I have really enjoyed all of the Alchemical Journeys books. This was no different. I liked having more exposure to other gods and having more Roger and Dodger.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was provided to me by NetGalley.

Tidal Creatures is an enjoyable addition to Seanan McGuire’s Alchemical Journeys series, though it doesn’t quite manage to reach the same heights as Middlegame or Seasonal Fears in my opinion. It’s the third book in the series, and while it still has McGuire’s signature blend of magic, mystery, and myth, this one feels a bit lighter on the abstract, heady concepts and a little more focused on world-building and plot.

The story introduces a pantheon of moon deities, each representing a different cultural take on the moon, all sharing a body with their human hosts. It's an intriguing concept that plays out through a mystery involving the murder of one of these deities. On top of that, we follow two parallel narratives: one about Kelpie, an alchemist who is not quite what she seems, and another about the moon gods trying to solve the crime. I’ll admit, I wasn’t completely hooked at first Kelpie’s story was confusing to me in the beginning, and the moon god plot seemed a bit slow. But I was fully invested once both storylines merged and the mystery kicked into gear.

The characters are one of the strongest parts of this book. Kelpie is a compelling protagonist, and the moon deities, though a little tricky to keep track of at first, each brings something unique to the table. I was also happy to see some familiar faces from previous books, which adds a nice touch of continuity to the series.

That said, if you’re a huge fan of Middlegame, this one might not give you the same emotional gut punch. It’s more of a fun, engaging story than a deeply transformative experience, which is fine, but it did leave me wanting just a little more. The book is lighter on the heavy, philosophical themes that made its predecessors so impactful, but it’s still a solid read for fans of McGuire’s work.

McGuire returns to the enchanting and perilous Impossible City in this thrilling installment of the Alchemical Journeys series. "Moonrise" is a captivating blend of urban fantasy and cosmic horror, where the line between the divine and the mundane blurs.

The premise is intriguing: a series of mysterious disappearances among the lunar divinities, beings who embody the power of the moon. As the body count rises, a sense of urgency grips the city, forcing the remaining divinities to investigate the source of these attacks.

McGuire's writing, as always, is exquisite. She crafts a world that is both familiar and utterly unique, filled with intricate details and a vibrant cast of characters. The tension builds steadily, culminating in a breathtaking climax that will leave readers breathless.

While some may find the pacing slightly uneven in the middle section, the overall impact of "Moonrise" is undeniable. It's a thought-provoking exploration of faith, power, and the delicate balance between order and chaos.

McGuire masterfully weaves together mythology, philosophy, and suspense into a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply entertaining. "Moonrise" is a must-read for fans of the Alchemical Journeys series and anyone who enjoys imaginative and thought-provoking fantasy.

Tidal Creatures is a lot more linear than one would expect from a book in the Alchemical Journeys series. Until Roger and Dodger show up, it doesn't really feel like a part of this series at all. And don't get me wrong, I will continue to read this series in hopes of more Roger and Dodger, but they're so overpowered now that it seems impossible there will ever be an obstacle that is difficult for them to overcome.

“The Lunars are living incarnations of moon gods, but Roger and Dodger are living gods, literally. They can negotiate with reality to a degree that no one else has been able to accomplish, ever, the peak of natural manifestation combined with alchemical personification. They could snap their fingers and bring this all to an end, opening the paths ahead of them without making any real effort. But that’s why they make an effort, why they’re so exquisitely careful in everything they do. They could easily shatter reality without intending to, making everyone else’s needs secondary to their own. That they don’t is a testament to how much care they take every single day.”

I really liked the setup here, but it pains me to admit that the thread may have gotten a little lost along the way. There are way too many info dumps that mess with the pacing of the story and it can drag at times. I was surprised that this wasn't going to be a trilogy - there may be more books coming in this series? I'm hoping for something more along the lines of Middlegame next time, though this is still one of the more impressive series I've read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The lunars are the protectors of the Impossible City, but someone wants to inflitrate the Impossible City and is murdering the lunars. While this is part of the Alchemical Journey series, it seems to be an almost stand-alone novel. Anything that is needed to be explained, is, in detail. While the basic story is intruiguing, the thread gets lost a lot with info dumps.

Seanan McGuire's Tidal Creatures is the third book in her Alchemical Journeys series and it's a powerhouse. It's been a while since I read the previous two books, but it's likely that you may want to read them before taking this particular journey.

