Cover Image: The Book of Koli

The Book of Koli

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I’m rapidly becoming a big fan of MR Carey, each story I have read is vastly different from the last. This one is no different. Fantastically written, intriguing storyline and great characters.

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I love MR Carey’s books so was delighted to be able to read and review The Book of Koli (Book One in The Rampart Trilogy). I’m going to be honest…I didn’t love it straight away, in fact I struggled. We are immediately dropped into Koli’s world, this is his diary after all, and it’s his uneducated language and limited understanding of the world around him that we are reading. Once my brain adjusted to Koli’s dialogue I started to be drawn into this strange new world inhabited by choker trees, deadly vines and shunned men!

Koli lives in the small village of Mythen Rood where power is handed out to the chosen few (Ramparts), the old technology only “wakes up” for certain villagers and Koli dreams of being part of this elite group. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the magic touch and in trying to prove his worth ends up being evicted from Mythen Rood and left to survive in the (literal) wild! The pace and sense of danger escalates once we enter this part of the story and Koli comes face to face (or face to claw/fist/root) with what lurks outside the safety of home.

Koli is not alone on his journey and his companion Monono Aware (an AI from the olden days) is one of my favourite parts of the book. She provides the background to events and an intelligent voice, she’s also pretty sassy! On this journey Koli’s understanding of past events grow and he becomes determined to make a change to his world and the survival of the human race.

I cannot wait to read the rest in the series!

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The Book of Koli is centred around a young boy named Koli who lives in a post-apocalyptic England. Following multiple wars and various other global catastrophes, the world has fallen into disarray and is now unrecognisable. Nature is the enemy now, with trees that can kill and terrifying creatures lurking outside, people must stay in their walled villages in order to survive.
Upon reaching the age of 15, you are tested to see whether ancient technology answers to you, but it’s a very rare and powerful trait to have.

The book started off really interesting. I was intrigued into how the world had ended up as it had, and couldn’t wait to experience some killer trees. It was nice to not have the “chosen teenager” trope, as Koli came across as a normal teenager with no particularly special traits. Unfortunately the world building did seem underdeveloped. I never got the explanations that I was wanting, plus we are told very little about the environment. The first 50% was okay, but the other half took some weird turn.
I can understand why some may not like the writing style. It is written in a primitive manner which, in my opinion, worked well considering that most people would be illiterate. It does take a while to get used to get used to, but I ended up barely noticing it.

Overall I thought the premise was promising, but it wasn’t executed as well as I was anticipating. I’m still undecided as to whether I want to read the next book or not!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don’t get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.

Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don’t venture beyond the walls.

What he doesn’t know is – what happens when you aren’t given a choice?

I’ll begin with a short apology. Over the last few weeks, I’ve struggled with keeping on top of my book reviewing schedule. My reading has been fine (it’s helping to keep me sane to be honest) but writing has been a real problem. Hopefully now that I’ve managed to get a better handle on the strange times we currently find ourselves in, normal service has been resumed.

The Girl with All the Gifts and The Boy on The Bridge are two of my favourite post-apocalyptic novels of recent years, so when I was given the opportunity to read M R Carey’s latest dystopian tale, I jumped at the chance.

Koli has spent his entire life in the village of Mythen Rood. It’s an isolated existence as the world outside is filled with many dangers. Only the Ramparts, the village leaders, have access to technology that can guarantee safety. Working at his family lumber yard, as a lowly woodworker, Koli dreams of becoming a Rampart himself. He is jealous of their standing in the local community.

Koli has a natural curiosity about the world, rather than just accepting things as they are, he questions them. Unfortunately, that curiosity is his downfall. His inquisitiveness leads him to break the rules and he is forced out into the wider world. His only friend is a strange character called Monono.

Monono Aware is the perfect companion for Koli. Her knowledge and language are unlike anything Koli has ever experienced before. His entire life has been based around a society that is very structured and all but stagnant. Monono is so jarringly different from anyone he has ever met before, it opens Koli’s eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. The interactions between Monono and Koli are great fun.

