McGuire is a most prolific writer and I've yet to delve very deeply into any series except the Wayward Children.  And I decided to correct that with this title; book 1 of a potential trilogy.  It was rather like being thrown into the deep end…

The concept of this story is immense; I wonder greatly at a mind capable of imagining this.  From what I've heard, this is standard fare from Ms. McGuire.  This is a thoroughly grounded story with fully fleshed-out characters. And a rockin' plot!

Roger and Dodger are twins who, at the beginning of the book, have never met after being removed from their womb and know nothing of each other.  When Dodger is young, she reaches out in her mind and finds what she believes is an imaginary friend in whom to confide.  It takes a while before Dodger is willing to believe Roger is actually real. Two years later, through some innocent comments, someone becomes aware that the two children are communicating.  And that someone isn't happy about it.

Roger and Dodger are experiments; not even the first experiments.  A brilliant alchemist is determined to embody aspects of the universe into humans who can be controlled.  He's already been successful with some of the minor aspects but this pair will embody higher concepts: math and language.  But it will be done on his specific timetable.  He sends someone to ensure the children will have no further contact; Roger is terrified into closing off his mind to Dodger.  Both children will suffer miserably without the other for many, many years until an accidental meeting at a chess tournament allows them to actually meet and see the other.  They become each other's best friend, their other half.  But that comes again to an abrupt end several years later.  And then they reconnect yet once more in their young adulthood.  And this time, they won't be denied.  And that's where the story takes flight.

So Dodger is the math half and Roger the language half.  What that means in practice is that Dodger's entire existence and environment can be mathematically described; if she knows a room's dimensions, for example, she can instantly compute the trajectory of a thrown ball.  Roger can learn any language but more than that - he can command people with the use of words.  Together they are formidable but once they completely embody their aspects, they could be gods.  And there is still someone out there who intends to control them before that happens.  Their only savior is a woman, Erin, who is the remaining half of a twin set that controlled Order and Chaos.  The alchemist believes she is loyal to him and sends her to spy on and set controls on the twins.  But she has her own agenda and she's not entirely sure if the twins will be a force for good or for evil.  She has saved them time and again but no one but her remembers.

Wow….just…Wow.  This was heady stuff.  To not only conceive of this concept but to execute it so well…Wow.  Roger and Dodger were clever characters but I might've liked Erin a little better.  I had so many questions about the origins of the antagonist and many of them were answered as the story progressed.  There is no easy or pat explanation of what McGuire envisioned for her two humans who would manifest as true aspects of the universe; if she could describe them for our feeble brains, it wouldn't, by necessity, be a complete explanation.  But oh-so-fascinating to consider.

The woman can write!  Her work is not to be missed; you could start with a 'lesser' book but I doubt it would really prepare you for this one.    ~~ Catherine Book

For more titles in this series click here
For more titles by Seanan McGuire click here