It's review roundup time! The time where the points are made up and the prizes don't matter. Today's reviews are all blasts from the deep past, beginning with...

From 2012, Fangs For the Fantasy has posted a good, thorough review of An Artificial Night, and says, "Relatedly, Toby is a much stronger, more active participant in this book. She isn't being constantly injured and recovering (though she is injured) nor is she flailing around without seeming to know what to do next and letting events happen. She's more active, she’s leading the plot, she's directing the plot and she's resolving the plot very much on her terms." There's also some excellent, spot-on commentary about diversity in the cast as of this point in the series.

From 2011, SFFWorld has posted an excellent, if spoiler-heavy review of Deadline. Not recommended unless you've read Feed. The review says, "The Newsflesh Trilogy is turning into one of my favorite SF stories and one that is continuing to surprise me&mdsp;up until the very end of Deadline. This second installment raises the stakes considerably and brings new players into the game, while maintaining the blistering pace of Feed, its predecessor. I can’t say enough good things about this novel, which has made the concluding volume Blackout, quite possibly my most anticipated novel publishing in 2012." Yay!

From 2012, Cannonball Read has posted a review of Late Eclipses, and says, "While I’ve enjoyed the previous three October Daye books, and especially admired the world building, this is the first one I actually had trouble putting down." Neat!

Also from 2012, Cannonball Read has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and recommends you not start at this point in the series. I love this sort of recommendation.

Finally (for now), from 2012, Fangs For the Fantasy has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "All in all, this book got so much right. The balance between emotion and plot, the pacing, the main character and the rich, amazing world that it not only continued a great series in the same line but took it a step higher as well. I loved this book and am eager to read the second one&mbspthis series is heartily recommended." I'm assuming "second" means "next." She also fairly called me out on "crazy" as shorthand in the early Toby books, and I've tried to unpack more about what's actually going on with fae biology and behavior because of critiques like this one.

You may have noticed that all these reviews are old, and that newer reviews are getting rare. There's a reason for that. Whether I'm more secure (I don't feel like I am), more exhausted (I do feel like I am), or whether more bloggers have just moved to Goodreads and Amazon, I don't pull as many review links as I used to. That may change when I finish clearing the backlog, or I may decide that this ship's time has sailed.

We shall see.

I'll be honest here: I haven't been capturing most reviews of late, because the urge to read reviews has declined dramatically over the last six months or so. This may have something to do with the fact that I have at least a hundred unposted, and I'd like to be able to fit my links-in-waiting on a single screen before I die. So I'm hoping that, by doing a few solid roundups, I can get my groove back. This is the first.

My Friend Amy's Blog has posted a review of Deadline, written before the release of Blackout. There are no good pull quotes, although it's a very thoughtful review; there are Feed spoilers and comparisons throughout.

Want Some has posted a review of Feed, and says, " Tl;dr: Not your average zombie fare, highly recommended, part 1 in the Newsflesh Trilogy." I kinda admire the brevity.

Errant Dreams has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "All in all, I found One Salt Sea to be another solid addition to the October Daye series. Its slower emotional pacing (because of the similar kidnapping plot) gave me a chance to sit back and watch changes being played out without the entire combination being too overwhelming." And this is why sometimes, types of case repeat.

Happy Booker has posted a review of Feed, and says, " My masochistic heart can do nothing but rate this book a full 5 stars. I have to commend Mira Grant on how she managed to create such a compelling story and include zombies (which I don't even like btw) and introduce me to these amazing characters that I have no choice but to fall completely in love with and then, without warning, take it all away. I can almost picture the sadistic smile on this author's face as she gleefully ripped my heart out, stomped on it, then poked it a few times with Shaun's zombie stick, leaving me a broken, sobbing mess. Nice, Mira Grant, very nice." Yay!

Finally for today, Morgan and Whitney have dished on Discount Armageddon. Lots of fun, some great points; I recommend taking a look.

Next, the weather.

Reflections of an Emo Mom has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "The world makes sense. The divisions and alliances make sense. The relationships between various fae breeds (and changelings) are believable. Her characters have depth, they have motive and they have history behind them to explain their actions. She takes her time telling Toby's story - it moves along at just the right pace to keep you hooked. And you can't always guess where she's going (which I frankly love), but when she takes you there you know its the only place the story could have gone. Know what I mean? It's just one of the best UF series out there. So get out and buy it. This series should be on your shelves!" I love making sense!

