that Gods are also real, there are different factions of Monsters/Gods, and they are getting ready to go to war with each other, while the humans can’t decide if what they are seeing is genuine or media propaganda.

The paranormal/supernatural aspects of the characters and the conflicts they face are used to mirror marginalized communities (POC & LGBTQ+ in particular) and touches on police brutality, among other things that probably flew right over my head.

The narration was confusing at times, I understood why in the end, but it was a bit off-putting while reading and would pull me out of the story.
I literally sat there questioning if I was dumb (probably).
While I did ultimately enjoy this book, I found it to be suffering a bit from “First Book Syndrome” with too much world building which becomes a bit of an info dump. It makes sense that this book is part one in a series, I’m hoping that all of the set-up is mostly over with and the next book will have more action.

I went into this blind, not sure what to expect.
What I got was a jumbled sequence of loose fragments, about mostly likeable characters, that ended up all fused together to create a theatrical climax and an ending that left me with questions, in a good way.

A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I felt like this book had so much potential. However, I felt there was far too much going on and it didn't connect well in the storyline. It also was told from a different point of view for almost the entire story. Reading it, you kept feeling like you were missing something or that you weren't reading closely enough and were missing part of the story. It took me a few chapters to realize that was just how it was written. I had a hard time finding much to dote on for this book, I felt it just missed the mark. There was so much potential for an excellent story but too many angles and they were not well layered or molded together. This made it feel like you were in the same world but following all these different storylines and they connect, somewhat, but it doesn't quite match up enough that it makes sense.

Not for me. I simply didn't enjoy the narrative style (odd word choices, stream-of-consciousness, symbolic actions/conversations rather than realistic ones). Very well-written, just not my cuppa.

I really wanted to love this book and I thought I would. However, despite my best efforts I just couldn't get into it and stay interested. The concept and plot was super interesting, as was the worldbuilding but I just couldn't stay focused and invested.

I read this partially in book format and partially listened to it as an audiobook. The audiobook was probably easier to follow along for me and I thought the narration was perfect for the style and genre of this book.

The cast of characters was diverse and all seemed to have interesting backstories and motivations but I just didn't click with them like I expected I was.

Overall, this was a decent book but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The depth and care with which Turnbull inhabits each character is riveting; despite an expansive cast spread over wide terrain, I never felt lost or confused. His attention to location detail is considered and clear: The story shifts from Massachusetts to St. Thomas to Virginia with confident ease, carried by beautiful, conversational prose that’s startlingly punctuated by reminders of who’s narrating the stories — and how.

WOW!!!
Netgalley e-ARC

STUNNING. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!

I randomly added this book into my August Netgalley reading vlog because I saw it on a YA LGBTQIA+ fantasy reading list and I have never been more happy with my compulsory need to add books to my TBR.

Completely unexpected, this book imagines what life would be like if werewolves were suddenly exposed to the real world. Alive, living & breathing, very real MONSTERS, which then opens up Pandora's box to the question: if werewolves are real, then what else is too?

I LOVED this book so much. Love, love, LOVEEEED this book. I'm not going to lie I was very confused for the first part of it, but the writing execution is so good that I had to keep going. I'm so glad I did!

This is obviously an urban fantasy, BUT ALSO did you know there are sci-fi elements as well? O_0 WHAT. I loved the originality of the monsters and what their powers are, and putting it into an urban fantasy setting... y'all I loved it. We have real honest to god monsters that were alive when Dracula roamed the earth, and our MCs are still trying to beat 5 o'clock traffic to get to a birthday party on time.

There is also some really nice LGBTQIA+ rep, mental health rep, and I loved the questions this book brings up about the value of a person's life- I.e. if a monster isn't deadly, just different, are they still considered people? Can all monsters be put into the same category regardless of their intentions and who they are? Loved it. LOVED IT.

Overall, if you're an urban fantasy reader, and you want a story with a sprinkle of sci-fi, mystery, romance, diversity, heartbreak, and downright REALNESS, then this is the book for you. Highly recommend!!

xx
-Christine

absolutely incisive. really well written along with being relevant and compelling. can't wait to read more from turnbull

Wow wow wow. This took me on quite a ride and made me question what we know about the world.

It dove into the paranormal/supernatural, the secret organizations, the magic and the scientific theories that surround us, the reality that we know, the hardships that people go through, the society and the system we live in.

Another thing that really impressed me is the writing style and the prose. It was dark and eerie and so captivating. And the fact that the author blended horror, fantasy, and science fiction and he did it so brilliantly. 😭👏

There are a lot of characters and it can get confusing/hard to keep up. However, the way these different characters and their perspectives intertwine was so cool and impressive. (And hello??? That unnamed narrator?!) Kudos to the author for creating such an intricate yet satisfying network of point of views.

I really enjoyed reading this y'all. This one surprised me and I loved it!

E-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Full review soon!

Today I have No Gods, No Monsters By Chadwell Turnbull. The story follows an assortment of characters, but it predominantly all surrounds or is tied to Liana, who’s brother was gunned down by a Boston cop. At first it just looks like police being brutality, but a video cam recording reveals it’s more than just that. We find out that Monsters, like actual monsters actually exist. And they want to be heard, despite the “regular folks” wanting to pretend they don’t exist.

This book focuses on topics similar to racial injustice, discrimination, hate crimes, but with the element of the individuals being attacked are "monsters".

The one thing about this book that I disliked was it did feel a bit all over the place. While it was BEAUTIFULLY written there were so many characters and at times I felt a bit disconnected because you would read from a certain characters POV and then come back to them waaaaaaay later in the story and think "Wait, who is this, and why are they important?"

That being said I would still HIGHLY recommend this book if you are into fantasy, urban fantasy, and mythology. It's for sure a page turner, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

Unlike traditional western storytelling, this story isn't linear and it makes it all the more interesting. This is something that won't be for everyone; it keeps you guessing and sometimes confused until the end, but I loved it and it's social commentary. Definitely worth a try.