3.5 stars

No Gods, No Monsters was a creative page-turner that left me with more questions than answers.

Laina’s world was turned upside down when she learned that her estranged brother was killed by a police officer, but a mysterious video tape made the situation even more complicated. In the video, Laina’s brother was a werewolf. Laina leaked the video to the media and the world was forced to deal with the ugly truth: monsters were real, and they could be our neighbors.

Told from various perspectives, Turnbull explored what it meant to be a monster and the human response to monsters who wanted peace and recognition. Turnbull’s storytelling was unique and No Gods, No Monsters made for an addictive read. The characters were complex with an impressive range of gender identities and sexualities. As the first book in a series, the author did some impressive set-up for future books; however, I wish there was some payoff in the first book. I left book one feeling a bit frustrated that all I had were more questions.

No Gods, No Monsters was an impressive take at examining what makes someone a monster with characters that will stick with the reader.

4.5 stars. I'm thrumming with excitement. I love when I finish a book and my mind won't shut up about it; my brain keeps spinning with ideas and theories and turning over all the cutting, delicious, insightful things this had to say. This book landed at the perfect intersections for me; fantasy, folklore, mystery, queerness. It's dense, but told in the perfect way, so I never felt overwhelmed, just eager for every new reveal.

Monsters are real, and the world is about to find out just how real they are. We're following a diverse cast of characters: a woman who just lost her brother to police violence, her bookstore owning husband, a little boy who's a pawn in ways he doesn't understand, a conspiracy theorist professor, an invisible woman, and several varied shifters. They each have their part to play in the story that unfolds, as the reality of monsters is brought to light in the world. The thread that ties them all together and the way it's revealed is one of the cleverest, coolest things I've ever read; I loved it so much. I can be really picky about POV in books, and all I can say without giving away too much is that I loved the hell out of the way this was told. The story does take some time to find its legs, and the beginning chapters where the reader is in the dark were confusing in a few ways. But never in a frustrating way; I devoured this, and just wanted to know everything about this world. The writing was so sublime; raw and heavy, always packing a punch, but never overwrought or over the top. There are a few scenes and images from this book that keep coming back to me; they were so striking and vivid. In a couple scenes I felt like I was being held by the face and being made to LOOK. I loved it.

I'll probably never stop yelling about how I love seeing dialect used in books, no matter how small or casual; especially when it's a Caribbean dialect. I adored the way USVI culture and folklore played a part in this world, amongst all the other cultural influences that were evident. I especially loved it when it came to the monsters. One of my favourite folklore characters has a role here; I suspected who/what she was from the moment she appeared (so to speak) on page, and I was delighted with pretty much everything she did and said and the type of part she played. I also loved the casual diversity of this; we've got a mostly black and brown cast, and there's all the queer characters, the trans and nonbinary characters, the polyamory. This also talks about activism in a way that clearly calls to mind recent events, but in a far less clumsy way than I've seen other recent books try to do it. It felt firmly rooted in Turnbull's world, but also relatable.

This was just such a satisfying read; giving a voice to monsters and marginalised people. It's been a while since I've been this excited to start a new fantasy series; particularly one that isn't even done yet. But this was absolutely gorgeous, really powerful, and I can't wait to see what's next for these characters and this world.

Content warnings: police violence, gore, death, child abuse, domestic violence.

This is a whirlwind of a book that I think was just not for me.

The story follows Laina and her journey after the death of her brother Lincoln at the hands of the police. From there, a sprawling tale ensues branching off into multiple different narratives. That's where the largest problem of this book lies. There is so many narratives that it is so hard to keep up with it and especially having it on Kindle proved a challenge because I couldn't flip back through masses of chapters to find out who this character or what thread does this connect to. Perhaps in the physical form, I may have been better just so I could flip back for reference but on Kindle I found it almost impossible.

Character-wise I really only found Ridley interesting (and that's only because he's asexual like myself.) The others really suffered from the sporadic narratives thus I never had any connection to their stories.

