 | |
| Author | Seanan McGuire |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Alchemical Journeys |
| Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | May 7, 2019 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 528 (Hardcover) |
| Awards | Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2020) |
| Followed by | Seasonal Fears |
Middlegame is a 2019science fantasy/horror novel by American novelistSeanan McGuire. It was well-received critically, winning the 2020Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and garnering a nomination for the 2020Hugo Award for Best Novel.
The second book,Seasonal Fears, was released in 2022, and the third,Tidal Creatures in 2024. Future books are planned for 2026 and 2028. The series is also related toThe Up-and-Under series, written by McGuire under the pen name A. Deborah Baker.
Alchemist James Reed attempts to create a human embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos, afundamental force of the universe. He creates twins Roger and Dodger, child prodigies with mastery over language and mathematics, respectively. The twins forge an intermittentpsychic connection as children. The pair reunite in person atBerkeley for grad school. Erin, another construct created by Reed, is Dodger’s roommate. Erin is secretly following Reed’s orders, but resents him for killing her twin brother Darren.
When Roger visits home for Thanksgiving, he finds a childhood drawing of him and Dodger which should not exist. Erin instructs him to reset the timeline. Dodger uses her powers tobring them back in time, erasing all memories of the event. It is revealed that Roger and Dodger have used their powers toreset the timeline thousands of times before, preventing Reed from destroying them. The twins explore their powers, accidentally triggering a massive earthquake which destroys much of Berkeley. Horrified, Roger abandons his sister.
Years later, Roger is a professor who is dating Erin. Reed orders Erin to kill Roger. Erin goes rogue and helps Roger escape. Timelines begin to merge as Roger and Dodger speak to each other from theiralternate pasts and futures. Roger and Dodger reunite once again at theSutro Baths, exploring theirreality-warping powers. Dodger is shot and almost dies. Erin and Reed are both killed in a final confrontation. Roger and Dodger decide to learn more about their powers, and agree that they will eventually try once more to find a timeline with a happier ending.
In an interview with theLos Angeles Public Library, McGuire stated thatMiddlegame was inspired by the songDoctrine of Ethos by Dr. Mary Crowell.[1] In an interview withDen of Geek, McGuire stated she was inspired by thePythagorean philosophy idea that the universe is entirely made up ofmath andlanguage. She wanted to explore the idea of "embodying cosmic forces" in order to "make them more relatable".[2]
Paste calledMiddlegames "clever and imaginative", with "memorably menacing" antagonists, and compared it to the work ofLev Grossman.[3]NPR considered Reed to be "a little flat", and further described him and his assistant Leigh as "mustache-twisting caricatures driven by non-specific hate and vengeance and not exactly, you know, rounded," but overall praised the book's "complicatedstructure that demands some fairly close reading", noting that due to "McGuire's skills (...) it never actuallyfeels all that complicated."[4]Publishers Weekly lauded it as "genuinely innovative", "mesmerizing", and the work of "an author of consummate skill", emphasizing that the story's mutable timeline "demand(s) close attention from readers".[5]Kirkus Reviews described it as "thrilling, emotionally resonant, and cerebral", and "Escape to Witch Mountain for grownups", but observed that "it isn't clear" how Reed's plan was intended to work, nor why his followers believe he would share power with them.[6]
Kirkus Reviews andPublishers Weekly includedMiddlegame on their list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2019.[7][8][9][10]Locus Magazine included it on their list of the year's best fantasy novels.[11]
The following year, the novel won theLocus Award for Best Fantasy Novel[12][13] andAlex Award,[14] and was a finalist for the 2020Hugo Award for Best Novel.[15]
Middlegame contains several excerpts fromOver the Woodward Wall, a fictitious children's novel purportedly written by the equally-fictitious 19th-century alchemist A. Deborah Baker; a complete version ofOver the Woodward Wall (written by McGuire) was published in October 2020.[16] This first novel inThe Up-and-Under series has been followed byAlong the Saltwise Sea,Into the Windwracked Wilds, andUnder the Smokestrewn Sky.
Seasonal Fears, a second novel set in the world ofMiddlegame, was published in 2022.[17] McGuire has stated that she would eventually like to write five novels in theAlchemical Journeys series, with each one related to one of the five alchemical elements.Middlegame,Seasonal Fears,Tidal Creatures,Ink Pot Gods, and an untitled fifth book would represent Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Aether, respectively.[18] The third book,Tidal Creatures, was published in 2024, with the fourth book,Inkpot Gods, and fifth book,Asphodel, planned for publication.[19]