An Artificial Night

I’ve been bouncing up and down waiting for the third book in Seanan McGuire‘s October Daye series since I finished reading the second book, A Local Habitation, back in March. I pre-ordered An Artificial Night
but didn’t receive it until Thursday. I promptly stayed up reading it too late, went to bed, got up early to read it some more, and read it every moment that I wasn’t in class or at work. I finished it about twenty minutes ago and I can assure everyone that it was worth the wait.

I know I’ve mentioned the October Daye series before. It’s hard-boiled urban fantasy starring a half-fae detective. The first book was dark (well, I did call the series hard-boiled), with the sensuous imagery and twisting plot that you expect in hard-boiled detective fiction. The magic not only fit in brilliantly (with McGuire referring to fairy tales, nursery rhymes and folklore both well-known and obscure) but was a necessary, living part of the world rather than something tacked on for marketing purposes. It was edgy, gritty and frankly I found myself whining to my mom because I can’t write anything that dark and beautiful.

The second book, A Local Habitation, wasn’t as awesome as the first. It was still dark and gritty, still showing a beautifully broken protagonist trying to find her place in a world that’s moved on without her, but it was missing something. It didn’t have that distinct edge that made Rosemary and Rue to memorable. I didn’t mind this overmuch because some of my favorite minor characters from the first book got more screen time (what do you call it in books, anyway?) and because we were given a better background of the world the characters inhabit.

An Artificial Night took the background from the second book, used it and added to it. It took the toughness, grittiness and heartbreak from the first book and compounded it. It took the best of both books, used it and made it better. It totally kicked ass. McGuire’s hit her stride and is going to keep going. Reading the preview to the next book, Late Eclipses (due out in March of next year) I have faith that the author will keep going, building on what she’s got and making the series better with every installment. And I can’t wait to be along for the ride.

I want to list all the great things about this book. I want to tell you what fairy tales and nursery rhymes come into play and how beautifully they fit. I want to tell you what happens to our heroine and everyone else. I want to tell you how freaking amazing this book is. But I can’t because that would ruin it for you and no one deserves that. All I can say is that if you’ve read the other two books in the series you should run out and buy this one. Now. If you haven’t read any of the October Daye books yet you need to go out and buy them, check them out from the library, whatever. They’re worth reading. Urban fantasy not your cup of coffee? That’s fine. Buy the books for someone who does like them. Support this author, because she’s brilliant and we need to see more of her work.

Open roads and kind fires,
Phantastic Student

 

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