I’ve enjoyed Seanan McGuire’s books since I discovered Rosemary and Rue and the “Incryptid” series. Her sense of dramatic flow, finely-handled narrative pacing, and just plain nifty stuff made each successive adventure more enjoyable. I quickly learned that when I picked up one of her books, I was in for a good time. Sometimes I wondered how she was able to maintain the quality of her work, given how productive she was. Not only did she consistently deliver one good story after another, but her recent releases have leapt from “good” to memorable. Her novella, Every Heart a Doorway, was stunning, a journey of the heart as well as a series of dramatic events, richly deserving both the Nebula and Hugo Awards. I loved her “Sparrow Road” ghost stories, too. Now I can add Middlegame, an alchemy/Frankenstein/time-traveling/sibling-story to that list.

The outer frame of the story involves a precocious and wildly talented alchemist who devises a way to remake the world through the human incarnations of the Doctrine of Ethos.

“In the ancient world the Greeks believed music had a magical power to speak directly to human emotion. In what has come to be known as the doctrine of ethos, the Greeks believed that the right kind of music had the power to heal the sick and shape personal character in a positive way. The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that when music was designed to imitate a certain emotion, a person listening to the music would have that emotion.” – From Music and the Doctrine of Ethos, classicaltyro.com.

McGuire uses a somewhat different sense of this doctrine, albeit still in the sense of possessing transformative powers. The alchemist, Asphodel Baker, and her disciples set about creating pairs of twins whose natural talents (language and mathematics, for example, or order and chaos) complement and complete one another. Adopted out and separated as infants, when mature they will be drawn together to fully manifest the Doctrine and grant the one who controls them power over the universe. Or so goes the plan.

The inner story involves one pair of twins, Roger and Dodger, and their early ability to communicate telepathically and experience the world through one another’s talents and senses. Dodger helps Roger with his math homework, and he guides her through learning to talk to people and develop relationships. But they have made contact too soon for Asphodel’s heir (and Frankenstein creation), the sinister autocrat James Reed, who then takes measures to divide them until he determines the time is right.

All of this is done up in prose that ranges from really good to luscious:
“For your safety,” says Dr. Barrow, in a voice like butter and cyanide.
….
Roger knows the words – shock, surprise, epiphany – but he doesn’t know how to put them in an order his sister (his sister, he has a sister, not just a weird quantum entanglement with a girl on the other side of the country, but a sister, someone whose blood knows his almost as well as his heart does) will be able to hear and understand. He supposes he’s stunned. The impulse to close his eyes and retreat into the space that exists between them is strong. He forces it aside. This is a real thing; this needs to be a real thing. He didn’t realize until this moment how badly he needs it to be a real thing, something spoken in the open air, something honest and concrete that he can put down between them, look at from all the angles, and know for the truth. Real things are too important to entrust to quantum entanglements.

I stayed up way too late on a number of nights, following Roger and Dodger on their quest for one another and for a life truly, humanly lived. I heartily recommend this book and expect it to be a contender for major awards in speculative fiction.

The usual disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book, but no one bribed me -- quite unnecessarily -- to praise it.

This is her best book yet. Roger and Dodger were fascinating characters and the eerie fairy tale tone of McGuire’s writing tells this story perfectly.

Middlegame was a fascinating read on many levels. The intricately woven plot took some concentration to navigate, but the characters were well presented and engaging, and I really came to care about them as the story progressed. I had expected to prefer Roger, since I'm a 'word person' myself. However, I actually found I related more to Dodger, due to some of her personality quirks. I enjoyed the fairy tale-like elements woven into the narrative, mingling with the science in a way that spoke of the alchemy driving the story. There was some stunning imagery too; although, I almost wish I could have read the fake children's books mentioned in their entirety first, to better follow the symbolism. The brief excerpts we were given from them sounded really intriguing. As a book that requires some attention and deep thought, this may not appeal to all readers. However, if you are looking for a story both captivating and thought provoking, you should definitely give Middlegame a try. Just keep an eye on the timeline notes under the chapter headings, so you know when and where you are. 4.5 stars

Two babies are born: brother and sister, born on the same day, from the same surrogate, identical but not. They are adopted out to two different families, as far apart as they can be geographically, and still be in the same country. They are unwittingly part of a plan that if it comes to fruition, will give one man unimaginable power. As young children, they find each other inside their own minds. Together they must find a future where they can survive against almost insurmountable odds. An edge-of-your-seat adventure/horror/fantasy/time travel/crazy math/language mashup unlike anything else you've ever read. McGuire constructs a world and a mythology that feels real, fitting bits of children's literature, pop culture, alchemy, mathematics, semantics, and science fiction classics in with her own inventions. It's an extraordinary piece of work, a thrill-ride of a book that will keep you thinking and reading far into the night. Highly recommended.

