Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn't attained.

I have been on a journey with this book! It became my number one book I need in 2019. I mean, between the author, the quote above (which isn't from the book but is SO GOOD), and the HAND OF GLORY COVER, I needed this book. I searched NYCC for ARCs, but if there were any, I had to work during the time. I actually ended up winning a physical ARC from 24in48! only to have it stolen because UPS sucks. Thankfully Tor is amazing and sent me an e-ARC after this happened. I have devoured it slowly, reading it between other books as I try to keep my vow of being on time with ARC reviews. So thank you Tor, Netgalley, and 24in48 for a copy of this book. It in no way influenced all the raving I am about to do.

Middlegame
by Seanan McGuire
Published Date: May 2019
Read Date: May 2019
Format: ebook ARC
Genre: Fantasy, urban fantasy (maybe?)
Page Count: 528 Pages
Rating: 5/5 Moose
Synopsis
James Reed, the "descendant" of Asphodel Baker is as skilled at alchemy as his creator was. But he craves more power and to control the universe. He wants to control the Doctrine of Ethos. In doing so, he creates Roger, who is good with words and can understand the world through story, and Dodger, who can break the world down to its mathematical components. They're twins, not quite human, but not quite Gods either. Separated for most of their life, the two set out on a journey they aren't quite prepared to survive.
Characters
Roger Middleton - Raised in Boston, Roger is the embodiment of the side of the Doctrine focused on words and language.

Dodger Cheswich - Raised in South California, Dodger is the embodiment of the side of the Doctrine focused on mathematics.

James Reed - a hundred plus year old alchemist set out to control the Doctrine of Ethos. Also a creation himself.

Erin - Dodger's college roommate
Rants, Raves, and Thoughts


Where to start with this book? While I think that McGuire's work is usually accessible to everyone, I can see this one as requiring me to say "I love this book BUT..." when I recommend it. This came to my attention when one of my favorite reviewers rated this book fairly lowly (2 stars). I was heartbroken, as we tend to line up on how we feel about most books. Thankfully, this is one we disagree on.

This book is told in a disjointed timeline. It opens up to "Timeline: five minutes too late, thirty seconds from the end of the world" and then skips back to 1886, then 1986 -- all in mere pages. It takes a little while to get used to this and to understand why it's happening.

Secondly, this book is a slow moving train. We start with Roger and Dodger as children, meeting at the age of 7. Well, "meeting," I guess, as they are chatting telepathically across the country. This is after the opening "prologue" called FAILURE where we seeing Dodger dying. It's uncomfortable, it is jarring, and personally, I loved it.

Throughout the entire novel, typically towards the end of a "book," there are quotes from a children's series that I will admit I had to google to see if it was real. (As someone who got into Animorphs hard and young, I know there are so many children's books I missed out on that I need to go back and read.) We get quotes about the Improbable Road and the Impossible City with Zeb and Avery, all taken from From Over the Woodward Wall by Deborah Baker. These quotes are obviously supposed to parallel Roger and Dodger's ventures, and strikingly resemble Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland in their whimsy and tone. (Which may be why I had to google it -- it was too familiar to be faked to my silly brain.)
Here in the Up-and-Under, we're both things at once, always, and we're never anything in-between...

What I love about this book is how it breaks down time and how someone can view the world. I have an almost equal love of maths and language -- both just more than a shallow interest, but neither too deep I suppose. Still, the combination of the two is what made me excited about this book, and I think McGuire uses both to build a world that is real feeling. Time travel is possible -- of course it is, you just have to find the right equation! I do think the maths is emphasized more than the language side, but not to a detriment. Dodger is the more fascinating character anyways. She's tormented by her genius, unable to blend into society like Roger is. It leaves a fear that she isn't as important, that she's being left behind somehow. And this fear is crucial to her personality, to her character, and is the basis on if Roger and Dodger will succeed or not.
He's just a dream that almost killed her, and she can't fall asleep again. Not when she's come so far.

