It's been mentioned a few times, but things were left in an unfinished state at the end of the second book. This novella, from April's point of view, It's been mentioned a few times, but things were left in an unfinished state at the end of the second book. This novella, from April's point of view, finally finishes things. McGuire does a good job portraying April's alien state of mind as the world's only Cyber Dryad. This seems to be one of the short stories/novellas that's definite worth reading in publication order. ...more
Up until now we've barely seen much of Amandine the Liar. We know that she is considered spoiled by The Ludiaeg and that Winterrose looks down at her.Up until now we've barely seen much of Amandine the Liar. We know that she is considered spoiled by The Ludiaeg and that Winterrose looks down at her. Toby's relationship and desires to know her have changed as Toby has learned more about who she truly is and what her mother did to her (psychologically and physically). Well, she makes an appearance here and we realize that Toby is lucky she has not been too involved before.
This book continues the storyline that started a book or so ago and was elaborated upon in the short stories - Toby's discovery that she has a half-sister and that, in the eyes of the fae, Simon is her step-father. If there are two things Toby is known for at this point - it's being an overthrower of fae monarchies and a finder of lost things. She is tasked with finding her half-sister. We see how bullies take when they could simply ask and leave heartbreak and sorrow in their wake.
I've been reading the short stories as I go along so I don't remember how much emphasis has been placed on the Ludaeg's binding in the main series vs the short stories. Essentially, the reason the Sea Witch demands high prices for her boons is that she was cursed by one of Oberron's Sister-Wives (not her own mother) to never be able to refuse a boon. Her only way to prevent the ones she doesn't want to grant is to offer an exchange rate so high that the person is more likely to refuse. This is key to this story, more than once.
Also, it was almost a throwaway line in one of the novels (and maybe reinforced in the short stories), but it will be someone from Amandine's line who will bring back Oberron and his Wives. It's why The Sea Witch and Winterrose have taken such a large interest in the changeling Toby. They should care because they are her aunts, but (especially with the Firstborn) fae don't really see familial relations like we do - partly because they live so long. Narratively, what I like about this prophecy is that it doesn't necessarily make Toby a Chosen One. It could be her Sister (that certainly set things into motion a hundred-ish years ago). It could even be one of their kids - how ironic if it turned out to be Gillian (even with all the fae burned out of her). Truly, the only bad thing about this prophecy coming to the forefront in the past few books is that it has (at least in my mind) set the end goal for this series. So either McGuire puts it off for a while and it begins to seem as if the intervening books are "busy work" for Toby and the gang or they start working towards it and the books stop being so episodic or they succeed and the next books are dealing with the fallout. (Similar to how Dresden finally split off from our timeline with the events of the last Dresden Files book)
The ending of this book was pretty rough. I don't know if I was just in a certain frame of mind or something, but I wasn't as moved as I thought I would be. I think perhaps that the character involved had too quick of a heel-face turn and we hadn't had time to sit with their character growth before it was ripped away. It was certainly sad and tragic, but similar scenes have at least made my breath hitch, if not make me shed a tear or two. (So far no book or TV show has racked me with sobs, but I have definitely felt strong emotions for fictional characters) I wasn't a huge fan of where it puts Toby. I also feel that another relationship she was in the process of fixing also got reset in a way that made sense, but just felt like such a rug pull.
I'm still curious to see what happens to Toby and Friends. I'll definitely keep reading the series, but it's a bummer she keeps getting hit so far. I guess I hadn't realized it since her PI work is usually in the background, but this truly is a noir Urban Fantasy series. (I wouldn't go so far as to call it GrimDark)...more
The Miracle Lambs of Minane (Finbarr O� Reilly) - The story has an indirect way about it that I usually don’t care for, but this time it works for (anThe Miracle Lambs of Minane (Finbarr O� Reilly) - The story has an indirect way about it that I usually don’t care for, but this time it works for (and is almost key to) the story. There’s always a potential conflict between what society declares is good and right and what works for any given individual. This story tells of a future just slightly past where we’re at and how folks have to deal with an age-old situation. It goes to show that SF doesn’t have to be about robots and space and The Internet.