Book Banter has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "McGuire has a lot of fun with One Salt Sea, exploring her protagonist a little more and how Toby is really dealing with everything that's happened to her, as well as finishing up some storylines and revealing some great origin stories for the world of fae. Fans of the series will be completely swept up with this fifth book, hooked to the very end where they get some answers and finally enjoy that satisfied feeling that not many books deliver this well." I really did have a lot of fun with this book. This is 100% true.

Medieval Bookworm has done a splendid overview of the Toby series, which leaves few good pull quotes, but a lot of lovely, lovely text. I am well pleased.

Janicu has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "The way these books build upon each other is extremely gratifying and long running story arcs are cleverly integrated with each self contained mystery. I should probably also mention that there’s plenty of wry humor, a cast of three dimensional side characters that grows as the series progresses, and wonderful world-building. I am so addicted." Hooray!

Book Spot Central has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "A little outside of the ordinary paranormal investigator, Toby Daye is fun to follow around with her hang-ups, her insecurities, her competencies, and her motley adopted family. Out of the many female investigators of varying sorts and styles out there in urban fantasyland, Toby feels very much to me like the girl you would see in the neighborhood store, or the one you see on a regular basis stopping in at the coffee shop. She seems like real people. I like that." Yay!

And now, a word from our sponsor:

I've received a few emails recently asking, in essence, why I haven't linked to "review X." There are a lot of answers to this, but the most simple is that I have less time than I used to, and hence review roundups are rarer and honestly less essential. I mean, Jiminey Christmas, this is a review roundup focusing on a book that came out last fall: by this point, I've either got you or I've lost you, for the most part. I don't have as many Google spiders as I used to, and the roundups are a little pickier. And I don't link negative reviews unless they raise really interesting discussion points that I feel we can talk about without attacking the reviewer. So...I guess I haven't linked to any given review because I haven't linked to it. I may eventually. I may not. Who knows?

Not me!

I'm still sick (but getting better), and so, in order to keep myself from dwelling on the frailty of the flesh, here is a review roundup. Yay.

Yeti Stomper has put me on notice with great aplomb. I am honored and afraid. And also amused.

Broad Universe has posted a review of Late Eclipses, and says, "This is an exciting book for fans of Seanan McGuire and the October Daye series. It hints at so much more to come and I can't wait to find out what's next." There's an interview with me attached to the review. Bonus!

The Word Zombie has posted a review of Deadline, and says, "With Feed, Mira Grant established herself as a major new voice in zombie fiction. With Deadline, she proves that 'zombie' is a superfluous addition to that accolade. Without the subtlety of her storytelling, the layers of conspiracy at the heart of this book would have ripped apart like so many sheets of rice paper. Instead, she parceled out the story with the literary timing of Stephen King at his best, while managing to do what King has suffered with so much in recent years—tying the story together in the end and leaving the reader with an emotional punch akin to being hit in the chest with a Taser." ...wow.

Apex has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "This seamless expansion of the fae world in and around the story being told is one of my favorite things about McGuire's writings. She is a master at informing the reader without the dreaded info dump. One Salt Sea is a worthy addition to the marvelous October Daye series and one I will happily reread again." There's also an interview after the review. Yay!

Rie has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says, "I really enjoyed Rosemary and Rue, though it took me a bit to get a handle on the new style after reading some of Seanan's other work first. It was an entirely new pacing and flow, and the switch was not an automatic one. I don't want to imply that the plot is slow moving—it isn't, it's a rich, complex plot that has an appropriate pace for its style and genre—it just wasn't as non-stop action as Mira's Feed." Since this is something I worry about a lot, this is reassuring to hear.

...and that is all for today. I'm tired, and need a nap.

Tired cat is tired. Have some links in lieu of actual content.

Hey, what's that at #8 on the Barnes and Noble Book Club list of the best paranormal fantasy releases of 2011? Is it Late Eclipses? Why yes, I do believe that it is.

And what's that at #19 on Ranting Dragon's best fantasy releases of 2011? Is it Deadline? Again, yes, I do believe that it is. Both my personalities get the love!

Meanwhile, over at Chicks With Crossbows, there's some Tybalt-hunting funny business going on. Now, I don't know whether I'd go looking for Tybalt, since if I found him, I might also find Toby, and she might be annoyed about me bothering her resident Cait Sidhe monarch, but I'm glad someone took the risk! Totally hysterical.

Oh, and also, what's that appearing on both best of 2011 lists? Toby books and Newsflesh books, oh, my!

And those are today's links. Real content later.

Some of you ask me why I don't write many Toby songs. It's because they are, innately, rife with spoilers. This is a song I wrote about certain events in One Salt Sea.

