Seasonal Fears

Last updated
Seasonal Fears
Author Seanan McGuire
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAlchemical Journeys
Release number
2
GenreFantasy
PublisherTor Books
Publication date
3 May 2022
Publication placeUnited States
Pages476
ISBN 9781250768254
Preceded by Middlegame  
Followed byTidal Creatures 

Seasonal Fears is a 2022 novel by Seanan McGuire. It is the second book in McGuire's Alchemical Journeys series, following Middlegame .

Contents

Plot

Best friends Melanie and Harry grow up together in the early 2000s. Melanie has a heart defect and is not expected to live past young adulthood. Her boyfriend Harry is her constant protector. Melanie's father Roland is an alchemist who has engineered Melanie to have an affinity for Winter.

When the previous King of Winter and Queen of Summer die, a girl named Jack Frost comes to Melanie. Jack explains that Melanie and Henry are candidates to become the new Winter Queen and Summer King, respectively. Melanie's twin sister Aven, who supposedly died at birth but has been kept alive by their father's alchemy, is another candidate for the Summer Throne. Melanie and Harry run away from home. Aven kills Roland and pursues them.

The candidates are drawn toward a labyrinth where they will compete for the seasonal crowns. Melanie's physical health worsens, but her connection to Winter makes her unexpectedly strong and gives her a ruthless streak. Simultaneously, Harry's growing connection to Summer makes him more protective of Melanie and increases his temper and aggression. As the contest progresses, only one candidate for each throne can remain alive. Melanie and Henry are repeatedly attacked by other candidates for the thrones; they fight back, killing or injuring the other contenders. Along their journey, Melanie and Henry meet Roger, Dodger, and Erin in Berkeley. (After the events of Middlegame , Roger and Dodger were able to reset the timeline to save Erin, but there was no timeline in which Erin and Darren both survived). Harry and Melanie enter the labyrinth and claim the crowns, becoming the next seasonal monarchs. Aven attacks them, and they kill her.

Reception

Regina Schroeder of Booklist recommended the novel for young adult readers, calling it "a fitting return to McGuire's magical, alchemical world." Schroeder also commented that the story is "an epic road trip novel" and "a meditation on the consequences of personifying nature." [1]

Publishers Weekly called the novel "an intricate, dense companion to 2020's Middlegame". The review states that the complex premise and worldbuilding are "held together by Harry and Melanie’s unwavering partnership". The review concludes that Seasonal Fears is "a worthy, highly intelligent, wholly satisfying expansion of the Middlegame mythos that will leave readers wanting more". [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Miller</span> American novelist (1891–1980)

Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness, explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and mysticism. His most characteristic works of this kind are Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn, and the trilogy The Rosy Crucifixion, which are based on his experiences in New York City and Paris. He also wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism, and painted watercolors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariadne</span> Daughter of Minos in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are different variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of Naxos. There, Dionysus saw Ariadne sleeping, fell in love with her, and later married her. Many versions of the myth recount Dionysus throwing Ariadne's jeweled crown into the sky to create a constellation, the Corona Borealis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Yolen</span> American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and childrens books (born 1939)

Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 400 books, of which the best known is The Devil's Arithmetic, a Holocaust novella. Her other works include the Nebula Award−winning short story "Sister Emily's Lightship", the novelette "Lost Girls", Owl Moon, The Emperor and the Kite, and the Commander Toad series. She has collaborated on works with all three of her children, most extensively with Adam Stemple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry D'Amour</span> Fictional character

Harry D'Amour is a fictional occult detective created by author, filmmaker, and artist Clive Barker. He originally appeared in the short story The Last Illusion in Books of Blood Volume 6, an anthology written by Barker and published in 1985. D'Amour has appeared in other Clive Barker prose stories, as well as comic books published by Boom! Studios, and the 1995 film Lord of Illusions wherein the character is portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Following this, the comic book adaptation of Barker's novel The Great and Secret Show depicts D'Amour as resembling Bakula. In 2012, the cover for Hellraiser #18 used actor Thomas Jane as the model for D'Amour. In multiple stories, D'Amour is depicted as living in the same reality as Barker's popular creations the Cenobites and the Hell Priest.