And really, it is the relationship between Roger and Dodger that I love. They're supposed to be two parts of a whole, and it reflects in how similar yet different they are. Roger is able to fit in, have friends, date, give off the appearance of a life outside of his genius, while Dodger is all consumed by numbers and solving maths. She's more reserved, more walls, more alone. Does this mean she relies on Roger more than he on her? If you ask Roger, not at all. But I am not sure, honestly.

I don't know too much about the Doctrine of Ethos (prior to reading this book, I just knew it somehow related to music theory - thanks high school band maybe?) and doing some research, there isn't a direct Wiki page really to even start researching from. Based on the novel I assumed there were three sets of opposites for it: Maths vs Words, Chaos vs Order and......what's the third? This is why I started searching for clarification. (My confusion lies in that there were three sets of twins created at one time - Roger and Dodger being one set.) However, it basically is the idea that the force behind music can control what type of person you can turn into. While this has been discussed as good vs evil, it does appear originally that it may have referred to logical vs emotional -- which supports how McGuire uses the concept in her book. Maths (logical) -- it cannot lie, it cannot trick. Words (emotional) -- they frequently stand for what they don't actually mean.
No, silly, this is math. Math is never a trick. Math never plays tricks. Sometimes it makes problems, but they always have solutions. Not like stupid English.

Final Moments
This book, like so many that I love, isn't for everyone. You have to be willing to step outside the real world and stand in the Up-and-Under to appreciate it, and be ready for everything you're experiencing to go away in a white light. At the very least, you get a mathematician who has an absolute love of Ian Malcolm that everyone should have. I almost regret not studying Chaos Theory now.



Even if this book isn't for you, give McGuire a try. She's currently writing a few Marvel comics, she writes fantasy and horror (frequently under Mira Grant), and I think she's diverse enough that everyone will find something of hers to love.
****
So much to say about this bafflingly amazing book — RTF this week

Roger and Dodger are twins separated at birth but at the age of seven Dodger helps Roger with his math homework and their friendship begins. With starts and stops in their metal connection due to the project that brought them about and placed them far away from one another they don’t become close and try to figure out what makes them special until college. What makes them special is they were created using alchemy in order to control the world. The project has been watching them all their lives and knows when they have been contacting one another and when they start making changes to their world using their newfound powers. But they are not tools to be used and now they are on the run to protect themselves from what is trying to claim their power.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Middlegame is perhaps the most ambitious novels from Seanan McGuire and is a showcase for her skill at telling a good and complex story. Twins, math, alchemy, murder, time-bending, family, secret organizations, impossible powers, and just about everything McGuire can throw into this wonderous novel. Seanan McGuire has blended together as much as she possibly could stuff into one novel and she makes the whole thing work.

Middlegame is a novel about separated twins struggling to come together and the people that are keeping them apart in order to better build them into something that can open a road to an Impossible City that will grant unbelievable power. The novel is grounded in what seems like an almost normal reality of Roger and Dodger, the two incredible intelligent and gifted twins mentioned previously. It is that grounding that allows the rest of the novel's structure to work, the hints that there is more to the story than we're even seeing through the different viewpoint characters. Seanan McGuire goes big with Middlegame and she hits the mark.

Reed is definitely the villain you love to hate – he is completely amoral and fully focused on attaining the highest power that all alchemists are seeking. He has created several sets of twins, who are designed to perfectly complement each other’s strengths. Some are brought up together in the laboratory where they were created, while others are split and brought up separately until they grow into their powers. Roger and Dodger fall into the second tranche.

However, they manage to find each other, even though they are both very young and living hundreds of miles apart. Once their connection is discovered, they are split up again – causing anger and trauma to both… Initially, the viewpoint jumps around a bit as McGuire establishes the stakes and demonstrates just what the hapless twins are up against. But once the action centres on Roger and Dodger and we follow their highs and lows as they grow up, I was pulled into the story and became engrossed in the unfolding action.

I liked both of them – Dodger is the more sensitive and brittle personality, who grows up holding people at arm’s length, while Roger is more comfortable in his own skin. I enjoyed watching their development – and the various twists as first they are separated and then get together.
Meanwhile Reed is always lurking in the background, monitoring their progress and comparing it with his other experiments… And yes, the Hand of Glory features throughout the book. Because we get to know the characters well, I really cared and found this one difficult to put down once it hit its stride. I’m not sure that opening section is necessary as I found it distracting while waiting for that particular shoe to drop, which I think interfered with my enjoyment somewhat.

