{{Short description|Fantasy novel by Seanan McGuire}} {{for|the aspect of chess|Chess middlegame}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox book | italic title = <!--(see above)--> | name = Middlegame | image = Middlegame by Seanan McGuire.jpg | image_size = | border = | alt = | caption = | author = Seanan McGuire | audio_read_by = | orig_lang_code = | translator = | illustrator = | cover_artist = | country = United States | language = English | series = Alchemical Journeys | release_number = | subject = | genre = Science fiction, fantasy | set_in = | publisher = Tor Books | pub_date = May 7, 2019 | media_type = | pages = 528 (Hardcover) | awards = Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2020) | isbn = | isbn_note = | oclc = | dewey = | congress = | preceded_by = | followed_by = Seasonal Fears | native_wikisource = | wikisource = | notes = | exclude_cover = | website = }} '''''Middlegame''''' is a 2019 science fantasy/horror novel by American novelist Seanan McGuire. It was well-received critically, winning the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and garnering a nomination for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
The second book, ''Seasonal Fears'', was released in 2022, and the third, ''Tidal Creatures'' in 2024. Future books are planned for 2026 and 2028. The series is also related to ''The Up-and-Under'' series, written by McGuire under the pen name A. Deborah Baker.
==Plot==
Alchemist James Reed attempts to create a human embodiment of the Doctrine of Ethos, a fundamental force of the universe. He creates twins Roger and Dodger, child prodigies with mastery over language and mathematics, respectively. The twins forge an intermittent psychic connection as children. The pair reunite in person at Berkeley for grad school. Erin, another construct created by Reed, is Dodger’s roommate. Erin is secretly following Reed’s orders, but resents him for killing her twin brother Darren.
When Roger visits home for Thanksgiving, he finds a childhood drawing of him and Dodger which should not exist. Erin instructs him to reset the timeline. Dodger uses her powers to bring them back in time, erasing all memories of the event. It is revealed that Roger and Dodger have used their powers to reset the timeline thousands of times before, preventing Reed from destroying them. The twins explore their powers, accidentally triggering a massive earthquake which destroys much of Berkeley. Horrified, Roger abandons his sister.
Years later, Roger is a professor who is dating Erin. Reed orders Erin to kill Roger. Erin goes rogue and helps Roger escape. Timelines begin to merge as Roger and Dodger speak to each other from their alternate pasts and futures. Roger and Dodger reunite once again at the Sutro Baths, exploring their reality-warping powers. Dodger is shot and almost dies. Erin and Reed are both killed in a final confrontation. Roger and Dodger decide to learn more about their powers, and agree that they will eventually try once more to find a timeline with a happier ending.
==Background==
In an interview with the Los Angeles Public Library, McGuire stated that ''Middlegame'' was inspired by the song ''Doctrine of Ethos'' by Dr. Mary Crowell.<ref name=lapl>{{cite web |url=https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/interview-author-seanan-mcguire |title=Interview with an Author: Seanan McGuire |publisher=Los Angeles Public Library |date=20 Jun 2019 |accessdate=26 Aug 2022 |author=Daryl M. |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826194323/https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/interview-author-seanan-mcguire |url-status=live }}</ref> In an interview with ''Den of Geek'', McGuire stated she was inspired by the Pythagorean philosophy idea that the universe is entirely made up of math and language. She wanted to explore the idea of "embodying cosmic forces" in order to "make them more relatable".<ref name=dog>{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/books/seanan-mcguire-talks-alchemy-and-the-writing-process/ |title=Seanan McGuire Talks Alchemy and The Writing Process |author=Megan Crouse |date=10 Oct 2019 |accessdate=26 Aug 2022 |publisher=Den of Geek |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826194323/https://www.denofgeek.com/books/seanan-mcguire-talks-alchemy-and-the-writing-process/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Reception==
=== Reviews === ''Paste'' called ''Middlegame'' "clever and imaginative", with "memorably menacing" antagonists, and compared it to the work of Lev Grossman.<ref name="Paste">[https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/seanan-mcguire/middlegame-seanan-mcguire/ Seanan McGuire's novel ''Middlegame'' Is an Alchemical Delight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716212011/https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/seanan-mcguire/middlegame-seanan-mcguire/ |date=July 16, 2020 }}, by Josh Jackson, in ''Paste''; published June 5, 2019; retrieved July 16, 2020</ref> NPR considered Reed to be "a little flat", and further described him and his assistant Leigh as "mustache-twisting caricatures driven by non-specific hate and vengeance and not exactly, you know, rounded," but overall praised the book's "complicated structure that demands some fairly close reading", noting that due to "McGuire's skills (...) it never actually ''feels'' all that complicated."<ref name="NPR">[https://www.npr.org/2019/05/16/723709536/middlegame-makes-mathematical-magic 'Middlegame' Makes Mathematical Magic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716232725/https://www.npr.org/2019/05/16/723709536/middlegame-makes-mathematical-magic |date=July 16, 2020 }}, by Jason Sheehan, at National Public Radio; published May 16, 2019; retrieved July 16, 2020</ref> ''Publishers Weekly'' lauded it as "genuinely innovative", "mesmerizing", and the work of "an author of consummate skill", emphasizing that the story's mutable timeline "demand(s) close attention from readers".<ref name="PW">[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-19552-4 Middlegame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828212757/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-19552-4 |date=August 28, 2020 }}, reviewed at ''Publishers Weekly''; published March 20, 2019; retrieved July 16, 2020</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'' described it as "thrilling, emotionally resonant, and cerebral", and "''Escape to Witch Mountain'' for grownups", but observed that "it isn't clear" how Reed's plan was intended to work, nor why his followers believe he would share power with them.<ref name="Kirkus">[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/seanan-mcguire/middlegame/ MIDDLEGAME, by Seanan McGuire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716195358/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/seanan-mcguire/middlegame/ |date=July 16, 2020 }}, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; review posted online February 28, 2019; retrieved July 16, 2020</ref>
