Unfortunately, "The Carnival Of Ash" ultimately did not resonate with me as much as I had hoped. While the premise initially intrigued me, I found that the slow pacing of the story hindered my enjoyment. Despite this setback, I couldn't help but notice the immense potential woven into both the storyline and the characters. It's evident that the author possesses a talent for storytelling, but in this instance, they fell short of my expectations. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic and open-minded about exploring more of the author's works in the future. Their skillful storytelling deserves another chance, and I'm eager to see how their writing style may captivate me in a different context or narrative.

This was not what i was expecting, the in your face suicidal thoughts were a bit much. and i don't feel like the desription match up with the actualy story, I DNF'd

I enjoyed this book a great deal. I have never foraged into fantasy as this book has but I enjoyed it and will definitely read more of these books. The writing was great as was character development. The only downside was that when it came to descriptions of the world there could have been less pages devoted to this. I felt it dragged on a bit. Overall was good book.

A very interesting read! The world it was set in was truly fascinating, though I don't know if I would actually enjoy visiting the city of Cadenza, even though it contains everything I enjoy (in theory). Giant libraries, a city for poets and bibliophiles, but riddled with sickness, corruption and violence. I honestly expected something slightly different from the synopsis, something more magical, but I still really enjoyed the book, even with all its' darkness. Not something I usually actively pursue in my reading, but Beckerlegge really made it work for me with his writing style. Will definitely recommend to readers with tastes that fit the overall atmosphere of this book!

City of Ink

Imagine a city-state of the Italian Renaissance dedicated to poetry and to the power of books, a city which rivals Venice and Florence in power and influence and hates these cities too. This city is Cadenza, filled with libraries and printing works, statues of poets, fountains flowing with ink. But this is a city in turmoil, its poet leader, the Artifex lately dead, replaced by a well-meaning but ineffectual bureaucrat. Internal conflicts and external threats combine with bloody revolution, plague, torture, depravity and self- destructive instinct to climax in the ruination of this magical city of words.

The author has constructed his story in twelve cantos, each a separate story focussing on individual characters, all gradually revealing the corruption and cruelty inherent in the city-state, its leading citizens and its downfall. I really enjoyed this structure as it gave a multi-faceted view into events rushing to a murderous conclusion. I loved too the allusive nature of the book with each canto a reminder of an aspect of Italian literature, society, even cinema. If Cadenza never existed, then it should have done. The author’s vision is wholly engrossing, a world from which the reader may not wish to emerge.

This is highly recommended, an imaginative, original, witty tour-de-force.

The Carnival of Ash is a historical novel set in the 16th century Italy, at the time of city states. It takes place in Cadenza, a made-up city somewhere near Venice. Where Venice takes pride in its glass industry, Cadenza’s entire existence is based on words. Poets are revered, and the leader of the town is chosen by his ability to turn a beautiful phrase.

And then he dies, and a politician more concerned with finances and impending attack by Venice is chosen to lead. It starts a series of events that plunge the city into chaos and destruction.

This is a book that takes the poetic form very seriously. It’s divided into twelve cantos that each tell a story of a different character. Some of them touch the lives of other characters who in turn get to tell their stories; some only make one appearance. In a relatively short space, with carefully chosen words, the reader is shown a crucial moment, or gets a longer account of the character’s life.

At first it seems like the form is all there is. But gradually, a story emerges. Not everyone is happy about the state of affairs in Cadenza; not everyone revered the late leader; not everyone becomes a great poet; and not everyone makes it to greatness with their own words—or in their hometown.

A few characters rise above the others. Carlo is an aspiring poet who arrives at Cadenza just as the leader has died. With brashness of a youth, he tries to make a name for himself, only to be ridiculed; the worst fate there is. Honour demands that he clears his name with a glorious act, by killing himself or burning the city. Instead, he ends up living in the basement of a burned church with an eccentric gravedigger. Eventually, he makes friends among the poets and ends up being at the right spot at a crucial moment.