M R Carey has created a fascinating view of the future. There is a thoughtful element of subtle social commentary running through the entirety of the narrative. I’ve long held the opinion that twenty first century living has an over reliance on technology. Tech is undoubtedly convenient, but we take a heck of a lot of things for granted. When that technological crutch disappears, humanity begins to devolve. In just a few generations, everything has changed. Electronics seem almost like magic and the language used to describe things we consider commonplace now sound odd and otherworldly. Carey, the master storyteller that he is, also offers a few tantalising hints about how humanity has ended up so fragmented. I have to admit, this played directly into my ongoing obsession with all things apocalyptic.

The mismatched relationship between Koli and Monono does also offer the opportunity for some nicely executed misunderstandings and even the odd humorous moment or two. Extra kudos to the author for managing the best, and most unexpected, internet meme based one-off joke I have ever witnessed in fiction. It came totally out of the blue and perfectly fits in the scene in which it appears. Don’t worry, I’m not going to say any more than that, you’ll know it when you see it*.

For the curious amongst, I did some research after I finished reading The Book of Koli, and after a bit of hardcore Googling, I located where “Mythen Rood” is in the England. Turns out it is to the west of Half Ax just like the book says. There is part of me that is keen to go and have a look. How close is the geography of the village in the novel to its real-life counterpart? These are the important literary based questions that tend to keep me awake at night.

My musical recommendation to accompany is the soundtrack to the artificial intelligence science fiction movie Automata by Zacarias M. De La Riva. It has a similar dystopian feel as the novel which makes it an ideal fit.

If you’ve read and enjoyed novels like Station Eleven, or A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, then The Book of Koli should most definitely find its way onto your reading list. Carey’s vision of future England is utterly compelling. The characters are great, and the plot captured my imagination from page one. Highly recommended.

The Book of Koli is published by Orbit Books and is available now. The good news is that this novel is book one in The Rampart Trilogy so Koli’s story will continue. I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

*It did make me snort coffee out my nose. I had to go and read the scene to my other half immediately after I read it. I had to share it with someone straight away, it is that good.

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I underestimated this book! It took me weeks to read 10%, I didn't like the writing style and found it difficult to read in long stretches. But I encourage anyone to push past this as for me this is now a five star book without question. It starts in a familiar format, coming of age, one not like the rest, but carries on in a vastly different way. The main character, Koli, is unique and likeable, and not perfect! All the characters come to life and the world building is fantastic, I really would recommend to anyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Wow I just loved this book. It’s just the type of book that I love to read, as it really got my imagination going. It’s fantasy, post apocalyptic and Sci fi all rolled in to one. I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy to see what happens.

I have read that some people have struggled with some of the language used by the characters, for me it wasn’t a problem. The language that they sometimes speak is what I’d call English slang/local dialect, but please don’t let that put you off this book. If you don’t read this book I feel that you will be missing out on one of this years greatest books.

The world we live in today is not the world of the future.

Meet Koli he lives in a village called Mythen Rood, in the Calder Valley of West Yorkshire. Most of the big cities like London were bombed out during a war that happened hundreds of years ago. When man was starving and struggling to survive. The only things that are left over from this time are a few pieces of Tech that we take for granted now.

Outside the village walls it isn’t safe for people to wander as the plants prey on man. Due to man genetically changing plants, making them grow faster so they produced more crops in a shorter period of time. As there wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. What they did started a mutation that no one could have imagined. The plants and trees are man’s most lethal enemy along with genetically changed animals. Man is now the prey.

At Mythen Rood they have some very very old tech. Except that they don’t know how to make all of it work, but the few pieces that they do have is used to defend their village. From the mutated animals to the people they call “no names” these people are thieves, murders and people that have been cast out of their own villages due to wrong doings.

When any of the children of the village come of an age they are sent to stay in one of the houses in the village. Where they wait until they have their initiation tests to see if they can work the tech that protects the village. There is a big ceremony held where the whole of the village goes to watch. Each child that is due for initiation is asked which piece of tech they would like to try, as they only get one attempt to make it work.