However, the climax was suitably convincing and brought this epic story to a strong conclusion – although there is potential for another book in this world. While I obtained an arc of Middlegame from the author via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

3.5 This is such a weird story! It's almost like one of Ms. McGuire's Wayward Children Series, but full length and very dark. It's a very character-driven novel with Roger and Dodger growing up and realizing that they are somehow connected. With stops and starts, they figure things out and are promptly thrust into a race for their lives. It's interesting, but it's probably not for everyone. I just didn't get some of it, so it was a little confusing for me.

Middlegame is a fantastical Frankenstein blending of the classic children’s fantasy (alchemy and magic) adventure story (Phillip Pullman, J. K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Joan Aitken) but NOT for children; with a large bolt of science, maths and science fiction (time travel and reanimation).

There is some pretty dark murder and violence, which is not graphically depicted, but could definitely spark shivers in more sensitive readers. I consider myself fairly unflappable but confess that Leigh Burrows gave me actual nightmares.

Roger and Dodger (and Erin and Darren) should be pretty unlikable characters in theory, as they are so focused on their particular narrow set of skills and interests that their humanity can slide into the background at times. Yet they were eminently likeable and I found myself very quickly caring deeply about what happened to them and how they would all make it successfully along their improbable road. Which made for a tense read, as the first pages make it clear how very improbable that would be!

So, a sci-fi fairytale for grownups. There is a love of wordplay and storytelling that propels the narrative beneath the STEM surface, but the real driving force is the characters and their relationships as they develop and change. Roger and Dodger, their relationship with the world and each other, are the heart and soul of the book. Which is exactly as it should be in a story that explores what makes us human or monsters, or both.





There is so much blood.
Roger didn’t know there was this much blood in the human body. It seems impossible, ridiculous, a profligate waste of something that should be precious and rare – and most importantly, contained. This blood belongs inside the body where it began, and yet here it is, and here he is, and everything is going so wrong.

– Seanan McGuire, Middlegame

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Received an advance copy for an honest review.

This one will be divisive, even among Seanan McGuire fans, I think.

It shares this with her other works: She creates characters you like, even the unlikeable ones, and they all have motivations and plans that don't quite mesh. She takes outlandish ideas and makes them sound almost plausible, even obvious. She takes magical situations and throws the real world at them. And her writing, her choice of words, is beautiful and scary and funny and weird.

But "Middlegame" is more complicated than most of her works and she doesn't explain things to you or her characters for quite a while. Some things may still seem confusing even at the end, and it's on you how you'll feel about that.

The short version is this: An alchemist, defying the orders of a secret group of alchemists, attempts to create superbeings whose power he can take for his own. Previously this was too much for one child so the power is split among two fraternal twins -- one gifted with the power of language, the other math -- to be separated at birth and raised apart until they mature. It's been tried several times, with some spectacular failures. But Rodger and Dodger, two lonely, brilliant children, discover each other by accident and learn to communicate telepathically.

Problem is, the alchemists don't want that to happen yet. And they're willing to kill the children, or anyone who finds out about them, to protect their secret.

There's lots of fire, explosions, murder, intrigue, children's books, mad science, mysterious college roommates, and chess. But there's also philosophical discussion, emotional betrayal, magic, and more. And wiseassery. Always wiseassery.

The book will not feed you information along the way, as you need it. It may come across as frustrating or confusing if you don't like not understanding what's going on as you're reading it. But as a deep dive into a world rich with magic that underlies "reality" and the real consequences of what happens when you try to affect it, it's excellent.

Middlegame

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars bumped because, while all of it didn't work for me, the parts that did work were truly wonderful.

Alchemy- a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.

Imagine you're an only child, with an imaginary friend. You find out your imaginary friend, whose voice you hear in your head, is a real person. You find out they live on the other side of the country. You also find out you both have the same birthday and year, and when you finally meet, the same eyes and features. Imagine you're a twin. And when you finally come together, you make something entirely new and different. And dangerous.

