Camel!

This book really just grabbed my attention. The characters took a while to get used to, and it suprised me that I liked Spider and Co more than the 'real world' characters but I really was rooting for them.

This feels like a book that fans of maze runner and hunger games will enjoy

I was offered this book as an ARC and thought I was hooked from the first page. I was immediately intrigued by the setting and variety of characters.

Unfortunately, the moment I began the first chapter written from the point of view of McKenzie I was thrown and could feel myself losing interest. These chapters read like a YA novel but there paragraphs from the original setting that detail a character masturbating (still unsure on the relevance of this) so I was rather bemused as to whom this book is aimed at.

The confusion over the McKenzie section was only exacerbated by the introduction of Newt. He was supposed to be much older than McKenzie but was written as though he was of a similar age. Acknowledging that online stalking/harassing and then convincing a teen to meet someone miles away who I was left with the impression was in their 30s still left me feeling uncomfortable. He complains more about his situation than the "high-school junior from Virginia" (p317) he is lying on a hotel bed with....totally innocently of course but this still didn't seem right in a contrasting setting based on a world almost identical to ours.

I persisted with this book as I had already invested so much time in reading it in addition to the fact that I do not like to give negative reviews on unfinished books in case things pick up again. Page 378 gave me yet another jolt from the narrative. The fact that McKenzie and Newt knew one another in the original setting, which I took to be some sort of purgatory, started to pull the narrative together but yet more confusion set in for me. If this was the "family's" 11th attempt at finding the Sarkpoint (some sort of escape) why did Newt/Knut feel that the most salient information he learnt from his latest round as a Scout when questioned was "So I was gay - like, you know, I guess that part doesn't change"? As a reader I assumed that Knut's family would have been well aware of this fact by now and I couldn't see how that would in any way help them find the Sarkpoint. It felt more that the author had a checklist and wanted to make sure the reader couldn't miss that he had included a gay character.

The other main lack of internal consistency seemed to be that whilst Spider remembered in detail his original life, McKenzie/Yma seems to have completely forgotten that she had a life spent sailing. Again, I probably missed some subtlety but surely the characters remember their previous lives and skills or don't? The use of the word "invalid" with regard to an injured Spider on page 491 was never going to endear an author to me (even if they did check the disabled character box).

If you think ending will give you some closure, p526 will give you a page of explicit lecturing on the selfishness of humanity (environmental pollution etc checkbox ticked). The final line of the novel:
'So,' she says, her voice loaded with sugar, 'shall we see what's next?'

Personally? No thank you. I'll pass on any sequell

First out of the gate in 2022 is this intriguing, must read fantasy thriller The Book of Sand from Theo Clare, (pseudonym of the late crime thriller writer Mo Hayder) which will have your mind spinning in a thousand directions. I don’t want to spoil this book in any way, as it is a book of pure genius storytelling that you need to experience yourself. The book is pure originality, weaving together threads of dystopian drama, adventure, family, spirituality, and fear into something genuinely mind-blowingly awesome.
The writing style of the book may take you a moment to get used to, but get used to it you will and you won’t be able to stop reading, as the engaging fully fleshed characters, whose stories you often abruptly alternate between pull you into their world and their stories. Prepare yourself for an extraordinary journey full of twists and turns in the start of this thrilling new series.
The perfect start to 2022, incredible writing which will have you clinging to every word 5 out of 5

I enjoy reading different genres, especially as I read so much, so this was a must for me. The book begins with two stories, one which seems in the world nearest to ours and another far from it, or far into the future when it is only vaguely recognisable as it is a vast desert with abandoned cities.

I liked getting to know Mckenzie, a young teenage girl who began to see things from the other world that no one else could. Of course, it was seen as a medical condition rather than a glimpse into something much more. When a man contacted her and said he saw what she saw, she was wary of him. But he could describe what was around her. They had to meet.

In the world of relentless sun and sand, a family of strangers had been put together to complete a dangerous task. They weren’t on their own. It would be a race against each other to who would be the winners.

There are some weird and wonderful characters in the story that you find yourself getting to know as the story goes on. I particularly liked Spider. There are shockers in the story, especially about halfway through. I was speechless, as it was so unexpected. This book is over 600 pages, but this genre always seems to be. Though to be honest, time flew by. The thing about this sort of fantasy is that there are no rules, you just don’t know what is around the next corner.