There are sisters Vittoria and Maddelina. The former is an ink maid whose sole purpose is to write letters, the latter a free spirit befriending the young poets. Vittoria is plunged into a personal crisis with the leader’s death, leaving Maddelina the thankless job of trying to save her.

Then there is a group of women convicted of real or imaginary crimes to live in a convent with their tongues removed, their sole task to remove all mentions of the rivals of the former leader from the books. After his death, the women decide to take revenge on him by removing his memory, but things get out of hands.

Even the characters that make only a brief, onetime appearance have interesting stories. There’s a murder mystery and a delightful union of long-lost lovers. They may seem like separate stories, but each contribute to the whole, telling a story of corruption and a fall out of glory. And all the while, behind the scenes, the ordinary people of Cadenza prepare to take to arms to clear the town of poets and the tyranny of words for good.

This was an excellent book. The world felt authentic, even though it didn’t pile on historical details, and even with some fantastical elements in the mix, it didn’t feel purely like historical fantasy, although it is marketed as such. The characters were all interesting, and the slowly unfurling descend into chaos was believable. Language was beautiful, and in the end, the form served the story very well. If you like historical fiction, alt-history, or historical fantasy, this is a book for you.

I wish I had liked this book, I thought the premise was so interesting. I had a really hard time getting into it simply because the writing style didn't flow for me, and since I am trying to be better about managing my time, this book was sadly relegated to the DNF pile. I hope to one day come back to it, perhaps when I am in a better headspace for commitment to it. I hate to "it's not the author, it's me" a book, but it did feel like that!

A City of Words, run by poets and filled with libraries. it was all that roped me in instantly as i requested this novel
but it was remotely as interesting as the premise said it to be. i barely managed the first part even.
I DNF'd this book as it really was not anything that the synopsis promised which intrigued me the most.

The Carnival of Ash is a composed of twelve sections and POVS, set in a fictional Italian city run by poets. This was originally tagged as SFF however there were not any fantastical elements besides being a fictional city, it read much more like historical gothic fiction. The writing was good at times but there were too many characters and POVs and I started to forget who was who by the end. I also was a bit uncomfortable at the depiction of women at times as it was very patriarchal society. I have mixed feeling but I do think I would try something else by the author if it was a bit more concise. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This is a huge epic novel with a complex detailed imagined world where the fictitious city of Cadenza in Italy is populated by a diverse cast of characters many of whom were involved in the cities speciality of writing literature and poetry .The story is set in an alternate world historical period which allows the writer to use many of the techniques more commonly found in historical novels ,expect heaving bussoms ,tavern scenes and doublet and hose .
The author uses an archaic historical language which adds to the story but was quite hard to settle into reading at first .Once I’d relaxed into it I found I loved it.
I enjoyed the gothic elements to the story and found the book cinematic in its description
The book is essentially a series of short stories each one complete in their own way but as you read you re-meet the same people again in different contexts essentially layering each tale on the next and adding to your understanding of the world as a whole .It really does have the most immense and diverse reach
There are some satisfyingly sexy scenes and some that are almost too horrific to read .
The individual stories have a certain blackness to them that reminded me of the tv series inside number 9 .some of the tales are fairytale like whilst others are gothic and others more naturalistic
It is a very long novel but it’s individual sections make it accessible and easy to read
Sometimes my 5 stars are given because I just adored a book ,this one I think is more for its literary worth .Don’t get me wrong though I did enjoy it and will be recommending it to specific readers ,it may not be one for everyone
I read an copy on NetGalley Uk the book was published in March 2022

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. The title is totally misleading suggesting to me some fantastical or creative celebration. Marked as "Fantasy" and "Books about Books" it does not really fulfill the criteria for either of those genres. For me it felt to have both a feeling of horror and a twisted erotica. Horror I don't really mind and, although this was at times very dark, it did not make me want to stop reading. The erotica carried through the storyline of ink maids was a different thing.

This is quite a lengthy book which, in my opinion, introduces many facets that could grasp the reader's imagination but fails to carry any of them through to completion. It has a disconnection to it and reminds me of someone trying to get every idea they ever thought of into a book that has little relation to the majority of those thoughts. I found it hard to really like any of the characters.