Roger Middleton and Dodger Cheswich are twins. They aren't twin humans, though; they're twin alchemical constructs. They are called cuckoos (a la Wyndham's brood parasite Midwich Cuckoos) because human parents have adopted and raised them, though at least one set of those parents doesn't know that the cuckoos aren't human. But that's okay because Roger and Dodger don't know what they are and what they can do yet, either.

An unusual aspect of this book is that we don't even meet Roger and Dodger (the central characters!) until more than fifty pages into the story, and we don't see what they can do until more than halfway through the book. Although, maybe that last part is a good thing. What they can do may not be beneficial for the world. Roger and Dodger are written with exquisite care, and for me, the best part of this book is their maturation as individuals, their sibling relationship and their character arcs. Roger and Dodger aren't "regular people" in the biologically-born sense but they are real and feeling people who are counted, like their brethren, as disposable by their creator. (There's a whole powerful subtext here that runs throughout the book in which alchemy could be equated to religion and religions may be too quick to discard those who are "imperfect.") Erin, a character who surprised me in that I grew to like her in spite of her viciously thorough side, gives us a poignant sense of what it's like when one alchemical twin is lost. In addition to giving us a story of two people finding "their other half" and figuring out who they are, the novel gives us the story of what happens when you meet your maker and your maker is a terrible person.

Looking at what didn't work as well for me, the alchemy itself was rather sketchy (seemingly not based on gnostic alchemical-doctrine?), as was the application of quantum entanglement on a macroscopic scale. The non-specific fourth-dimensional math, and the timeslip elements of the story, were never really explained in a grounded way for the reader. Still, the story kept me engaged. I found it read like a perfect amalgam of Seanan McGuire (fantasy) and Mira Grant (horror, since there's a reason there's a hand of glory on the cover, folks) writing styles.

Middlegame, middlegame... This is a book where I have contemplated the definitions of central themes (alchemy, cuckoos, manifestation, entanglement) including that title, which means the phase of a chess game, after the opening, when all or most of the pieces and pawns remain on the board. It leaves me wondering if there is space for a prequel. And a sequel. I'd be happy to see more of these characters.

Favorite quote:

"Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me? Words almost never end that way. Words can be whispered bullets, quick when no one is looking, and words don't leave blood or bruises behind. Words disappear without a trace. That's what makes them so powerful. That's what makes them so important."

I really enjoyed McGuire's Wayward Children series and so I was eager to read her next book. However I didn't connect with the characters in the same way. I think this book just wasn't for me, although I'm sure many of her fans and new readers will enjoy the suspenseful plot.

This book was amazing. Seanan never seems to disappoint!! Her writing is so lyrical and well thought out. The characters were great and the story and world was so unique. This may be one of my new all time favorite books.

This was my first book by Seanan McGuire. I have read and loved the series under her pen name, Mira Grant, so I thought I'd give this a whirl. However, I was not impressed. This book was long (528 pages!) and it seemed to drag. This world of alchemy and what seems like magic to me seemed interesting but instead, I was bored. I was confused for a lot of this book, not quite understanding what was going on. Even when the pacing of the book picks up (pretty much the last 30%), I still wasn't quite sure what was going on. Our main characters were intriguing and I did push myself to finish this book because I wanted to see how it ended.

4.5 stars. James Reed and his assistant Leigh Barrow ― a pair of rebel alchemists of the mad scientist type ― have been doing human experimentation for years, trying to make/breed (it’s a combination of both) children who will embody the “Doctrine of Ethos” and have godlike magical powers. Because putting all this power in one person hasn’t worked, they split the Doctrine into its two components, math and language, between two fraternal twins. One twin will be a math genius; the other gifted with language and words. Raising these children under controlled conditions, the alchemists believe they can achieve the results they want and keep the powers under their own control.

