Ludluda (The Chronicles of Ludwich #2), by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard
29 Nov 2024The Book
Synopsis:
Concluding the epic two-book series from the highly celebrated and award-winning authors Jeff Noon and Steve Beard. Ludluda, the sequel to Gogmagog, takes us on a haunting and delightfully witty adventure in a fantasy world which defies genre.
Ludluda tells the story of a journey through a strange modern city whose power is sourced from the ghost of a dragon. Ludwich may no longer be at war with its great political rival overseas, but veteran sailor Cady Meade, survivor of many battles, suspects that the hard-won peace is about to break. She promises to deliver a preternatural ten-year old girl to a coming-of-age festival in the heart of Ludwich. But she has been warned by the prophets that dangers lie ahead.
Cady suspects that the young girl’s fate is entwined with that of the city. When the girl disappears, the old sailor must hunt her down, accompanied by a know-it-all mechanical man whose circuits are slowly grinding to dust. But Cady’s mission has always been to guard Ludwich from enemies both known and occult, and she will never give up.
Following the course of the River Nysis through the city, and beyond, Cady must uncover the final mysteries of the great dragon Haakenur’s life and death and afterlife. Her greatest battle is about to begin.
My Review
Ludluda is the second novel in the Chronicles of Ludwich series, the dark and weird fantasy proposal written by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard, published by Angry Robot Books. After the events of Gogmagog, Cady embarks on a new journey in the Nysis river, a new quest that will take us through this weird world as they are tracking Brin, who has disappeared; but not only Brin matter, as Cady will become the center of the whole story as more about her nature is revealed.
In this second part of the duology, the quest will put the emphasis on the identity of Cady and how she's related with the origins of Ludwig, while also tying it with the blood of Brin, who represents the last generation; a quest that will also take the opportunity to take us to new places in this weird British inspired world while exploring the story, all without info dumpings, using that narrative style that allows the own reader to put together the puzzle pieces.
Ludluda embraces the weirdness and the genre-blending, taking us to what we could define as a step further over Gogmagog; and Cady's arc is simply amazing, a bit confusing at moments, but I promise that all makes sense at the end. She becomes more loveable, and she takes a more heroic role, subverting a bit the chosen one trope. In comparison, it is true that the rest of the characters lose importance, being substituted by more secondary ones that are necessary to advance the plot.
What I loved more about Ludluda is the worldbuilding, and how organically everything is tied together. We can see those glimpses of British inspiration (and certainly there's a chapter that decides to scream that in your phase), but there's much space for the weird and the imagination; the authors don't hold your hand, giving space for interpretation. It is medium paced, alternating between action sections and more introspective ones, woven around Cady.
Ludluda is the cherry on the top of the Chronicles of Ludwig. This series will take you into an intense and weird journey, and it's perfect if you like genre blending proposals; even if it's a duology, I can see myself returning to this world.
The Author/s
Jeff Noon
Jeff Noon was born in Manchester, England in 1957. He was trained in the visual arts, and was musically active on the punk scene before starting to write plays for the theatre. His first novel, VURT, was published in 1993 and went on to win the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He had written many books since then, each one exploring the ever-changing borderzone between genre fiction and the avant-garde. If a label is needed, he thinks of his work as being part of the Avant Pulp movement. He believes the modern world can only be portrayed in all its complexity by using new forms and techniques. To this end, he has often taken ideas and methods from musical composition and production, applying them to short stories and novels. Above all, Jeff sees himself as a storyteller. His plays include WOUNDINGS and THE MODERNISTS for the theatre, and DEAD CODE: GHOSTS OF THE DIGITAL AGE for radio. He also writes screenplays and lives in hope of actually seeing one of them produced, one day soon! Jeff lives in Brighton and Hove. He writes microfictional "spores" more or less every day via @jeffnoon on Twitter.
Steve Beard
Steve Beard is the author of various speculative novels and experimental fictions, including Meat Puppet Cabaret. He has been called “an uncannily accurate interpreter of Paul Virilio.”