The ending suggests to me that something might spring from the ashes of this carnival into a second book, I would not be tempted to read it

I loved the fantasy vibes and world building! But the rest wasn't really for me. I definitely think this book will have it's own audience - it just didn't work for me, personally. I didn't quite connect with any of the characters and I need that to keep me really invested. Would definitely try the author, again, in the future though!

The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge is an adult fantasy novel. Most readers would much rather call it an alternative history book. NetGalley decided to put it in the poetry section! This is probably why the Goodreads reviews are currently at 3.18, when this book is clearly a 5 star read!

The book was published on the 15th of March, 2022, by Rebellion Publishing, and is 600 pages long. It’s the second novel by Tom Beckerlegge, with the first being Cold Trap.

I was lucky enough to receive an e-galley via the wonderful NetGalley, but I’ll be honest, getting a paperback from The Write Reads did influence my review, because this is one of those books that just hits me better in paperback. There are some books I can read as an ebook, and still enjoy. This one I would have enjoyed, but I would have wanted a paperback pretty badly!

Book Review:

The city of Cadenza is known to be a city of words. We have ink maids, who write smut for you, plagiarists who kidnap writers and compete to write the most beautiful ransom notes, and poets who rule. The city is threatened by Venice whose inhabitants would gladly burn it down; if the poets of Cadenza don’t do it themselves.

Of course a city of words, ruled by poets, is steeped in madness.

The story is told through 14 chapters, each called a canto. If you’re thinking that’s a reference to Dante’s Inferno, then you’re right. The city was ruled by someone close to the devil (not literally, but you get what I mean), and with each chapter, you go deeper into the darkness of the city. With each chapter the fall becomes more and more inevitable. Of course, there is hope at the end and they discover what they thought was lost forever. Each canto is told from the point of view of a different character, and each is linked into the story of each another, from Carlo and Vittoria, to Lucia and the Duelling counts. We even hear from Fiametta at the end.

The story starts with young Carlo as he comes to the city to prove himself a poet. He is not welcomed, to say the least, and becomes friend with a gravedigger for his remaining days in the city. They’re not very many of those, but don’t worry, he doesn’t die, and he turns out to be a lot smarter than he looks, even if he isn’t a brilliant poet. He also has a lot of emotional intelligence, which, as it turns out, is not in abundance in a city of writers.

Do keep in mind, that this first chapter is interesting, but also one of the slowest ones in the book because you’re being told the history of how the city came to be. That being said, it’s also your first taste of how dramatic and lovely and funny this book will be!

There is a lot of stuff on goodreads about trigger warnings, and I am not the best person to comment on those, I think you do need to remember that this is a city that’s falling apart. This is the descent into hell and there will be violence in there. While I don’t think Tom Beckerlegge makes it particularly graphic, I would like to stress again that I am not the best person to judge.

3 stars

It wasn’t exactly a bad book. I think it was just one of those in which the author thinks it’s a great idea and puts a lot of work in it, but the end result is just… pretentious. This book was so self-absorbed that I felt like reading it was work and not entertainment. There were good parts in it, too. When the author set it free and was just having fun creating all those characters and what happened to them. But for most of the time I was just wondering why is it even in there and whether it is going to have any impact in the great scheme of things.

Unfortunately not for me. While the premise and the writing were good, the execution and the approach weren't my cup of tea.

This book is almost indescribable. It is just truly outstanding. I read it when I was first sent the ARC in early 2022 to then be invited on the blog tour and I had to re-read it to try and collate my thoughts other than Wow!

This book is completely unique. I adored the way it was structured. Told through a series of vignettes, or Cantos as they are called in the book, each of which is told from a new perspective, which on its own can for its own stand alone tale but they also mix and weave together to tell a greater story of the city. It is a commedia dell’arte, with the same 17th century feel. It even follows the same themes of old age, sex, love, jealousy all interweaving to tell expose the city. Its about the dark and ugly thoughts of the cities inhabitants and how those thoughts and actions have coalesced to form the city, and its dark shadows hiding behind its shining colonnades.

