Installment Immortality is the fourteenth book in the Incryptid series which follows different members of the Price family as they try to protect the cryptid community from The Covenant of St George and others that might hurt it. This story focuses on Mary Dunlavy, part of the Price family, even though she is a former crossroads ghost.

One really nice thing about Installment Immortality is there was a pretty long intro and recap that took up about ten percent of the beginning. A lot has happened through thirteen books and a number of short stories and I had forgotten a few key points. Mary is trying to spread her wings beyond being just a caretaker ghost. After the events of the prior book she has put herself back together and is ready to take on caring for the new generation of the Prices.

The new spiritual sheriff in town has asked Mary for help. Some of the members of the Covenant of Saint George have survived and are messing with the ghost communities up and down the east coast. The anima mundi sends Mary to take care of the situation, but she is going to need some corporeal assistance and asks a few of the fighting age generation to help. Elsie and Arthur are still mourning the loss of their mother and the person Arthur used to be but was erased. They are eager to help Mary if it means getting out of their house and all the depression that lingers there.

I was actually the most interested in Arthur’s potential story line. I loved the build up to his and Sarah’s story line only to become a little heartbroken by the after effects that were brought up in Aftermarket Afterlife. Artie is no more and Arthur isn’t the person everyone expects him to be. The reader gets to explore this and the cracks in the shell of him. It is sad and he is still in a lot of danger. I missed the old Artie too, but liked some of the new characteristics of Arthur.

The plot of the book overall was good. The covenant reeling from the actions of Mary in the prior book have a new target in the ghosts and are trying to create a weapon of them. But by kidnapping them they are causing some unexpected side effects and Mary needs to put a stop to it before humans start to die. Meeting different kinds of ghosts and seeing how they form and linger in their afterlives is always interesting. I do struggle caring about the lives of ghosts over the lives of the living so I have enjoyed the books set more firmly in the physical world of the Incryptid series. That said it was a solid plot.

The only real issue I have, other that Seanan McGuire took one of my favorite couples and destroyed them (at least for now) is that this seemed like it could use a bit more editing. Mary talks about being a crossroads ghost a lot of times throughout the story, but it is really repetitive and almost the same speech every time. There were a few other pieces of information like that when she talked about how she gets to take care of the Price family children and how it works or how her current ghost powers are working.

This being the 14th book of the series, I’m not sure how much longer I will follow this series. The last book was really rough and emotional with some pretty big fallout for main characters of the storylines. For me, some of it is getting stale, the editing may be getting a little lazy and feels a little filler for fifty percent of the book while the other part of the story is fantastic. I love McGuire’s imagination and the types of characters she creates but I almost think the series should have been done a few books ago. I will read the next book because it should be the final to this specific story arc with Arthur and then I will decide for sure if that is my exit from the series.

I am a long time fan of McGuire’s InCryptid series that follows an extended family of conservationist who focus on animals of myth and legends, which in the universe of this Urban Fantasy, are real. In general I would recommend like with most series reading the books in order, but I feel that Installment Immortality would make a decent jumping in point even if you aren’t familiar with the previous books. Perhaps it is the move to a new publisher or it might just be the nature of this story but there is quite of bit of recaping of past events as well as moving the larger story forward.

This like the previous novel focuses on one of the more interesting adopted or found family members of the clan, Mary, who is a ghost and has acted as a baby sitter since early in the family’s history. This gives her a unique perspective which is both motherly towards even the more senior members of the clan and yet still retaining some snark as a perennial teen. Also most of the novels in the series have love stories attached, but Mary’s ghostly nature leaves her seeming both asexual and aromantic; she feels love towards her friends and family in a caregiving way, but seems uninterested in having a romantic relationship, at least not with anyone she has encountered so far in her many years of unlife. I can see this be appealing for those who are looking for a story where a character can have a life filled with significant close bonds without having “one true love” as so many stories do. Also McGuire to focus more on the variety of ghosts including the white ladies, faceless ghosts from Japan, and many others as well as some new InCryptids such as Hockomock Swamp Beasties and Clurichaun.

