No Gods, No Monsters is an incredibly inclusive story about othering, oppression, police violence, connection and how we stay safe and fight back.
âAmanda Khong, Bookish Brews
Bookish Brews Snapshot
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
One October morning, Laina gets the news that her brother has been shot and killed by Boston cops. But what looks like a case of police brutality soon reveals something much stranger. Monsters are real. And they want everyone to know it.
đ« Atmospheric đ Emotional đŸ Monsters đ€ Thought Provoking
- Genre: Paranormal
Book Review
Mysterious, anarchist, honest, dark, ACAB
No Gods, No Monsters is absolutely fantastic. Cadwell Turnbull wrote an incredibly unique fantasy novel laced with so many real world problems that were represented in such fascinating ways it was hard to turn put it down. There are definitely some heavy topics in here, so be aware that it is not a light book, but it is worth it. You just have to pay attention.
Like most things, love came as a decision: Iâm going to look harder at this one.
â No Gods, No Monsters
The story starts off with Laina hearing news of her brotherâs brutal murder by the police. This starts a string of many seemingly unrelated events in many peopleâs lives. The world finds out that monsters are real, and they are living among us, risking their lives to seek safety in visibility. But why? Why are they making this display now? What is happening to make them do this?
If you are not paying attention to this book, it is a little easy to get lost. The chapters are short snippets, and there are many characters who get their point of view represented. I imagine many reviews are going to speak on this piece. However, to me, the multitude seemingly unrelated characters functioned to remind me the extent to which police violence, othering, and oppression can seep into every aspect of society, and affect people who donât even seem to be connected. It functioned to remind me that stories of people like this are often forgotten for the same exact reason. Sometimes there are just too many, and not enough attention bestowed upon them. It reminded me constantly of the bigger picture.
No one knows who he was, how he died. Heâll be lost in all this, his tragedy a deleted footnote. Unless someone says his name.
â No Gods, No Monsters
What impressed me the most about this novel was that, though the characters seem to be unrelated, Turnbull connects each character just enough that it reminds you that they are connected somehow. It is just the perfect balance to keep you interested in all of their stories, separately and together. There are little Easter eggs in each point of view that remind you that the stories are going to connect, as long as you are a little bit patient.
No Gods, No Monsters is a play on words of the popular anarchist and labour slogan âNo Gods, No Mastersâ which is often used as a chant at protests. This book is a a definitely piece of work in the step of justice within literature. Go Cadwell Turnbull, you nailed it!
There is no way of knowing how many world-changing events were precipitated by the phantom cause of paranoia, but the number is sure to be vast.
â No Gods, No Monsters
No Gods, No Monsters is an incredibly inclusive story about othering, oppression, police violence, connection and how we stay safe and fight back. Though it is heavy at times, and there are many characters to follow, it is absolutely a wonderful work of art.
