McGuire, Seanan
Entry updated 3 June 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1978- ) US filker (see Filk), Internet presence and prolific author, who also writes as by A Deborah Baker and Mira Grant; she began publishing work of genre interest with "Lost" in Ravens in the Library: Magic in the Bard's Name (anth 2009) edited by SatyrPhil Brucato and Sandra Buskirk, and became prominent very quickly, winning the John W Campbell Award for best new writer in 2010. She shared the newly introduced Hugo for best fancast with other presenters of the Audiozine SF Squeecast in 2012 and 2013.
Her first series, the October Daye sequence beginning with Rosemary and Rue: An October Daye Novel (2010) and ending with Chimes at Midnight (2013), is mainly of fantasy interest, featuring half-breed private detective Toby Daye in a noirish San Francisco (see California) who exists half in this world and half in Faerie; the series conforms to the twenty-first century definition of Urban Fantasy as a form deeply infiltrated by paranormal romance idioms, and Shapeshifter characters, including in this case magical Talking Animals in quasi-human form, like Tybalt the King of Cats. The later InCryptid sequence beginning with Discount Armageddon (2012), which employs some similar strategies, sets its kick-ass female protagonist in an Urban Fantasy version of New York, where as a member of a family long engaged in this enterprise, she and her brother work as cryptozoologists studying mythological Monsters and other Supernatural Creatures, all of whom exist. [For Faerie, Talking Animals and Urban Fantasy see The Encyclopedia of Fantasy under links below.]
McGuire's second series, the NewsFlesh sequence – book-length instalments including Feed (2010), Deadline (2011) and Blackout (2012), all as by Mira Grant – is of direct sf interest for its depiction of a Dystopian Near Future world a few decades after an outbreak in 2014 of a virus whose effect is to create Zombies who spread the Pandemic and who drive most of the survivors into urban Keeps. McGuire's assumption that traditional deep-structure news media still barely exist may be hopeful, and her contiguous assumption that social media will take up the investigatory slack may overstate the professionalism of internet sleuths, but her news- and revelation-oriented angle of approach refreshingly justifies both the expository detail of the sequence, and the numerous scoops that stimulate the plotting and her newshound protagonists. Exceedingly close to this sequence in premise is the Parasitology series – comprising to date Parasite (2013), Symbiont (2014) and Chimera (2015) – in which SymboGen tapeworms are installed in human guts in order to fight diseases, but develop sentience, transforming their human hosts into Zombie-like masks over the alien species within (see Parasitism and Symbiosis). The series, told by a "humanized" tapeworm, does not significantly capitalize upon romantic episodes between a kind of Young Adult worm-within and a male human, and may not become a cited Feminist text.
Variations on these basic patterns mark McGuire's later work, though one singleton, Indexing (May 2013 Amazon Look Inside; 2014), interestingly examines, in an Urban Fantasy context, a world in which archetypal figures not only tell us deep truths about our species, but are in fact literally true: and irrupt into the surface world unless constrained. The fluent copiousness of McGuire's talent helps explain the rapid increase of interest in her work; but may also explain its occasional repetitiveness. She is very active in social media [see links below]; some of this work has been assembled as the nonfiction Letters to the Pumpkin King (coll 2014). Her fantasy Every Heart a Doorway (2016) won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award as best novella, and is the first in the Wayward Children series, winner of the Hugo for best series in 2022. Middlegame (2019) also won a Locus Award as best fantasy novel; a later Wayward Children episode, Where the Drowned Girls Go (2021), won a Hugo as best novella. [JC]
see also: Eastercon.
