Middlegame (Seanan McGuire)

Middlegame
Seanan McGuire
Tor
Fiction, Fantasy/Horror
***** (Great)

DESCRIPTION: Roger was a young boy when he first heard the girl's voice in his head, helping him solve his math homework. When Dodger needed help with spelling, he returned the favor. It seems impossible, or at least highly improbable, but the two share something akin to telepathy, though they live a continent apart and have never met. But there is more than mere coincidence at work. Though they don't know it, the two are the work of an alchemist who seeks control over the universe, part of an experiment that stretches back more than a century and has already spilled an ocean of blood. If they ever grow into the powers they were created to manifest, they may well doom themselves and the world... unless they can take control of their own fates. But how can they hope to do that when they don't even know who, or what, they truly are?

REVIEW: This is an unusual book. Weaving in ancient alchemy, language, mathematics, strained sibling relationships, the pain and isolation of genius children, and even the power of children's literature (a beloved in-world book, Over the Woodward Wall, turns out to have been written by an alchemist with unsavory ulterior motives), McGuire crafts a compelling, often-harrowing story that spans over two decades - and more, if one takes into account the time travel element. It takes a while to get the feel of the story, and the characters, while always interesting, aren't always likable. Events range from simple moments of human interaction and quiet beauty to gruesomely detailed pain and terror; there's a trigger warning-worthy plot point involving one character's attempted suicide and the aftermath. Once things pick up, they move at a fair clip and ratchet up to a very intense finale. I wavered a bit on whether to clip a half-star for a slightly drawn-out ending, but ultimately came down on the side of a full fifth star. The many disparate elements are just so expertly slotted together.
On a closing note, McGuire has actually written and published Over the Woodward Wall as a standalone title under "A. Deborah Baker." The excerpts included here have me itching to get my hands on it.

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