McGuire has an uncanny knack for taking the worst things that lurk in the shadows and weaving them into an absolute delight.” —Becky Chambers
“Seanan McGuire once again demonstrates her intimate knowledge of the human heart.” —Paul Cornell, author of London Falling and Witches of Lychford
“I read so many incredible books in 2019, but of them all, there’s one I keep thinking about, long after I turned the last page: Middlegame... McGuire makes it look effortless.” —Rory Power
“Roger and Dodger are the heart of this story. They're its pulse and purpose — these two supernaturally gifted kids who come off like kids. And this is the greatest trick McGuire pulls here … It's the kind of book where you want to reach into the page just to help them out, to warn them of what's coming. It blossoms.” —NPR
“This is a fascinating novel by an author of consummate skill.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Satisfying on all levels of the reading experience: thrilling, emotionally resonant, and cerebral.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“McGuire sets a high bar for alchemy-based stories in this new standalone, twisting themes of time and space as seen through the eyes of children. . . . This singular work keeps readers thinking long after the final page.” —Library Journal, starred review
“An excellent recommendation for those who enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians and Lauren Oliver's Replica.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“[A]n ambitious piece of world building from a master of the craft . . . thoroughly engaging.” —Booklist
“Readers should come for the tightly constructed world and stay for the pleasure of watching the twins choose each other, come what may.” —Shelf Awareness
“This is a tricky book to pull off, no doubt about it. But that trickery is pulled off with the kind of aplomb that has become one of McGuire’s great skills. What a story to read (and re-read). If you’ve got a love for fantasy, you should read Middlegame.” —Entertainment Weekly's Cultures
Additional Praise for Seanan McGuire
“Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is one of the most extraordinary stories I've ever read.” — V. E. Schwab
“Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around.” —Charlaine Harris on Every Heart a Doorway
“McGuire has created her own mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy—a jewel of a book that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics, even as it carves its own precocious space between them.” —NPR on Every Heart a Doorway
“McGuire's lyrical prose makes this novella a rich experience.” —Library Journal, starred review on Every Heart a Doorway
“Astonishing ... a fascinating exploration of the future.” —The New York Times on the Newsflesh series
★ 05/01/2019
This epic sci-fi adventure will grab fans of Doctor Who and Blade Runner. Twins Roger and Dodger were genetically manufactured in a lab so that their psychotic creator, Reed, who is also genetically manufactured, could unlock godlike powers. The twins are separated and raised on opposite ends of the country. Despite the distance, they are linked and nothing will stop them from connecting with each other. The plot is intricate yet fast paced, with classic sci-fi elements such as genetic engineering, psychic links, alternate dimensions, and time loops. The book follows the protagonists through elementary to graduate school, and teens will readily identify with the characters' thoughts and actions. VERDICT An excellent recommendation for those who enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians and Lauren Oliver's Replica.—Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FL
★ 2019-02-28
The product of a long-running alchemical experiment, twins Roger and Dodger struggle to understand their unique circumstances and gain control over them.
In the late 19th century, ambitious young alchemist Asphodel Baker tried to rewrite reality to create a better world. She set in motion a long-range plan to incarnate the alchemical Doctrine of Ethos, encoding her scheme in a series of children's books destined to become classics. In the present day, the considerably more ruthless James Reed, who is her creation and her killer, breeds twins designed to each incarnate half of the Doctrine; once they have fully matured, united, and manifested as "the living force that holds the universe together," he will seize their power to control everything. Failed experiments are terminated. Roger Middleton, brilliant with languages, develops a strange telepathic connection with Dodger Cheswich, a math genius living across the country from him. Despite all of Reed's brutal and covert efforts to keep the pair apart so their abilities will flower fully, they cannot help re-encountering each other and then separating in the wake of tragedy. Their attempts to avoid becoming one of Reed's failures force them to draw upon their more arcane powers: Roger can persuade people—and reality itself—to bend to his wishes, while Dodger can actually reverse time back to a certain fixed point. With the help of Erin, the living incarnation of Order, they must craft the timeline that allows them to survive long enough to realize their potential. Books that include magic range across a spectrum that puts rules-based, logical magic on one end and serendipitous magic with no obvious cause or structure on the other. This book falls intriguingly far on the logic end; with its experiments and protocols, it redefines what is typically meant by science fantasy. If there's a flaw in McGuire's (That Ain't Witchcraft, 2019, etc.) gripping story, it's that it isn't clear how Reed could really gain complete control over the Doctrine long term, nor why Reed's followers actually believe that he would cede any of the Doctrine's power were he to gain it.
Satisfying on all levels of the reading experience: thrilling, emotionally resonant, and cerebral. Escape to Witch Mountain for grown-ups.