Roger and Dodger are one of these sets of twins, separated at birth and adopted out to families living on opposite coasts of the United State of America. Roger is the language-gifted child and Dodger (a girl) is the math-gifted one. At age 7 the twins figure out that they have not only the ability to mentally communicate (through “quantum entanglement,” announces Roger triumphantly) but the capacity to see through each other’s eyes ― a revelation to Roger, who is completely colorblind. But meanwhile the single-minded alchemists are keeping a VERY close eye on them. They'll do anything - even murder - to make sure nothing interferes with their plans.

In Middlegame, McGuire blends together light science fiction, fantasy and some horror, and then tosses in elements of Greek philosophy (the aforementioned Doctrine of Ethos), Tarot-like concepts, timeline shifting, classic children’s literature, and more in an almost indescribable literary concoction. Initially I found it a little too muddled. I wanted the improbable road leading to the Impossible City to make more logical sense, and I thought the half-explained quasi-Tarot references to the King of Cups, Queen of Wands/Swords, Jack Daw, and Page of Frozen Waters were more distracting than useful. A. Deborah Baker only briefly appears at the very beginning of Middlegame, but her ideas inform the entire plot. The chapter-heading quotes from her Over the Woodward Wall add color to the main plot but didn’t supply all of the additional clarity and meaning I was looking for. (I deeply wish that this were an actual book, though!)

But a funny thing happened on my way to the virtual forum where Jana and I were exchanging our ideas and assembling our joint review. I dug back into the text of Middlegame and found that these various elements melded together far more satisfactorily than I thought on first read. Elements that at first seemed opaque appeared much clearer on second read. I especially like the idea of L. Frank Baum using The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to deliberately muddy Baker’s pure division of the four elements (water, air, fire and earth and the related humors) into four quadrants.

I’m still dubious about the “Doctrine of Ethos” as the concept underlying the entire alchemical plot. The original doctrine (a Greek theory of how music influences the thoughts and emotions of humans) has an extremely tenuous logical connection to how our unbalanced alchemists are literally embodying the Doctrine in a pair of individuals, “forc[ing] the Doctrine into flesh” as a way to influence the entire world, the fabric of time and reality itself. And I’ve concluded … you just have to roll with it. Suspend disbelief, strap yourself into your seat and enjoy the ride.

"Smart kids get put on a pedestal by parents and teachers alike, and the rest of the class gathers around the base of it throwing rocks, trying to knock them down. People who say ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ don’t understand how words can be stones, hard and sharp-edged and dangerous and capable of doing so much more harm than anything physical."

McGuire has such a gift for putting profound insights into words that strike your heart. As Roger and Dodger, both lonely children who don’t really fit in with others, get to know each other through their long-distance telepathic relationship, they realize how much they fit together, the scholastic strengths of one matching the weaknesses of the other.

"They can help each other. They can shore up the broken places. He knows the words for this: cooperation, symbiosis, reciprocity. So many words, and he’ll teach her all of them, if she’ll just keep being his friend."

I realized, not long before Roger and Dodger themselves mention it, that their last names, Middleton and Cheswich, combine to make Midwich, a clever reference to The Midwich Cuckoos, a classic SF horror novel about a group of alien children (partially) concealed among humans. In Middlegame, though, the cuckoos have our undivided sympathy.

Erin, one of a set of Reed’s failed twin sets turned assistant, developed into an excellent, multi-layered character, with far more depth than I initially expected. She ended up being one of my favorite characters … unlike Leigh, whose beauty hides an appalling bloodthirstiness.

I have to add that I think the main plot of Middlegame is ingenious. I loved experiencing the growth of Roger and Dodger and the twists and turns in their relationship, and seeing how their powers gradually manifested. The astrolabe in Reed’s lab turns out to be more than a lovely symbol. There’s some pretty cosmic stuff going on here! If this is just the middle game in this world, I’d love to read about the endgame.

Middlegame is a complex and thought-provoking novel that defies easy categorization. If you’re in the mood for something unusual, I strongly recommend Middlegame.

