Selenium
This is the third book in the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. I have also read books 1 and 2 (Rosemary and Rue, and A Local Habitation), but I’m starting my thoughts here because I feel like this is where the series is beginning for me. I didn’t connect with the first books the way I wanted to, and I just couldn’t figure out why. So, like the stubborn person that I am, I kept coming back until it clicked. For me, the click occurred in An Artificial Night.
The series is like a lesson in “how to write a fantasy novel for Selena.” The elements of these stories tick all my personal boxes. I was drawn to the themes of fairy, especially the intersection of the world of the fairy with the mortal one. The changeling who stands at the crossroads of those two worlds is right up my alley. I can never resist an unlikely heroine who always saves the day with all the odds stacked against her.
I discovered the series when it was recommended by Felicia Day and picked up the first book a couple of years ago. I had trouble with the pacing of the first two books, particularly during the action-heavy scenes leading up to the climax. I’m used to fantasy novels where the action speeds up the pacing and drives the reader and the story faster through to the conclusion. That’s not the case here. In fact, it’s the opposite. Action sequences are broken up and punctuated by flowery language and additional background info that are unexpected in those scenarios. I found that frustrating, and it took me a year to finish both of those books because I kept putting them down in favor of other things.
Finally, after another year of leaving the series alone, I picked up book three, and I am so glad that I decided to come back. Nothing changes about what the author is doing here. The pacing is exactly the same, and the cadence of the action is consistent with all the others. Instead, I appreciate that the story forces me to slow my own mind down and dig into these moments when my natural inclination is to speed everything up and turn the page faster. I leaned into the way the novel was written and decided to be carried along at its pace. Like fairy itself, you can’t expect it to bend to your will, you are simply carried along. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I started meditating, but whatever it is, I’m now ready to read the rest of them.
What I’m Loving
PTSD
I know, that’s a weird thing to appreciate, but stay with me. I love how honestly damaged the main character is. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is when a character has to deal with their past trauma in an ongoing, authentic way.
Past experiences that were just background exposition for the first book are living, breathing phobias that must be continually conquered every day. The quests and battles from previous books leave honest mental scars. Most fantasy heroes brush off horrors for the sake of moving the story ahead and not dwelling in the past. That doesn’t happen here. Our heroine still has to move forward, as all heroes do, but the baggage doesn’t disappear, it must be dealt with.
Responsible Discussions About Suicide
I’m making this series sound like a real downer, aren’t I? It’s a fun and exciting fantasy series, I swear, but what I’m really drawn to is the way the author digs into the more difficult themes that this genre tends to just ignore for the sake of ease. This series proves that you can still tell a magical story while talking about the consequences of these bonkers choices. In this case, there is a substantial acknowledgment that the heroes in these types of stories are often working with suicidal tendencies. Rather than just praising a character who is always willing to sacrifice for “the greater good,” McGuire talks about what it means to be so ready to throw life away. Where might the line be between heroic and self-destructive? How do we understand the mental health of a hero, and is that idea in itself, an oxymoron? It feels like this theme will keep coming up and I appreciate the respect that it’s given.
I haven’t given anything in the way of a plot summary here, so let me just say that October (Toby) Daye is a fairy changeling (half fairy, half human), a private detective who leverages her unique position to investigate mysteries, solve problems, rescue the innocent, an generally kick butt. The truth is, I am very much a latecomer to this series, so if you’re a fan of this genre at all, chances are good that you’re further along than I am. I’m excited to keep reading now that I’ve found the rhythm, and I look forward to catching up and picking up this author’s other series.