The Lunar gods take human hosts and navigate the skies at night over the impossible city. The Alchemists are looking for a way to infiltrate the skies, using the lunar gods, and then rule the world. ("Alchemists have no morals" we are told.)

At Berkely College, Jane, the human incarnation of the god Change'e tries to avoid a professor who she is sure can see her god identity, while meeting up with another god who is returning from his journey across the sky. What she finds, however, is the incarnate of the god Mani at the door to the world where they begin their journey.

Working with other gods, and bringing the death - most likely a murder - to the attention of her superiors, Jane will try to find out how this god could die and what the danger means to them all.

We will also meet Kelpie - the result of a lab experiment when the Alchemists were trying to create familiars of the moon gods. She's managed to escape the confines of the lab and is still trying to understand her place in the universe before the Alchemists find her. She encounters Roger and Dodger (characters from earlier volumes) who assist her.

Not only is McGuire an outstanding writer (not to mention extremely prolific), I am constantly amazed at how fresh and unique her work is. At its core, this is a murder mystery set in a fantasy universe not unlike our own. And if there's one thing that McGuire does, maybe better than any other living fantasy author, it's world-building.

This world of Moon Gods, their human hosts, and the travel across the sky is fantastic (and I encourage multiple meanings of the word). It's so different from anything I've read, and yet McGuire weaves it into the story so seamlessly we don't feel like we're getting a different world - we have always had this world. Some of this comes from tossing in little nuggets from our culture. For instance:

She could have been a modified human. They came through the lab sometimes .... The other alchemists scoffed at them behind their backs, called them 'Moreaus' and acted like they were fools for making themselves less than human.

Perhaps there aren't a lot of people out there that recognize 'Moreau' and why it would be a term ascribed here, but it helps me connect these people and this story with the world that I already know.

There are some down sides to this, though. It is easy to get caught up in the beauty McGuire's work and overlook the story that's going on. At least that's the case for me. I've caught myself numerous times having to go back and re-read something because I missed the action for the language.

But if I missed something, that's on me. I think McGuire is an amazing author and she brings it all together - the fantasy, the mystery, the world - with grace and precision.

Having read a number of McGuire's books, I find it more than just a little bit interesting that the author has a fascination with doors or at least sees access to new worlds through hidden doors in our world. Doors play a part in the story and they are very important in the Wayward Children series as well. I don't know that there's anything specific to make of this - it's just something I noted during my read.

Looking for a good book? Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire is a powerful book, with creativity, great language, a unique mystery, and phenomenal world building. Fantasy fans will want to dig into this series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire is the third book in the Alchemical Journeys series.

I have read the other two books in the series and loved Middlegame. I do not remember the second one really at all. I would rank this one higher than Seasonal Fears (looked that up and gave in 2.5 stars) but not a five star read. I really enjoyed the moon aspect but found the killer to be the obvious conclusion. I wish there had been more depth with that cast. I personally found that there were too many characters so while there was a lot going on and it was hard to follow, the big reveal was there the whole time.

I am still glad to have read it and I appreciate the world continuing. I hope McGuire is able to find her footing in this world. 3.5 stars. I did not hate and it times I was really intrigued. Thank you to NetGalley, Seanan McGuire, and Tor Publishing Group for the free book. This was an honest review.

Another wonderful entry in McGuire's body of work You do need to read the first two in the series in order to get what's going on, but with McGuire, that's never a hardship.

Recommended.

Tidal Creatures continues to build out the world Seanan McGuire introduced us to in Middlegame and deepened in Seasonal Fears. Like Seasonal Fears, it starts off by introducing us to a new batch of characters that personify/anthropomorphize a new set of universal concepts. In this case, embodiments of the Moon in all the forms such embodiments have taken throughout all the world’s mythologies. Unlike the main characters of Middlegame (who are forced to become the embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos by their Maker) and Seasonal Fears (who become embodiments only after winning a competition), the human embodiments of the Moon are chosen by the Moon gods/goddesses themselves and the situation is less “embodiment” and more “time-share.” The human avatars of the Moon are able to go about their lives as essentially human, except when the Moon needs to shine through them and the resident Moon god/dess must take full control. I loved this idea that in a universe where almost every natural concept/constant is embodied, the ways the embodiments function can be so varied.