Yet, saying that, the writing is immaculate. Even if I had no idea what's going on, the writing is beautiful and so effective that it makes it such a pleasure to read. Exquisite, effective storytelling exploring ideas of power, protest, and broken family relationships that makes me very interested in Turnbull's other works because he is so damn talented!

This is a book I was determined not to lose hope for and the writing alone was enough to sustain my interest. As for everything else, it passed in a blur. This is a book that will envelope other people and repel others but definitely worth a shot even if you're on the fence about it. Just sadly this time, I couldn't find my way in and that left me with a longing for something more that it couldn't give.

From one of Cadwell Turnbull's interviews with Lightspeed Magazine, he describes his upcoming book as "modern retelling of the civil rights movement of the ’60s and ’70s, but with monsters." Indeed, the title No Gods No Monsters derives from an anarchist slogan "No gods, no masters" meant to be a "call against discrimination and hierarchy," as explained in the climactic protest at the book's finale. No Gods No Monsters opens with a horrifically common occurrence in the United States, the shooting of an unarmed black man by police and his sister Laina is informed. In the midst of her grief, she is mysteriously handed a video of the events which show her brother and others turning into wolves.

Ambitious, with multiple threads of polyphonic stories, this sprawling novel defies neat categorization - urban fantasy, speculative fiction, science fiction, social commentary. We readers are dipped into the lives and stories of diverse individuals and families including:
- Puerto Rican lesbian female Rebecca also a werewolf, Laina's lover
- guy returned to his home island of St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, his brother Cory Turner died
- Ridley coop bookstore owner asexual trans biracial (half white, half black)
- Monsters: Dragon rescued by Order of Asha, Melku (also from St Thomas) - tech mage, Sonya- invisible, Cassie/Cassandra - seer, sight mage, Damsel - witch, Yuni, Sarah - werewolf
- 2 orders of monsters, rogue ones, unknown organization forcing them into open
- Sociologist Karuna Flood born in Nepal raised and adopted by Irish parents adopted, went missing
- Sondra, senator running again for reelection, from St Thomas, Sondra monster, sister Sonya is a souyoucant (bloodsucking supernatural being from Caribbean folklore), Sondra's parents are werewolves who adopted Sonya
- Hugh Everett quantum physicist who discovers a new wave theory, neglects his family with devastating consequences
- Henry who falls into a cult Golden Dawn from loneliness after divorce

At first, the stories seem disparate, we are dripped backstories across timelines and geography but slowly the interconnections and common themes emerge. I love that the author gives space for the stories to breathe and for readers to reach realizations. One of the refrains is "So it fucking goes" - shitty things happen, is it derived from Vonnegut's famous 'So it goes?" There's drug addictions, racial injustice, spousal physical abuse, family inability to accept LGBT members, suicide, lung cancer from second-hand smoke of smoking spouses, PTSD in military. Close family and friends wonder in regret and self-recrimination whether they could have done more to help, to reach out, made a different decision in the crossroads of fate and time. This is where the concept of multiverses and alternate outcomes, alternate selves pops up with regularity. I felt that the theory of quantum mechanics that sets up this concept a little thin and basic. Also although the stories tried to be empathetic to everyone's pain and trauma, I thought in the subset story of Cory and his ex-wife Keren, his side was given too much emphasis, over-explained vs Keren's terror, I didn't think she had anything to apologize for.

The term 'monsters' is deliberately provocative, because if we treat beings different from us monstrously, what does that turn us humans into? With the release of the video of werewolves that is subsequently altered, there is the Fracture, those who acknowledge the existence of them and those who deny it. Fear, paranoia and desire for destruction of the other pervades; even those who know the 'monsters' personally hesitate to support their cause publicly for fear of their safety.

I really enjoyed the range of No Gods, No Monsters. From a peanut growing coop (and the fascinating method of plant reproduction underground geocarpy) to the flavors of St Thomas (rum, obeah, souyoucant, hurricane, struggle to gain statehood status, iguanas, working at the local Kmart, local slang pahnah) to the SF elements (teleportation, mysterious omniscient fractal sea entity with first person narration, tracker soul worms, memory wipes, particle physics) to the abilities of the different 'monsters,' it's complex and action-packed. But beyond the thriller elements are hard pointed questions of prejudice, allyship, inequality, justice.