I got approximately a third of the way through this book before deciding to not finish. It was a bit confusing and I felt detached from the story. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I enjoyed her Wayward Children series, but I don't think her other works are to my liking. Since I did not finish, but the book was not bad, I gave an average rating.

I have to admit that Middlegame is not the type of book I would usually read. However, I am a big fan of Seanan's Urban Fantasy the October Daye series, and after being intrigued by the blurb of this book, I wanted to give it a go. I try to be as adventurous as I can and try out new things. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. In the beginning it was a bit confusing and I had to get used to all the unfamiliar terms, characters, world, and the set-up of the book. But after a while I really got into the story and it started making more sense to me. Middlegame is set in the modern world where alchemists want to have the highest powers in the world. And one in particular will do anything to have ultimate control and power.

I am going to be honest with you guys, I have no idea how to explain this book, so just be satisfied with the blurb. I think it's better to go in blind and discover everything by yourself anyways. I absolutely loved the bond between Roger and Dodger. It was obvious that these two were meant for greatness, but like you and I they have internal struggles and doubts that hold them back. I loved that they weren't perfect and had their own flaws and faults. This made me connect with them better. Middlegame was very unpredictable and I loved all the twists and turns. It had me on the edge of my seat at times, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I was 100% invested in the story, and I was happy the book was 500+ pages. Seanan took her time to fully tell the story and made me fall in love with the world and characters she created.

Rodger and Dodger are twins separated at birth in a complex, mind-bending scheme that is a mashup of Frankenstein, Harry Potter, Fractured Fairy Tales, and alchemy with an unparalleled hubris by alchemists seeking to own all of creation. James Reed created the twins in a very complicated scheme to essentially control the universe and rule over it. Rodger masters languages and words to the extent they are a power within him though he is unaware of it for a long time. Dodger is all about math; she sees the world in numbers and their attendant correlations. At an early age they discover the ability to communicate mentally from a great distance. As Rodger and Dodger grow up, separations occur because of various events and James Reed, who is their puppet master, but each time they come together, their powers of have grown.

James Reed himself was creation of an alchemist who discovered how to reanimate corpses and through alchemical means, affect and alter time. While to most of us time seems linear, in this story, time is mutable and some events may have happened more than once. Reed’s obsession is to imbue in his creations the ability to control the physical laws of the world thus controlling everything and everyone. One thing his creator, Asphodel Baker, did not embody Reed with was a conscience and any type of scruples. He makes sociopaths seem warm and fuzzy. James Reed may be alive, but he clearly has no soul. Perhaps Reed is a cautionary tale of what happens when men try to play God.

Not surprisingly, both Rodger and Dodger are prodigy, genius children who excel in their particular skills; however, they are never truly whole when parted. Each adds something to the other allowing a synergy that if they are allowed to fully manifest, will fulfill every one of their maker’s dreams. The saving grace is that they are not just extensions of the megalomaniac who created them. Rodger and Dodger can actually love each other on a level their maker does not fathom to his detriment.

This wildly imaginative story begins at the end and ends at the beginning jumping back and forth between past and present. Ms. McGuire does a fairly deft job of guiding the reader through all the complexities, but parts of this book will set the one’s head spinning. It reminds me of the C.S. Lewis poem, Little Giddings:” We shall not cease from exploration/ And the end of all our exploring/ Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time.” This very dark fantasy has elements of horror, fairy tale, and perhaps and implication of what Mary Shelley’s meant to say concerning what modern man might get up to in her book, Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. This is a lengthy tale that demands a lot of engagement which some might find it tedious. Middlegame will leave the reader with a lot to puzzle over and think about especially for fans of Ms. McGuire.

Unfortunately, i have trouble with McGuires writing. I have read a few of her books prior and each time I have trouble getting into them. I want to like her writing, but i just get confused and then uninterested.