Sparrow (Yilin Wang) - A beautiful short story illustrating how automation can come for anyone. It also, as is often the case with Clarkesworld’s focus on Chinese SFshort stories (as compared with other SFF magazines I read), provides a window into a country I barely know anything about. This story is universal in its overall story as well as in many of the details while others remain very Chinese. The best kind of international short story, in my opinion.
When we were Starless (Simone Heller) - At first this post-apocalyptic story had a little too much of “call a rabbit a smeerp� and I wasn’t enjoying it. I have a little more patience for that in a novel where there is time to gradually get to understand the terminology and how it relates to our real-world objects. But the story was so good that, once I got past that, it ended up being one of my favorites in this genre.
The Facecrafter (Anna Wu, Translated by Emily Jin) - A Chinese remix of Ready Player One and Flatland, combined with Chinese mythology. It was a little hard to follow the flow, but it was an interesting combination of influences coming together to tell a story of humans after the apocalypse.
Thirty-Three Percent Joe (Suzanne Palmer) - I’m pretty sure I’ve read another short story in this genre of smart body part replacements - that one (if memory serves) about a female protagonist. This one provides a lot of hilarity to balance the absolutely bleak world in which it takes place. I loved the story’s resolution and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone.
In Everlasting Wisdom (Aliette de Bodard) - A future SF story full of Vietnamese protagonists, but not (according to her website) part of the Xuya Universe of short stories and novels. I thoroughly enjoyed the world created in just a few pages. We quickly understand so much about what’s happening and the world in which the characters live. De Bodard is masterful in having her character go on a full character journey in just a few pages and I just want to know more about where things go and would even love prequels in this world.
The Falls: A Luna Story (Ian McDonald) - I’m pretty sure I’ve read another story that takes place in this author’s Luna world where corporations control the Moon and everyone living there is like a corporate town from the 1800s or early 1900s on Earth. This story is beautifully written. The author sets up anticipation and slowly dribbles out information in a way to keep ratcheting up the tension until we finally find out what happened. It’s also a great meditation on AI (more relevant now than when it was written) and emotions. Finally, through background details, it criticizes the technocratic company town idea. ----------- NonFiction
Endless Forms Most Horrible: Parasites and SF (Julie Novakova) - A short non-fiction piece on real-world parasites and comparing them to parasites found in SFF. Some great examples of both real world parasites and some books to check out if the topic is interesting.
First Contact, Fantasy, and Cooperation: A Conversation with Steven Erikson (Chris Urie) - An interview with the author of the Malazan series about a SF novel he wrote that upends some First Contact tropes.
Another Word:In Praise of Taking it Slow (Sarah Pinsker) - An essay on giving your story time to age rather than rushing it out there. Perhaps instead of the naive answer to a prompt, you end up with something more clever.
Editor’s Desk (Neil Clarke) - Reflections on the magazine reaching 12 years old....more
It was pretty clear to me as soon as Toby and gang developed a cure for Elf Shot that it was going to cause a huge problem with the balance of power. It was pretty clear to me as soon as Toby and gang developed a cure for Elf Shot that it was going to cause a huge problem with the balance of power. I don't know how true it is, but it's accepted knowledge that the USA and USSR having nuclear weapons throughout the cold war prevented large scale war. (There were plenty of wars, but most of them were civil wars that the USA and/or USSR gave support to - or participated in) In the same way, removal of the ability to simply send your rivals to sleep for a while would definitely cause problems.
This book has the USA west coast and southwest kingdoms participating in a conclave to determine whether or not the cure should be widely distributed. However, this is (kinda) just an excuse to allow Seanan McGuire to write a story. (opening paragraph: A group of people are invited to attend a get-together, usually held at an Old, Dark House often in the middle of the countryside or (more recently) on someone's private island, by a mysterious and/or eccentric host. Suddenly one of the guests (or even the host) is murdered and circumstances prevent the others from leaving, usually a heavy storm or a cut bridge, or even both.) All of October Daye books have been addictive page turners for me, but I love when Toby gets to go back to her detective roots.