No Gods, No Monsters will be released on September 7th, 2021 by publisher Blackstone Publishing. Will definitely be reading book 2 of the Convergence Saga when it comes out!

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was so looking forward to reading this book, the title alone had me intrigued. But I found the story to be disjointed and I just didn't connect with it. Such a shame, but not for me I am afraid.

An intriguing story with a strong premise. The characters are realistic, at turns loveable and not. It did feel a little disconnected at times, where there was just too much in the plot... but overall? A really fantastic read.

No Gods, No Monsters is a stunning novel made up of a series of interconnected short stories in a world where monsters lurk underneath the surface. It's a daring and complex story that masterfully ties together disjointed threads to create a wonderful tapestry of loss, disenfranchisement, and solidarity. As someone who often struggles with fragmented storylines, I was surprised with just how gripping I found this book - it's one to keep an eye on for fantasy, horror, and literary lovers.

Laina receives news that her brother has been fatally shot by the police. What originally seems like a case of police brutality turns into something stranger. Monsters are real. This collection of short stories with reoccurring characters and narrative threads explores monstrous communities and the humans who live alongside them. Disturbing tales of secret societies. A werewolf pack dealing with loss and threatened into silence. Monsters that have hidden for centuries start to make themselves known. Hate crimes soar, protests erupt both for and against the monsters. Even in the face of the truth, many people refuse to acknowledge their existence.



Cadwell Turnbull has made some brilliantly daring and complex narrative decisions with No Gods, No Monsters. The fragmented storytelling creates a collection of short stories expertly tied together with reoccurring characters and narrative progression. The slow unravelling of interconnectedness requires the reader to pay deep attention to the text. As someone who finds it difficult to remember names, I occasionally felt lost, but with a bit of effort, the brilliance of this book shone through.

This book features a semi-omniscient narrator who watches the story unfold through the eyes of the cast. The narrator's character comes to light later in the book. His story is profoundly human, reflecting the themes of loss and social commentary that are present through the novel.

No Gods, No Monsters has an enormous cast of characters, but it manages to handle them in a deeply personal and poignant way. Cadwell Turnbull is incredibly talented at creating short scenes that are emotionally impactful, creating an instant connection between the reader and specific characters. Although we only get to see snapshots of their lives, the various forms of loss and injustice within these pages are instantly recognisable.

Monstrosity is tackled as a form of marginalisation in this book. The narrative was a heavily political social commentary on disenfranchisement, solidarity, and liberation. The theme of monsters being linked to marginalisation is one I particularly enjoy. What is a monster if not something rejected by society due to its perceived danger to our values? Even the title of the book 'No Gods, No Monsters' is a play on a popular anarchist slogan 'No Gods, No Masters'. In its original form, it was a call for no human being to be above the other - an anti-hierarchical message. In the book, the chant 'No Gods, No Monsters' is used to mean no one is above anyone else, and no one is below. I loved the discussions of political organising, the hesitancy of humans to stand in solidarity with monsters even if it is hypocritical of them not to.

This book is a must-read for fans of powerful, haunting books that play with narration in a bold new way. It's a fantastic read for those who are looking for a combination of horror, fantasy, and literary genres used to create an experimental, gripping social commentary on disenfranchisement, activism, loss, and solidarity.

The first book in a series is usually the weakest of the bunch, as it aims to introduce readers to the world, characters, and premise, but not this book! "No Gods, No Monsters" starts off The Covergence Saga with a bang and holds your attention throughout its pages. I loved the characters, the premise, the darkness, and everything about this book. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull is exactly what I was looking for. My favorite part of this book was the fast-paced story. I was hooked by the premise alone. It was such a joy to have been approved for No Gods, No Monsters. Monsters and humans are indistinguishable, and I am amazed at the way it talks about crime and police brutality. Due to my own identity as a minority, I thought that was well placed within this narrative. It seems plausible that it would appear as such, but it turns out it is quite different (at least in some ways). This novel echoes No God, No Monsters' line, "Everything is connected." This theme remains true throughout the story. The story begins with a bang and ends with one. I thought this was one of the more engaging Netgalley reads I have experienced. A really great read!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this great advanced ebook!

