Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “No Gods, No Monsters” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

No Gods, No Monsters

Cadwell Turnbull (Goodreads Author)

3.67 · Rating details · 36 ratings · 24 reviews

One October morning, Laina gets the news that her brother was 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.

As creatures from myth and legend come out of the shadows, seeking safety through visibility, their emergence sets off a chain of seemingly unr ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover

Expected publication: September 7th 2021 by Blackstone Publishing

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about No Gods, No Monsters, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about No Gods, No Monsters

Lists with This Book

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Can't Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2021

343 books — 761 voters

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Can't Wait Books of 2021

584 books — 1,380 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.67 ·

Rating details

· 36 ratings · 24 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of No Gods, No Monsters

Dec 18, 2020 ELLIAS (elliasreads) marked it as to-read

THIS SOUNDS BATSHIT CRAZY IM HERE FOR IT

flag 69 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it

As like the king of authors said: “ Monsters are real and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us,sometimes they win.”

This story starts with a dead body! Laina opens her eyes on early October morning to learn the new tragic news about her brother’s brutal killing by Boston police officers. Is this just police brutality or there is something more vicious, blood thirsty and extra violent hidden behind the incident? But there is one reality that no one can ignore: MONSTERS ARE REAL! Mythical cre ...more

flag 45 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2021 lauren. rated it it was ok

*DNF*

Let me just start off by saying that the writing in this book is incredibly beautiful. There is no doubt about that.

Now, I can see fantasy lovers, or even anyone who loves supernatural beings, be SO into this. I could see them eating it up and enjoying and hanging onto every word of this story.

But, unfortunately it just was not for me.

I am not the biggest fan of fantasy to begin with, and I would almost lean this more towards supernatural (which I do enjoy, sometimes). And the synopsis o ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2021 All Cops Are Bastards marked it as to-read

Check it out y'all, we did it. A queer fantasy book named with a pun on an anarchist slogan. Anarchism has arrived. We have penetrated the public consciousness. And all it took was America going full fascist dystopia! ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2021 charlotte, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it really liked it

Shelves: aoc-et-al, adult-lit, black-or-african-characters, let-s-talk-diversity, magic-and-fantasy, non-white-characters, not-yet-published, werewolves, review-copies, maybe-review

Rep: Black bi mc, Puerto Rican American sapphic mc, biracial bi ace trans mc, nonbinary side character, Black bi side character, Black side characters

CWs: implied sexual abuse, drug abuse, implied domestic abuse, police brutality, gun violence

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2020 Circe Moskowitz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020, arc

Utterly spectacular.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2020 Justin Bowers rated it it was amazing

** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review **

First and foremost, this is a book you have to pay attention to. Yes, it’s a casual read, but the subtext is almost its own character in this one. No Gods, No Monsters is the kind of book that almost demands a re-read upon reaching the final page. It’s just that powerful.

Most blurbs and reviews say that this books opens with Laina discovering the news that her brother, Lincoln, has been shot and killed by ** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review **

First and foremost, this is a book you have to pay attention to. Yes, it’s a casual read, but the subtext is almost its own character in this one. No Gods, No Monsters is the kind of book that almost demands a re-read upon reaching the final page. It’s just that powerful.

Most blurbs and reviews say that this books opens with Laina discovering the news that her brother, Lincoln, has been shot and killed by Boston police, but that’s not really where the book starts. No Gods, No Monsters starts with the introduction of two characters: Calvin and Tanya. As the story progresses, we discover that one of them could possibly be very very important.

Next comes the beginning of Laina’s lament and the big reveal that monsters are real and some of them are ready to go public.

I don’t really want to say much more about the characters or the plot of the book because I think it would steal a piece of the magic from potential readers. What I will say is that No Gods, No Monsters really pushes the boundaries of the classification, or lack thereof, of inclusion and acceptance. Never would I have ever thought it possible to braid together a tale of life, love, the constant struggle and non-Newtonian physics. Yeah, you didn’t read that wrong.

Seeing each section unfold with the inter-meshing of characters and situations is what really sells this story. Mr. Turnbull leverages science fiction and fantasy to show the rawest of “human” emotions in an incredibly deft way, and it doesn’t take long to be fully sucked in.

My single complaint is that it’s now over: I reached the end and that’s it. I do hope Mr. Turnbull revisits these characters and situations because what is not said, and what is not resolved, presents an incredible craving for this reader.

No Gods, No Monsters hits shelves in September 2021, and I guarantee it is going to make some waves. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see it on any number of book of the year lists. Do not sleep on this one. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Hillary rated it liked it

I feel, in some ways, this book is either the novelization or embodiment of a charcuterie board. The parts are individually fantastic, but you spend most of your time looking for a way to get that perfect, magic combination before eventually, even if you're still a little hungry, getting tired of and giving up on the whole process only to drink a vodka cran in the corner. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2021 Book rated it really liked it

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

No Gods, No Monsters spits in the face of genre labels, which I love. There are plenty of nods to familiar concepts: a police shooting, fantastical creatures colliding with cityscapes, and underground magic societies jostling for power. However, no theme is presented in a familiar way. This book is truly ambitious, one of the most sincere compliments I can give a contemporary novel.