I did something with this book I don’t normally do because I didn’t know how I felt about this book and what to say: I read what others were saying before I wrote my review. I have to say upfront that this was not really my type of book. I try very hard not to read books that aren’t my type because I feel it’s hard to give a review to something that isn’t your genre/type/etc. to others that do like that. I was on the fence about reading this, and I should have stayed there. However, I’ll say what I think those who would like it need to hear. As with all the books I’ve read by Seanan McGuire, this book was well-written, the characters were all multi-faceted and complex, and the plot was extremely interesting (if this is your type of plot; I can see that even if it isn’t my type). I did think the book was longer than it needed to be, but maybe that was just me. One thing I always find with this author is that her writings are very unique; she has a great imagination. So, yes, I do recommend this book for those who like this type and was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

"Numbers are simple, obedient things, as long as you understand the rules they live by. Words are trickier. They twist and bite and require too much attention. He has to think to change the world. His sister just does it."

Books about siblings really hits me in the right places, and Middlegame is no exception for that. It's raw, fascinating, and endearing. The world building is a marvel to see unfold as well as how the characters were fleshed out. We get to see their relationship develop in the course of the narrative. This is my first read of Seanan McGuire and I must say this won't definitely be my last. (A little cliche I know) Middlegame is a mustread to scifi fans!

Happy happy pub date/birthday to this gem of a book! Holy world building, Batman. This book is 528 pages of pure, fantastical delight.

I have so many thoughts, but first, an attempt at the plot. Roger and Dodger are twins separated at birth who seem to be two sides of a coin. Roger is a genius at languages and Dodger is a math prodigy. As kids, they discover they can communicate across a continent telepathically, but years and pressure from adults who say they just have imaginary friends keep them apart. When they finally get together, though, watch out. Something far bigger is at play, and when they find out an alchemist created them and has plans for the universe, they’ll have to stop his quest to dominate all he sees.

That’s about as good a plot as I can cobble together. There’s so much going on in this book. So many characters. So many feels. It was a massive undertaking, and Seanan McGuire is amazingly organized and thinks through things in each dimension of this book. I got a little confused sometimes, and It took me a minute to get through, but with such a detailed world with a complicated history, it’s paced very well. There’s a whole character we never meet but are introduced to through the alchemy guide she wrote disguised as a children’s book! I felt like I knew her as well as some of the fleshed-out, secondary characters.

McGuire uses the constant evolution of time and the fact that Roger and Dodger can’t remember the Impossible City the her advantage, and more to the point, to our advantage. Them not remembering serves as the audience’s eyes into the world of alchemy. Erin’s explanations to them as they are figuring out their journey is to our benefit, and it brings clarity to the world building, sort of anchors it a bit. It does get a tad dicey here and there, but exposition of complicated concepts is a difficult task and McGuire does a great job.

One of the major themes reminded me of The Stone Gods
by Jeanette Winterson (an excellent and quick read if you’re not familiar), humanity’s obsession with scrapping things and beginning again in hopes that the next time will be different. The constant pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world flows through the veins of this book, and honestly, it’s a great theme that is explored well.

I am also reminded of one of my favorite shows, Battlestar Galactica, “All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again.” I loved this book, and I can’t wait for the world to love it too. It’s out today, so make sure to check it out at your local bookstore or request a purchase from your library!

“So say we all.”

When I first read the synopsis for Middlegame, my immediate thought was: Give it to me. Because, damn did this book sound good. Super-human intellectual twins and alchemists seeking to use them to become gods – it all sounded right up my alley. Plus, early reactions were flowing with five-star ratings. It seemed like there was almost no way I wouldn’t enjoy it. And yet, somehow, this ended up being exactly the case.

Who, What, Where?

Roger and Dodger are twins. While Roger has always had an aptitude for words and languages, his sister views the world in numbers and equations. However, having grown up at opposite ends of the country, the two only meet when they realise that they have a psychic connection with one another. Little do they know that they are the carefully crafted experiments of an alchemist named James Reed, designed to embody the two halves of the Doctrine of Ethos, language and mathematics, which is believed to be the key to commanding all things. Reed seeks to use these abilities to access a place known as The Impossible City, and in doing so to gain unimaginable power.

I’m Sorry, but Huh?