No Gods, No Monsters is a fantastic supernatural story! Turnbull’s writing style is one of the best!
Beautiful dialogue, real character growth coming out to the world. This is one story y'all will not want to miss!
This is a fascinating narrative perspective, and fast-paced plot, kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page. It will suck you right in!

I can't wait for the next one
Thank you again for this awesome book!

2.5/5 Stars

This was not the book for me. I honestly picked this book up and put it back down way too many times. I just could not get invested in the story at all. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I just couldn't feel connected to any of the characters. I think that there is something here and for sure can see why someone would enjoy it. This just unfortunatly not for me.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cadwell Turnbull’s debut novel The Lesson won the Neukom Institute Literary Arts award for a speculative fiction debut novel, and his short fiction has been included in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 and The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019. His second novel, No Gods, No Monsters, marks the beginning of a larger project for him: a series that Turnbull is calling The Convergence Saga. I have some suspicions about what the significance of that series name might be, but that would be getting into spoilery territory. What I can say is that the book details the aftermath of society learning of the existence of beings who might loosely be called monsters—werewolves and the like.

The biggest strength of this story is its complexity. Turnbull refuses simplistic categories for his characters. There are more than two sides, and all of them include both humans and monsters. Also, the monsters are just as divided as the humans are about how to respond to the public’s new awareness of their existence. Some factions want to cover up the revelation, out of fear that widespread knowledge of monsters’ existence will lead to them being manipulated by governments or persecuted by bigots. Others feel like this is an opportunity to come out of the closet and claim an equal place in society. Some belong to other marginalized groups—one character is trans and another nonbinary, and several are Black—and seek to build solidarity with others who have been subject to oppression or cultural erasure.

Of course, the very term “monsters” is fraught in this context. It’s the one used in the narration throughout the book and by many of the characters, including some who are monsters. But as one might guess from the title of the book, characters participating in a demonstration that forms the novel’s climax insist that those with magical abilities are neither gods nor monsters—neither superior nor inferior to ordinary humans. This is very much a story of people reaching out to each other, building solidarity, and trying to navigate a place for themselves in the world. All of this makes it a very timely and very powerful book, and I look forward to seeing the Convergence Saga continue.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I’m a huge science fiction fan and really enjoy urban fantasy in particular, so based on the synopsis I figured this would be right up my alley. Honestly, after getting an advanced copy of No Gods, No Monsters, I have been left completely conflicted on how I feel about this story.

To start this is a series, and I could not find any indication of how many books will be in this saga. No Gods, No Monsters is essentially just setting up the rest of the series for future installments.

There are a ton of characters in this book and the narration switches between characters almost too much in my opinion. I had a significant time trying to keep track of who was who, and how they tied to others. The first half of the book for the most part is character background and I had a hard time staying interested or even understanding where the ‘fantasy’ came into the story. I’m still not sure I understand everyone’s role in the story so far. There is also a first person voice character, that we don’t even realize is there until closer to the end of the story. While I liked the character depicts individually and felt they were all fairly complex, the jumping between them and their timelines left me confused.

The world building itself I enjoyed. The way Turnbull was able to depict social injustices by depicting them with the Monsters in this world, was fantastic. Nobody can say that Turnbull isn’t an imaginative author, realistically his writing is what saved this from being a two star read, but the lack of direction and answers really hindered my ability to grasp and enjoy this story.

Ultimately, this book is a lot. There are tons of moving pieces and while the writing itself is done well this story is written for a very specific audience. The interwoven storylines, lack of a clear understanding of what is going on, and is less a blend of horror/fantasy than I thought it would be. I’m currently undecided if I will want to read the second book in the series, but I also have so many questions that I need answers to.