Seanan McGuire
born Martinez, California: 5 January 1978
works
series
October Daye
- Rosemary and Rue: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2010) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Rosemary and Rue: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2010) [coll: prequel story added to the above novel: October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- A Local Habitation: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2010) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- An Artificial Night: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2010) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Late Eclipses: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2011) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- One Salt Sea: An October Daye Novel (New York: DAW Books, 2011) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Ashes of Honor (New York: DAW Books, 2012) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Chimes at Midnight (New York: DAW Books, 2013) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- The Winter Long (New York: DAW Books, 2014) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- A Rose-Red Chain (New York: DAW Books, 2015) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Once Broken Faith (New York: DAW Books, 2016) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- The Brightest Fell (New York: DAW Books, 2017) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- Night and Silence (New York: DAW Books, 2018) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- The Unkindest Tide (New York: DAW Books, 2019) [October Daye: pb/Chris McGrath]
- A Killing Frost (New York: DAW Books, 2020) [October Daye: hb/Chris McGrath]
- When Sorrows Come (New York: DAW Books, 2021) [October Daye: hb/Chris McGrath]
- Be the Serpent (New York: DAW Books, 2022) [October Daye: hb/]
- Sleep No More (New York: DAW Books, 2023) [October Daye: hb/]
- The Innocent Sleep (New York: DAW Books, 2023) [October Daye: hb/]
NewsFlesh
- Feed (New York: Orbit, 2010) as by Mira Grant [NewsFlesh: pb/]
- Deadline (New York: Orbit, 2011) as by Mira Grant [NewsFlesh: pb/]
- Countdown: A NewsFlesh Novella (New York: Orbit, 2011) as by Mira Grant [novella: ebook: NewsFlesh: na/]
- California 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats (New York: Orbit, 2012) as by Mira Grant [novella: ebook: NewsFlesh: na/]
- Blackout (New York: Orbit, 2012) as by Mira Grant [NewsFlesh: pb/Lauren Panepinto]
- The Rising: The Newsflesh Trilogy (New York: Orbit, 2012) as by Mira Grant [omni of Feed, Deadline and Blackout: Newsflesh: pb/]
- How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea (New York: Orbit, 2013) as by Mira Grant [novella: ebook: NewsFlesh: na/]
- Rise: The Complete Newsflesh Collection (New York: Orbit, 2016) as by Mira Grant [coll: NewsFlesh: hb/Lauren Panepinto]
- Feedback (New York: Orbit, 2016) as by Mira Grant [NewsFlesh: hb/]
InCryptid
- Discount Armageddon (New York: DAW Books, 2012) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Midnight Blue-Light Special (New York: DAW Books, 2013) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Half-Off Ragnarok (New York: DAW Books, 2014) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Pocket Apocalypse (New York: DAW Books, 2015) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Chaos Choreography (New York: DAW Books, 2016) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Magic for Nothing (New York: DAW Books, 2017) [InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Tricks for Free (New York: DAW Books, 2018) [InCryptid: pb/Lee Moyer]
- That Ain't Witchcraft (New York: DAW Books, 2019) [coll: InCryptid: pb/Aly Fell]
- Imaginary Numbers (New York: DAW Books, 2020) [coll: InCryptid: pb/Lee Moyer]
- Calculated Risks (New York: DAW Books, 2021) [InCryptid: pb/Lee Moyer]
- Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor's Guide to the Underworld (New York: DAW Books, 2022) [coll: including a prequel novella, "And Sweep Up the Wood ...": InCryptid: pb/Alastair Fell]
- Backpacking Through Bedlam (New York: DAW Books, 2023) [InCryptid: pb/]
- Aftermarket Afterlife (New York: DAW Books, 2024) [InCryptid: pb/]
Velveteen Versus ...
