An Artificial Night.
Oct. 25th, 2010 11:38![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starladyMcGuire, Seanan. An Artificial Night. New York, 2010.
This is the third book in Seanan McGuire's Toby Daye series, and I actually got a signed copy from the author at the release party at Borderlands Books, because I was already going to be in the area and Borderlands is awesome. So was the release party! There was rosemary shortbread, and cake, and Sooj and her crew performing, and talking with people about books, and Seanan being herself, i.e. quite funny.
I liked the first Toby book rather well, and the second one much less so, but I feel like this third book is much better and hopefully a sign that the series is finding its footing, and that furthermore this footing is not actually in "urban fantasy." In any case in this book there isn't really any mystery; it's about Toby understanding herself, and nearly losing herself, and understanding that she isn't, in fact, alone. Ironically, it takes her own death omen among other people to make her realize that, but she is Toby, after all.
This book also resolves some of my lingering problems with the portrayal of Duchess Luna the kitsune, which was frankly a relief.
We talked at Sirens about urban fantasy, and it's no coincidence that these books aren't, and never have been, what Holly Black called "the ass-tatoo urban fantasy books;" at one point in An Artificial Night Toby tells her erstwhile swain Connor the selkie to "Get real! You couldn't protect your way out of a paper bag, Connor," which is hilarious and so true. On the other hand, the series is still very much about Toby relentlessly putting herself through the shredder, physically more often than not, and it can be a bit discomforting to read at times. Still, the pace and the plot are riveting, and for a bonus this book includes a retelling of Tam Lin out in the Sunset district, which is just awesome.I am, again, looking forward to the next book (and to the next release party).
ETA: Spoilers in the comments.
This is the third book in Seanan McGuire's Toby Daye series, and I actually got a signed copy from the author at the release party at Borderlands Books, because I was already going to be in the area and Borderlands is awesome. So was the release party! There was rosemary shortbread, and cake, and Sooj and her crew performing, and talking with people about books, and Seanan being herself, i.e. quite funny.
I liked the first Toby book rather well, and the second one much less so, but I feel like this third book is much better and hopefully a sign that the series is finding its footing, and that furthermore this footing is not actually in "urban fantasy." In any case in this book there isn't really any mystery; it's about Toby understanding herself, and nearly losing herself, and understanding that she isn't, in fact, alone. Ironically, it takes her own death omen among other people to make her realize that, but she is Toby, after all.
This book also resolves some of my lingering problems with the portrayal of Duchess Luna the kitsune, which was frankly a relief.
We talked at Sirens about urban fantasy, and it's no coincidence that these books aren't, and never have been, what Holly Black called "the ass-tatoo urban fantasy books;" at one point in An Artificial Night Toby tells her erstwhile swain Connor the selkie to "Get real! You couldn't protect your way out of a paper bag, Connor," which is hilarious and so true. On the other hand, the series is still very much about Toby relentlessly putting herself through the shredder, physically more often than not, and it can be a bit discomforting to read at times. Still, the pace and the plot are riveting, and for a bonus this book includes a retelling of Tam Lin out in the Sunset district, which is just awesome.I am, again, looking forward to the next book (and to the next release party).
ETA: Spoilers in the comments.