All Koli wants is to become one of the elite, but non of the tech works for him. He’s jealous of his best friend because the tech he chose to try worked for him. So Koli hatches a plan to steal some of the old tech that doesn’t work and to see if he can get it to work. Out of the tech that he steals he does manage to get one piece to work and he plans to show the discovery to the whole village. Except things don’t turn out as he expected they take his name from him and they also make him leave the village.

This sets Koli on a huge adventure, where he finds out that the world outside is full of danger. He is captured and imprisoned and with the help of a friend they manage to escape. After their escape they plan to part ways, but Koli and his friends make a discovery which ends up putting them on a different course to what they were planning, which continues I guess in the next book.

This is a really great book and as I’ve already said I can’t wait to read the rest in this trilogy.

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Even though I received The Book of Koli from Netgalley and the book publishers for an honest review I immediately purchased the paperback as soon as I learnt that it was the first part of a trilogy. Having read M.R Carey's The Girl With All the Gifts and Someone Like Me, I know I would have to buy the second and third parts anyway. And I am glad I did.
This is a fantastic book and probably the best out of the three books I have read so far by M.R Carey. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the central character Koli lives in Mythen Road, a small community, walled-off for their protection against killer tress and shunned men. Each year when a child comes of age they get tested to see if they can wake tech, which leads to Koli discovering things aren't what they appear, leading him to discover more of the outside world.
A brilliant read.

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This book has a lot of potential, but I will say it's mostly potential for what comes next. It almost feels like a prequel for something that hasn't happened yet. But perhaps I'm being unfair.

The Book of Koli, is about a boy, Koli, who lives in a dystopian future where mankind has ruined the world beyond recognition. Life as we know it no longer exists. There's trees that have been so genetically modified that they can move, and kill. Humans capabilities with technology have all but vanished. Instead, people live in villages and are slaves to whatever technology still exists. For it is this alone that keeps them alive.

The village where Koli is from, Mythen Rood, is run by the Ramparts. Those who have been blessed with the power to awaken the technology. Koli dreams of becoming one of them. And then, he gets his chance, or so he thinks.

At the beginning of the book it took me a long time to get into the language of it, it felt clumsy (although it is deliberate) and I was fixated on it. As the book went on I started to ignore it, but it helped that the pace of the story picked up too.

Like I said, the series has a lot of promise. I'd be really intrigued to see where it goes next, and yes, I will be reading it just to see if this is going to be as good as I think it could be. At times it's a little slow, a little laborious, I feel we're so seeped in the details that the flow is lot, but I'm hoping that smooths out in the next book.

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This is the start of something big because oh boy it plays out in your mind like it should be in a cinema and what a magnificent introduction to the hero of the story, Koli and a world way into the future where they pray for dull days.
Life is really simple for Koli and the tight little village that he lives in. There are no towns where he lives, just pockets of villages with high walls to protect its people from deadly vegetation and the Shunned. Life is simple with tales of how the world used to be many years before. The language has become a little distorted but not too much not to know what is meant or the names of places. It all makes for interesting and believable reading. Technology is a sort after commodity that can make you God-like if you can make it work, with everyone having the opportunity to see if they are one of the chosen.
Koli is a fascinating character, inquisitive, bright and determined to better himself but he also has the ability to get under some peoples skin. The story is full of dangers that he didn't even know existed outside the walls of his home. The supporting cast of quirky characters have their own personality and strengths. A brilliant storyline that will keep any reader firmly glued to every new word and Koli's innocence. Britain feels so huge and everywhere so far away with impossible obstacles but what a journey this is going to be. I absolutely love Monono.
This story lays down very strong foundations for the next two books in this series. Highly recommended!
I wish to thank NetGalley, the publisher and Tracy Fenton for an e-copy of this book which I have honestly reviewed.

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The book is set in a post-apocalyptic world several hundred years in the future and long after a destructive war. Humanity is left hanging by a thread in small isolated pockets, threatened by genetically-altered wildlife and plants. Koli is 15 and lives in such a village of 200 people, surrounded by all kinds of things that will kill and eat you. There are carnivorous trees, seeds that get into your skin and devour you from the inside, rats the size of dogs and many other fearsome unnamed things. Life within the village walls is controlled and everyone has their part to play. The village is run and protected by the Ramparts - people who are able to awaken and use old technology (AI-driven and considerably more advanced than ours). All villagers are given a test when they turn 15 to find out if they are a Rampart, but only members of one particular family are usually so 'gifted'. Koli suspects a set-up and the story picks up the pace from there.

