2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Vorrh, the first book in the The Vorrh trilogy by Brian Catling.

Pages: 485 pages

Length: 1 month (September)

Participants: SarahKat, Lorraine

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Hi Lorraine! I think I'll start on this one tomorrow

Works for me.

I have finished Book 1. Hope to finish book 2 by Sunday. This is not an easy book even though I am reading it in French. By chance! 😁 (view spoiler)[A lot of characters get introduced and, at first, I found it difficult to remember who is who. It is getting better. I have looked for articles to try to understand what I was reading and the one I found agrees that this is not an easy story. So I feel better to know I am not alone.🤣 I hope book 2 will give me a better idea of The Vorrh (hide spoiler)]

I just finished Part 1 and I agree. This is not what I was expecting!

(view spoiler)[For one thing it's way more sexual. And not in a good way.
Like you said way too many characters and I'm still having trouble keeping them straight.
The Frenchman is a gay man who has lied that he's been to the Vorrh but hasn't, but is going to go with Seil Kor... I think?
Ishmael... is he human? There's a few people who are not? Is he the one with the corkscrew penis?
And then there's the guy in the Vorrh who has a bow made of his wife's remains... I think... is his name Tsungali or is that someone else?

Yeah, you are definitely not alone. Maybe with everyone heading towards the forest it will become clearer. Or at least more interesting-type-of-weird instead of just weird. (hide spoiler)]

I've finished Part 2. (view spoiler)[I don't like this. I'll finish it for challenges and stuff but it's not sticking with me. I thought The Vorrh itself would be much more of a thing than it is. If anything I'm more confused about who all the characters are than I was before. I think some of it is they call them by name at times but by title other times and I can't keep it straight.

I haven't found a plot thread that I can follow easily. I still think the guy with the bow is probably the easiest just because he's been alone the majority of the time. 2 women are wanting to go looking for Ishmael who went into the Vorrh. That's it. That's all I've gotten out of this. (hide spoiler)]

I haven't touch it all weekend. Like you I am not liking it and it is getting difficult to convince myself to open it again. I'll see tomorrow. I'm trying to finish another book today before the library takes it back...

I finished and I won't blame you if you don't. I'm glad it's over with.

Thank you, SarahKat. I didn't want to stop reading, but since I have your permission, I'll move on. There are just too many books and too little time!