McGuire has done it again. MIDDLEGAME gave me chills. It's a different kind of book, a good book, a book that will tickle the reader's senses and have them turning to that next chapter. Do not let this gem pass you by.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I hadn’t read anything in this genre before, so I decided to give it a try. I was confused so much of the time and lost track of the storyline. I’m sure this is a fantastic read for some but fantasy is not for me. Advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. It’s

As always, Seanan McGuire gives us a book with gorgeous prose and interesting, unique characters.

CAN WE PLEASE DISCUSS how her character are aLwAyS unapologetically themselves. They are tolerant of other personalities, and support other characters just ///being themselves//// But at the same time, they're really focused on the things they love, their own passions, and outlook on the world. That's the main reason I'm a Seanan McGuire fan, because she really gets it????????We have the same values !!!!

This felt like a more epic story than her other ones (((The Every Heart a Doorway series))), mainly because it's much longer. But every page is worth it. .It was such an AMBITIOUS book. You can tell an extremely talented author did this.

I only took away stars because I was confused so much of the time. There are so many perspectives to take into account, that I felt overwhelmed at times. But the characters themselves were amazing of course.

Full review to come on my blog closer to publication date :)

McGuire's latest outing is difficult to classify, but told in such a manner that most readers won't get lost, despite the unusual subject matter. Artificially altered children, paired twins that embody and control the core concepts of the universe, with a smattering of The Wizard of Oz-esque fantasy as guidebook. My main quibbles are perhaps that Roger is, while likeable, fairly colorless by comparison to his sister Dodger; it feels as if the author has a less excellent grasp on him than his twin, and the same difficulty extends to Erin, Roger's girlfriend for secret reasons. These may be small quibbles overall.

It started off strong. I was invested in Roger and Dodger's story. They had such a unique relationship. I was desperate to know more about them and what they were capable of. Dodger was my favorite character. She was easy to relate to except for her love of math lol. I liked Roger an awful lot but sometimes I didn't understand him.

I did like it that this was a time travel story that wasn't bogged down with science. The logistics of how time traveling worked was never explained, and the story didn't suffer from that lack of information. Even though they could go back in time, it wasn't used to erase all of their mistakes, so it didn't have that feeling that nothing they did matter because it could all be easily fixed.

Halfway through the pace slowed down. Roger and Dodger kept discovering little things that weren't adding up, but none of it was amounting to anything of significance. Since they were supposed to be geniuses of math and language, I thought they would have figured out more on their own or at least been more inquisitive about their situation. I liked the end once the pace picked up, but didn't get to learn as much as I had hoped about the Impossible City. It would be cool if there were a sequel that delved more into alchemy and the Impossible City.

I.Could.Not.Put.This.Book.Down. I hadn't read anything by McGuire before I read Middlegame and now I feel desperate to go find everything else she's written. I was so deeply invested in the twin characters of Roger and Dodger and their mysterious connection to each other, and their ability to shape and reshape the world around them. This book is epic in scope, ambitious in plot and deeply layered with emotion. My one wish for the book was that I wanted more words from Roger--he was often in the shadow of Dodger and her mathy world. And that I hope this isn't the end...that there is more Middlegame in our future!!

Middlegame is an epic story about the pursuit of knowledge and what those with power are willing to do to achieve this. But even more than that, it's a story about siblings, rewritten time, and believing we have power. It took everything I adored about the Wayward Children, magnified it, further deepened it, and delivered it all to me. Beginning at the end, Middlegame quickly captivated me. If you see the end, you crave the beginning.

This was my first book by Seanan McGuire. She's been on my "to-read" list for forever, and I wasn't disappointed! I was most intrigued by "Middlegame" since it is a standalone novel, and I wouldn't need to have read any of her previous work (and know any of her other worlds) in order to start the book.

While it was a tough start for me personally, I did really get into it towards the end (hence the four stars). I thoroughly enjoyed the use of alchemy, time travel, and all the characters were really amazing. Roger and Dodger were particularly amazing! The overall plot was wholly unique, and I feel like I am now ready to start a full series from Seanan McGuire!

