I’m not a big fan of mainstream Mysteries, but I do like detective fiction. I just need my detective stories to have an odd quirk and to be more than another procedural thriller. Tartan Noir. Appalachian or Country Noir. Hardboiled. These are a few of the subgenres that grab my attention.
I grew up reading science fiction. As a child, I discovered the classics at the local library, and I read several things I was definitely too young to be reading. I devoured everything by Ben Bova I could get my hands on – somehow I didn’t turn into a raving libertarian – and I credit his realistic space novels for my continued fascination with and zealousness in support of space exploration. I still read a lot of science fiction. I don’t read as many short stories and magazines as I used to, but I read several novels each year.
I didn’t read a fantasy novel until middle school, when I bought – on a lark – a three-pack of Terry Brooks’ Shannara series at a discount bookstore while on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. Somehow my will to read fantasy survived reading those three novels. (They weren’t that bad for what they were; the real bad stuff came later in the series.)
About a week ago, my wife suggested I read Seanan McGuire‘s Rosemary and Rue, the first novel in her October Daye series. She pointed out that McGuire’s sense of humor is a close match to my own. I was hesitant at first, but she spent the next day scouring the house for the entire series (seven books so far). She couldn’t find Rosemary and Rue itself, but she found all the rest and the bookshelves are now much neater. So I downloaded the Kindle edition.
I’m a third of the way into it and I love it. Gritty setting? Check. Likable protagonist? Check. But not too likable, and not entirely sure of herself. She isn’t preternaturally competent; she screws up, and her screw-ups have consequences. Supporting characters who aren’t just NPCs but have their own needs and motivations? Check. A plot that is about more than collecting Tokens and beating the Big Boss? So far, so good.
And fae. A healthy dose of fae – real fae, inasmuch as there is a “real” fae – that follows the lore and traditions. That’s what hooked me. McGuire obviously understands her source material, and has brought the old stories back to life in a modern setting, all without losing the timeless and confusing nature of the creatures of faery.
What’s not to like? I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this book, and all the rest in the series.