Where Seasonal Fears was a road-trip novel, Tidal Creatures is a murder-mystery. (It’s been long enough since I’ve read Middlegame that I’m not sure what classic genre I’d place it in (I really need to do a re-read), but at this point I’m almost positive part of McGuire’s plan for this series is to use the trappings of a different classic genre for each entry.) Someone is killing the moon gods of the San Francisco area. Which is a problem because part of the job of the Moon gods is to cross the sky above the Impossible City (the heart of all creation, thanks to the alchemy of an author named A. Deborah Baker). The moon gods who notice what’s happening must figure out who is doing it before they can wrest control of the Impossible City (and thus, the universe) for themselves. This is a very “fair play” mystery – meaning all the clues are there for the reader to figure out the who, why, and how (because how the murder that start the book was even possible, given the victim was the living embodiment of the moon and fully empowered when it happened, is part of the mystery). Readers who enjoy having a juicy mystery in the middle of their fantasy/horror hybrid novel will not be disappointed and will probably enjoy the challenge of figuring it all out before the characters do.

Several of the main characters of the novel are the local embodiments of three moon goddesses and a moon god: Judy (Chang’e), Anna (Artemis), Professor Williams (Diana), and David (Máni). They are more like co-workers than friends, and even though they are all embodiments of the Moon, they are embodiments of different Moon deities, with different mindsets and histories, so they are not automatically best friends and comrades. I really appreciated that while two of these moon deities are familiar to just about anyone who experienced a public-school education in the United States, McGuire went out of her way to make the other two deities from non-Eastern-European traditions, and to give us a deep sense of what those deities were like in those traditions. She made me want to learn more about Chang’e and her peaches of immortality, Máni, and others who are mentioned but play less significant roles in the way the story plays out (Losna, Aske).

The moon deities are not the only main characters. There’s also Kelpie, a woman who thought her current unusual body type (mostly human, but with orange skin and legs that end in hooves and a few more subtle differences) was the result of a horrible lab accident that also wiped her memory. She learns what she really is and goes on the run from her employers, the Alchemical Congress of the United States, after her friend and mentor is killed for seemingly failing in a project designed to get the Congress access to the Impossible City before it is claimed by its rightful rulers. She encounters a boy name Luis and his mother, Isabella, who is an hechicera (a type of sorceress), who join her in her quest to find someone who can help her understand herself and help stop the man pursuing her.

In Kelpie, we have one of the most stunning portrayals of a person escaping and overcoming the trauma of gaslighting that I think I’ve ever read – a woman whose whole sense of self and purpose gets uprooted and who still finds ways to stay strong, move forward, and come to terms with what she really is. In Isabella, we get a stark indictment of the ways in which European colonization practically (and in some cases, totally) eradicated other belief systems (by absorption or by destruction).

I found aspects of each of the main characters relatable, and I came to care for all of them as much as I did the main characters of Middlegame and Seasonal Fears. And for those wondering, I can say without spoilers that while the MCs of Seasonal Fears only get a few passing mentions, the MCs of Middlegame enter the story much earlier, and play a much bigger role, than they did in Season Fears.

Fans of Seanan McGuire, fans of mystery-fantasy-horror hybrids, fans of tales of moon deities: you’ll find something to love about this book. BUT – you should probably at least read Middlegame if not Seasonal Fears before Tidal Creatures, to understand the alchemical underpinnings of the world and the history of the Alchemical Congress.



I received an advance reading pdf of this book for free via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I received and read the ARC well before publication date but dropped the ball on posting the review until now. Tidal Creatures is currently available wherever books are sold.

Tidal Creatures is the 3rd-installment to Seanan McGuire's epic Adult SFF-series that has not just created a whole new world unto itself, but a whole new cosmology. Middlegame took the world by storm when it was released in 2019. I wasn't immune. When I read it, I fell in love. I always knew McGuire was a talented writer with a plethora of unique ideas, but this thing is off the charts.

The sequel Seasonal Fears didn't get quite the same level of fanfare upon its release in 2022, but I loved it nevertheless. I wouldn't say I loved it as much as Middlegame, but it was a brilliant continuation of the story.

