Middlegame

Seanan McGuire

May 2019 · Alchemical Journeys Book 1 · Sold by Tordotcom

About this ebook

A HUGO AWARD FINALIST!

WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVEL, 2020!

A Pick on the 2020 RUSA Reading List!

New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in the standalone fantasy, Middlegame.

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.


A USA Today Bestseller, and named as one of Paste Magazine's 30 Best Fantasy Novels of the Decade!

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

Suspenseful, entertaining, and often funny. The dialogue is enthralling and flows naturally; simultaneously tender, evocative, and captivating. Conversations between Roger and Dodger are delightful, and easily my favorite parts of the book. My only issue is that the conclusion feels a little rushed and underwhelming for all the buildup of the story-an extra chapter would not have been remiss.

I didn't expect to like this book. The beginning suggests a book of confused time travel. Thankfully, the confused time travel is minimal. The characters are amazing and relatable. The story feels classic yet fresh. Everything unfolds at a pace that is quick enough to be engaging without being overwhelming. Overall, quite lovely.

Solid book. Great writing. Super bizarre start, middle, and ending which totally worked.

About the author

SEANAN McGUIRE is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, Alex and Locus Award-winning Wayward Children series, the October Daye series, the InCryptid series, and other works. She also writes darker fiction as Mira Grant. Seanan lives in Seattle with her cats, a vast collection of creepy dolls, horror movies, and sufficient books to qualify her as a fire hazard. She won the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2013 became the first person to appear five times on the same Hugo ballot.