Through Gates of Garnet and Gold

When hungry ghosts start killing the living statues in the Halls of the Dead, a former resident of the home for wayward children comes back to ask for help. This was okay—not as much repetition as I’ve come to expect, though somewhat less of a propulsive plot as well.

I don't really like the quest books as much as the Door World books in this series, and this one is no exception. It's a bit didactic about people having different motivations and important things, but the series is usually a bit didactic. Nonsense girl made of sugar and chocolate says to the girl from a land of poetry "we're different genres".

This one is about living and dying, too, and goes into a lot more detail about the Halls of the Dead where Nancy has been a living statue. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the new details about how the living statue thing works. Like it tried to explain too much, when it was better left vague? But all those new details were relevant to the plot.

It looks like the story arcs for Nancy and Jill show more aren't ready to be closed yet. show less

After finding her door again to the Halls of the Dead, Nancy never thought that something would cause her to leave. She was sure. And for many years, she stood still as a statue and lived, but something has upset the dead and they're killing the living. Nancy flees through her door and, once again, winds up at Eleanor West's where she enlists her friends on a quest to help her find out what is happening in the Hall of the Dead.

I had not read the last few books of this series. I had started to, but sometimes there are things that I find difficult to read when it comes to children and sometimes these books border on a melancholy tone that's difficult for me.

When I learned that Nancy was going to be back, I knew without a doubt I would show more pick this one up. That's a lot of what I love about this series, the fact that you can put it down, pick it up, skip, go back, and you'll still find the story.

I loved that Nancy's story wasn't finished and with that we got to see a lot of those OG characters that were in the first book that started it all. Of course as you read, you'll know that's more true than you initially think. So it was definitely nice to be back. I also got a feeling like we may be heading towards wrapping up the series. Taking things back to the beginning and those characters brings to the forefront that there are ones that still need their stories/doors told, but with that I feel could come a natural conclusion to the series. I guess time will tell because on the opposite side of that there technically could be unlimited stories to tell due to the fact that the doors themselves seem to be infinite.

Really the best thing is the audiobook narration. Giving each character their own distinct voice made it easy to discern dialogue, but there's also a vulnerability that comes through. I think that it was performed really well. It's also a rather quick read/listen which I find a nice change of pace from the larger tomes out there.

I always marvel at Seanan McGuire's ability to craft such a full-fledged story in a novella form. So much is conveyed in so few pages and the descriptions of the Hall of the Dead with the stark contrast of black and white was, in my mind, stunning. And with a seemingly infinite number of doors, she's very concise in how she focuses on one world at a time. Really all this is to say that even if you haven't picked up this series or, like me, you haven't read all of them, you will have no trouble finding your place within the story. show less

I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the series, and I love the characters, but I'm not sure I feel like the plot lived up to the potential. The basic idea, that the dead are killing the living statues and Nancy has to return to the school to get help, is a good one. I liked how it started, and I liked the addition of Talia as a new focus character. (I feel it was also appropriate to have members of the school notice that the ones in the questing group were the ones who got to find their Doors again.) But at some point shortly after the reveal of who the bad guy was I started to get dissatisfied with the way the plot was moving. I think a big part of that was seeing the Lord and Lady of the Dead behave more like people and less show more like the god-like figures that Nancy knew them as. The motivation behind the restless dead killing people didn't help either.

I was a bit dissatisfied with the final third of the book as mentioned above, but I really wasn't fond of the ending. Specifically the "six months later" part. It feels too open and too ambiguous, and too much like it's thrown in there as a teaser and possible cliffhanger, and not like it was any part of the book we just read. I think I would have liked the book better without it.

My hope, though, is that the next book we get (an even-numbered one, so a portal world book if the pattern holds) will take us to Talia's land of moths.

Spoilers follow here for the bad guy.

First off, I think that most people can guess based on the book's setting and description as to who the bad guy turns out to be in this book. I was not surprised at all to see that Jill was the reason the restless dead were on a killing spree. At this point, since she has been the villain in, what, three of the books? I think it's safe to say that she's the main series villain and that we'll see her again in the final installment of the series whenever that happens to be. I'm not thrilled about that, honestly. I liked Jill as part of Jack-and-Jill and their battle for the Moors. But we've played that story out a couple of times now, and I'm tired of it. Jack is still a favorite character, but I want her to have her happy ending and not get dragged into yet another confrontation with her sister. I hope I'm wrong, but... well. Only time will tell. show less

Pros: interesting world-building, beautiful prose

Cons:

The book picks up a few months in our world after the events of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known. Nancy, living in the Halls of the Dead, where time passes slower, is forced to flee when the hungry ghosts start killing her fellow living statues. She asks her former classmates at Miss Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children for aid, and though it’s against the school’s rules, they embark on another quest.

