This was my first book by Seanan McGuire. She's been on my "to-read" list for forever, and I wasn't disappointed! I was most intrigued by "Middlegame" since it is a standalone novel, and I wouldn't need to have read any of her previous work (and know any of her other worlds) in order to start the book.

While it was a tough start for me personally, I did really get into it towards the end (hence the four stars). I thoroughly enjoyed the use of alchemy, time travel, and all the characters were really amazing. Roger and Dodger were particularly amazing! The overall plot was wholly unique, and I feel like I am now ready to start a full series from Seanan McGuire!

This stand-alone novel from McGuire is a rare bird: a time-manipulation novel that doesn't try to justify itself with bad or fake real-world-based science, and which is compelling rather than a chore to read (in other books that deal with multiverses and temporal repeats, it's often a drag to have to remember things like "which life are they on? who died this go-round? It gets tedious, as do the inevitable paradoxes that are too often solved with nonsensical machinations) . In a world very much like our own but in which magic and necromancy and alchemy also exist and function, a megalomaniac decides to take control of the universe by embodying paired traits like Chaos and Order, Language and Math, and so on, and then controlling them. He creates flesh golems, breeds children, and generally wreaks havoc and kills a lot of people on the way to creating a few sets of twins who embody the things he's seeking. But the twins have minds of their own, and use them to great effect to put their abusive creator out of business. Middlegame, like all of McGuire;s books, is an excellent blend of the mundane, everyday world, and original, fantasy elements. As she does in her October Daye books, McGuire is able to make high fantasy compatible with cell phones and cat litter and pizza. The characters might be embodiments of abstract and powerful things, but they are still completely relatable to: they brush their teeth, get embarrassed, have odd quirks, do annoying things, do endearing things. And for readers of McGuire's other books, Middlegame contains a few small Easter Eggs for close readers.

I really enjoyed Middlegame despite not quite understanding some of the concepts. I'm not overly familiar with alchemy and the lore surrounding it so I can't say if Seanan McGuire created her own lore or was working off widely accepted lore, but I was entertained all the same. I really enjoyed reading through Roger and Dodger's life as they grow both together and apart. I liked Reed as a villain-type character (anti-hero seems like it's pushing it) and he remained enigmatic enough to stay interesting. A unique concept and a well-written book. I would recommend this!

Seanan McGuire writes wonderful fantasy under her own name and, to my taste, even better SF under her Mira Grant pseudonym. This novel lies between those two categories (as does her Incryptid series).
Middlegame is not part of any of her series and as such is as good a place to begin reading her as any. It is not happy, it is not sad, it is not comforting, it is horrifying, it is satisfying it is mostly a story of children. Children ranging in age from about 7 to more than 100. Adults are someones children too. With only limited exceptions the characters all deal with the world in reaction to their parents. Both the "good" characters and the "evil" characters do this.
The story is about getting and using power. The framework is using alchemy and science to change who wields power. Any more would risk spoiling the adventure. Go forth and read.

I finished this book days ago, but I keep thinking about it. It definitely left an everlasting impression on me and I now need a physical copy on my shelf.

Middlegame is the story of two kids, Dodger and Roger. One day, when they're both eight years old, they find out that they can communicate with each other without phones or actually being physically present - via quantum entanglement, they can speak to one another on the other side of the country and see what the others see. Almost - but not quite - feel what the other feels. Which, for Dodger, is the best thing that could have happened - she is a math genius, but otherwise hopeless when it comes to making friends, spelling and being normal. Roger is sweet tempered and has a love for language, finding in Dodger a great, daring friend. But they don't know where they come from - they're both born on the same day, have the same eyes, both are adopted... could they be twins? Could they be... not human at all?

This is such a cool book, I love the premise! This is no spoiler, right at the beginning you find out that the two are actually not human, but created by a Frankenstein-monster-like alchemist called Reed, who is keen on continuing the work of the alchemist-turned-writer who created him from dead bodies. Creepy? Yes. Cool? HELL YES. There are several sets of twins like Roger and Dodger, and Reed wants to make in them the flesh embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos - math and language, which control the universe. The Math twin could have the power of controlling time, while the Word twin has the power of controlling... everything. And Reed wants those children to answer to him - so you see how definitely nothing can go wrong with this plan.