Tidal Creatures is a monster in the way it continued to build out this complex and enticing world. I loved meeting new characters like Kelpie, Judy and Isabella. The cast of characters felt broader in this one than the previous novels and it was interesting to learn about them. Additionally, their interactions were deep and their banter, funny. Most of the new information we learned was accomplished through character conversations. Because of this, it never felt info-dumpy.

This story felt different too, in that it is a murder mystery of sorts. Someone is killing moon goddesses, and it's up to our cast to figure out why and then stop them. I thought that was an intriguing way to advance this overall story arc. The way it tied into the lore of the Impossible City and the concepts that we had starting building in the previous books was very well done.

I will say, I think if I read this again, I would probably enjoy it even more. There is a lot going on here and the way that the various perspectives are initially introduced, not coming together until a little way in, it was a lot to follow.

A part of me wants to say, I am done reading these as they're released for the rest of the series. I want to wait until they are all out so I can binge them all at once. Before Seasonal Fears released, I did reread Middlegame directly before I picked it up and I do think I enjoyed it that much more because of that. But now, we're so deep. I don't know if I have time to reread them all prior to every other subsequent release...

This is easy for me to say now. I'm sure as the next book releases I am going to flock to it like a Publisher's dream. All past hesitation blown out of the water by the overwhelming FOMO that I'm gonna feel. Either way, no matter how it happens, I love this series with my whole heart and will happily see it to the end.

I would recommend continuing on with the series to anyone who read and enjoyed Middlegame. I also highly recommend the companion series, The Up-and-Under by A. Deborah Baker, for more insight into the background of this world.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This series is an absolute tour de force in the SFF space and I cannot wait for more!

I love pretty much everything Seanan McGuire writes but this series is especially good. I love reading the new characters and seeing how this universe evolves.

Middlegame is a favorite book of all time and Seasonal Fears was one of the most disappointing sequels I have ever read. This one falls somewhere in the middle. I had fun but with the shift in the series to the world building and away from character connection I don't expect the series to ever reach the highs I felt reading the first book. That said if you are a lover of world building info dumps like me, you will enjoy this book and find the momentum pretty strong. I am more interested in finishing the series now than I was after finishing seasonal fears.

Thanks so very much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do reviews on my main social media platforms and will be providing my full review there as I get through my TBR blacklist. Thanks again!

While I have enjoyed the previous two installments of the Alchemical Journeys books, this one seemed to be sprinkled with statements about "the white man", making a point to say when things are racist, statements of "you don't have permission to touch me", etc. that just stood out as odd in the overall scheme of things. The story was flat and didn't seem to have a whole lot going on. I could probably summarize in two sentences the entire book. For people who were killing uninhibitedly two books ago, they have now become "woke".

Thank you for the ARC, and apologies it took me as long as it did to get to this!

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I don't remember how I found Middlegame back in 2019, but it managed to wow me to the point that it landed at #4 on my Best Books of 2019 list. Despite author Seanan McGuire prolifically churning out hundreds of pages every year, Middlegame was my first introduction to her writing, and it set me down the path of the "Alchemical Journeys" series. Seasonal Fears, the 2022 follow-up to Middlegame, was equally inventive, but perhaps faded a bit from missing the novelty boost that came from the first introduction to McGuire's fascinating imagination, but I was still very much intrigued to find out what she'd conjured in Tidal Creatures.

The novel takes place in Berkeley, CA, on the campus of the university, where we're introduced to the general concept: there are a plethora of lunar gods throughout the world, and all of them are responsible for guiding the moon across the sky on a nightly basis. This guidance takes place in a between-worlds environment referred to as "the everything", a "glorious tunnel between worlds". The everything also provides access to the Impossible City, something that readers of previous Alchemical Journeys novels will know is the ultimate prize that the alchemists are striving to attain, only to be held at bay by the manifestation of earthly doctrines and seasons. Early in the novel, the moon goddess Aske is murdered inside the everything -- something that should not be possible -- and so the search for a killer in the midst of the gods and alchemists of Berkeley ensues.

McGuire spends a good amount of time explaining the concepts, and then explaining them again as our main characters (the Lunars / moon deities) meet others. It helps to ground the reader in what is going on initially, but then it becomes repetitive, as we continue to cover the same ground with new audiences. In addition, each moon god or goddess partially manifests with a human, and they can bounce between the human person and the god/goddess within that human body, which makes for a decent bit of confusion for the reader until one is able to keep straight all of the characters. Fans of the previous novels will be happy to know that Roger and Dodger make a more significant appearance in this novel, as well as other characters from Middlegame like Erin and Smita.