The descriptions of the city itself are very vivid, you would be remiss not to believe Cadenza was not a real place at one time. The descriptions of the towers, streets, rivers and piazzas mirrored with those of its arch nemesis Venice give it a real solid feeling. Like you have dove into a text written in the 17th century accounting the revelry and debauchery of the city and exposing all its secrets.

The characters are not loveable, they are vile and despicable, each out for their own motives. The stories are dark and uncomfortable, there is no majesty in any of their pursuits. This is what I loved so much. As each story in the city progresses it gets darker and more and more of the interweaving narratives and the passage of time in the city is exposed. There is as much unwritten and inferred story as there is story told and I really really enjoyed that. This became even more evident to me how the details of each story played off one another on my second read and I am so glad I did as there was just such a rich tapestry unfolding quietly in the background of each tale.

The use of language is very thick and luscious. It is in keeping with the classical renaissance setting of the book adding so much more to the worldbuilding. I found it very absorbing, drawing you into the darkness in the city and exposing the nature of it all behind the shining library towers. I can see why some may find this off putting it is very heavy prose. It can be read as being grotesque in its descriptions, particularly of women and the elderly, there is a lot of body horror, for me this was more a literary device. These descriptions are often of the characters themselves and they hold a mirror to the city exposing the dark currents underneath, much like the grotesques found on classical architecture or the twisting of characters like Punchinello (Punch) it has that commedia dell’arte feel about it. Therefore, this book not fantasy in the more modern sense of the genre, it again is fantasy in the way is an alternate history that is structured similarly to the styles of a Punch and Judy script, or the classical Italian comedies, with its mockery of its subjects. I know many will find that distasteful which is a shame as it is a phenomenally well constructed and written book.

Overall, I just thought this was stunning. It is unlike anything I have read recently. multiple layers of story just told in the most fitting way and painting a phenomenal picture of this fictional city. It is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time.

Thank you, NetGalley, Rebellion and Solaris, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Cadenza is the City of words, run by poets, filled with libraries, printing presses and words all around. Carlo Mazzoneìi is a wordsmith who wants to make his name as it's announced the dead of the city's poet-leader, but his plans doesn't go as he wants them to go and he finds himself involved in a plot of intrigues and the danger of a war with Venice, the city's rival. The danger is that it will destroy and remove Cadenza from the history altogether.

This book is absolutely magnificent! The worldbuilding is incredible, lush and evocative, a fantastic city of poets and librarians, a city of words, with fascinating and complex characters, filled with twists and intrigues and secrets and a story that made me impossible to stop reading it.
The author did a fantastic job with this book, because I've never read something so intriguing, so well written and paced and I loved everything and more!

wow! this book truly blew me away! i mean, i could not even stay in my seat! it was so much fun to read and i'm so entirely glad that i got to read this one early. thank you so much, netgalley!!!!

This was a long book, which could have been great. I read it as it was categorised as Sci-fi and Fantasy, and Historical Fiction - also because it seemed to be about libraries, books, and Italy. I thought it would be just right for me, but alas it wasn't. More literary fiction than my favourite genres, it was very wordy and a bit too clever.
There were many leaps from character to character - a little hard to keep track of them all, and I will say that I enjoyed many of the stories within the story. But unfortunately the overall book was a bit of a let-down - I thought the ending a bit weak, and disappointing. A shame.

I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley. I normally do not like to review a book that I have not finished but despite getting through over a third of the novel I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

I was really intrigued at the premise of this book, based in a city that was run by poets and celebrated literary endeavour. What the premise does not say is that this is more akin to pre-Victorian society where the city celebrates male poets. What do women who have literary ambitions do? As far as I could make out (up to the point I gave up) was for women to act as a written equivalent of a sex chat line. I couldn't see any attempt for these to be literary, in fact most were closer to BDSM wish fulfillment. Perhaps the author was going to have a complete change of culture in the next two thirds of the book but personally I did not want to read more to find out.

It does always amaze me when it is possible to imagine a world where alternative skills are celebrated however the gender roles seem to hark back to those taken for granted a century ago. Not one for me.