The book ends up expanding the USA side of the October Daye universe by telling us about a bunch of the kingdoms outside the SF Bay Area. There aren't really any other big story revelations in this book. It also benefits from the reader having read the novellas and short stories up to this point - but mostly to provide background to some of the references in this book - such as Patrick and Dianda's first date, etc.
The novella included in the print version of this story gives us Arden's point of view. I always find it fun to see how other characters react to the chaos that Toby springs on those around her. We also get confirmation of Toby's theory of why she was made ambassador in the previous book. ...more
This one's a bit longer than most of the other short stories. It's great to get into Quentin's head, given what we learned in recent books. It also heThis one's a bit longer than most of the other short stories. It's great to get into Quentin's head, given what we learned in recent books. It also helps explain why, after the adventure with Arden, his parents didn't immediately recall him. It's also fun to see how Quentin sees the others....more
A fun short story that shows us how Patrick and Dianda met. As far as I can tell, it's completely optional - nothing key learned - but it's a ton of fA fun short story that shows us how Patrick and Dianda met. As far as I can tell, it's completely optional - nothing key learned - but it's a ton of fun....more
Marketing is often lies or half-truths dressed up to try and trick our stupid animal brains - pushing past our rationality. I'm happy to report that iMarketing is often lies or half-truths dressed up to try and trick our stupid animal brains - pushing past our rationality. I'm happy to report that in this case, the marketing was, in my humble opinion, not a lie. We were told that this was a new, useful Dungeon Master's Guide - more useful than the 2014 guide. I found this to be true. I don't think I've re-opened the 2014 DMG since first reading it. It was really structured as a reference book or manual. The 2024 DMG is full of very useful information.
In a lot of ways the 2024 DMG is a great entry point into the concept of being the Dungeon Master. I think it even is a bot extra simplistic in the first chapter so that if you and your friends were all new to D&D, one of you could pick up DMing. If you've been playing for a while and are new to the position of DM, you could probably skim the first chapter. Beyond that it would be introducing you to many concepts that you were probably taking for granted if your sessions were going smoothly.
The other huge difference is that the 2014 DMG seemed tailored towards DMs who wanted to run their own custom campaigns rather than published D&D campaigns. This DMG is much more focused on teaching the concepts. It might actually be a bit TOO shallow on creating your own worlds. Perhaps that's better left to another book or to 3rd party publishers.
Since this was an anniversary year, there's a huge chapter on the Greyhawk setting, introducing it to new players. It also gives a few points to jump into a campaign there. I also appreciated the index that introduces the reader to famous D&D characters and D&D lore.
If you buy digital version you also gain access to a bunch of magic items you can use in your games. (This will be tied to whatever platform you buy the digital version on)
Overall, I think this DMG is a HUGE improvement over the previous one. If you're thinking about being a D&D DM, I think this is a very good purchase. The first few chapters made me consider a few concepts I hadn't thought of and it has made things go more smoothly at my table....more
Since the previous book ended the first cycle, this one doesn't move to answer a few of the remaining mysteries - what will the night haunts want in rSince the previous book ended the first cycle, this one doesn't move to answer a few of the remaining mysteries - what will the night haunts want in return? Where is August? Where is Amy? Will October and Sylvester reconcile? But this book does tie off one loose end from the last cycle as things move to Portland, OR for this book.
