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"It's been fifty years since the crossroads caused the disappearance of Thomas Price and his wife, Alice, has been trying to find him and bring him home ever since, despite the increasing probability that he's no longer alive for her to find. Now that the crossroads have been destroyed, she's redoubling her efforts. It's time to bring him home, dead or alive."--Tags
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This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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If Thomas is there, if he’s still alive and waiting for me to find him, I can’t make him wait because I’m finally stopping to worry about my own neck. My neck doesn’t matter. My neck made a lot of choices, and none of them said ‘hey, it would be fun to survive a long, long time.’
WHAT'S SPELUNKING THROUGH HELL ABOUT?
Alice Price—grandmother to the primary protagonists of this series—has spent the last fifty years jumping from one dimensional reality to another, seeking her husband who has been taken from her as part of the deal he made with the crossroads. Alice has sacrificed just about everything—her health, almost every waking moment, her children's childhoods, show more and her relationship with them, for starters.
Now, given some information Annie was given as she defeated the crossroads recently, Alice knows that the clock is running out, she's going to have to take some risky and dramatic moves in a last-ditch effort to bring her husband home. Assuming she can find him, that he's still alive, and interested in coming home, that is.
Alice calls in markers, gets help from several allies, and takes some big—possibly fatal—risks to follow her last theory about where to look.
Hopefully, it's worth it.
QUO VADIMUS
The first five books in the series, while interconnected, felt very stand-aloneish. Then we got Annie trilogy—which started out as something in the same vein, but then shifted into something else, something else that ended up informing this book—and then we had the pretty intense duology about Sarah. Now we have this one, which feels stand-aloneish again, but is also the consummation of things that go back to the beginning.
That's how the series struck me as I read it, anyway—although between what McGuire has said and a little bit of thinking I've done in the last day or so, maybe it's not the best way to think of things—easier to say from this vantage point. At any rate, this book sure feels like a turning point in the InCryptid series.
So where does the series go from here? Well, it can go back to the whole Covenant of St. George vs. the Prices (and all Cryptids in North America) conflict. Maybe touching base with things in Australia, along the way? It'd be nice if we saw Alex and Shelby again. Maybe there's more fallout from Annie's Crossroads takedown or Sarah's adventures to deal with, too. Or something that seems out-of-nowhere but that McGuire's been planting seeds for since at least the second book—I put nothing past her.
I realize it's silly to speculate, but when a book is where a series has been heading for a while, it invites theories about where the series might be going next. Knowing McGuire, the answers are somewhere online already, but I'm going to wait until Book 12 to see.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SPELUNKING THROUGH HELL?
The last couple of books just didn't do as much for me as the earlier books in the series did, I was so glad to get back to the previous levels here (sorry, Sarah!). There's just so much to commend about this book, and so little to complain about. There was at least one point in the book that was a "Eureka!" moment for me—I couldn't believe McGuire had tied X into this book. Thirty seconds or so after I got that surprise, I realized I should've been expecting it. I'm glad I hadn't taken the time to think about things so that I would expect it, it's more fun to get the Eureka.
Alice shares the same quippy attitude as her grandchildren, the same stubborn streak and aptitude for violence—which isn't that surprising, really, where did I think the kids got it? Still, as has been the case for the other four narrators in the series, while there's a family resemblance, there are individual distinctives so that you don't confuse her with the previous narrators.
Inside the crunchy candy shell of quips, magic, trans-dimensional travel, and people fighting for their survival, there's a chewy center of a very sweet love story. I have no problem with the crunch shell, but like with a Tootsie Pop, the center is what makes it all worth it. The dénouement may be better, however—I know I didn't get through it with dry eyes.
This is not the book to jump into this series with. Yeah, I've said it feels like a stand-alone, which seems like it'd serve as a jumping-on point, but it's really not. Go back at least to Magic for Nothing, but you'd be best served going back to Discount Armageddon. Just know that when you start (and you really should if you haven't yet) at one of those points, you're in for a heckuva ride when you get to this book. show less
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If Thomas is there, if he’s still alive and waiting for me to find him, I can’t make him wait because I’m finally stopping to worry about my own neck. My neck doesn’t matter. My neck made a lot of choices, and none of them said ‘hey, it would be fun to survive a long, long time.’
WHAT'S SPELUNKING THROUGH HELL ABOUT?
Alice Price—grandmother to the primary protagonists of this series—has spent the last fifty years jumping from one dimensional reality to another, seeking her husband who has been taken from her as part of the deal he made with the crossroads. Alice has sacrificed just about everything—her health, almost every waking moment, her children's childhoods, show more and her relationship with them, for starters.