It is a cracking story, but I don’t know if it will be possible to find closure as sadly, the author died in 2021, such a tragic loss.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the physical and digital ARC.

5* read, can't wait for the next book!

Really liked this book, completely different to what I expected. Started off in a Maze Runner type way, before an unexpected event half way through which came as a complete shock as you never saw it coming. Leads onto a different type of story altogether in the second half and couldn't put it down until it was finished. Loved the spiritual/reincarnation twist the second half took. Impatiently waiting to find out what is going to happen next in the series.

Very well written by the late Mo Hayder, can completely imagine this book as a film.

I requested to read this book as I learned that Theo Clare was a pseudonym of the late Mo Hayder.
Mo Hayder was one of my favourite authors, one who, as they didn't seemingly churn out book after book I would occasionally find myself wondering how they were doing and search online for any news. I was therefore deeply saddened to hear of her passing last summer.
So naturally I was very excited that there was to going to be a new book - the first in a series even? And this time a foray into a high-concept fantasy world.
Like most fantasy novels there is a glossary of otherworldly terms to learn: shuck, regyre, virgule... On the one hand we have a raggle-taggle group of desert survivors (the family) living in an alternate reality called the Cirque, on the other we have a US teen McKenzie who is obsessed with the weather and starts seeing things. Our desert survivors are on a quest - "the Sarkpont is in a piscina in a corner of a rectangle", our high school student just wants to know that she's not losing her mind.
On the blurb the book is likened to both Dune and The Hunger Games. I have to admit, I have not read or watched either of these. For me my comparison was Justin Cronin's "The Passage", and The Book of Sand came off worse unfortunately.
In the desert there are white nights and then grey nights. On the grey nights mysterious creatures Djinni appear; "hungry ghosts". The family have to make sure that they are all tucked up safe in the Shuck otherwise... the Djinni will attack them? Eat them alive? For me it was never made 100per cent clear how fearsome these creatures are, which is something I know from Mo Hayder's previous work that she is able to do - to make your skin crawl, create images that ​you cannot get out of your head.

After 600 pages the ending was a huge let-down for me. I looked on Wikipedia and the sequel is titled The Book of Clouds, due in 2023. Sad to say, I don't think I'll be checking it out. I'll probably go and reread her works as Mo Hayder instead.
**Thanks to NetGalley and Century for the proof copy of this book

I cannot convey just how much I loved this book. I was hooked from the started and could not put it down. It kept me guessing throughout and just when I thought I knew where it was going it took another twist and turn. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait for the next installment.

The Book of Sand by the late Theo Clare was an utterly original and captivating read.

In a hostile desert world, a group of people are looking for a hidden object while trying to survive in extreme conditions. The family live in a shelter, which they must reach before nightfall on ‘grey nights’, as being out after dark means almost certain death.
In a parallel narrative, in present day Virginia, a chain of events is set in motion when teenager McKenzie Strathie finds a sand-lizard in her bed. She is soon questioning everything around her, her sanity, and her identity.

I was gripped by both narrative strains, which initially only seemed to have ‘sand’ in common, and kept in suspense over if and how they would converge. The vivid descriptions of desert landscapes and the family’s ‘shuck’ took Daliesque shapes in my mind and will stick with me for a long time
.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Random House UK for the eARC in return for an honest review.

TWs: animal death, child death, horror, religious elements, mental illness, violence

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

Going into 'The Book of Sand', I had no idea what it would be like because the blurb was just on the right side of vague. This is a story in two parts- that of a man named Spider, and his "family" as they traverse a desert world full of abandoned cities for a sacred object surrounded by Djinni and other rival families and that of Mackenzie, a 17 year old girl from Virginia who spends her entire life thinking about sand. This is a vivid and brutal story in places, with excellent world building and character development on both sides of the story. The way that Theo Clare- the late Mo Hayder writing under a pseudonym who passed away in July 2021- weaves the two completely different worlds together when they seemingly have no connection is a brilliant example of speculative fiction. The atmosphere of this entire book, from first page to the last, is urgent and dreamy depending on which of the main characters you're with. The "family" aspect of the story have powerfully written characters, from Amasha (one of the co-leaders) to the disabled medic Forlani to the three children they're trying to keep alive in the harsh desert. I loved Spider especially, from learning about his past to seeing the lengths he would go to, even if it meant leaving behind his "family" to find them safety. I also never thought I'd be as attached to a camel as this book made me. Mackenzie's story, from her misdiagnosis of mental illness to her running away from home to meet a man she didn't know, was tense and heart breaking throughout, though the reveals midway were completely unexpected and such a good twist for her story. The ending is sudden and ends on a powerful cliff-hanger after so much suffering by the characters, I turned the page expecting more only to realise there wasn't.

