Seanan McGuire – Rosemary and Rue
August 17th, 2010 by Sara
There are plenty of fantasy books about ‘fae’ out there these days – Laurell K Hamilton immediately comes to mind as one of the forefront authors within that genre, but where Hamilton writes of a Celtic fae culture, Seanan McGuire takes every faerie legend she can find and melds them into a cohesive whole. The faerie race is just as diverse and varied as its human counterpart, and McGuire reminds us of that in this first of her October Daye novels.
October, better known as Toby to those who don’t want to end up on her bad side (and it becomes rapidly apparent that you don’t want to end up on Toby’s bad side) is half-human, half-Daoine sidhe, better known to the rest of the fae as a changeling. Effectively outcaste by virtue of being a halfbreed, she is the only changeling to have been knighted (unwillingly) for services to the purebloods, and the only changeling to have literally pulled herself up in the world by her wits. A mishap with a case (Toby is another fae with a PI job, but don’t let that prevent you from picking up this book!) leaves her more isolated from Faerie culture, and she returns to the human world disguised, wanting little to do with the fae part of her heritage.
Murder of a fae supporter drags Toby back kicking and screaming to solve the case. She’s not happy about her return to the world that she’d left behind, but the consequences of not getting involved in the murder case are ones she would much rather do without, and she’s left with effectively no choice in the matter but to solve the case.
Like anyone born between two worlds, or living underneath the yoke of not measuring up to par, Toby reminds us that it takes a certain sort of stubbornness to achieve anything, and that even the uncontrollable – such as circumstances of birth – are irrelevant when it comes to doing what you set out to do.
Rosemary and Rue is filled with enough clues to keep any reader trying to solve the mystery of the Winterrose’s murder before Toby does, and with a cast of characters that are perhaps not immediately endearing but absolutely real, Seanan McGuire brings the darker side of faerie home to California with Rosemary and Rue. It’s very easy to see exactly why this new author has been nominated for a 2010 Campbell Award for Best New Author – Toby’s world is a place that Hamilton doesn’t begin to touch, a world where any reader is reminded of the original stories we humans have heard about the fae. They’re not a nice people, they’re not anything you want to invite into your home for a cup of tea unless you know absolutely what you’re dealing with, and preferably have some sort of magical backup to ensure that you don’t get the short end of the stick in your dealings with them. McGuire is an up-and-coming author to watch (especially if you have Diet Dr. Pepper, her poison of choice, around), and the October Daye series is anything but your average set of ‘faerie tales‘. These are as they’re supposed to be in a modern world, and while they may be fantastical, they’re anything but pleasant.
Written by: Fiona Lorne
Edited by: Sara Slack
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