Complimentary to this tale of the adopted mom of the clan is an included novella of another very pregnant family member in a spin on the blob horror story.

Another awesome adventure in the long-running Incryptid series! Definitely not a starting point for someone new to the series, but for those who've kept up, it's a high-stakes quest story with a ghost narrator and assorted other not-quite-human characters. Fourteen books in, this series remains fresh and exciting.

"Seanan McGuire's New York Times-bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated InCryptid series continues with a whirlwind adventure....

After four generations of caring for the Price family, Mary Dunlavy has more than earned a break from the ongoing war with the Covenant of St. George. Instead, what she's getting is a new employer in the form of the anima mundi, Earth's living soul made manifest, and a new assignment: to hunt down the Covenant agents on the East Coast and make them stop imprisoning America's ghosts.

All in a day's work for a phantom nanny, even one who'd really rather be teaching her youngest charges how to read.

One ghost can't take on the entire Covenant without backup, which is how she winds up on a road trip with the still-mourning Elsie and the slowly collapsing Arthur, both of whom are reeling in their own way from the loss of their mother. New allies and new enemies await in Worcester, Massachusetts, where the path of the haunting leads.

With the anima mundi demanding results and Mary's newfound freedom at stake, it's down to Mary to make sure that everyone gets out of this adventure alive.

It's been a long afterlife, but Mary Dunlavy's not ready to be exorcised quite yet."

It's March and this is only Seanan's second book of the year!?! Is something off!?!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Obviously, there are some spoilers about the previous novel in the series, Aftermarket Afterlife to follow. And, you could probably say the same for the series as a whole. Take that into consideration if you read beyond the period at the end of this sentence.

WHAT'S INSTALLMENT IMMORTALITY ABOUT?
In the months that it took Mary to put herself back together after the attack on their training headquarters, the Covenant hasn't been quiet. In fact, as they knew a ghost was involved in the attack, some of them have been targeting ghosts up and down the East Coast.

The anima mundi, still rebuilding its control, recruits (to put it nicely) Mary to stop them and rescue what ghosts she can. Mary gets permission to bring along some help from her family (the kind of help that can't, say, get stuck in a ghost jar)—she doesn't intend to, but she ends up bringing along Elsie and Arthur who have a need to do something, anything, to help them move on from their mother's death.

So begins a cross-country trip filled with more danger than they expect (and they expect a lot).

MORE MARY
This book, like its predecessor, has done a fantastic job of showing the place of Mary in this family. She's far more than just a quick message-delivery-system, or a genie that can show up at just the right time (she never really came across that way, but it'd be easy to see her filling those roles). It's both heart-warming and heart-tugging.

She's also changed a lot—thanks to Annie's intervention at the Crossroads, and because of her new/growing relationship to the anima mundi. And there are more changes on the horizon—which will be fun to watch as people like me have become more invested in her after the last book.

I thought I had several things to say about Mary here, but just about all of them would need to be redacted. I really enjoyed our time with her, and while I expect that we're going to be spending a few books focused on other characters after this one (Verity or Elsie are my guesses, which means it'll probably be Alex), I'm looking forward to seeing what this new part of her life—ahem, afterlife—brings us.

ELSIE AND ARTHUR
Poor Arthur—I thought I had a pretty good handle on what was going on with him after the last book, but of course, there's a lot more afoot than we could've known. With plenty of time with him—to see him interact with Mary and his sister, we get to hear a lot more from him and understand things from his perspective.

Then we learn even more from some outsiders. We're going to have to spend some more time with Arthur soon, because leaving him where McGuire did is not comfortable.