The Book of Koli has a slow start, mostly describing village life, but it's wonderful world-building and sets up the action to follow. There are three main characters - Koli, Ursala - an elderly woman who is wise to much of the 'old tech' and teaches Koli a great deal, and a music player with a cheeky Artificial Intelligence interface called Monono Aware, who becomes friend, helper and confidant to Koli.

It's initially a little difficult to follow Koli's speech patterns but that soon passes. It was fun trying to work out the town names - it's set in Yorkshire so Half-Axe must be Halifax - and to work out the songs Monono plays from Koli's descriptions (I got Bridge Over Troubled Water and Bohemian Rhapsody to name a couple). Mostly I loved the character building. And the plot. And the world-building. Basically I loved it and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

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The 1st in a trilogy, with the story told 1st hand via Koli, who comes from the Mythen Rood village in a place called Ingland. Koli recalls his life from nearly 15 years old. Being young and uneducated, his discourse is written in a reflective grammatical style to give this credence.
Via Koli, Carey paints a vivid backdrop of a dystopian world that has become primitive and tribal. It is dappled with a blend of mystical properties, such as the killer trees that wake up and try to capture people, to the presence of old tech that was aligned to a once modern society, not unlike ours, but with more of an abundance of AI.
Koli does like to spin a yarn, and whilst that is needed of a storyteller, he did drone on a lot in the 1st part of the book, making it feel slow and a tad tedious. However, it recovers well and gets meatier after he leaves his village shunned with his hidden technology of the Dreamweaver; a music player with an evolved AI called Monono. The ease of reading means you can canter through the book rather quickly. There are 2 other main characters, Ursula a healer and tech guru, as well as Monono who has a wickedly funny character and works to protect Koli as much as ‘she’ can. Koli is a likeable guy, young, naïve, decent and quick to learn. So lots of character development there. The story is very imaginative, unique and captivating, with tension, death and essentially a quest that progresses through books 2 and 3. And you end up wanting to know what happens next, so suffice to say, a good denouement, leaving you wanting more.

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At first this book seems so different from The Girl with all the Gifts. I must say the further you read the more you can see how easily you can be immersed in the life of Koli as his character immerges. This is certainly due to the quality of writing by an accomplished author. It engages you from the start as we learn about Koli and his start in life in the village of Mythen Rood.
An explanation of Mythen Rood given by the narrator Koli is an insight to what it means to him personally. He accepts that it is basically a place of safety to stay behind its walls and that to venture beyond its security is dangerous because that is what he has been told. You can see that Koli has an enquiring mind and perhaps the confines of the village and his big heart will lead him further afield. From the onset you know this is going to be the story of a journey through Koli’s life in a post apocalyptic world in the future. We find that not even the trees are friendly anymore and can be life threatening if not treated with respect or avoiding contact with them.
MR Carey has a style of writing which can show empathy and compassion in what appears as deplorable circumstances and make it sincere and believable. As the beginning of a trilogy I can say I am looking forward to following Koli’s journey through this strange dystopian future world to see where it leads.

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Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I could appreciate the story and I loved the premise of it. I was extremely intrigued by the world building and what appeared to be a world far into the future from ours. I really liked the concept of the trees being sentient beings out to get us. As well as the down fall of technology which only seems to be able to be operated by the special few.

There was a lot to pull me into the book, unfortunately I just couldn't get past the writing style. I could understand the choice, but it wasn't for me. The book is written from Koli's point of view and is very much like listening to a young child. For example, stonegame board drawed out .... drawed in chalk that had brung back from a hunt. I just couldn't continue.

I can see why people have loved this book and if I could have got my head around the writing style I may well have. If you don't mind that style that it is worth a read.

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The world building of this story is amazing, by far the most interesting part of the book. I’m not sure I’ll read more but it was a good start, interest concept, just not quite my cup of tea.