Now, given some information Annie was given as she defeated the crossroads recently, Alice knows that the clock is running out, she's going to have to take some risky and dramatic moves in a last-ditch effort to bring her husband home. Assuming she can find him, that he's still alive, and interested in coming home, that is.
Alice calls in markers, gets help from several allies, and takes some big—possibly fatal—risks to follow her last theory about where to look.
Hopefully, it's worth it.
QUO VADIMUS
The first five books in the series, while interconnected, felt very stand-aloneish. Then we got Annie trilogy—which started out as something in the same vein, but then shifted into something else, something else that ended up informing this book—and then we had the pretty intense duology about Sarah. Now we have this one, which feels stand-aloneish again, but is also the consummation of things that go back to the beginning.
That's how the series struck me as I read it, anyway—although between what McGuire has said and a little bit of thinking I've done in the last day or so, maybe it's not the best way to think of things—easier to say from this vantage point. At any rate, this book sure feels like a turning point in the InCryptid series.
So where does the series go from here? Well, it can go back to the whole Covenant of St. George vs. the Prices (and all Cryptids in North America) conflict. Maybe touching base with things in Australia, along the way? It'd be nice if we saw Alex and Shelby again. Maybe there's more fallout from Annie's Crossroads takedown or Sarah's adventures to deal with, too. Or something that seems out-of-nowhere but that McGuire's been planting seeds for since at least the second book—I put nothing past her.
I realize it's silly to speculate, but when a book is where a series has been heading for a while, it invites theories about where the series might be going next. Knowing McGuire, the answers are somewhere online already, but I'm going to wait until Book 12 to see.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SPELUNKING THROUGH HELL?
The last couple of books just didn't do as much for me as the earlier books in the series did, I was so glad to get back to the previous levels here (sorry, Sarah!). There's just so much to commend about this book, and so little to complain about. There was at least one point in the book that was a "Eureka!" moment for me—I couldn't believe McGuire had tied X into this book. Thirty seconds or so after I got that surprise, I realized I should've been expecting it. I'm glad I hadn't taken the time to think about things so that I would expect it, it's more fun to get the Eureka.
Alice shares the same quippy attitude as her grandchildren, the same stubborn streak and aptitude for violence—which isn't that surprising, really, where did I think the kids got it? Still, as has been the case for the other four narrators in the series, while there's a family resemblance, there are individual distinctives so that you don't confuse her with the previous narrators.
Inside the crunchy candy shell of quips, magic, trans-dimensional travel, and people fighting for their survival, there's a chewy center of a very sweet love story. I have no problem with the crunch shell, but like with a Tootsie Pop, the center is what makes it all worth it. The dénouement may be better, however—I know I didn't get through it with dry eyes.
This is not the book to jump into this series with. Yeah, I've said it feels like a stand-alone, which seems like it'd serve as a jumping-on point, but it's really not. Go back at least to Magic for Nothing, but you'd be best served going back to Discount Armageddon. Just know that when you start (and you really should if you haven't yet) at one of those points, you're in for a heckuva ride when you get to this book. show less
So exciting to finally get the rest of Alice's story (and Thomas's story) after we last saw them in the 1950s. This fills in a lot of the missing pieces, but it's also a good story in its own right. I'm really happy with the ending and what this could mean for the Healy/Price family.
Alice Price-Healy has been looking for her husband, Thomas, for fifty years, helped by her old friend Naga, and to the detriment of her family relationships. Pregnant when he disappeared, she dumped the kids on a friend as soon as she was recovered from the birth and headed off into the unknown. Now the Crossroads are dead, and her granddaughter Annie has told her that Thomas isn't dead (or at least that the Crossroads didn't kill him), so she strikes out in a new direction. Alice is smart and snarky and competent but her single-mindedness sometimes trips her up. She has good friends. Bonus novella in the back. Really enjoyed this.
I love the Incryptid series. I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm delighted at the story arc and the new characters. I don't want to spoil anything. I do think it could use some editing -- it feels a little like the recent Ghost Roads series, where we get a constant repetition of how Alice is a badass because she is a Price-Healy. I love the moments where she proves that, but we don't necessarily need to hear her credentials every other chapter. The introduction of Ithaca is brilliant, and I really hope this is the beginning of a new set of stories, rather than the beginning of a wrap-up of an amazingly imaginative world. I also appreciated (as usual) the adjacent short story. Great fun! So glad to be with these characters at show more last.