October Daye as diplomat is a fun concept. I'm glad that she's had the personal growth necessary to now have backup and so we have the usual crew supporting her. We also get to meet a new Court of Cats and it's interesting to see how it compares and contrasts with the one Tybalt runs. What I think is most interesting is that October was so focused on what she needed to do for this mission, that the consequences of what Walther does in this book are left unstated, but they are HUGE! I will be shocked if they don't reverberate through the next few books or at least serve as the climax of the next cycle. ...more
I think the Tybalt-based short stories are my favorites. I love when McGuire writes from his point of view. In fact, for all the short stories, while I think the Tybalt-based short stories are my favorites. I love when McGuire writes from his point of view. In fact, for all the short stories, while it's nice to get more backstory on the October Daye universe, what I love most is getting to be in the headspace of different characters. ...more
This short story takes place before anything else in the timeline (at least so far). It explains a lot, but should definitely not be read until this pThis short story takes place before anything else in the timeline (at least so far). It explains a lot, but should definitely not be read until this point in the narrative (that is, don't read it until after October Daye #8).
If it sets up any new plot points, I couldn't see them, but it does provide backstories for a few of the histories we've heard until now. SO FAR, of all the short stories this one seems the most skippable. We'll see if time proves me wrong....more
Seanan McGuire mentions that this book is what all the previous books have been working towards. I believe McGuire. This book truly does feel like theSeanan McGuire mentions that this book is what all the previous books have been working towards. I believe McGuire. This book truly does feel like the end of an era for Toby. Almost every single plot from the first book to the last one is touched upon as we finally (FINALLY) start getting answers about Toby's life and why all the fae in her life act the way they do towards her. Of course, it's an October Daye book so triumph comes with tragedy, pain, and sadness.
This book is slightly less than the halfway point to all the books published up until now. That makes me wonder what the overarching plot for is for Toby. Is McGuire working towards an ultimate conclucsion? Will it be a series of 8 book cycles? So much has changed in 8 relatively short books that I have trouble picturing what the overarching story goes from here. Wherever it goes, I'm there. I'm truly hooked on this series....more
We saw bits of this in the last full book and now we get to see the whole scene. This is much shorter than other short stories so far, definitely wortWe saw bits of this in the last full book and now we get to see the whole scene. This is much shorter than other short stories so far, definitely worth reading, because I think it's probably going to be important for the setup going forward....more
Another short story about Tybalt's past. It picks up a while after the last short story. We learn yet another bit about what things were like for him Another short story about Tybalt's past. It picks up a while after the last short story. We learn yet another bit about what things were like for him and why he acts the way he does with October Daye. It also builds on what we've learned about Selkies in both mainline book One Salt Sea and short story In Sea-Salt Tears. So, definitely read those first if you want to get the most out of this short story.
I love how Tybalt's stories are an opportunity for Seanan McGuire to explore deeply passionate emotions. Toby seems to have the normal range for a human, but Tybalt (perhaps due to his Cait Sidhe nature) seems to experience all his emotions more deeply. In fact, I would have probably rated this story 4.5 stars if we had half-stars available.
I think if you're enjoying the character relationships in the October Daye series as much as the mystery stories, you should definitely seek out the short stories....more
The previous entry in the series introduced us to the dangers of Goblin Fruit. It's an intoxicant that blisses out purebloods, but leaves changelings The previous entry in the series introduced us to the dangers of Goblin Fruit. It's an intoxicant that blisses out purebloods, but leaves changelings and humans dangerously addicted (even after only one taste) until they die. This book is about October dealing with that threat to the non-pureblooded community in the San Francisco area. It quickly spirals out from there because, of course it does when October Daye is involved.
McGuire is clearly setting up a greater confrontation and I'm curious as to what it is. McGuire is doing a good job of giving us a stair-step increase in stakes. Toby fixes things and the world seems to be a better place until the next book ups the ante. There are definitely a few loose ends that are accumulating among October's enemies list that could probably end up coming together for the final climax. Based both on this series and on McGuire's Wayward Children series, I'm expecting a bittersweet ending to this all. McGuire doesn't seem to be fully happy endings, McGuire's a little too realistic for that. It does make me appreciate that none of the characters are wearing plot armor (except, of course, Toby who has to make it to the final book)....more
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