Elsie, on the other hand, surprised me. I figured that like with Alex and Annie—and even the babysitter—when she got a chance to shine, she'd step up and show herself to be exactly the kind of kick-ass heroine that the Prices and Healys seem to specialize in. I won't get into details, but she's not cut from the same cloth as her cousins—but that doesn't mean she should be taken lightly. It's just that there's an element of diversity even here that I wasn't expecting, and I'm glad to see. I think it would've been boring to see her transform into a variation of Verity or Alice.

More interestingly than that for her was seeing her relationship with Arthur and how she's reacting toward the Aeslin mice in their home.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT INSTALLMENT IMMORTALITY?
This was a little bit of a let-down after the Aftermarket Afterlife. It was primarily a follow-up to it, tying up loose ends and getting us all ready for whatever is next. As such, it's not going to be as good, it can't be as powerful, and it should help the reader catch our breath. Also, saying it's not quite as good as one of the best books in this series is not much of an insult.

But, oh man...there were so many things that are great about this book. For one example, there's a conversation between Mary and one of the Aeslin Mice that is incredibly strange. And if you remember that we're talking about a conversation between a ghost and a sentient, talking mouse with a perfect memory...strange should be expected. Not this level of it.

Of course, we get to meet new Cryptids, and more than a few ghosts. Their perspectives on the Prices, on the war with the Covenant, on Mary and the Crossroads (many don't believe the Crossroads are gone, for example), and so on, are fascinating. It's a good reminder—that we occasionally get, but not as strongly as we do here—how much people don't instinctively trust this family. But we also get a variety of reactions to them along those lines.

This was very satisfying in terms of long-term character arcs, the war arc, and so on. Installment Immortality was also satisfying on its own terms. There's some good supernatural, ghosty action. Some good reminders that the dead should not be messed with. Strong character development—no one leaves this book the way they came in. And some sweet moments that remind you that everyone can use a dog in their life.

This is not a book to jump into the series with, unless you want to spend a lot of time confused—Aftermarket Afterlife would function far better for that (as would starting at the beginning). But for long-term fans, this is exactly what they were looking for.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

I had fallen off from reading Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series due to some grimdark happenings! (I really need to get back to them, to find out what happened.) But I decided to read and review Installment Immortality because Mary Dunlavy, ex-crossroads ghost and baby sitter to the Price-Healy family of cryptid researchers/conservationists is one of my favorite characters in the series. (Possibly not as much as I like Sarah or Verity though.)

Mary, having been brought back by the anima mundi is in an interesting position as of this book. She has to a) navigate the trauma her double death brought to her family b) reunite with same and get updated on all happenings c) deal (in many senses of that word) with the recovered anima mundi, the avatar/overmind/spirit of the earth. Mary's interactions with her family have all of the tensions and stress of a unexpected reunion, equal part relief and anger. (Lots of lovely complicated emotions--everyone is very surprised she's back! They're happy she's back! They're also mad she didn't turn up sooner!)

From there, Mary's given a mission from the anima mundi: the Covenant of St. George is up to no good (again). This time, they are kidnapping ghosts from their various hauntings, for some unknown purpose. (It is a bad, terrible, no good purpose.) The anima mundi would like this stopped, and feels that the solution is Mary Dunlavy shaped. This leads to some increased tensions because Mary does not want to be in a situation in any way similar to the one she had with the crossroads. (Hint: it was nasty and traumatic.) Joining her on this mission are Elsie and Arthur Harrington, neither of whom have been out in the field. Mary has her misgivings about Arthur, who is still recovering (or not recovering) from having his mind pieced carefully back together but the wrong way around by Sarah.

The tension shifts to a more horror/thriller/mystery vibe as Mary goes on the case. This leads to dangerous situations with the local ghosts, the local cryptids and of course the ghost hunters from the Covenant of St. George. (Who turn out to have personal beefs with the Price/Healy/Harrington families.) McGuire cranks up the tension in this book, as well as the intensity. Mary's having something of an existential crisis--and the anima mundi seems to have capital P plans for her.
I enjoyed the book! It's tightly written with lots of twists and turns. The characterization is great and I enjoyed the interactions of Mary with the various members of her family. There was some angst (Elsie dealing with grief over her mother's death, Arthur and his disintegrating mind/soul/sense of self. Both situations are written with sympathy and care for the characters personalities and personal arcs.