- Velveteen vs The Junior Super Patriots (Deerfield, Illinois: ISFiC Press, 2013) [coll of linked stories: Velveteen Versus ...: hb/Dave Dorman]
- Velveteen vs The Multiverse (Deerfield, Illinois: ISFiC Press, 2013) [coll of linked stories: Velveteen Versus ...: hb/Douglas Klauba]
- Velveteen vs The Seasons (Deerfield, Illinois: ISFiC Press, 2016) [Velveteen Versus ...: hb/Dylan Meconis]
Parasitology
- Parasite (New York: Orbit, 2013) as by Mira Grant [Parasitology: pb/Lauren Panepinto]
- Symbiont (New York: Orbit, 2014) as by Mira Grant [Parasitology: pb/Lauren Panepinto]
- Chimera (New York: Orbit, 2015) as by Mira Grant [Parasitology: pb/Lauren Panepinto]
Indexing
- Indexing (Las Vegas, Nevada: 47North, 2014) [first appeared May 2013 Amazon Look Inside: Indexing: pb/uncredited]
- Reflections (Las Vegas, Nevada: 47North, 2015) [ebook: Indexing: na/]
Ghost Roads
- Sparrow Hill Road (New York: DAW Books, 2014) [fixup: Ghost Roads: pb/Aly Fell]
- The Girl in the Green Silk Gown (New York: DAW Books, 2018) [fixup: Ghost Roads: pb/Amber Whitney]
- Angel of the Overpass (New York: DAW Books, 2021) [Ghost Roads: pb/Amber Whitney]
Rolling in the Deep
- Rolling in the Deep (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2015) as by Mira Grant [novella: Rolling in the Deep: hb/Julie Dillon]
- Into the Drowning Deep (New York: Orbit, 2017) as by Mira Grant [Rolling in the Deep: hb/]
Wayward Children
- Every Heart a Doorway (New York: Tor, 2016) [Wayward Children: hb/Getty Images]
- Down Among the Sticks and Bones (New York: Tor, 2017) [Wayward Children: hb/Getty Images]
- Beneath the Sugar Sky (New York: Tor, 2018) [Wayward Children: hb/Sean Rodwell/Fort]
- Be Sure: Books 1-3 (New York: Tor.com, 2023) [omni of the above three: Wayward Children: hb/]
- In an Absent Dream (New York: Tor, 2019) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
- Come Tumbling Down (New York: Tor, 2020) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
- Across the Green Grass Fields (New York: Tor, 2021) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
- Where the Drowned Girls Go (New York: Tordotcom, 2021) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
- Lost in the Moment and Found (New York: Tordotcom, 2023) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
- Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (New York: Tordotcom, 2024) [Wayward Children: hb/Robert Hunt]
Alchemical Journeys
- Middlegame (New York: Tor.com, 2019) [Alchemical Journeys: hb/Will Staehle]
- Seasonal Fears (New York: Tor.com, 2022) [Alchemical Journeys: hb/Will Staehle]
- Tidal Creatures (New York: Tor.com, 2024) [Alchemical Journeys: hb/]
Up and Over
- Over the Woodward Wall (New York: Tordotcom, 2020) as by A Deborah Baker [Up and Over: hb/David Curtis]
- Along the Saltwise Sea (New York: Tor.com, 2021) as by A Deborah Baker [Up and Over: hb/David Curtis]
- Into the Windwracked Wilds (New York: Tor.com, 2022) as by A Deborah Baker [Up and Over: hb/David Curtis]
individual titles
- Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day (New York: Tor, 2017) [pb/]
- Deadlands: Boneyard (New York: Tor, 2017) [tie to the game: Deadlands: pb/Aaron J Riley]
- Kingdom of Needle and Bone (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2018) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
- In the Shadow of Spindrift House (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2019) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
- Unbreakable (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2023) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
collections and stories
- Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box (New York: Orbit, 2011) [story: ebook: na/]
- When Will You Rise: Stories to End the World (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2012) as by Mira Grant [coll: contains a NewsFlesh story: hb/Lauren K Cannon]
- Final Girls (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2017) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
- Kingdom of Needle and Bone (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2018) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
- Laughter at the Academy (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2019) [coll: hb/Carla McNeil]
- Square3 (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2021) as by Mira Grant [novella: hb/Julie Dillon]
- Apocalypse Scenarios: These Are the Ways the World Ends (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2023) as by Mira Grant [coll: hb/Julie Dillon]
- The Proper Thing and Other Stories (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2024) [coll: hb/Carla McNeil]
nonfiction
- Letters to the Pumpkin King (Framingham, Massachusetts: NESFA Press, 2014) [nonfiction: coll: hb/David Palumbo]
- Declassified: An Official History Of Overwatch (New York: Titan Books, 2023) [nonfiction: tie to the Videogame: hb/]
links
- Seanan McGuire
- Mira Grant
- Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- The Encyclopedia of Fantasy: Faerie; Talking Animals; Urban Fantasy.
- Picture Gallery
previous versions of this entry