( Lyrics, and hence spoilers, behind this cut. )

The first weekend in October was my fifth Toby-related book event at San Francisco's Borderlands Books, home of naked cats, tolerant employees, and, every six months or so, the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show. We've appeared in other locations, but Borderlands is the one we keep going back to; Borderlands is the home base for this particular flavor of insanity. Why? Because we like them.

Normally, I try to be a little prompter with my write-ups of the parties and their aftermath, but let's face it here: I have been a little busy. Anyway, we started super-early on Saturday, since we all had to rehearse if we wanted to not suck. Rehearsal took place in Kate's basement, and featured the day's entire planned slate of musicians. Many things happened. Many of them were lovely. And then we all piled into a variety of cars and drove to San Francisco, hence to Make Things Go. The bookstore is used to us by this point, and no one batted an eye as we invaded the office, turned it into a green room, and began trashing the place like the good little circus that we are.

Jeff set up the sound system, which is both little and awesome, while Jude got the house in order, Mia set up with the pendants in her corner, and Shawn took over maintenance of the raffle table. I got cupcakes and candy set up (the important things), and we got that party started.

As always, the festivities were divided between music, Q&A, baked goods, and drawing prizes in our raffle. The questions were new and different, the raffle prizes were an awesome mix of standard and surprising (including some special additions by the bookstore, which made things even more spectacular), the cupcakes (from Cups and Cakes Bakery) were delicious, and the music was rocking. The set lists:

SET ONE:

1. "Let's Get the Monkeys to Do It." Paul Kwinn, lead vocals, guitar; Jeff Bohnhoff, guitar; Maya Bohnhoff, Michelle "Vixy" Dockrey, backing vocals; Betsy Tinney, cello; Beckett Gladney, harmonica.
2. "Caledonia." Paul, lead vocals, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.
3. "When I Go." Paul, lead vocals, guitar; Beckett, harmonica.
4. "The Dark Man." Paul, lead vocals, guitar; Jeff, guitar; Maya, backing vocals; Seanan McGuire, backing vocals; Betsy, cello.
5. "Where the Magic is Real." Paul, lead vocals, guitar; Maya, Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar.
6. "My Story is Not Done." Seanan, lead vocals; Paul, guitar; Betsy, cello; Beckett, harmonica; everyone in the store, backing vocals.

SET TWO:

1. "I Am the Walmart." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar; Betsy, cello.
2. "Dairy Queen." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar.
3. "Dance in the Darkness." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar.
4. "Wil's Song." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar.
5. "Turn the Page." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar; Paul, guitar; Beckett, harmonica.
6. "Get Off Of My Lawn." Maya, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Jeff, guitar; Betsy, cello.

SET THREE:

1. "Still Catch the Tide." Seanan, lead vocals; Vixy, backing vocals; Tony Fabris, guitar; Betsy, cello.
2. "Eight-Legged Blues." Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar; Beckett, harmonica; Paul, percussion.
3. "We Can Be Anything." Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar; Betsy, cello.
4. "Six String Love." Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar.
5. "Build That Wall/Setting Sail, Coming Home (medley)." Vixy, vocals; Maya, backing vocals; Tony, guitar; Betsy, cello.
6. "The Ocean." Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar.
7. "Got To Fly." Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar.
8. "Wicked Girls." Seanan, Vixy, vocals; Tony, guitar; Betsy, cello.

"The Dark Man" and "Where the Magic is Real" are on the first Puzzlebox album, Assembly Required.
"Caledonia" is on Dougie MacLean's album Craigie Dhu.
"When I Go" is on Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar's album, When I Go.
"Six String Love" is on Vixy and Tony's first album, Thirteen.
"Dance in the Darkness" and "Turn the Page" are on Jeff and Maya's second album, Manhattan Sleeps.
"I Am the Walmart" and "Wil's Song" are on Jeff and Maya's fifth album, Grated Hits.
"Build That Wall/Setting Sail, Coming Home (medley)" are on the Bastion Original Soundtrack.
"The Ocean" is on Dar Williams's album, Mortal City.
"Got to Fly" is on Marian Call's second album, Got to Fly.
"Still Catch the Tide" is on Seanan's second album, Stars Fall Home, and on Talis Kimberley's recent live album, By Request at Duckon.
"My Story is Not Done" and "Wicked Girls" are on Seanan's fourth album, Wicked Girls.