This review is based on a galley copy received from Netgalley. Said galley copy also has an excerpt for the next book in the series, which will feature Verity. (Who is barely coping with a combination of her pregnancy and personal tragedy. Fortunately, she has a good support system.)

5/5 stars: This is the fourteenth entry in McGuire's Urban Fantasy InCryptid series which features a babysitting ghost teams up with two of her grown charges after she's tasked by the anima mundi, Earth's living soul made manifest, to hunt down and stop those imprisoning America's ghosts or lose her freedom. With plenty of plot twists, McGuire has masterfully crafted a non-stop action packed yet heartfelt story with excellent and fascinating world-building. McGuire's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. This series switches POVs between the different members of a Cryptozoologists's extended family as they find love and fight to protect the creatures of the world against the forces determined to eradicate them. I love getting to read more about Mary and I love seeing her getting her own adventures. Additionally, I adore the extended Price family and everyone connected to it and love catching up with them. Also includes the short story, Mourner's Waltz, which features Verity. I love how McGuire uses shorts to expand the world-building and flesh out and catch up with the characters in the series. With tact and sensitivity, McGuire touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Discount Armageddon.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire, a great read that really helps tie more of the lose ends together. Does leave you wanting more but if you are a fan of this series you have to read this one.

As much as I love the Incryptid series, I found myself feeling a little burnt out on Installment Immortality. I think this has more to do with my ambivalence regarding the narrator than any other aspect of the story. I love the ghosts, especially Rose, but I don't find Mary to be as compelling of a narrator. There are moments where it feels a little more repetitive - I don't particularly feel as much of the urgency as I've felt in books narrated by Annie or Verity. I liked the book, and I like hearing more about the story, but I think that there are so many strong books in this series that this one just felt a little flat for me.

The latest installment of the Price family, the eccentric cyptozoologists, focuses again on Mary the ghost baby sitter, and also follows up with Arthur, who was damaged in Calculated Risks, and his sister, who are supposed to help defeat the Covenant of St. George agents who are killing ghosts in New England.

McGuire does a good job of summarizing the Price history at the beginning, which I admit I did need and in fact I didn't realize was so convoluted.

While I enjoy this world, I admit I ended up skimming the long passages that reiterate the complexities of feelings and the cosmology that are put in right during the middle of action.

If you follow this series, you'll enjoy this installment, although you'll still be wanting more at the end!

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for the early copy of Installment Immortality. Below is my honest review.

The second Incryptid novel from Mary's POV and the first to be released with new publisher Tor, Installment Immortality continues the excellent urban fantasy hijinks we've all come to know and love from the Price family universe. This one brings Mary's (after)life full circle and ties up a loose end or two with some minor players in the Covenant. I have a feeling there are some more big battles coming in the long run.

Highly recommended, but please remember this is well into the series, and you'll do yourself a disservice to jump right in without context. So read them all, as soon as possible.

There's no way around this - this book was bad. It felt like most of the content was either recapping other books, advertising McGuire's Angel of the Overpass series, or aimless ranting. Mary heads to Worcester, MA with Arthur and Elsie to deal with Cavenant ghost hunters, but neither Arthur nor Elsie gets to do anything other than get kidnapped. Mary pops all over the place despite long, boring discussions with the anima mundie about how she shouldn't do that anymore, picks fights with literally everyone, and all of the interesting characters get shafted in favor of yet another explaination of routewitches and the magic of the road. Incryptid hasn't been fun for a while now, but after this book I will be giving up entirely. Maybe it'll get better, maybe it won't, but I won't be reading to find out.