If you enjoy speculative fiction, or well developed characters with a hidden plot line, than this might be the right story for you. Otherwise you’ll find it hard to wait 200 to get to ‘the action’.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★

No Gods, No Monsters comes out September 7, 2021. Huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

I find this very long novel about the revelation of monsters' existence to be quite disjointed. It bounces between different characters and locations, and, while are eventually connected, it is hard to keep a narrative in order.
I was drawn to the premise of monsters being "outed" and the world's reaction, I found the book very hard to get through.

No Gods, No Monsters gets off to a slow start but soon kicks into high gear with gripping action and a compelling story. Great characters, both human and monster, and a captivating plot that is very well written. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book. There were some formatting issues with the Kindle version, however.

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this book, and I got it as an ARC in return for a fair review. I wanted to love this book (seems like a common refrain for me recently). This story is absolutely haunting, and parts of the story are absolutely harrowing in the best possible way. I expected it to be urban fantasy, and if that's what you're looking for shift expectations now because this is much more literary in nature. This book will polarize readers - to be frank I loved parts of it, but parts of it I almost had to force myself to keep reading it.

In sum: Turnbull is walking on a line of brilliant and profound, and also occasionally... not. Parts of the book were really muddy, which was balanced by lovely prose and a social commentary that smacks you pretty firmly in the face. You have to pay attention to this book, and you have to finish it. I don't know. It's a lot, but if you love Monsters with a capital M, that are actually just people trying to live their lives, and are willing to focus this book is a must read.

Absolutely amazing read! I loved this book and the min theme of how humans and monsters and they aren’t in completely different categories. It’s like the lines are blurred. I read this book so fast and loved all of it!!

No Gods, No Monsters starts out as the story of Laina, whose desire to understand the circumstances that led to her estranged brother’s murder by police leads her to the discovery that monsters live among us. However, the book quickly expands its scope, jumping between the perspectives of a fascinating ensemble of characters, several of whom are creatures humans previously only existed in legends.

Turnbull has written an exceptional story about othering, oppression, family, acceptance, and the rawest aspects of the human condition. The novel is haunting and unsettling at times, with some lines burrowing under your skin and searing themselves onto your memory. But while No Gods, No Monsters speaks to so many familiar truths, it explores them in completely unique — and exquisitely strange — ways. How Turnbull moves between POVs and through time can be disorienting, but if you can trust in the process without demanding too much immediate clarity, reading it is a powerfully satisfying experience. The prose is spellbinding, every character is richly drawn, and it’s driven by a fast-paced plot with several unexpected turns. I was incredibly relieved after finishing to see that No Gods, No Monsters is only the first installment in an ongoing series, since I’m already ready for more.

Wow. Let me start this off and say this one is a doozy.

No Gods, No Monsters is truly a gripping story. I have to praise the writing on this one. It's beautifully written and descriptive. You can tell so much thought and time was put into the characters and their backgrounds. Everyone felt three dimensional and thought out. And they had flaws! Characters did things we didn't agree with but they were never villainized, which I absolutely loved reading. Everyone had a story and a motivation.

The mystery of the narrator was SO intriguing and well done. A nameless floating consciousness seeing into the lives of so many different people that all collide in one great ending.

It took me a little while to get into, however. There's a lot of information and characters being thrown at you in the first one hundred pages. Often, I felt confused about what was happening- but then again, I think that's done on purpose. There are times you meet someone briefly, don't hear from them and then you're in their pov again thinking: "wait who is this?" So when reading, take your time. But once you're in the halfway mark you're completely in it.

I definitely would recommend reading this gem twice. Once you have all the information going back will have everything make a bit more sense later on. But all in all, this is a good start to a series. I'm interested to see where Turnbull takes it.