=== Awards and honors === ''Kirkus Reviews'' and ''Publishers Weekly'' included ''Middlegame'' on their list of the best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Denardo |first=John |date=2019-12-24 |title=The Definitive List of the Top Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2019 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/definitive-list-top-science-fiction-fantasy-2019/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117204835/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/definitive-list-top-science-fiction-fantasy-2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-11-11 |title=Kirkus Best Fiction of 2019 |url=https://locusmag.com/2019/11/kirkus-best-fiction-of-2019/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Books 2019: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly |url=https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2019/sf-fantasy-horror |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=December 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223213712/https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2019/sf-fantasy-horror |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-10-28 |title=Publishers Weekly Best Books 2019 |url=https://locusmag.com/2019/10/publishers-weekly-best-books-2019/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Locus Magazine'' included it on their list of the year's best fantasy novels.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-02-01 |title=2019 Locus Recommended Reading List |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/02/2019-locus-recommended-reading-list/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US |archive-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415123004/https://locusmag.com/2020/02/2019-locus-recommended-reading-list/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Awards and honors |- ! Year !! Award !! Category !! Result !! Ref. |- ! rowspan=4 | 2020 | Alex Awards | — | {{won}} |<ref name=alex2020>{{Cite web |title=2020 Youth Media Award Winners |url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2020-youth-media-award-winners/ |date=27 Jan 2020 |accessdate=20 July 2025 |website=American Libraries Magazine}}</ref> |- | Endeavour Award | — | {{sho|Finalist}} | <ref name=endeavour2020>{{Cite web |date=16 Nov 2020 |title=2020 Endeavour Award Winners |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/11/2020-endeavour-award-winners/ |accessdate=20 Jul 2025 |website=Locus Online}}</ref> |- | Hugo Award | Best Novel | {{sho|Finalist}} | <ref name=hugo2020>{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2020 |title=2020 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/07/2020-hugo-lodestar-and-astounding-awards-winners/ |accessdate=20 Jul 2025 |website=Locus Online}}</ref> |- | Locus Award | Best Fantasy Novel | {{won}} | <ref name=locus2020>{{Cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/06/locus-awards-winners-2020/ |title=2020 Locus Awards Winners |date=27 Jun 2020 |website=Locus Online |accessdate=20 Jul 2025}}</ref> |- |}
==Related works== ''Middlegame'' contains several excerpts from ''Over the Woodward Wall'', a fictitious children's novel purportedly written by the equally-fictitious 19th-century alchemist A. Deborah Baker; a complete version of ''Over the Woodward Wall'' (written by McGuire) was published in October 2020.<ref name=Woodward>{{cite web |url=https://www.tor.com/2019/07/01/announcing-over-the-woodward-wall-a-new-fantasy-series-from-seanan-mcguire/ |title=Announcing ''Over the Woodward Wall'', a New Fantasy Series from Seanan McGuire |publisher=Tor.com |date=1 July 2019 |accessdate=26 Aug 2022 |archive-date=July 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723081623/https://www.tor.com/2019/07/01/announcing-over-the-woodward-wall-a-new-fantasy-series-from-seanan-mcguire/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This first novel in ''The Up-and-Under'' series has been followed by ''Along the Saltwise Sea'', ''Into the Windwracked Wilds'', and ''Under the Smokestrewn Sky''.
''Seasonal Fears'', a second novel set in the world of ''Middlegame'', was published in 2022.<ref name=Sequel>{{cite web |url=https://publishing.tor.com/seasonalfears-seananmcguire/9781250768261/ |title=Seasonal Fears |publisher=Tor.com |date=3 May 2022 |accessdate=18 Aug 2022 |archive-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820060957/https://publishing.tor.com/seasonalfears-seananmcguire/9781250768261/ |url-status=live }}</ref> McGuire has stated that she would eventually like to write five novels in the ''Alchemical Journeys'' series, with each one related to one of the five alchemical elements. ''Middlegame'', ''Seasonal Fears'', ''Tidal Creatures'', ''Ink Pot Gods'', and an untitled fifth book would represent Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Aether, respectively.<ref name=cv>{{cite web |url=https://thecityvoice.org/2022/05/12/qa-with-seanan-mcguire-hugo-award-winning-author-of-middlegame-and-seasonal-fears/ |title=Q&A With Seanan McGuire, Hugo Award Winning Author of Middlegame and Seasonal Fears |publisher=City Voice |author=Declan |date=2022 |accessdate=1 Sep 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902002053/https://thecityvoice.org/2022/05/12/qa-with-seanan-mcguire-hugo-award-winning-author-of-middlegame-and-seasonal-fears/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The third book, ''Tidal Creatures'', was published in 2024, with the fourth book, ''Inkpot Gods'', and fifth book, ''Asphodel'', planned for publication.<ref name="Alchemical">{{cite web |title=Gods, Monsters, and Celestial Bodies: Revealing the Next Books in the Alchemical Journeys Series |date=23 October 2023 |url=https://www.tor.com/2023/10/23/cover-reveal-tidal-creatures-by-seanan-mcguire/ |access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Seanan McGuire}} {{Locus Award Best Fantasy Novel}}
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Category:2019 American novels Category:2019 English-language novels Category:American fantasy novels Category:Novels by Seanan McGuire Category:Tor Books books Category:Locus Award–winning works