Tuesday 17 October 2017

Review: The Fixed Stars - Seanan McGuire

Long, long ago, when the worlds of Faerie and Man had not yet fully separated, a battle was fought to determine the shapes those two worlds would take. Firstborn against merlin; strongest against least. And between those two stood Antigone of Albany, who would later be known as the Luidaeg, and whose loyalty would inevitably sway the fortunes of war...

There was a time when things were different. This is the story of the battlefield where it all began to change.

"The Fixed Stars" was originally published in the anthology Shattered Shields, released in November 2014. Copies are available from a bookstore near you.

Can also be read for free on the Baen website here

October Daye Series:
In Little Stars (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Rosemary and Rue
A Local Habitation
An Artificial Night
Late Eclipses
Through This House (Short story in the Home Improvement: Undead Edition anthology)
One Salt Sea
In Sea-Salt Tears (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Ashes of Honor
Rat-Catcher (Free short story available on the Lightspeed Magazine website)
No Sooner Met (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Chimes at Midnight
Never Shines the Sun (Short story included in the print version of Chimes at Midnight)
Forbid the Sea (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Stage of Fools (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Voice of Lions (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Act of Hares (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Instruments of Darkness (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
With Honest Trifles (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
In Deepest Consequence (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Jealous in Honor (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Quick in Quarrel (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Winter Long
Heaps of Pearl (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Shore to Shore (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Write in Water (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Live in Brass (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Ambitious Ocean (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
And Thrice Again (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Fixed Stars (Free short story available on the Baen website)
A Red-Rose Chain
Full of Briars (Short story)
Once Broken Faith
Dreams and Slumbers (Short story included in Once Broken Faith)
The Brightest Fell
These Antique Fables (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Of Things Unknown (Short story included in The Brightest Fell)
Night and Silence
Suffer a Sea-Change (Short story included in Night and Silence)
The Unkindest Tide
Hope is Swift (Short story included in The Unkindest Tide)

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
The Fixed Stars is a Luidaeg short story that was initially published in the Shattered Shields anthology and is also currently available to read on the Baen website here. Set in 572 I believe it's actually the earliest story set in this world but I think you'll appreciate it more when you're familiar with the Luidaeg's character so I wouldn't recommend reading it as a prequel.

This is the story of a battle between the Firstborn and their distant relatives the merlin, it's an important battle that helped to shape the way faerie and the mortal world interact throughout history and into the present. I'm not 100% sure how it all ties together but I definitely think Seanan McGuire is leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that will all start to make sense as the main series continues to unfold.

Either way it was interesting to see another side to the sea witch, especially the interactions between her and Blind Michael. I also love the way she manages to use her curses (like never being able to tell a lie) to her own advantage. We've already seen how tricky the Luidaeg can be but this proves that she is the only one of the Firstborn to see the full picture about certain things and shows that she is willing to make difficult decisions for the greater good.

Source: Read for free on theBaen website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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