At one point in the novel, a character says the following:

"The way I see it, we have a braid of problems...Your friend's dead, and that sucks, and we need to figure out who or what killed her; we have an asshole alchemist running around making monstrosities and attacking people who haven't done anything to warrant it; and we have a group of alchemists who seem to have mostly been wiped out by the aforementioned asshole, who were making accessory packs of existing Lunars in a really complicated attempt at a honeypot. Does that sound about right for a summary?"

It does sound right for a summary, and if the novel better balanced those plot points with explanations of the Lunars' responsibilities, dual manifestations, etc., I think I would have enjoyed it more. However, the central mystery -- who killed Aske? -- takes a back seat to McGuire's expansive imagination and characterization of the Lunars. The repetitiveness on the core concepts, combined with a murder mystery that lacked nuance in terms of its plot development left me wanting the book to be better than it was. Ultimately, this was a 3-star read for me, but I have to acknowledge the incredible creativity and depth to which McGuire conjures yet another wholly original adjunct to her fantasy world, and so I'll round up to 4 stars.

If McGuire has no fans, I'm dead. I admittedly was meh on the last book in this series, but this one came back for redemption. McGuire's way of writing remains strong, and she continues to world and character build like very few out there. Her stories are original, in a way that there aren't many of out there, and the way she weaves so much together is absolutely worth a read.

Thank you @netgalley ,@torpublishing and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Tidal Creatures is the third installment of the Alchemical Journeys series. After a lackluster opinion of the second book I was skeptical going into this one but was pleasantly surprised. This book follows a few main groups of people: the Lunars, moon gods manifest in humans; Kelpie,the embodiment of Artemis’ hind; and our old friends from book one Roger, Dodger and Erin. The alchemists are at it again trying to take over the Impossible City, this time however they are trying to use the Lunars who are tasked with walking above the city each night. When a Lunar is found dead in the Everything, a few other team up to discover who is behind the murder. This leads them to Roger and Dodger, the embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos. Kelpie, after escaping from the alchemists, also ends up with the siblings. Together they investigate the murder and unravel the alchemist’s new plan for taking the city.

Let me start by saying I LOVE Seanan McGuire and one of the things I like most in series I’ve read from her is switching from the main story to world building side stories. Unfortunately, Seasonal Fears didn’t really build the world out or help explain the very complicated alchemical world. Getting to come back to the “main” story was much more appealing to me. In all honesty, this book really helped me understand what was going on in the other two. It’s still complex and quite confusing at times, but that’s what I like about this series. I don’t think this necessarily needed to be a series. The first book was great and could’ve been left there, but I did gain some more understanding throughout this book that made it a worthwhile read.

I appreciate McGuire’s diverse characters and her creative stories. I can truthfully say I’ve never read another book like this. It’s fun to read something that feels very original.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Seanan McGuire has a third entry into her series where intellectual concepts can be anthropomorphized. Alchemists can even make them human, and can create humans and other creatures directly Tidal Creatures (hard from Tordotcom) like the lunars who are people who partner with the many Moon gods, exist along with personifications of the seasons. On the Berkeley campus, there is a group of Lunars who take turns being part of the moon that shines on the Impossible city. Then one of them is murdered. At the same time Kelpie is a lab assistant who thinks she was altered by an alchemical accident, but she is really a construct made to resemble the hind from Artemis’s hind from ancient legends. When the Alchemical Congress decides to take down the lab, she barely escapes. Now together with Artemis, other lunar deities, and some of the characters from the previous books, they have to find the murderer and keep the Impossible city safe from the Alchemists. This is an excellent series, though the concepts are head-twisting. Highly recommended.

Seanan McGuire's "Tidal Creatures" is a thrilling addition to the Alchemical Journeys series. Set in the vividly imagined Impossible City, the story follows lunar deities uncovering a plot that threatens their existence and reality's balance. McGuire’s exceptional world-building and fast-paced, twist-filled narrative keep readers hooked. The well-crafted, relatable characters, especially the lunar gods, add depth to the tale. This novel is a must-read for fantasy and mystery fans, showcasing McGuire’s talent for blending mythology and suspense.