Knowing this has been published posthumously, and that it was my first book from this author (though this was a first for her as well), I was delighted to find that "The Book of Sand" was perfectly to my taste. This series was initially announced with a sequel, "The Book of Clouds", but since the author tragically died last year, I don't know what the future holds for these characters. Even if this is the last we see of Spider, Mackenzie and this world, I'm so glad that I read this book and it firmly cemented Mo Hayder (Theo Clare) as an excellent author for me.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was really good and pulled me in, as did the characters.

Aspects of this book remind me of The Scorch Trials for some reason and I felt that the 600+ pages were a bit much but I understand why it is so large with the two storylines.

It's a good speculative fiction, well written and riveting: it's a fantasy but there's also a spiritual part that I appreciated.
It's huge book and, even if I think some parts were a bit repetitive, it never drags or bored.
The world building is fascinating and the mystery at the center of the story was the force that kept me turning pages.
Good storytelling and character development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Book Of Sand tells of two timelines, a cloud obsessed teenager in the American capitol and a ragtag group of desperate searchers stranded in the deserts of Dubai.

To enjoy the adventure I had to put aside reasoning. If you need to know what, why, where and who to initially invest in a plot then The Book Of Sand may not be for you.
Clare lays out the rules and threats of the desert task from the off but we only really know that finding the Sarkpont is a matter of survival for the Dormilone 'family'.

Mckenzie's storyline begins with the usual highschool dramas but descends quickly into a mysterious fever dream.
I found the narrative switching between Mckenzie and the Dormilones quite jarring whilst the two entirely different worlds shared nothing more than a sneaky lizard.

At the 50% mark the two storylines begin to properly intertwine, I had a buzzing in the back of my mind that I'd been missing some clear links as I tried to piece everything together alongside Mckenzie and Newt.
And I had. An absolute facepalm moment.

Part Two of The Book Of Sand ratchets up the pace, with the worldbuilding and character introductions complete, events in the desert spiral out of control as danger looms over them.

I enjoyed The Book Of Sand, it has a unique concept that works brilliantly as the starting point of the series.
Some of the characters are more fleshed out and likeable than others but the majority of the desert plot is based on Spider. I particularly liked his bond with the camel and he had a great backstory.

I believe The Book Of Sand was intended as the beginning of a series (as evidenced by the massive cliffhanger and many open plot threads to continue) but despite searching online I'm not sure whether Theo Clare /Mo Hayder was able to finish The Book Of Clouds in her lifetime. Fingers crossed she did as I would love to see what happens to the Dormilones next.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this book

sorry to say this book wasnt for me..i tried to get into it but alas i couldnt....

The Book of Sand is a dystopian fantasy novel told from two perspectives: McKenzie a teenage girl living in the US fascinated by deserts and experiencing oddly realistic ‘dreams’ of lizards and Spider a young boy in a ragtag bunch of survivors known as The Family in a desert land haunted by the mysterious Djinni.

The earlier part of the story was difficult to get into, as there are so many characters in The Family, each with unusual names, different skills and backstories, that it was hard to remember who was who in the first half.

The concept of the book is intriguing and the mysteries do keep you reading – what are The Family doing? What is the Sarkpont? Is it a game or are there more spiritual/religious undertones? What are the Djinni? But the narrative itself is dragged out too much with endless (and quite repetitive) descriptions of desert landscape and cities.

The final few chapters were gripping, as the tension builds and you really root for The Family to achieve their goals; however, I found the ending to be disappointing with a lot of unanswered questions, leaving the reader feeling unfulfilled.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept but felt The Book of Sand was overlong and the outcome a little frustrating.

Very unusual and action packed. I enjoyed the imaginative way Theo Clare weaved the stories together and the sense of danger that ran throughout it. I did find it confusing for the first couple of chapters but would urge readers to carry on because it most definitely was worth it.

