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Middlegame

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Middlegame

By: Seanan McGuire
Narrated by: Amber Benson
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About this listen

A Locus Award Finalist!

This program is read by Amber Benson.

New York Times best-selling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces listeners to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in the stand-alone fantasy, Middlegame.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realize it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: To raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

©2019 Seanan McGuire (P)2019 Macmillan Audio Action & Adventure Adventure Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Alchemy Scary Middle Game

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Critic reviews

2019 NPR Best Book of the Year
2019 Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
2020 Hugo Award Nominee
2020 Locus Awards Nominee
All stars
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2023 52 Book Challenge - 9) A Book With A Dedication

I'm kind of torn on this book because I want to love it. I love Seanan McGuire and her quirky way of writing, and I think their books are fantastic.

I really liked the characters of Roger and Dodger. Considering that you spent 7/8s of the books from their perspectives, it would really suck if you didn't like them. They're fleshed out and flawed and wonderfully written.

But you spent so much time on them developing and growing up that the plot sort of just disappears. They spent time together in their psychic link, and then something forces them apart, and a number of years later, they come back together again and over and over and over and over. I can't remember how many times they separated but it was a lot, and I got bored of them arguing over who abandoned who and why they did it and how they weren't going to do it again.

Also, did you know that Roger is colour blind and Dodger has no depth perception? It felt like it got mentioned on every page of this 17.5 hour audiobook.

I must have drifted away at some point because the plot kicked in and I missed it, and then I was mega confused over what happened. They accidentally caused an earthquake by touching each other, so they separated again, and then they were back again like seven years later on the run. I have no idea what happened in that little gap, and by missing it, I had no understanding of the last "book" in this story.

So, the writing was still quirky, which I liked, the characters took centre stage which is generally a good thing, and the plot was MIA for 3/4 of the novel.

I'm still planning to read book 2.

Undecided

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An exceptional book which is difficult to summarise. Full if the magic, whimsy, introspection and horror readers of the wayward children series will recognise packaged into a complex world of its own. A brilliant read.

perfect as usual

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Absolutely amazing! I don’t typically go for books over 500 pages as I always end up losing interest and lack the patience to finish them. However, this gripped me right until the very end. The narrator could have made some deferent choices for the voices of some characters as it was a little annoying at times. Other than that, I can’t recommend this book enough!

Seanan McGuire doesn’t disappoint

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It was confusing in the beginning, especially in audiobook format. But once the story had a bit more plot, it was hard to put down.

I might try to find an actual copy and read this again. I personally didn't enjoy the narrator's different voices, but i liked the story enough to want to finish the book.

Compelling story

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Thought the protagonists in this story were fantastic. They really kept me engaged with the story and made it truly intriguing to see where they would go next.

My only real criticism of this book is that the ending feels quite rushed and not as well thought out as the rest of the book.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and would easily recommend it to anyone.

Brilliant Characters

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A bit slow to start, and I had to listen to the first bit twice as my mind kept wandering, but once I got past that, and we got to meet Doger and Roger as kids, I was hooked.

I wish we had got to see more of them being happy together though. I realize conflict was needed to set the plot in motion, but still. I really loved how they interacted, and loved seeing them together, propping each other up, supporting each other and behaving like the siblings they didn't know they were. I hope they got to enjoy more of that, after the book finished.

It's not my favourite Seanan McGuire, but I did end up loving it. And it's a stand-alone novel, which is rare.

I mostly enjoyed the narrator. She made some weird choices when voicing Lee and James, but it was fine, once I got used to it.

Seanan McGuire doesn't disappoint

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How was I not going to love this? Seanan McGuire? 2 kids who are formed by alchemy and destined to be Gods? Amber Benson narrating? Sign me up.

Hooked from the first sentence

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I feel like I have read a very similar book before but I cannot remember what it is. given the of deja vu and jamais vu recurring in the book it all made me a little frustrated! However -that is not the author’s fault. I would say if you tend to listen while going to sleep, set a timer, finding your place with this book left to play can be very confusing! Not a bad book just not one that moved me.

Presque vu

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It's not for everyone, but, oh boi, it's definitely for me. Seanan McGuire is a wizard of the written word.

It's not for everyone

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I really loved this book. I adore Amber Benson, and she did a fantastic job for the most part. I just really didnt like the voices for Leigh and James, they kinda took me out of the story. I will definitely read/listen again!

Great listen!

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