If there is one emotion I associate with this book, it’s confusion, because good lord was I confused. Confused and then frustrated. This is one of those stories that holds back a large amount of information from the reader to allow for big dramatic reveals later. The problem with this approach here is that not only is the plot dealing with very complex ideas, but the answers to the big questions take so long to arrive (or never do), that you spend most of the book wondering what the hell is going on and why. What is the Impossible City? How does Reed intend to use Roger and Dodger’s powers to get there? What kind of power will reaching it grant him and why does he want that power? Somebody throw me a line here!

Slow & Messy

Middlegame is over 500 pages long and, until the climax finally starts to kick into gear, it’s a pretty slow 500+ pages. A large chunk of the plot is devoted to following Roger and Dodger through different periods of their lives. They interact with each other, go about their day to day activities, and steadily develop their abilities. Other than a few sparse dramatic events which separate them for periods, such as a suicide attempt, that’s about it for a long time. At first, it’s not so bad, but after a while it starts to become boring and repetitive, and left me almost wanting to give up altogether. I’ll admit that things did pick up eventually, but by that point, it felt like too little, too late.

Another thing that bothered me was the plot’s use of time travel. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of time travel, but in Middlegame, I found its use messy and frustrating. At some point in the book, you realise that time is repeatedly being rewound to try to alter certain outcomes. Because of this, aside from a few crucial, fixed events, most of the story you’ve read thus far hasn’t happened as you read it. Like, WHAT??? Worse, the timeline continues to chop and change even after this point. Cue pulling my hair out…now.

Middling Characters

Middlegame gives us a lot of quality time with Dodger and Roger, from their childhoods through to their post-university years. For this reason, I do have a degree of appreciation for the two as characters. McGuire manages to make them feel distinct from one another and the relationship between the two is quite a nice element of the story, especially in the early years. Yet, as individuals, perhaps Roger more so than Dodger, I can’t help also finding them somewhat dull and unengaging. By the time they had reached adulthood, I realised that while I thought they were okay people, I just didn’t have all that much of an interest in or emotional connection with them as characters.

As villains, my enjoyment of Reed and his associate, Leigh, was massively dampened by the fact that I had no clue as to what their motivations or plans were beyond: get to The Impossible City. Besides their vaguely described goals and the lengths they go to achieve them, the two don’t really have much to their characters, leaving them feeling very flat.

The one character that I can genuinely say I liked was Erin, the embodiment of Order and part of another failed set of experimental twins. She may come off a bit crazy at times and definitely does a few downright horrible things, but she’s also smart, strong and a somewhat sad character in that she’s been placed in a rather awful situation but does the best she can with it.
_________________________________________________________________
Middlegame is an ambitious and complex novel which on first appearances had a lot of potential to be something great. There are likely to be some readers out there who will really enjoy what it has to offer, but unfortunately, the slow pacing, confusing world building, and difficulty connecting with the characters meant that this wasn’t the book for me.

2 STARS

I can describe Middlegame in two words, SHELL SHOCKED, but I’m going to use so many more...

You ever pick up a book and after a while reading it you think that it is completely unfathomable how someone, aka the author, could come up with it. Understanding the inner makings of McGuire’s imagination completely BLEW ME AWAY after reading Middlegame.

I have to admit during the first 5% of the book, I was unsure I liked it because I felt utter confused.

Pushing on, I found there was a method to her imaginings. Everything I find as “dislike” in writing was in Middlegame, but in the end, I LOVED IT! There was jumping between point of views. There were characters time jumps; past, present and future. There was quotes from out of no where. But it ALL WORKED to make one mind numbingly complex, outrageously original and almost utterly explainable plot that BLEW ME AWAY! Just when you thought you got it, a curve ball would hit it right out of the park.

Serious mind-blowing writing and nothing like anything I’ve ever read before.

I received this ARC copy of Middlegame from Macmillan-Tor/Forge. This is my honest and voluntary review. Middlegame is set for publication May 7, 2019.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Seanan McGuire
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Tor.com
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN-10: 1250195527
ISBN-13: 978-1250195524
Genre: Dark Fantasy

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I enjoyed this very much. Seanan McGuire is just one of those authors that is very underappreciated. Sure she gets a ton of recognition in the science fiction and fantasy communities, but I feel like so many of her works are accessible for people who just enjoy an excellently written, thought provoking book. Middlegame is just such a book. Yes, it is fantastic, with the alchemy and magical artifacts, but it has so many great underlying themes to it that most book fans would enjoy.

