The earth wants to swallow us whole…

Koli never planned to set foot outside his small village. He knew that beyond its walls lay a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts and Shunned men. But when he was exiled, he had no choice but to journey out into this strange world where every moment is a fight for survival.

And it’s not just Koli’s life that is threatened. Whole villages just like his are dying out.

But Koli heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If he can find it, there may still be a way for him to change his own fate – by saving the lives of those who are left.

I know I’ve mentioned this more than a couple times here lately, but since TIME HAS NO MEANING ANY MORE, here we are again. And I don’t think anything has played tricks on my mind quite like The Trials of Koli did. Because although the events of The Book of Koli were rather fresh in my mind, I really felt like I had read & reviewed it…quite awhile ago.

And of course, “quite awhile” is relative. But then…I went & checked and, my review for The Book of Koli was posted on March 22nd, well into COVID-TIMES, and I just can’t seem to process that information. I mean, it’s a credit to M. R. Carey & Orbit for having a brisk publishing schedule in place for this brilliant trilogy, but goddamn, it’s really messing with me!!

But anyway! On we go with Koli’s great adventure, as he, Monono, Ursula, and Cup makes their way through the hostile landscape in search of London. In search of hope.

The Trials of Koli does so many things right as a book two. We get to know our central characters significantly better, and watch as each respective relationship develops. We also get a new POV in Spinner, which brings us back to Mythen Rood.

We also get way more up close & personal with the absolute horrors of this world, both flora and fauna. I felt like in The Book of Koli, the concept of these aggressively hostile choker trees was maybe a touch vague, but oh my…not any more. The sort of primal fear that these trees can instill in Koli & Cup is very real, and just sucks you into this frightening version of our world.

I think it’s worth mentioning a couple things, in regards to Cup. First off, her role is greatly expanded in this book, and she’s such a great character. She’s had to develop such a tough outer shell, and she’s lived through so much trauma in her young life. And as a transgender girl on the cusp of puberty in the middle of an apocalyptic jungle, things are bound to get even harder for her. And so this book dives in a bit to Cup transitioning, and I think Carey handles this with a great amount of care & sensitivity. That said, although this is drastically changed version of our world, Cup still faces moments of transphobia in her life.

The Trials of Koli was just amazing in every way, and I’m falling more & more in love with this trilogy. The dynamics between Koli & Monono continue to be surprising, touching, and humorous. I think a case could be made for Monono being one of the more memorable nonhuman characters I’ve ever encountered, for real.

This is a really special story, full of danger & wonder, written by one of my absolute favorite storytellers. I can’t wait to see how this trilogy wraps up with The Fall of Koli!!

Massive thanks to Orbit for sending this my way!! The Trials of Koli releases September 15th!!