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss -- my comments are on an unpublished manuscript, yo, so don't take them as gospel. show less
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss -- my comments are on an unpublished manuscript, yo, so don't take them as gospel. show less
Seanan says in the intro that this is the book she meant to write, and the whole Incryptid series is just leading up to it… Alice has been manipulated by those she thought were allies, but Price-Healy luck reveals part of the trick and she works out the rest with appropriate help. The misunderstandings in the pocket dimension are amusing and completely appropriate. And happy-ish ending...which isn't an ending, thank goodness. More please!
Series Info/Source: This is the 11th book in the InCryptid series. I got a copy of this to review as an eGalley from NetGalley.
Thoughts: This was an amazing continuation of this series. I loved finally getting Alice's story and background. This was really, really well done.
This book actually takes place in current time but there is a novella that goes back into Alice's past included after the main book as well. We get to join Alice on her journey through different dimensions as she gets closer and closer to finding her husband Thomas (after 50 years of searching).
I loved the different dimensions we journey through, they were very intriguing and creative. I also loved the fast pace and all of the action here. Alice is one tough cookie show more and watching the way she couples pure toughness, magic, and training was fun. I also loved how this whole story ties in with the larger story that is woven throughout this series involving the crossroads…. Oh, and there are Aeslin mice aplenty, you have to love the mice!
The novella included at the end was an excellent read as well. We get a lot more background on Alice and Thomas’s past in that and it was a wonderful read.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I think this was the best Incryptid book that I have read in quite some time. I really, really loved the dimensional traveling and getting to spend time with the legendary, kick-butt Alice. This was an incredibly fun read and tied many things from earlier books in the series together beautifully. I think you could read this as a stand alone and enjoy it, but you will enjoy it so much more if you have read the previous novels as well! So much fun :-) show less
Thoughts: This was an amazing continuation of this series. I loved finally getting Alice's story and background. This was really, really well done.
This book actually takes place in current time but there is a novella that goes back into Alice's past included after the main book as well. We get to join Alice on her journey through different dimensions as she gets closer and closer to finding her husband Thomas (after 50 years of searching).
I loved the different dimensions we journey through, they were very intriguing and creative. I also loved the fast pace and all of the action here. Alice is one tough cookie show more and watching the way she couples pure toughness, magic, and training was fun. I also loved how this whole story ties in with the larger story that is woven throughout this series involving the crossroads…. Oh, and there are Aeslin mice aplenty, you have to love the mice!
The novella included at the end was an excellent read as well. We get a lot more background on Alice and Thomas’s past in that and it was a wonderful read.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I think this was the best Incryptid book that I have read in quite some time. I really, really loved the dimensional traveling and getting to spend time with the legendary, kick-butt Alice. This was an incredibly fun read and tied many things from earlier books in the series together beautifully. I think you could read this as a stand alone and enjoy it, but you will enjoy it so much more if you have read the previous novels as well! So much fun :-) show less
Alice has been hunting through a lot of worlds to find her husband who was taken by the crossroads and now that the crossroads have been defeated she has more hope that she might be able to find him. She's been through a lot to try to find him and those that she thought were allies have their own plans. She has sacrificed so much to try to find her husband and as time goes on she has to worry about the fact that she might not have long with him, but she is determined to win and her determination will get her places.
I liked this one, it took me by surprise a few times and I was kept guessing through the story. Interesting and a good addition to the series.
I liked this one, it took me by surprise a few times and I was kept guessing through the story. Interesting and a good addition to the series.
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- Canonical title
- Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor's Guide to the Underworld
- Original publication date
- 2022-03-01
- People/Characters
- Alice Healy-Price; Cynthia [InCryptid]; Naga [InCryptid]; Thomas Price [InCryptid]; Mary Dunlavy; Jonathan Healy (show all 7); Sally Henderson
- Important places
- Buckley Township, Michigan, USA; Lemure; Empusa; Cornale
- Dedication
- For Kory. Buckley owes you a lot more than we ever could have realized.
And for Tyvar, for being a true source of joy in a dark time. - First words
- [Prologue] The old Parrish place—so called because the man who'd built it, Theodore Parrish, had committed the unforgivable but extremely memorable crime of killing his entire family with an ax as a sacrifice to a horrible ... (show all)swamp god who thankfully seemed to have existed only in his imagination—was never entirely quiet.
[Chapter 1] Normal people aren't supposed to rip holes in the membrane that separates dimensions. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)That was just about the best thing in all the worlds in all the dimensions there are.
- Publisher's editor
- Gilbert, Sheila E.
- Original language
- English
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- 290
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- 110,273
- Reviews
- 12
- Rating
- (4.04)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
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- 3
