Seasonal Fears, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)
Seanan McGuire’s Seasonal Fears is described as a
“companion volume” to her extraordinary novel, Middlegame. I dived into
it without that preface but soon realized that the “alchemical world” was
hauntingly familiar. I think Seasonal Fears is every bit as good.
Whereas Middlegame centered on creating human beings as incarnations of
the aspects of the Doctrine of Ethos, in Seasonal Fears, they are actual
seasons, either incarnate or ascendant (consider the difference between deep
winter and first frost). The story centers around a pair of
lovers-since-childhood who discover they are candidates to become the next North
American Incarnations of Summer and Winter, respectively. Their road to the
contest that will determine who will be crowned becomes a gauntlet of rivalries,
assassinations, betrayals, and the seductive menace of becoming so enmeshed in
their individual seasons that they lose their humanity. The story is also one
of deep, lifelong love and willingness to sacrifice. It’s profoundly moving,
gripping, whimsical, and demented. Sure to be a strong award contender. Don’t
miss it!
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