Turnbull displays real craft with his dialogue and ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2021 DJ Arruda rated it it was amazing

No Gods, No Monsters, aptly named in nod to the famous anarchist slogan, examines the classic question of who monsters really are against the backdrop of our world as it is now. Weaving together werewolves and secret societies, quantum physics and anarchism, cooperativism and magic, with a wonderfully diverse cast of rich and compelling characters who all must struggle with a new reality when the truth about monsters becomes known and turns the world upside down.

Using this lens of monsters, Tur ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Mya added it

Shelves: author-of-color, fantasy, trans-character, supernatural

This structure of this story, which winds backward and forward and in other ways through time, didn't give me enough of a throughline to follow the main plot, which I actually found very interesting. I loved the politics of it too-- lots of worker-owned/co-op/anarchist discourse but something about the structure really threw me off. In addition, my ARC was not formatted very well :( no indents or page breaks or anything, so that definitely contributed to its difficulty. I might pick it up again ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2020 Lestat rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, horror

I got an ARC copy from Netgalley after reading about how this was one of the most anticipated books of 2021. I love the premise of this book-it essentially examines the age-old question of who is the real monster? And, what makes a monster? And all this is told through a contemporary lens with characters of many ethnicities, and across the gender and sexual spectrum.

The world is built over an anthology of interconnected stories. We find out how these stories interact with each other as more cha ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2021 Stephanie Carlson rated it liked it

**This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

This is going to be a book people either love or hate.

On paper, No Gods, No Monsters is extraordinary. It’s a subversive, genre-bending, philosophical take on intersectionality, quantum theory, and the nature of humanity. It features a cast of BIPOC, queer, and monster characters (often all three at once). It questions the assumptions on which we build our world and the ways in which we can reshape it. It find **This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

This is going to be a book people either love or hate.

On paper, No Gods, No Monsters is extraordinary. It’s a subversive, genre-bending, philosophical take on intersectionality, quantum theory, and the nature of humanity. It features a cast of BIPOC, queer, and monster characters (often all three at once). It questions the assumptions on which we build our world and the ways in which we can reshape it. It finds beauty in the mundane and horror in the sublime. There is no protagonist, because the novel makes clear that it is in collectives and communities that we find meaning and purpose.

But this book has a specific audience, and it will not appeal to everyone. To begin with, it does not have a traditional plot. The interweaving storylines feel as though they would be more appropriately situated in a short story cycle than a novel. Very little in terms of action actually happens; most of the book is about characters reflecting on their worldviews and philosophies while going about daily tasks, like browsing internet forums, driving to their hometowns, or stocking shelves at a collectively-owned bookstore. This book is not, as I first thought when picking it up, a blend of horror and urban fantasy; I would instead describe it as postmodernist speculative fiction.

The blurb makes it seem as though this is a book about monsters suddenly being revealed to the mundane world and then beginning to interact with it, but in fact this reveal is immediately covered up; the majority of the book is spent in a world that vaguely suspects monsters walk among us, but no one willingly admits to believing in them. The point-of-view characters all know or suspect that monsters exist, but are protected from obtaining any real knowledge about the extent of the supernatural’s presence in the world by the Powers that Be (various non-POV characters or organizations who know more but tell nothing). This can be an incredibly frustrating experience as a reader.

For me, the first 200 pages of the book really dragged. The interweaving storylines read like vignettes, barely connected by being situated in the same world and having the same distanced writing style. More than once, I would start in on a new vignette and realize, a few pages in, that I had met its central character before in an earlier vignette, and had completely forgotten about them in the interim. This doesn’t bode well for anyone who prefers character-driven fiction.

After the 200-page mark, the book really picks up. The vignettes, previously loosely-crossed threads, are pulled together in a tight weave. Characters finally take decisive actions, a coherent theme develops, and the interconnected stories build to a climax. For me, the last three hundred pages were satisfying, a reward for having made it through the often-confusing build-up.

But it’s a hard ask for most readers to wait 200 pages for a book to start making sense. If well-formed prose and philosophical musings delight you, you will love this book from the strt; if you dislike being held at arms-length by the narrative, and struggle with different PoV chapters that aren’t readily connected to an overarching narrative, you will struggle to feel engaged for the first two-thirds of the novel. In my opinion, Cadwell Turnbull shows great promise, and I look forward to reading his backlog in short fiction and seeing what his long-form fiction looks like in the future. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 04, 2021 Avrial rated it it was amazing

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 - 𝙽𝚘 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜

𝑵𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅𝒔, 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 by Cadwell Turbull

𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎
“Everything is connected. Every imagined world is real. all the underworlds and all the heavens. All the worlds within us and without.”