As the first in a sci-fi fantasy series entitled The Convergence Saga, Cadwell Turnbull’s No Gods, No Monsters takes on the hefty task of introducing every relevant character and plot point necessary to establish the central conflict of the series. The fantastic is revealed to have been waiting just on the other side of what is known, but is knowing the same as acceptance?

When Laina learns that her estranged brother, Lincoln, has been shot to death by police, she initially mourns his murder as yet another in a long line of senseless, race-based shootings. However, in the middle of the night, an unfamiliar voice in her ear informs Laina that there is more to her brother’s death than meets the eye. After procuring footage of the shooting from this mysterious entity, Laina learns that her brother was actually a werewolf, killed while in his animal form. Upon releasing this information anonymously to the world at large, all Hell breaks loose as the knowledge of supernatural beings living among humans comes to light. This revelation sparks an event henceforth referred to in the story as “The Fracture”—the sudden, world-wide rupture between those who integrate this new knowledge and those who deny it.

A clear line can be drawn between the heightened political turmoil the world has experienced over the last few years and the in-universe conflict between magical beings and humans. In particular, the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the strife endured by LGBTQ+ communities are clear parallels to the story of the self-professed “monsters” in the book who seek equal treatment, protection, and the right to exist out in the open. While admirable in its attempt at allegory as well as its ambitious scope, the multitude of storylines do not truly overlap until towards the end, and the transitions between each section that precedes this merger can be jarring, especially when interjected by the occasional reminder that our omniscient narrator is actually the very first character we were introduced to.

We begin with our nameless narrator, who we learn is returning to his hometown, the island of St. Thomas. He is looking for a new start as a teacher while continuing to grieve the death of his brother, Cory. We then meet Laina, who is also grieving the more recent death of her brother, Lincoln. Laina receives intel on her brother’s death, which proves the existence of monsters, and releases it to the public. Laina is in an open marriage to Ridley, the trans co-owner of a group-owned bookshop. Rebecca, a member of Lincoln’s pack, comes to Laina to discuss next steps now that the existence of “monsters" has been made known; the two of them become involved. Harry is a divorced academic who gets caught up in an online forum, finding clues that eventually lead him to a secret organization, the Order of the Zsousvox, who feed his and eleven other newcomer’s left hands to a boy called Dragon—who does indeed breathe fire and appear scaly—in an act of ritual sacrifice. Dragon’s keeper is an incorporeal, dangerous entity called Smoke. However, Dragon is secretly freed from his prison by other magical beings who seek his help in their plan to protect as many of their kind as possible from an impending war. Dragon’s rescuers are Melku, a non-binary tech-mage, Sondra, who can sniff out and distinguish different magics in addition to transforming into an African wild dog, and Sondra’s adopted sister Sonya, a being who can remove her own skin to become invisible and who subsists on the blood of others.

It’s a lot of information to take in and keep track of.

What makes this more difficult is how often the story stops in its tracks to give readers extensive background information on each character. There is not a consistent flow of action until the point when the storylines well and truly converge during an intense, pro-monster march from Boston Commons to Boston, Massachusetts’ City Hall.

The most intriguing section of the novel is when we are shown the development and use of the omniscient narrator’s abilities, which involve time-travel and the existence of the multiverse. This character’s ability to study situations from every angle of possibility allows him to consider the many facets of inevitability, especially when it comes to the mistakes human beings make, and results in perhaps the most poignant storyline of the book. It is likely that the other characters mentioned above will embark on similar journeys of self-discovery over the course of the series, but in this first volume it is the narrator who experiences the most in the way of mental and emotional growth. The narrator’s particular abilities also allow for the most organic recounting of background information in the story. Since revisiting the past is essential to who this character is, doing so as a means of introducing what we need to know about him is especially fitting.

The prose itself is very readable—despite the length of the novel, it is very easy to find yourself several chapters ahead of where you began in no time at all. With what is hopefully the bulk of the foundation laid in this first volume, and the fluidity of the climactic third act in mind, readers can likely look forward to a gripping, fast-paced epic in what remains of the series, as well as a magic mirror in which ways to engage more effectively with our own world are reflected.