Flora & Fauna (The Monarch Papers)

The Monarch Papers is an amazing book. It has everything I love secret societies, centuries-old mysteries, alternate timelines, and brilliant puzzles. The Monarch Papers was originally an interactive fiction that occurred over roughly a year, but this book contextualizes it through the lens of a major character a reporter named Martin Rank. I found the Monarch Papers to be not only a fun way of experiencing the past events, but also filled with new pieces of narrative and an entirely different perspective in the form of Martin.

The book follows Martin Rank as he seeks to uncover the truth of what happened to his son, who suddenly lost all memory of him after Martin told him about a long-forgotten book. In doing so, he stumbles upon a forum full of people who are likewise seeking books that were seemingly forgotten in time. The story follows Martins investigation of the forum and the work they do in attempting to unlock the Book of Briars, a mysterious book that appeared online that most of the world had forgotten about. Its a beautiful tale of both one mans personal journey in coping with the loss of his son, and a larger story of people all over the world pursuing lost magic that was stripped from the world by malevolent forces.

This is the kind of book that draws you into its world and its characters. Right from the very first chapter, I could clearly picture Martin as he explored the derelict asylum, alone save for ashen butterflies. CJ Bernstein writes so vividly that its easy to see these moments in your minds eye. Being able to picture the world so clearly made me invested in the characters.

If I were to make one recommendation, its that readers check out the MAGIQ Guide and the Ackerly Green site, both of which are linked in the back of the eBook. The Monarch Papers works well as a standalone book, but it works even better as a multimedia experience. On the site, you can hear the audio of Brandons final words and the Cagliostros final performance. You can see the old Hippocampus logo. You can view archived versions of the Forest of Darkening Glass and Burrow in the Fray on the wiki. It all adds an extra layer of depth to an already fascinating story. There was so much time and care put into crafting this universe that its worth it to check out.

If you love magic, mysteries, and exploring hidden worlds, then I cannot recommend this book enough. This is one of my all-time favorite books, and the narrative experience CJ crafted is unforgettable. CJ is an incredible writer for so many reasons, but the thing that drew me in is his ability to build these uniquely compelling worlds. The world of the Monarch Papers is full of rich histories, and I often found myself noticing some odd bit of lore in a paragraph and wanting an entire story from a few sentences alone. Im utterly fascinated by the idea of the Low a series of underground magical networks, and also the idea of the Cagliostro and his circle of extremely wealthy patrons who also believe that magic is real (and may even use it to amass their wealth). He is superbly skilled at developing mysteries. I am definitely a fan for life, and I look forward to CJs next books.

Let me start by saying that reading a story of magic, alternate timelines and altered history, and mass magical conspiracy from the perspective of a New York City journalist gives the narrative a special something. Watching the events unfold from a place of skepticism, resistance, heartbreak, and a constant current of underlying hope and need for something deeper – something more – makes TMP Volume One very human.

The story is told from the perspective of Martin Rank, a man with unimaginable pain in his past – pain that he discovers through the events of TMP were caused by magic. And through this discovery, he is led to a truth that is buried deep in the hearts of all of us. A hope: Magic is real. It was ours, once. And it was stolen from us.

Martin’s story begins with the loss of his son, Sebastian. Marty Rank’s journey to uncovering the cause and recovering his son leads him to a group of dedicated individuals from around the world working to reveal the truth of magic and our altered history.

CJ has a distinct and wonderful talent for portraying unique and individual characters in their own particular voice, making them feel alive. He brings layers of complexity and connection to the book that create a universe of opportunities for rich storytelling.

The events of TMP Volume One cover the first half of an online ARG (alternate reality game) that spanned approximately a year and a half, in a literary create-your-own-adventure experience that drew in thousands of active players and readers alike. The novel is not just a chronicle of events, but dives deeply into the history, relationships, and secrets behind them. Many of the characters portrayed in the novel are real, their emotional connection to the world that CJ created palpable. CJ’s writing draws you in to those connections.

This is a must-read for anyone looking for a tale of modern magic; and along with it, a community of love, passionate creativity, and ardent belief in the big magic of small things. I’m deeply in love, and can’t wait for Volume Two.

This story does an excellent job of being mysterious–neither too vague nor too detailed. The pace was just right, keeping me intrigued without becoming incomprehensible, and presenting solutions without an excess of trudging through the research–ie, enough to make it plausible, but not so much that even the reader feels frustrated. The story itself is appealing, with several likable characters. And I was impressed by the accurate depiction of the technology that was current in earlier decades. I;m looking forward to starting the second book.

A must read for any fans of contemporary fantasy and modern magic, this novel (and Volume 2: Cosmos and Time) will find fans among adult and young adult readers alike!

CJ Bernstein’s debut novel, The Monarch Papers vol. 1: Flora & Fauna parlays the events from the first half of his unique online literary experience “The Monarch Papers” into a wholly new narrative; beyond just a chronicle of the storyline of the interactive experience, readers are given the insight of the perspective of a character whose own story had been woven with our’s from before the very beginning. I say “our’s” because I was involved in The Monarch Papers during the second half of the experience, and am featured in the novels themselves!

If you want to be part of the magical world CJ Bernstein is crafting, book by book, follow the links in the digital copy to find out your magimystic guild and join us on our immersive forum, where adventures are still going on!

FYI: I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to provide a review.

This was a fascinating read. It is clearly part of a much bigger and ongoing multimedia experience.
Which is great, but means this is not for a casual reader. The story is interesting, but the pacing slow – reflecting, I imagine, the way the real life people solved the mystery.
There are also mentions of forum members who contributed – exciting for them, but potentially confusing for a casual reader.
Overall I would say that I enjoyed this as a curiosity and will happily read the next one in the series.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member