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I really enjoyed the girl with all the gifts so had high hopes for this. The dialect instantly threw me. I could see where the author was coming from but when you're trying to make sure you're reading correctly you don't follow the story. It was okay. I won't read the rest.

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The key strength of this story is the world-building. Set in a post-apocalyptic Yorkshire, the author has taken care to consider how language might change as a result of such an upheaval. This makes reading that little bit harder, so skim reading is not really possible. It is probably for this reason that colloquialisms and dialect are not included. Often in such stories, nature re-establishes its hold over the urban landscape, but this story takes this one step further and this provides an interesting twist on the pitfalls of genetic modification. This is offset by the presence of advanced technology, both hostile and benign, alongside a quasi-feudal society.

Told from a first person perspective of the central character; it provides a reflection on his growth and experiences. Whilst this is a common writing practice, it never fails to raise the thought as to how such a vivid memory can persist or how current attitudes don't affect such recollections. Characterisation is good and there is clear and recognisable personalities as well as familiar attitudes.

There is a lot less tension than anticipated. The author doesn't shy away from the realities of the situation, but at every point where the reader expects more to happen, the situation is defused. The benefit of this is that there is always something new being revealed and the situation is constantly in flux, but there is a sense of disappointment.

The central character is also the narrator and acts as his own critic. This limits reader frustration, as the author often judges more harshly than the reader might. Nevertheless, given the hostility of the world in which he lives, it is quite surprising he lives to the end of the story.

Sex, bodily functions, violence, injury and death are all described but not excessively so there is a sense of balance and realism within the context of the plot.

As this is the first book in series, the story ends with decisions made and a core set of actors defined, to allow for the next part of the tale.

It was an interesting read, not gripping, but it has plenty of things to hold the reader's attention and allow for reflection more than criticism, which is a good thing.

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As a long-time fan of M.R. Carey (since ye olde Lucifer graphic novel days), I was looking forward to this new release, and wondering where it would take us, as his books can be so very different. This is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic almost YA-ish yet epic fantasy.

Koli is a young boy on the precipice of adulthood and the changes that brings. He lives in a village of 200 people, somewhere in the middle of a broken, post-apocalyptic England. The world outside its walls is a terrifying place, with trees that can move and kill you, rats the size of dogs, and shunned men that hunt down anyone they can find.

The only tech they have is remnants from an old society no one remembers, and hardly anyone can use it. In his village, Mythen Rood, only the 'Ramparts' are allowed to use said tech. Everyone is tested when they are 15 to see if they have the knack of using it, but it's only ever the same family that passes. Koli sets to wondering why that is, and that's where the trouble begins...

Koli's got a unique voice, telling his tale to us in a sort of dialect I guess, slightly different from our own (because he's illiterate and none of the villagers can read or fully understand text from the past). It may take a little while to get into the book because of this (or it could turn you off entirely), but it's worth persevering because he tells a strong story. Yes, it ticks off a bunch of YA dystopian tropes, but so what, I like 'em!

I will warn you that it's the first of a trilogy and very much reads that way. It's a lot of set up and by the time I got to the end I was raring to get further into the plot, and unable to do so! But it just means I'm really looking forward to the next one coming out.

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The Book of Koli is the first book in a new trilogy by M.R. Carey and I’ll admit it did take me a little while to get into the story. The first half of the book has a lot of world building and is told by Koli, and is almost like a kind of memoir and a due to that the grammar is often not right and it took me a little bit of getting used to but once I did, I really got into the story.

Set in the future where trees and plants are deadly, Koli lives in a small village called Mythen Rood which is run by leaders who have the ability to wake up tech and these leaders are called Ramparts. Koli dreams that he will one day be known as Koli Rampart and be able to join these leaders.

This is actually a really hard book to review because it is filled to the brim with no way of me being able to actually explain how good it is without giving anything away. I know I said it was difficult to get into but honestly once I got over my troubles I really devoured this story and I have never read anything like it.

I really enjoyed getting to know Koli and watching him grow and I loved how I felt like he was actually sitting with me and reading the story to me, it’s written wonderfully and I enjoyed how the author really let me get to know him and his world before ramping up the action.

