Cadwell Turnbull is one of my new favourite authors. I was excited to read No Gods, No Monsters after loving his debut novel The Lesson from a few years ago. Turnbull elevates his craft to another level with No Gods, No Monsters, which takes readers on a riveting and mysterious journey into a world full of monsters, magic, and politics. 

 

After an incident of police brutality reveals the existence of monsters, the world descends into chaos as monsters reveal themselves, protests erupt, and secrets are exposed. Monsters are real, and they want everyone to know. But why are they revealing themselves now? This is the question at the core of the novel, and Turnbull explores it through several layers of nuance and depth. 

 

There are a lot of points of view (POV) and moving parts in this novel, but I loved it. It worked well for me because each POV adds something new to the story, even if the POV character only appears for a few chapters. It can be confusing to keep track of so many characters, but each character is distinct and is situated in unique circumstances. Turnbull has expertly crafted a detailed world where every character and plot point has a purpose. My desire to know what was happening never waned, and the mystery and suspense captivated me. I was frustrated when I couldn’t keep reading uninterrupted because I needed answers! And when I got answers, they were mind blowing and worth the wait. This book will keep you on your toes and surprise you at every turn. 

 

What I love most about The Lesson is Turnbull’s writing, and it was great to once again be immersed in his words. A lot of care goes into his stories, and it shows. There are several traumatic events that occur in this book and the effects of trauma are explored without sensationalizing the trauma. The characters question the injustice of their circumstances and react with empathy and a desire to change their world for the better. This desire for a better world is also a key element of the story. 

 

The social commentary is excellent, the queer normative world that features queer main characters is amazing, and the story is overall brilliant. I’m interested to see what happens next and I can’t wait for the sequel! Pick this up if you want to read a thrilling and emotional story filled with mystery and monsters. Fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror will love the way the lines between these genres are blurred in this book to create a spellbinding story.