Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Series: InCryptid
Author: Seanan McGuire
Released: March 1, 2022

Find it on Goodreads | Spelunking Through Hell | Seanan McGuire’s Patreon

I’ve concluded that all of the Price/Healy short stories/novellas will hurt my heart in some way, shape, or form. At least part of that pain stems from the fact that many of the novellas have been set in the past – meaning that I know what will ultimately happen to those characters.

And Sweep Up the Wood is set long before Spelunking Through Hell – by fifty-plus years. It’s set before Alice needs to take up her lifelong quest, but after the man she falls in love with has come into her life.

As such, one would think this story would be predictable since we know what happened before and we know what follows. One would be wrong. This story is arguably one of the most emotionally compelling novellas I’ve read from the InCryptid-verse in quite some time – and that is saying something. It’s a melancholy tale, one that resonated with me. I won’t say why it did so, as that would open the door for spoilers. But it hit close to home on several occasions.

On a happier note, the Aeslin mice are back! Their presence was understandably minimal during Spelunking Through Hell (though I’m sure they would have loved the opportunity to see and carry those stories), but they were also very much missed. Here is a chance to see more of them, which I appreciate. As always, they are my favorites. That is all I will say on that matter.

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