This stand-alone novel from McGuire is a rare bird: a time-manipulation novel that doesn't try to justify itself with bad or fake real-world-based science, and which is compelling rather than a chore to read (in other books that deal with multiverses and temporal repeats, it's often a drag to have to remember things like "which life are they on? who died this go-round? It gets tedious, as do the inevitable paradoxes that are too often solved with nonsensical machinations) . In a world very much like our own but in which magic and necromancy and alchemy also exist and function, a megalomaniac decides to take control of the universe by embodying paired traits like Chaos and Order, Language and Math, and so on, and then controlling them. He creates flesh golems, breeds children, and generally wreaks havoc and kills a lot of people on the way to creating a few sets of twins who embody the things he's seeking. But the twins have minds of their own, and use them to great effect to put their abusive creator out of business. Middlegame, like all of McGuire;s books, is an excellent blend of the mundane, everyday world, and original, fantasy elements. As she does in her October Daye books, McGuire is able to make high fantasy compatible with cell phones and cat litter and pizza. The characters might be embodiments of abstract and powerful things, but they are still completely relatable to: they brush their teeth, get embarrassed, have odd quirks, do annoying things, do endearing things. And for readers of McGuire's other books, Middlegame contains a few small Easter Eggs for close readers.

I really enjoyed Middlegame despite not quite understanding some of the concepts. I'm not overly familiar with alchemy and the lore surrounding it so I can't say if Seanan McGuire created her own lore or was working off widely accepted lore, but I was entertained all the same. I really enjoyed reading through Roger and Dodger's life as they grow both together and apart. I liked Reed as a villain-type character (anti-hero seems like it's pushing it) and he remained enigmatic enough to stay interesting. A unique concept and a well-written book. I would recommend this!

Seanan McGuire writes wonderful fantasy under her own name and, to my taste, even better SF under her Mira Grant pseudonym. This novel lies between those two categories (as does her Incryptid series).
Middlegame is not part of any of her series and as such is as good a place to begin reading her as any. It is not happy, it is not sad, it is not comforting, it is horrifying, it is satisfying it is mostly a story of children. Children ranging in age from about 7 to more than 100. Adults are someones children too. With only limited exceptions the characters all deal with the world in reaction to their parents. Both the "good" characters and the "evil" characters do this.
The story is about getting and using power. The framework is using alchemy and science to change who wields power. Any more would risk spoiling the adventure. Go forth and read.

I finished this book days ago, but I keep thinking about it. It definitely left an everlasting impression on me and I now need a physical copy on my shelf.

Middlegame is the story of two kids, Dodger and Roger. One day, when they're both eight years old, they find out that they can communicate with each other without phones or actually being physically present - via quantum entanglement, they can speak to one another on the other side of the country and see what the others see. Almost - but not quite - feel what the other feels. Which, for Dodger, is the best thing that could have happened - she is a math genius, but otherwise hopeless when it comes to making friends, spelling and being normal. Roger is sweet tempered and has a love for language, finding in Dodger a great, daring friend. But they don't know where they come from - they're both born on the same day, have the same eyes, both are adopted... could they be twins? Could they be... not human at all?

This is such a cool book, I love the premise! This is no spoiler, right at the beginning you find out that the two are actually not human, but created by a Frankenstein-monster-like alchemist called Reed, who is keen on continuing the work of the alchemist-turned-writer who created him from dead bodies. Creepy? Yes. Cool? HELL YES. There are several sets of twins like Roger and Dodger, and Reed wants to make in them the flesh embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos - math and language, which control the universe. The Math twin could have the power of controlling time, while the Word twin has the power of controlling... everything. And Reed wants those children to answer to him - so you see how definitely nothing can go wrong with this plan.

This fantasy novel sometimes feel low-key like sci-fi, due to the time travel elements (not much of it, just enough to make it interesting!) and the fact that Dodger is a Math nerd. So if you like fantasy and you have a friend who likes sci-fi, I think both would enjoy this book! Neither is the science part too heavy, nor the fantasy elements too fantastical.

Middlegame is a slow-burn, which I didn't mind at all - you watch the twins grow and find out their powers little by little, get scared by it, cause tragedy - it's so good. My only complaint is that, because it's slowly building to the climax, a lot of the information is simply thrown at Roger and Dodger in three pages - all the alchemy stuff, all the names of people who have been in a political game for the power they could create, all the things that are at stake... it felt a bit sudden.

Otherwise, I loved this book. It's dark and interesting, and there is something about it that just felt so instant-classic. It left such a strong impression on me and it's made it to my favorite adult fantasies for sure!