Rosemary and Rue

This is the first book in Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, and I thought I'd bring it to your attention. We are now up to the fourth book, I think, but it's no good bringing the fourth book in a series to anyone's attention - if you already like the series, you know about it already, and if you've never tried it, you're not likely to start with the fourth book. But, Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors, and as I promised books on this blog, I thought that now would be an opportune time to plug someone I consider one of the most fun and prolific authors writing today.

It is a testament to how incredibly good they are that whenever I read myself to a stopping place in the October Daye series (i.e. the last published book - so that I have to wait for McGuire's writing to catch up with my reading), the world becomes a sadder place. Patience is never my strong suit.

I began reading the series largely because I love the Newsflesh series so much (first book is Feed, by Mira Grant, McGuire's pseudonym). I am now hooked into this one as well, though to a lesser extent. Toby Daye's world is reminiscint of Charles De Lint's, with more of an emphasis on Celtic folklore and more believable, multi-dimensional characters. Toby is a faery knight cum private investigator, and she never runs out of crimes to solve, thanks to the faery-world's Macchiavellian royal court system and abundance of shady characters. There is a lot of backstory that is revealed in tantalizing little bits - and even more, the further you get into the series. McGuire has said on occasion, on her blog, or in interviews, that she admires Stephen King, and I can see it. As a would-be writer myself, I admire her, because she's learned a lot of King's tricks without copying him in any way. She is very much her own voice. This is a smart fantasy book series, and I think you all should read it.

I also think you should read Feed. But that is another post for another time.