A good time was had by all, and the cupcakes lasted almost fifteen minutes this time, because we finally ordered enough. We're already making plans and getting our ducks in row for the next time that the Circus comes to town. And if you're curious, or want to see some pictures, you can check out Beckett's fantastic (and more timely) writeup of the event.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and to everyone who didn't...see you next time!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you tomorrow's...

PARTY SCHEDULE!

4:00 PM: Setup, sound check, and final details. You can show up, but we may ignore you if you do. Sorry about that.
5:00 PM: Welcome to our party. We're done ignoring you now.
5:15 PM: Would you like some music?
5:55 PM: Perhaps you would like to win things.
6:00 PM: Now there will be cupcakes and autographing.
6:30 PM: More music?
7:10 PM: More prizes?
7:15 PM: Toby Daye Q&A and book discussion.
7:45 PM: Last music of the night.
8:25 PM: Let's raffle some more stuff off.
8:30 PM: Assuming people are not too busy buying books and eating cupcakes, I will read something. No, really.
9:00 PM: Last raffle drawing of the night and we close the evening.

This iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be in the bookstore proper; the cafe will be open throughout the evening, and they've promised to have plenty of bread and delicious pastry this time. Raffle tickets will be available through the two standard methods: show up, or buy something from the bookstore.

All performing musicians will have CDs for sale, because we're predictable like that. Mia will be there with pendants for sale, and they are gorgeous. There will be cupcakes and candy provided as part of the party, and a whole cafe full of delicious things to purchase and enjoy.

It's gonna be a good night. Hope to see you there.

Review time, because I need to reclaim my browser from the deadly tab proliferation! Seriously, it's interfering with my attempt to check the Monster High fan sites for news. These tabs need to go. And so...

The Discriminating Fangirl has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "I'm a huge fan of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, and I think it's hands-down the best urban fantasy series out right now. It's funny and clever and exciting, and the characters are so rich and understandable, even the ones you're not supposed to sympathize with. One Salt Sea, the fifth book in the series, is even better than its four predecessors, something that's pretty rare in series. Usually things start to go downhill around book five, but McGuire keeps knocking them out of the park."

Wow.

Travels Through Iest has also reviewed One Salt Sea, and says, "With One Salt Sea, Toby has climbed to the top of the heap and is seriously challenging Jim Butcher's wise cracking wizard Harry Dresden for the title of best Urban Fantasy protagonist ever!"

Double wow.

Reflections on Reading Romance has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "The book is a heart pounding adventure, as McGuire skillfully maintains the tension throughout the novel with non-stop action." Woo!

That's what I have for right now—I want to do a single-book roundup for once—but it's pretty high-quality, so I don't mind the lack of quantity. Remember, Borderlands Books in San Francisco is always ready to hook you up with signed copies, and most chain bookstores should have restocked by now.

Whee, that post release cleanup continues.

Three days past the release of One Salt Sea, and everything's still a little damp around here. That's probably going to be true for a while. Anyway, the reviews are starting to come in, and I thought it might be nice to share them. Take a deep breath...

The incredible Cat Faber (catsittingstill) actually wrote her review of One Salt Sea in song form, which is usually the sort of thing I do to people, not the sort of thing that I have done to me. There's an MP3 and everything, and it's incredible. You should go and listen. Seriously.

Kenda at Lurv ala Mode has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "Geeze, how do you keep doing reviews for a series that consistently gets better and better? The books are anything but the same ole this and that, but it makes it progressively harder to pimp the things. Yes, this one was so fracking good—like the last one. Yes, it engaged me emotionally and made me cry—like the last one. YES, IT WAS AWESOME, OKAY? How often do I have to say it? Every time, apparently."

...right, I win at review. Let's all have ice cream. (She also says, "This series is a testament to just how deeply one can—and likes—to be drawn down, deep into a book." Seriously, I win.)

Kelly at Fantasy Literature also posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "One Salt Sea is the best October Daye book to date; everything that's great about the series comes together in one book. The plot is strong, the characterization is terrific, the tragedies hurt, a few things that were confusing are explained here, and McGuire's usual beautiful writing and dark humor are present and accounted for. This has become one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and I can't wait to find out what happens next." Yay!

Something to Muse About has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "This series just keeps getting better with each book. Now we must deal with the grueling wait for Ashes of Honor." Short, sweet, and awesome.

Finally (for now) is a post that's half Feed review and half Wicked Girls review and generally just lovely. This Just In: Seanan McGuire is Awesome. Because how could I resist a title like that?

Now grab a towel and dry yourselves off. The waters are still rising.