𝙿𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜
368

𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎
~4 hours

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎
Adult Fantasy

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢
𝑵𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅𝒔, 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 follows the stories of multiple unique individuals. Some with stories of trauma and triumph. Others with stories of confusion and capture. A mysterious being floats through these stories watching and waiting for the moment to emer ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2021 Sara rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley-books

DNF, unfortunately.

The description of the book really drew me in. It sounded like something I would love. Magical creatures? Dystopian elements? Main characters that are POC and/or queer? Yes, please.
I loved Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and was hoping for something in that realm. I am disappointed and I wanted so much to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me.

This is the story of The Fracture, the events leading up to it, and the events that occur as a result of it. It starts with a pol ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 30, 2020 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

This book starts by introducing us to several characters, one of which is Laina who has been asked to identify a dead body. Her brother has been shot and killed by police, and while it appears that this was a case of police brutality, a video unearths a much larger issue at play. The video reveals that monsters are real, and are walking among us. The question of who is a monster, and why, is raised mul ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 22, 2021 Maggie rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs, fantasy, lgbtq, magic, alternate-universe, adult, main-character-of-color

Disorienting, is the first word that comes to mind. Disorienting, in the best way. This book jumps between character POVs, across time, between storylines without notice and seemingly without pattern. We are introduced to an unnamed narrator who seems to immediately disappear from the story, and as we try to puzzle out the connection between the characters we meet some links are revealed and others are not. But this struggle for understanding is what is at the heart of NO GODS, NO MONSTERS. In t ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 19, 2020 Nicki Markus rated it liked it

Shelves: read-paranormal

No Gods, No Monsters was a book with an interesting premise and themes. There was plenty to love about the concept and the messages the author was trying to convey, and overall the story was entertaining and moved as a reasonable pace. There were quite a few characters, though, and because we were swapping back and forth all the time, I felt some were less developed than I would have liked, because we didn't have enough page time to truly get to know them, and this made it harder for me to care ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 27, 2020 Marcella rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

ARC provided by Netgalley

This book had a promising start and storytelling style which remind me of American Gods (Neil Gaiman) and Cradle and All (James Patterson).

There is a lot of character, but maybe a little too much. I really like some of them (Dragon is my fav, such precious boy) but I couldn't dive into the rest. Maybe it was the lack of description or backstory. So I had to cut the stars. It was 3.5 for me.

Overall, No Gods, No Monsters, is a good book with interesting premise. If you are ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 17, 2021 Eva Leppard rated it really liked it

This is an incredibly ambitious book, and to make a long story short it, it achieves what it aims for. Multiple POV, time skips, and meticulously interwoven plots all work together to create an unputdownable read., Each of the different story streams are compelling, and I would love to read novels devoted to each of them. I will definitely be rereading this, as the sheer amount of content packed into the pages and the speed at which I wanted to read it meant that I missed a few plot points. Abso ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 04, 2021 Mana rated it liked it

Laina's brother is dead, but nothing is at it seems. Tape from police was really disturbing. What is this creature and where it come from?

Monsters are real, parallel worlds collide.

Exciting read. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 20, 2021 Des rated it it was ok

Shelves: adult, e-book, mystery, netgalley

the publisher kindly provided me with an arc through netgalley

I really wanted to like this book as the story sounded so interesting but the changing of pov every time just really made it not work for me. Besides that the writing was fine and the diversity really good.

flag Like · see review

Jan 16, 2021 Shannon | readwithhugo rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, fantasy, netgalley

This is a juicy story that opens with quite the bang. It was a super quick, page-turning read and this kind of ‘urban fantasy thriller’ was a new genre for me and one I’d love to read more of. I always enjoy when books/tv shows/movies/etc. take place in my city (doesn’t everyone?) so the fact that this book is set in Boston really brought the story off the page and into real life for me. There are a ton of characters in this book and a very busy plot, so it could be overwhelming and a bit confus ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 11, 2021 Justine marked it as arcs

Shelves: fantasy

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an ARC!

flag Like · see review

Yuko Ichihara rated it it was amazing
Dec 21, 2020

Thieving Magpie rated it it was ok
Jan 09, 2021

Theodore McCombs rated it it was amazing
Jan 19, 2021

Nicole Micayla rated it liked it
Jan 09, 2021

Emma Ito rated it really liked it
Jan 06, 2021

OTIS rated it it was amazing
Jan 21, 2021

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

57 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

15 users

Adult

15 users

Fiction

11 users

LGBT

9 users

GLBT > Queer

8 users

Contemporary

6 users

Science Fiction

4 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

4 users

Adult Fiction

3 users

See top shelves…

About Cadwell Turnbull

Cadwell Turnbull

188 followers

Hello, I'm Cadwell Turnbull, author of the science fiction novel The Lesson.

My short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. My short story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My short story "Jump" was selected for the Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019. ...more