This fantasy novel sometimes feel low-key like sci-fi, due to the time travel elements (not much of it, just enough to make it interesting!) and the fact that Dodger is a Math nerd. So if you like fantasy and you have a friend who likes sci-fi, I think both would enjoy this book! Neither is the science part too heavy, nor the fantasy elements too fantastical.

Middlegame is a slow-burn, which I didn't mind at all - you watch the twins grow and find out their powers little by little, get scared by it, cause tragedy - it's so good. My only complaint is that, because it's slowly building to the climax, a lot of the information is simply thrown at Roger and Dodger in three pages - all the alchemy stuff, all the names of people who have been in a political game for the power they could create, all the things that are at stake... it felt a bit sudden.

Otherwise, I loved this book. It's dark and interesting, and there is something about it that just felt so instant-classic. It left such a strong impression on me and it's made it to my favorite adult fantasies for sure!

"Middlegame" is a completely original standalone Seanan McGuire novel that is not connected to any of her (many) previous worlds. If you have been following McGuire at all then it's obvious that this is a book that hits a lot of her personal favorite things, and as such it does feel like a very personal story, despite also being hugely ambitious. The story is told mostly through the eyes of twins Roger and Dodger as their lives intersect over the years. As other reviewers have said, it's hard to say anything about the story without giving too much away, so I'm not going to say anything more about the plot. I will say that it takes a little while for the book to really get going, but that the slow pace in the beginning is warranted as it sets up much needed background for later on.

For anyone who is considering pre-ordering "Middlegame", I recommend considering purchasing (or reserving at your library) a physical copy if at all possible. This is a complicated book, and there were many points where I would have found it helpful to be able to flip back and forth between chapters easily. There were also a few sections that could be upsetting for some readers, so if you tend to have trouble reading about self-harm or mistreatment of children then I would maybe ask a friend to read the book first so that you know what you will be getting into.

A unique blend of fantasy and science-fiction through the lens of alchemy in a modern setting. The characters are intriguing, a bit more of a mystery to themselves than they are to us, but that makes it all the more interesting watching them figure themselves and their purpose out. This book extended my vocabulary (and my understanding of alchemical theory) more than anything else I've picked up in the past year.

This book was my first 5 star read of the year and I was not prepared for the roller coaster ride that is this book. I can’t put into words how much I loved it without going into spoilers. Everyone read this book.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Once again Seanan McGuire has not let me down. This story was a long one from her, but it kept dragging me on ever farther loving every minute of it. Rodger and Dodger were characters I could picture so clearly that it felt like they could step off of the screen at any time. I halfway expected them to by the end.

There is so much I can say and so much that I shouldn't. Even the little bits of information are important in McGuire's ever-growing world that I don't want to spoil anything. All I can say is that this is a book that perfectly captures the lives of Rodger and Dodger. While the book might start off slowly that is just like life. With the slow days of childhood moving fast into the quickly passing years of adulthood.

I did not think I would like this book. The first quarter of it was somewhat slow and confusing. However, once the story started moving, it became a great read and was very difficult to put down. I don't know that I can give any part of the plot without spoilers, so I will only say that it becomes a very philosophically deep story by the end. To me, that was odd, because it didn't start that way at all. I only gave it four stars because I had so much trouble getting into it, and the only reason I kept going was because of my trust in the author.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, lordy! Big caveat coming. I'm already a devoted fanboy of Seanan and I read almost everything she ever comes out with no matter what because I trust her implicitly.

BUT.

Nothing prepared me for this ambitious, thoughtful, mind-blowing modern fantasy of Alchemy and Twins. She spread her wings for this one and turned tons of dichotomies into hardcore story elements, synthesizing Order and Chaos, Math and Storytelling, Isolation and Community, and made a story of Balance a bit more ambitious than any I've seen in almost any novel.

That's Middlegame. The space between the beginning and the end. The moment of transformation. The moment of synthesis.

