Middlegame - Seanan McGuire

Middlegame

Author: Seanan McGuire


  • Publication Date: 2019-05-07
  • Category: Fantasy
4.5 Score: 4.5
(From 189 Ratings)
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Summary

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.

Feedback

  • Better established concepts could make this so much better

    2
    By beccalikesstuff
    This was an interesting plot, yes, but I found it difficult to wrap my head around and really get into. The concepts behind the “magic” of this story were confusing. I never really understood what all the “rules” and consequences and parameters of the magic were, which made it difficult as a reader, since the author just seemed to be making up the rules as she went. Part of the fun as a reader is understanding how everything comes together, but I never got that sense in this book…it was constantly me reading and thinking, “Oh okay, so apparently that’s a thing now.” I really wanted to like this book, as the characters and the idea of the plot are interesting, but my goodness, it was just so hard to enjoy the reading experience when I never understood why things were happening or what could happen next.

  • Fantastic Story in Truest Sense

    5
    By asapr212
    This story is broad and deep and epic. I bought it on a whim and had no idea what it was about beyond the back cover. I read it in two days - could not put it down. Both a great plot and terrific parallel to our times.

  • Middlegame

    4
    By m.fajad6691
    An unusual book that illustrated emotions and had vivid scenes. Throughout the book I was on my heels reading a thriller. It was not a difficult book to read. The ending was the culmination of a exciting book. Good book.

  • She Constructs Roads

    5
    By SpeakerToManagers
    Seanan McGuire is an architect of stories, and here she has constructed a complex story about 2 special people who may be the incarnation of an all-powerful alchemical principle, looking for and traveling the Improbable Road to the Impossible City. The writing is as good as anything McGuire has done ( a very high bar indeed), but what I found most intriguing is the care and shaping of the story by what isn’t said or is held back until the exact right time. The road here twists and turns, often back onto itself, and the characters turn and twist as well, revealing themselves to the reader as they do. This book is infused with a deep knowledge of both the power of myth and the human heart. I found it very engaging and extremely satisfying. In other words, I loved it, and recommend it most heartily.

  • Love love love

    5
    By cclee012
    Such. A. Great. Read!! I did not expect ANY of this and had to reread it twice to fully appreciate the complexity of the book. And it was fun to reread it since after reading the ending, it makes all that much more sense. Highly recommend

  • Total snooze

    1
    By MarkWhiteLotus
    Terrible book. Authors establishes the premise early but it was a “so what,” and “who cares.” Save yourself the money this is simply very boring book. Overladen character development with little story and plot development.

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