Told from the perspective of the family babysitter, caretaker ghost Mary Dunlavy, newly freed from bondage to the evil crossroads entity. Mary is sent to New England to deal with a Covenant field team targeting ghosts, trapping them in spirit jars and driving them mad with iron, salt, and rosemary, turning them into balls of rage. Things get awkward. (And somewhat gory at the end.) Probably not the best place to start the series.

With a bonus novella about Verity coping with widowhood and late pregnancy. (Badly.)

I just loved reading these stories! I love this series and I love Seanan McGuire's writing, and this latest installment to the series, after everything that happened in the previous volume, I had just to read it, and it was just that good! I really enjoyed following Mary as the protagonist, as a ghost, she has a very different mindset and skillset from the various Prices that we've followed in the previous books.

Mary has been through a lot, she was a Crossroad's ghost, and then she was a babysitter ghost. But she had existed in this gray area, where the rules weren't really defined. But after the events of the previous book, yeah, she has to figure out what her limits where, what she was capable of.

One thing that I loved about this book, is that we spend a lot of time with Arthur and Elsie, both of whom are having a tough time, between his personality cobbled together from the ones that loved him, and the loss of their mother. It's complicated, and I'm glad that we got time to just sit with it, because there aren't any easy solutions.

Mourner's Waltz hurt, it's another story of Verity and her grief, which is still a gaping wound for her, with her daughter safely away, but being heavily pregnant, and dealing with some goings on in the apartment building that she manages. It's a story of grief, and continuing to live life after a loss.

Loved reading these, and I can't wait for more from this series, and by Seanan McGuire!

I thought this was another great installment in the incryptid series. I was also excited for Elsie to have a bigger role in this adventure than in previous ones, she’s a character I always want to know more about.

Seanan McGuire always does a great story and I’ve been engaged from the first book in the InCryptid series, it had that element that I wanted from the previous books. It was great getting back to this world and the characters were just as good as I was looking for. It always works well in this genre and was glad I got to read this, I can’t wait for more.

If you read enough of Seanan McGuire's work (especially the long running series) you'll start to recognize patterns in the pacing. Aftermarket Afterlife was an event book, pushing the main plot forward and containing the resolution of some of the ongoing threads (or at least a resolution. In true Price family fashion there's always more drama to come). Installment Immortality is an aftermath book, where the family has to deal with the consequences of the Covenant attacks that killed two family members, as well as their own retaliatory attack on the Covenant headquarters. Our narrator this time is still Mary, back from six months in the ether and not quite sure where she fits in this new afterlife order. Of course this is right about when she gets a new mission from the Anima Mundi.

The Covenant isn't happy about the attack on their headquarters, and although they don't know exactly how it happened they do know that there was a ghost involved. As a response there is a Covenant team rounding up ghosts on the east coast, trapping them in jars, and turning them into weapons. It's Mary's job to stop this, by whatever means she can. Mary's first step is to find living allies who can help out, and after running down the list of available family members she ends up with Elsie (currently angry and lashing out at the entire world) and Arthur (who is also angry, still figuring himself out, and quite possibly losing what's left of his mind). The following road trip and quest solves a few problems while bringing others more into focus. I'm nervous to find out how things are going to end up with Arthur/Artie, since it isn't looking great at the moment.

It's nice to see Mary figure herself out a bit more, and good to spend some time with Elsie and Arthur/Artie, who are the family kids we've seen the least of so far. There are a few cameos from other family members, but overall they don't appear. I feel like after this book we're probably done hearing from Mary for awhile, and I imagine that next time we'll probably be back with Sarah, Elsie, or Arthur (though Seanan could always surprise me).

The story at the end of the book takes us back to Verity in New York as she continues to deal with losing Dominic. It was nice to check in with her and see her start moving a little ways back towards functionality. Maybe she'll be the first Price to end up dealing with the loss of a spouse in a healthy manner (we can always hope!).