This really is an exciting start to the trilogy and if like me you do struggle at the beginning then please do persevere because you will be rewarded with a story that is rich, exciting and is quite tense in places.

I can’t wait to read the next two books now and I’ll definitely be recommending The Book of Koli.

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I’m a huge fan of this author with some of his books rating as my favourite reads ever and continuing to haunt me long after I’ve read them. This book was no exception and is another clever, immersive read that is the start of a new series.

The thing I’ve always loved most about this author is his ability to create realistic but terrifying worlds which are fascinating to explore. The first half of this book is dedicated to learning more about the post apocalyptic world that Koli now lives in which is under threat from killer planes and Cannibalism. It was very intriguing to immerse myself into the world and learn more about it though I’m very glad that I don’t live there!

This book reads a bit like a coming of age story as we follow Koli as he tries to find his place in the world. His relationship with his best friend Al was wonderful to read about especially as, through them we learn more about the technology they have found and trying to understand. The language he uses is very interesting and took me a while to understand as some of the words are so different. However there are also moments of brilliance where a word so perfectly describes what it’s describing that I wish we used them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and now I can’t wait for the next installment. Some of the action was quite brutal which might not be to everyone’s taste but otherwise it was a amazing read which I will be recommending to everyone.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orbit for my copy via Netgalley.

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The Book of Koli is the first book in M.R. Carey's post-apocalyptic Ramparts trilogy set in Britain centuries after climate change and war reshaped it almost beyond recognition. People now live in small, isolated and guarded villages, constantly under threat by a landscape which now features any number of species ready and able to kill them. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of this is that genetic modification by humans has resulted in forests where trees can move and. crush people or disperse choker seeds that can kill a person on the spot.
Our protagonist is fifteen-year-old Koli who lives in Mythen Rood where he has been raised as a woodsmith, working to cultivate and kill the dangerous wood alongside his mother and sisters. His days are spent working, avoiding the various deadly perils and spending time with his best friends, Haijon and Spinner. Koli's lively autobiographical narration explains how the teenagers reach a coming-of-age milestone described as the Waiting, where their future is decided upon. The village still owns a few items of old, solar-powered tech but only the chosen few are able to wield it. The Waiting ceremony is an opportunity for fifteen-year-olds to be tested to see if this tech activates in their hands. If so they join the other Ramparts - those who use these weapons to protect the village. Up until now, only members of one family have passed this test, giving them sole governance of the small population. Koli's failure to awaken the tech is inevitable but it's his disappointed response and the jealousy he experiences afterwards which becomes the catalyst for what follows. Ursala, a travelling doctor opens his eyes to the truth about what is really happening in Mythen Rood and for a while he believes he may have found a way to achieve what he thinks he most desires.
The start of the novel instantly transported me to the world in which Koli lives, superbly capturing the daily, claustrophobic rhythm of his days where the dangers outside their protected barriers mean the village is in decline, with their numbers dwindling as the available gene pool shrinks. After Koli's fateful decision to steal a piece of tech, his life changes beyond anything he could have imagined as ventures into the terrifying land outside the village. It's not just the flora and fauna that wants to kill Koli, however and as much as The Book of Koli is a tense battle for survival in an inhospitable landscape, it's also a rather chilling look at how humans can be manipulated by a need to fit in and belong.
Despite presenting a pessimistic look at the future, The Book of Koli is often a rather life-affirming read, in no small part due to the charming and inquisitive Koli whose early wish to be important is eventually superseded by his more natural tendency to be humble and caring. His friendship with the no-nonsense Ursala and 'manic pixie' AI girl, Monono provides him with much needed advice and support and they are both fascinating characters. Monono's abilities link our technologically advanced present to the dystopian future proving to be disturbing and amusing in equal measure.
The Book of Koli is a fabulous start to what will surely be a must-read trilogy for all fantasy fans. The world-building is outstanding throughout, of course but it's the strong voice of the empathetic, immensely likeable Koli which is surely the highlight of this excellent novel. Exciting, provocative and completely immersive, I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read The Trials of Koli and The Fall of Koli. Very highly recommended.

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