Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Middlegame is the newest novel by Seanan McGuire. It’s an intense and brilliantly written novel, full of the strange combination of whimsy and danger that has made her Wayward Children series so well-loved.

The novel follows a set of twins, Roger and Dodger, on their unbelievable journey through life, time, and much more. Interestingly, this novel could be described as either science fiction or fantasy, depending on one’s personal leaning. There’s alchemy, time travel distortions, and so much more.

It’s no small secret that I’m a huge fan of Seanan McGuire. That being said, this novel may be my favorite book she’s ever written. And I feel like that’s saying something. It’s so intricate and delicate while also bouncing around from endearing to disturbing and back again. It’s a wonderful mix of emotions.

Writing

Seanan McGuire used several different storytelling techniques to bring Middlegame to life. The way these different elements unravel as the novel moves forward makes for a truly compelling tale. It’s a tale we had to follow and sort out along the way, which was an interesting touch.

Like many other series by Seanan McGuire (and her pseudonym, Mira Grant), she pulls in other elements whenever possible. So, along with the tale of Roger and Dodger, it is a fairytale children’s book full of foreshadowing.

Thanks to the time element in this novel, McGuire could take certain liberties in the order and way she told us some of the story. It made for a compelling story and a fun puzzle to solve along the way.

The writing for Middlegame was so smooth, and while it is a whopping five hundred and twenty-eight pages, it never felt like this novel got too long. If anything, I’d say it was too short. I would happily have kept reading if there had been more to read.

I should also mention that some heavier subjects are covered over the course of Middlegame. I don’t normally mention spoilers in these reviews, but this is a good exception, especially if I try to stay vague. There are themes of child abuse in this novel, as well as self-harming, suicide attempts, and many other heavy themes.

Development

For the most part, Middlegame was a fast-paced and enthralling novel. There were moments when we were allowed to breathe and were shown a lull in time. In these moments, we were really given the opportunity to get to know the main characters, as well as what exactly they faced.

Roger and Dodger were fascinating characters. They were so human and so much more than human. They were flawed, and they each had their own quirks. I loved the balance between the two, not just thematically, but because it made sense.

There were moments in this novel that were beautiful and heartbreaking. McGuire did a brilliant job of wrapping up such moving moments into two children who aren’t fully human.

The antagonist in the series was an interesting character, to put it mildly. His motivations were complex and selfish, and his thought process was frequently brutal. Yet his raw determination was something that can’t be denied. It made for an interesting character and a better mirror for our twins.

Conclusion

Middlegame was an amazing read, a novel that easily landed on my top ten list for the year (if not higher). I would have had to struggle to find anything to complain about, so I’m not even going to try.

It was emotionally compelling, fascinating, and clever, all rolled into one. The unique feel of this novel is very similar to the Wayward Children series – so fans of that series should try this one. It’s between whimsical and disturbing, with a dash of the fantastical.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat’s Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy