Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, 1)
Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, 1) book cover

Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, 1)

Hardcover – May 7, 2019

by
Price
$18.07
Format
Hardcover
Pages
528
Publisher
Tordotcom
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1250195524
Dimensions
5.73 x 1.76 x 8.61 inches
Weight
1.38 pounds

Description

From School Library Journal This epic sci-fi adventure will grab fans of Doctor Who and Blade Runner. Twins Roger and Dodger were genetically manufactured in a lab so that their psychotic creator, Reed, who is also genetically manufactured, could unlock godlike powers. The twins are separated and raised on opposite ends of the country. Despite the distance, they are linked and nothing will stop them from connecting with each other. The plot is intricate yet fast paced, with classic sci-fi elements such as genetic engineering, psychic links, alternate dimensions, and time loops. The book follows the protagonists through elementary to graduate school, and teens will readily identify with the characters' thoughts and actions. VERDICT An excellent recommendation for those who enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians and Lauren Oliver's Replica.-Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FLα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "McGuire has an uncanny knack for taking the worst things that lurk in the shadows and weaving them into an absolute delight."―Becky Chambers"Roger and Dodger are the heart of this story. They're its pulse and purpose ― these two supernaturally gifted kids who come off like kids . And this is the greatest trick McGuire pulls here … It's the kind of book where you want to reach into the page just to help them out, to warn them of what's coming. It blossoms ."― NPR "This is a fascinating novel by an author of consummate skill."― Publishers Weekly , starred review"Satisfying on all levels of the reading experience: thrilling, emotionally resonant, and cerebral.”― Kirkus Reviews , starred review"McGuire sets a high bar for alchemy-based stories in this new stand-alone, twisting themes of time and space as seen through the eyes of children. . . . This singular work keeps readers thinking long after the final page."― Library Journal , starred review"An excellent recommendation for those who enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians and Lauren Oliver's Replica ."― School Library Journal , starred review “[A]n ambitious piece of world building from a master of the craft . . . thoroughly engaging.”― Booklist "Readers should come for the tightly constructed world and stay for the pleasure of watching the twins choose each other, come what may."― Shelf Awareness "This is a tricky book to pull off, no doubt about it. But that trickery is pulled off with the kind of aplomb that has become one of McGuire’s great skills. What a story to read (and re-read). If you’ve got a love for fantasy, you should read Middlegame."― Entertainment Weekly's Cultures"Imaginatively conceived, carefully constructed, fantastically written ... another delightful and captivating outing from Seanan McGuire."― bookreporter "An excellent recommendation for those who enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians and Lauren Oliver's Replica ."― School Library Journal "Readers should come for the tightly constructed world and stay for the pleasure of watching the twins choose each other, come what may." ―Shelf Awareness SEANAN McGUIRE is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award–winning Wayward Children series; the October Daye series; the InCryptid series; the delightfully dark Middlegame; and other works. She also writes comics for Marvel, darker fiction as Mira Grant, and younger fiction as A. Deborah Baker. 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. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • 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!

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(970)
★★★★
25%
(809)
★★★
15%
(485)
★★
7%
(226)
★
23%
(744)

Most Helpful Reviews

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The book of "I don't know."

Initially, I was drawn to this book because of its interesting premise, but unfortunately the execution just wasn’t satisfying for me. While the third-person omniscient point of view works in some respects here—particularly in getting inside the telepathic-like communication between Roger and Dodger—it ultimately falls flat because no one in the novel really knows anything. In fact, the phrase “I don’t know” is repeated so many times therein that I began to question why I was reading anymore. As a reader, I could relate though because even after 523 pages, I walked away with so many unanswered questions: What was Reed’s actual motivation all along, and why did he never actually act on it? What does it mean to “manifest” in the end? What is the “Impossible City”? Why write over 500 pages of repetitive buildup only to have the novel conclude in the short manner it did? Why was Roger’s gift and knowledge of linguistics not as integral (beyond just saying “do this” to Dodger) to the story? What is the point of the random, rather confusing excerpts of “Over the Woodward Wall” (beyond basing a spin-off series on them)? Etc.

In short, I wanted more from this book, especially given the length of it, but was ultimately left unsatisfied.
34 people found this helpful
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Great book!

I loved this book. I'm a big fan of Seanan McGuire's work to start with, so I was expecting it to be good, but it surpassed my expectations and was AMAZING. I loved the super weird premise, the writing was excellent, and I most importantly I loved the characters (Erin and Dodger were my faves but all of them are dear to me now).

I am also very glad that the author had the major trigger warnings on her twitter- if you're concerned I would google it, I don't want to say anything specific here, but I personally was glad to have some warning about some of the heavier subject matter going in.
16 people found this helpful
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Be warned, this is a YA novel, not an adult novel

This book read like a bad YA novel, and I’m upset for getting tricked into reading it. The concepts are really interesting and unique but my god, the actual conversation between characters in this book is hideous. I couldn’t take it seriously because people don’t talk like that unless they are teenagers.

If I had come into this knowing this was a YA novel, I don’t think I would have hated it as much as I did. I stuck with it because this dumb thing cost me way too much money to not finish it.
13 people found this helpful
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Who knows what those alchemists are up to?

In my opinion, there are two kinds of fantasy books. First, there are the kind of fantasy books that are accessible to most casual readers; in these books, the imagined world makes its own kind of sense, the story is populated by relatable characters, and there is enough background or backstory for a reader unfamiliar with the "fantasy world" to slide into the narrative easily. These are the fantasy books a reader can comfortably climb inside.

And then, there are the fantasy books that I believe appeal primarily to avid fans of the genre; the imagined world is often confusing or esoteric, there are a lot of unfamiliar, invented words being flung around with no effort to define anything, and a reader has to really work hard to understand the "rules" of the fantasy world. There may be a compelling plot, or interesting characters, but the fantasy world is just a bit too byzantine to feel comfortable. "Middlegame" falls squarely inside this second category.

Roger Middleton and Dodger Cheswich are twins. They were created in a lab by a mad alchemist and separated at birth, adopted by families on opposite sides of the United States. At age 7, Roger and Dodger learn that they can communicate by a sort of strange mental connection--a quantum entanglement, as Dodger terms it. Both children have unique talents. Roger is a voracious reader with linguistic skills far above average. Dodger is a mathematical genius and a chess whiz. But neither Roger nor Dodger know the truth about who they are, and neither knows the grand designs their alchemist "creator" has for them. As Roger and Dodger mature, the alchemist plans to make them "manifest" and rule the universe.

Although I do read a lot, I readily admit that fantasy is not my main genre. I almost gave up on "Middlegame" several times because I had so much trouble following the alchemist plot. The only thing that kept me going was the characters. Roger and Dodger are lovely creations, and I wanted to know what would happen to them. Roger is kind, thoughtful, and he can make anyone obey his words. Dodger is brilliant, and fierce, and she can solve any puzzle using math. But even at the end of "Middlegame", I am still not entirely sure I understood anything about the alchemist's hopes or intentions for his creations.
5 people found this helpful
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Creepy. Interesting concept.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire is a science fiction adventure that frolics across multiple timelines.

What if you weren’t born the traditional way? What if, instead, you were created for a specific purpose?

Roger and Dodger are twins, but they grew up hundreds of miles apart. Adopted into traditional families, they lived the life of ordinary kids. Except they were anything but ordinary. Roger specializes in language. He speaks multiple languages and knows the dictionary inside and out. Dodger is a math prodigy. There isn’t a math problem she can’t solve. The two are exceptionally bright and exceptionally brilliant.

Roger and Dodger meet under extraordinary means. The more they talk, the more they realize that they’re connected in some unique, unusual way.

What Roger and Dodger don’t know is that their creator, Reed, has plans for them. Plans that will yield Reed great power if executed.

With lives at stake, Roger and Dodger try to stop the glidepath they’re stuck on, jumping timelines to create a favorable outcome.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire was ultimately an entertaining read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I found parts of it to be redundant and slow, and I couldn’t connect with the characters in a meaningful way.

The story concept itself was an interesting one. The idea of creating babies for a specific purpose is downright creepy. Reed had a regular people farm going at his facilities.

While the story concept was cool, I felt like it took forever to get to the point of the book. There was so much bulk in the middle, and not all of it felt necessary. At the same time, while there was a lot of description, I didn’t feel like The Impossible City was explained all that well. It felt too conceptual—I couldn’t grasp what Reed was truly after.

The hand of glory? Creepy! Chill-inducing! I don’t want to give anything away, so just suffice to say that the idea of the hand of glory made me shudder.

The characters were interesting but ultimately hard to relate to. I enjoyed following Roger and Dodger, but I never felt a connection to either of them. Also, Reed was the big bad guy, but I never got a true sense of him as a person.

And the ending? While a lot happened and all loose strings were neatly tied, I still don’t feel like I understood what the whole point of everything was.

At the end of the day, Middlegame by Seanan McGuire was still an entertaining reading! Despite my critiques, it kept my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4 people found this helpful
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3.5 stars

The beginning and towards the end of this book was absolutely amazing... it was dark, weird aka: everything I love in a book ;). But, I also have to deduct a star because of the halfway point. It was very slow and their were big sections where literally nothing would happen. But overall, this book was pretty good and I would recommend to anybody who likes reallyyy slow paced books but other than than that one problem, it was INCREDIBLE!!!!
3 people found this helpful
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Too long and scattered

It started out pretty interesting but rambled. It was way too long. Could have cut about 1/2 out and been a fast Moving book.
2 people found this helpful
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Brilliant and heartfelt and so much more than a fantasy novel should be

I loved this book. The characters were vivid, the world amazing, with twisted villains, power, and struggle all the way through. It's a more complicated read but well worth the investment of time and thought. This is a scary and compelling journey through the lives of characters I came to cheer on.
1 people found this helpful
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Honestly one of the best books that I have ever read. Ever. Seriously.

*Also, I highly recommend going into this book without reading the synopsis, it makes the book SO much better if you just go in blind with no expectations at all!*

This was an absolutely breathtaking story. Seanan McGuire knows how to write some of the best stories ever and this is no exception. Everything from the characters to the world to the atmosphere to the writing is absolute perfection. It is honestly a struggle to not turn around, flip back to the the first page and reread the whole story over again. I will for sure be rereading this in the future, it is just that good. Plus, it's the perfect story to reread for years and years and years. I will never tire of the characters in this book, I ADORE Roger and Dodger so much.

If you haven't already, PLEASE GET A COPY OF THIS BOOK! It is just too good to miss out on. This is simply amazing and I would love to see a sequel story written for this at some point but I am quite content with the ending of the book as well. It's a perfect standalone but would make a fantastic series as well. LOVE THIS SO MUCH OMG.
1 people found this helpful
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Most unusual

This was an enjoyable and unusual read. Loved the odd story line and the characters were astounding. I can honestly say that I'm not 100% positive that I knew exactly what was going on but I still really loved the story and was totally content with the ending.
1 people found this helpful

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