I'm SOOOO freaking happy to have read this. :) I'm going to nominate it for next year's Hugo on its own merits and NOT because I'm already a fanboy of the author.

That's the quality within. :) My decision has been purified with a universal solvent. :)

Oh, and the characters, Roger and Dodger, are freaking cool. :) Great, complicated, beautiful story. The opener isn't quite as strong as the early days of the two kids, but that's merely my own opinion. Once all the elements started mixing together into this alchemical brew, the results were amazing.

And once again, Seanan does it right. This was just an amazing read from one of my favorite authors. Not giving a thing away to say this is among her best books!

I think I just need to stop reading Seanan McGuire's longer fiction because they have an almost matter of fact, pedantic quality that's hard to describe but that rubs me the wrong way. I can see others really enjoying this, though! And I will never not read her Wayward Children stories.

Sometimes you read something that changes your view of fantasy, and it becomes special - that was this book. It's not often that my love of magic and deities is combined, but when it does I get excited, and this book did that for me! Love it, read it, and promote it!

I really enjoyed this! The whole concept was intriguing. I liked all of the different character perspectives, and jumping through time and getting to know Roger and Dodger at different ages was cool. This is a book where the journey in the story correlates with the pacing and I was very much compelled to keep reading to find out how everything would come together. I did wish there had been a little bit more lore about The Impossible City.

This is a book about how words and math can change the world and how alchemy plays a part in that theme. Throughout the novel, we are given bits and pieces of the intertwining of the minds of twins. Roger and Dodger are unlike any other twins that are living in present time. They have the potential to create and uncreate the universe through mathematics and words.

When we meet Roger and Dodger, they are living on opposite sides of the country. They share their thoughts at first through dreams. It almost drives them mad as children and even more so as adolescents. They each come into their own ability separate of the other. Roger is a wiz when it comes to language, grammar and literature. He always has a book in his hand. He is charismatic and people like him. Dodger is a loner. She is completely absorbed by equations and calculations. If given the exact dimensions of something, she can take it apart by the molecule. Separately, they are geniuses in their own right. Together, they have the potential to destroy the world. However, in this case, they are being manipulated by their creator. These are not two children born to a set of parents and separated at birth. These children are constructs. Designer babies if you will. This is all part of a plan to change the world and create a new order where alchemy is the rule of law.

Throughout the story, Roger and Dodger grow close and are torn apart by forces beyond their control. The alchemists don't want them to come together too soon for their plans to come to fruition. Roger and Dodger however, can control more than just words and math. Together they can change everything.

I really enjoyed the pace of this novel. I kept coming back to find out what curveball was going to be thrown at the twins next. Hopefully, we will see more of these two in the future.

Like all of Seanan McGuire's books this is an imaginative and absolutely fascinating story. It's complex but she leads you through it easily. I did not want it to end and I will be purchasing it for my library.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, an incredible book. Middlegame is not your average McGuire or maybe it is with a twist. Alchemists, mind numbing powers, and twists around every corridor. Slightly darker than her average book, but don't miss reading this one!

Two things I can say now about Seanan McGuire - she's smarter than me and she is very good at making things creepy. Middlegame is a book about two young people and a mythical alchemical ideal - while the mythical alchemical ideal is often a bit nebulous at best, the book rides along just fine on the strength of the characters.

In science ficiton and fantasy, you often have to learn to trust the author - that they will tell you what you need to know when you need to know it. In Middlegame, McGuire lets us know just a little bit more than the main characters all the way through to the end; sometimes this feels a little disorienting as the main characters often know very little and the antagonists know all - but as it drew to a conclusion it came together and resonated very nicely.

If I have one complaint about this book, it's that there were too many beginnings - like at the end of Lord of the Rings where we kept expecting the next scene to be the last? Except at the beginning - there are several scenes before you get to the main characters, who are sympathetic and interesting and fun to read about. I can see now why it was necessary, but it could have easily put me off getting more than a few pages in were I in a different mood when I started the book.

All in all, a brilliant title from Seanan McGuire - much more like her alter ego Mira Grant than I expected with the ambitious plot and the creepy factor. I will definitely be recommending this title to my patrons!