<i>American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold</i> Book by Harry Turtledove

American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold is the second book in the American Empire alternate history series by Harry Turtledove. It takes place during the period of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. During this era in Turtledove's Southern Victory world, the Confederate States of America, stretching from Sonora to Virginia, is led by Whigs while the United States of America is controlled by Socialists.

<i>American Empire: The Victorious Opposition</i> 2003 book by Harry Turtledove

American Empire: The Victorious Opposition is the third and final book in the American Empire alternate history series by Harry Turtledove, and the seventh in the Southern Victory series of books.

The Merchant Princes is a science fantasy and alternate history series of nine novels by British writer Charles Stross. In the series, there exists a number of parallel worlds all of which are on the same geographical Earth, but with different societies at different points of development. Members of a certain bloodline can travel between these worlds along with their immediate possessions. The series largely follows Miriam Beckstein, a technology journalist raised in a familiar "normal" Earth, who discovers she was born in a parallel world and is a member of this bloodline. She quickly becomes entangled in political maneuvering and assassination plots with her estranged family. Miriam uses modern technology and investigative journalism to attempt to stay a step ahead.

<i>The Titans Curse</i> 2007 book by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse is an American fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology written by Rick Riordan. It was released on May 1, 2007, and is the third novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and the sequel to The Sea of Monsters. It is about the adventures of the 14-year-old demigod Percy Jackson as he and his friends go on a dangerous quest to rescue his 14-year-old demigod friend Annabeth Chase and the Greek goddess Artemis, who have both been kidnapped by the Titan Atlas.

The Ryanverse is a term for the political thriller media franchise created by author Tom Clancy centering on the character of Jack Ryan and the fictional universe featuring Jack and other characters, such as John Clark and Domingo Chavez.

<i>Gunpowder Empire</i> 2003 novel by Harry Turtledove

Gunpowder Empire is a 2003 alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. It is the first part of the Crosstime Traffic series.

"The Doctor" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American ABC fantasy/drama television series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 27th episode overall, which aired on October 28, 2012.

<i>A Place to Call Home</i> (TV series) Australian drama series

A Place to Call Home is an Australian television drama series, created by Bevan Lee for the Seven Network, which premiered in 2013. Set in rural New South Wales after World War II, it follows Sarah Adams, who has returned to Australia after twenty years abroad to start a new life and ends up clashing with wealthy matriarch Elizabeth Bligh. The main cast also includes Brett Climo, Craig Hall, David Berry, Abby Earl, Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood, Aldo Mignone, Sara Wiseman, Jenni Baird, Tim Draxl, and Frankie J. Holden. The show was cancelled after its second season, but obtained further funding and concluded successfully after a total of six seasons in 2018.

<i>The Hate U Give</i> 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting.

<i>Scary Stories for Young Foxes</i> 2019 childrens novel

Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a 2019 children's book written by Christian McKay Heidicker, with illustrations by Junyi Wu. The book, published by Henry Holt and Company, was first envisioned to be similar to some of the Berenstain Bears' scary stories, but was rewritten into a collection of tales based on classic horror stories.

<i>Middlegame</i> Fantasy novel by Seanan McGuire

Middlegame is a 2019 science fantasy/horror novel by American novelist Seanan McGuire. It was well-received critically, winning the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and garnering a nomination for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

The 2020 Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards, honoring the best make-up and hairstyling in film and television for 2019, the winners were announced on February 16, 2020 while the nominees were announced on January 10, 2020.

<i>Cinderella is Dead</i> 2020 book by Kalynn Bayron

Cinderella is Dead is a 2020 young adult book by Kalynn Bayron. The novel is focused on Sophia Grimmins, a queer teenager living in the same world as Cinderella, 200 years after her death. Young women that are coming of age are forced to attend balls to be chosen as wives of men they've never met.

<i>The Up-and-Under</i> (novel series) Series of novellas by Seanan McGuire

The Up-and-Under is a series of novellas by Seanan McGuire, writing under the pen name A. Deborah Baker. It currently comprises four novellas. Baker is a fictional character in McGuire's Alchemical Journeys series, which began with 2019's Middlegame. Sections of Over the Woodward Wall were quoted in Middlegame and were later expanded into a full story in their own right.

References

  1. Regina Schroeder (15 Apr 2022). "Seasonal Fears". Booklist . Retrieved 13 Dec 2024.
  2. "Seasonal Fears". Publishers Weekly. May 2022. Retrieved 13 Dec 2024.