The Book of Sand is one of those rare titles that can be genuinely called original. It can take some time to get used to the setting and get to grips with the world you find yourself in and it can be truly mind bending and frightening, filled with mysterious creatures and curiosities. I believe Theo Clare is an alias for crime thriller writer Mo Hayder. Sadly she has sinced passed away so unless the author left an unfinished draft manuscript or copious notes for someone else to put together it seems unlikely we'll venture into this world again. As a one off journey then the reader will find this book lives on with them long after they have turned the final page.

Book of Sand by Theo Clare (aka crime novelist Mo Hayder, author of Birdman) is an inventive and compelling fantasy adventure that introduces a fascinating new world and some great characters.
The book, which is suitably chunky for this kind of epic at 608 pages, is set both in a mysterious sand covered place known as The Cirque and in modern day America. In The Cirque a disparate group of individuals, who refer to themselves as a family, are searching for something they refer to as the Sarkpont. They’re competing against other such “families” in a lose sort of competition with a set of weird rules, with exotic names to match. Meanwhile, in a much more recognisable world, a nerdy teenage high school student, McKenzie, battles social awkwardness, strange dreams and the growing sense that there is something about her past that is being hidden from her.
The intertwining of these two storylines makes for an enormously readable tale with the energy and addictive quality of a big budget modern TV show. Indeed, at times the gradual eking out of the mystery is reminiscent of Lost, whilst the blending of two worlds feels like some of the books in King’s The Dark Tower series. The presence of a great deal of sand in the book, with all the dehydrating peril you’d associate with that, is bound to bring Dune to mind, but this more philosophical adventure than space opera. Religion and race play a big part in the story, with the family members in The Cirque drawn from a variety of creeds and countries.
That range of characters gives the book a very modern feel as well as making it a good read. The people in both The Cirque and our own world are distinct, colourful and fun to read. The mystery of McKenzie’s past is particularly engrossing, with some great twists and a growing sense of menace. Throw in some humour and gripping action and the result is the kind of blockbuster opening to a new series that left me hungry for more.
Whether there will be more remains to be seen. Theo Clare sadly died of Motor Neurone Disease last year and this first volume in what was envisaged as a series is being published posthumously. It ends satisfactorily, but with the story far from wrapped up. From what I can gather the deal the author and publisher originally agreed was for two books, and the marketing material certainly suggests there will be more books. Who will write them, and crucially whether they will be as good as this opener, is the biggest unanswered question that The Book of Sand leaves with the reader.

I liked the premise of this novel and the world building was unusual. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the story and struggled to finish the book.

The Book of Sand is a truly well-written dystopia, with two story lines which keep you guessing how they can be connected and once it’s revealed, the book becomes even better.

It’s a slow burner, I felt that the author wanted to torture us with the seemingly never ending survival on the desert, just so the readers could feel the pain of the journey too.

The world building is impressive, the characters description, the mystery and the monsters.
The writing is fantastic, and even though the book is slow, it’s written in a way that you want to keep going.

It’s a weird and a long story. Definitely interesting to try it.

Theo Clare - aka Mo Hayder, wonderful author of the Jack Caffrey series of books, who sadly died earlier this year - managed to leave a new series of books. This being the first, the sequel being published next year.
We start with a dual timeline. We follow a group of people as they battle to find something in a harsh, and often dangerous, environment. They are made up of an eclectic mix of characters all with a dubious past and all bringing something to the group. But I'll leave you to meet the majority of them as the author intended, as she does drip feed certain information as the book progresses.
Meanwhile, we also follow a teenage girl as she goes through certain challenges in her life. She sees a lizard in her room but it soon becomes evident that, well, things might not actually be as she thinks. But again, there's things you need to know at the right times so I'll leave McKenzie and her family there.
These two threads eventually merge and provide more of an explanation for each other. Sorry to be vague but, you know, spoilers. The story then goes on and, by the time we eventually get to the end of this episode, certain things have been resolved and we leave the book mostly satisfied but definitely, also, aware that this isn't the end of things for the characters.
Despite the length, over 600 pages, and the fact that there is an awful lot of world, scene, and character building going on, I actually got through this book quite quickly. I guess it helped that I was able to engage with the characters right from the off so actually cared about what was happening to them. I did take a little while to get to grip with what was going on for them, mostly cos there was a lot that was initially withheld, but, after the two threads merged, it started to make much more sense and I pretty much raced to the end. Which did satisfy me, despite leaving me with nearly more questions than answers. Hopefully ones which will be resolved in book two, next year.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.