I think one of my favorite things about McGuire is her lyrical writing style, and her ability to create a poetic dialog. It makes her stories feel like they have weight to them, even when she's writing her urban fantasy series. In this story, she breaks away from it a little bit, but she turns on that style when there's something about to happen. It is an important signal, because there's a lot of ideas crammed into this book, and it helped prepare me for the emotional drop kicking she does.

There's so much to like about this book. If you're a fan of her Wayward Children novellas, this is right up your alley. If you're looking for a horror fantasy about sticking with the other half of your soul (embodied to perfection in the twins Rodger and Dodger) through thick and thin, then this is for you. If you'd like to take a break from traditional fiction for a smart and beautifully written fantasy, then have at it.

Just read it. You'll not regret you did.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Middlegame by Seanan McGuire from NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in order to read and give an honest review.

Being an avid fan of Seanan McGuire already, I have to say she has definitely outdone herself. McGuire’s books have it all, perfect prose, brilliant plots, engaging worlds and multi-faceted characters and the same is true for her new book, Middlegame.

As always this dark and whimsical story like most of her work is so well written and incredibly intelligent that it fully engages you with topics that challenge you on all levels.

James Reed an alchemist and apprentice to the once great Asphodel Baker who created him. Reed becomes convinced that he can create and control a diety that would give him control and power. He decides to create twins, each an important half of a whole, but to keep them together in the past has not produced the results he’s desired. Enter his middle set of twins, Roger Middleton and Dodger Cheswich. Each perfect prodigies in their own areas. Roger, awkward and shy excels in languages, reading and making sense and meaning from words but struggles with mathematics. Dodger is his opposite a passionate math genius who is isolated yet bold but struggles with English and reading. Even though placed on opposite sides of the country Roger in Massachusetts and Dodger in California one day she finds a way to open her mind and step inside of Rogers mind seeing the world through his eyes. Their quantum entanglement begins with them helping each other with homework but leads them to a friendship like no other. Both become incredibly reliant on each other’s friendship but they are separated when the powers that be feel they are getting too close. The story unfolds complete with near-death experiences, chance encounters, murder, mayhem and time resets creating a brilliantly compelling and twisted plot that will keep you turning pages.

So unique this is a story unlike anything I have read and it definitely challenges the reader to step outside their comfort zone. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something clever, exciting and brilliantly crafted.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire is a standalone novel set in a world similar to the real world, but bursting with alchemy. As far as I’m aware, it is not linked to any of McGuire’s other books or series.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

The opening of this book grabbed me immediately with the in media res working particularly well thanks to the unusual timeline structure of the book. While we do get a lot of the main story in chronological order, it is interspersed with bits that come out of order, as well as the point of view sections of the antagonist and a thematically-linked children’s fairytale. Overall it makes for an interesting reading experience. That said, I did feel like the book dragged a little in the middle and to me it felt quite long, which is the worst thing I can say about it. (Note, also, that it is objectively on the long side, but it still should not have felt that way.)

Back to the content, this is a story of alchemically created twins, separated by the length and breadth of the USA, and left to grow up in isolation. They were created to channel immense power for their maker but a lot of their upbringing was left to chance. We follow them through their lives as they learn about each other, push each other away, meet by chance, push each other away and so forth. At first I found the story a little confusing — while the start grabbed me, it took a little while to fully understand what was happening. Then I grew more invested in the characters and wanted to know what would happen next, despite the slower middle section. The climax came not a page too late, to kick off the last portion of the book.

This is a dark fantasy book, shading to the horrific, that I expect fans of McGuire’s other books will enjoy. In general tone I found it most similar to the Wayward Children books, although the story structure (and length) was quite different. It’s certainly not science fiction horror like the Mira Grant books are, though this was not immediately apparent to me when I started reading. All in all, a structurally interesting read that I recommend to fans of dark fantasy.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: May 2019, Tor.com
Series: No.
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley