Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tidal Creatures is the 3rd-installment to Seanan McGuire’s epic Adult SFF-series that has not just created a whole new world unto itself, but a whole new cosmology.
Middlegame took the world by storm when it was released in 2019. I wasn’t immune. When I read it, I fell in love. I always knew McGuire was a talented writer with a plethora of unique ideas, but this thing is off the charts.
The sequel Seasonal Fears didn’t get quite the same level of fanfare upon its release in 2022, but I loved it nevertheless. I wouldn’t say I loved it as much as Middlegame, but it was a brilliant continuation of the story.
Tidal Creatures is a monster in the way it continued to build out this complex and enticing world. I loved meeting new characters like Kelpie, Judy and Isabella. The cast of characters felt broader in this one than the previous novels and it was interesting to learn about them.
Additionally, their interactions were deep and their banter, funny. Most of the new information we learned was accomplished through character conversations. Because of this, it never felt info-dumpy.
This story felt different too, in that it is a murder mystery of sorts. Someone is killing moon goddesses, and it’s up to our cast to figure out why and then stop them.
I thought that was an intriguing way to advance this overall story arc. The way it tied into the lore of the Impossible City and the concepts that we had starting building in the previous books was very well done.
I will say, I think if I read this again, I would probably enjoy it even more. There is a lot going on here and the way that the various perspectives are initially introduced, not coming together until a little way in, it was a lot to follow.
A part of me wants to say, I am done reading these as they’re released for the rest of the series. I want to wait until they are all out so I can binge them all at once.
Before Seasonal Fears released, I did reread Middlegame directly before I picked it up and I do think I enjoyed it that much more because of that.
But now, we’re so deep. I don’t know if I have time to reread them all prior to every other subsequent release…
This is easy for me to say now. I’m sure as the next book releases I am going to flock to it like a Publisher’s dream. All past hesitation blown out of the water by the overwhelming FOMO that I’m gonna feel.
Either way, no matter how it happens, I love this series with my whole heart and will happily see it to the end.
I would recommend continuing on with the series to anyone who read and enjoyed Middlegame. I also highly recommend the companion series, The Up-and-Under by A. Deborah Baker, for more insight into the background of this world.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
This series is an absolute tour de force in the SFF space and I cannot wait for more!