The book has a beautiful lyricism to it. McGuire’s prose often reads like poetry with a lot of pointed commentary on the human condition. Though the Halls of the Dead have shown up in previous books, we get to learn more about it and it’s rulers. We also get to learn more about show more Talia, who’s briefly mentioned in the previous book.

It’s cool seeing how the kids’ various talents help them solve the problem. The novella’s the perfect length for this adventure. show less

In some ways, this is a return to form. In others, it felt...faded. This series is wonderful and I'm so glad I got to read and experience this. My enthusiasm has not waned. I always perk up when a new book comes out. My enjoyment of it, though, shifted after the fourth book, as my ratings show. It's the author's world. She can do what she wants and I understand why. I appreciate the diversity and characterization. I appreciate how naturally everything's folded in most of the time. But lately, it doesn't click. With this newest entry into the series, I'm glad I read some spoiler reviews on here. I knew what would happen going in, and it shaped my expectations. If I had gone in unknowingly, I would have been ticked off if not outright show more deeply annoyed. Thank you to the spoiler reviews. Otherwise, and I hate to admit it, this book would have felt cheap and I would have wondered if the author was getting tired. My opinion is not as passive-aggressive as it's coming off. I do wonder if McGuire is getting tired, though. Eleven books is a lot, no matter how detailed the novella. Sometimes cycling through Jack and Jill so often gets a little tiring to read. Other times, I understand that they're the foundation of the series and I'm okay with it. I was glad to read about the others, and glad for the continuity. I'll keep reading the series out of fond curiosity. I want kids and Eleanor to find their doors. show less

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WHAT'S THROUGH GATES OF GARNET AND GOLD ABOUT?
We watched Nancy get her door and get to go home 10 years ago (in publication time, I'm a little unclear about how long it's been in Eleanor West's School's time, as is at least one student). And aside from a quick "hi," a few books later, that was pretty much the end of her story.

Until now, obviously, otherwise, why would I start by talking about her?

She's back, and there's a rule-breaking quest involved. The twist this time is that Nancy has been sent by The Lady of the Dead. Something...someone...is attacking people like Nancy in the Halls. People show more who have come through their own Doors from their own worlds to their true home. The dead are left unmolested and undisturbed. But it's the other living people there who are being attacked. Nancy's friends (or as close as living statues have to friends), are being killed and they need help.

This is a first for Eleanor West and her students--but they can't say no. They don't want to. Kade, as almost always, the leader of the group. Christopher, who is more comfortable with the dead than anyone other than Nancy, and his bone flute come along as well. There's no way that Sumi, Nancy's old roommate, is going to pass up this opportunity. Talia demands to be part of it, too. She has no skills that seem to make sense for this task*, but she's done the math. Going on a quest with other students is just about the best way to guarantee getting her Door when it's completed. So no one had better stop her. I, for one, hadn't done this connection--and I'm guessing many of the other students haven't either, or there'd be several others clamoring for a change.

* Naturally, it turns out that it's good she came along.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES
McGuire's been clear from the get-go that this series can be read in any order--and that's true enough. But I think there are a couple of books that should be read in a particular order, regardless of what she thinks. And you're just better off in general going in publication order.

But let's say that this is the first book you pick up--you're in for a treat. In an Introduction of sorts--not really a prelude or prologue--a couple of pages before chapter one, whatever you want to call them--McGuire introduces this series, sketches the function of the Doors, the impact they make on those who pass through. Those who want them back, etc.

This isn't a "The Story So Far..." kind of thing--but it's the closest that this series is going to get. I hope we get these exact pages--or ones very like them--from here on out.

I NEEDED A FRESH DOSE OF SUMI
Sumi is one of the characters who appears with greater consistency than others in this series--and I, for one (but am probably not alone), am so grateful for that. Her weaponized optimism, utter lack of regard for social niceties, unwavering positivity, and generous affections emphasize all the good things to be found in a person and situation. She also brings a level of comedy and heart to every scene she's in. She can also be profound, usually unintentionally, and add emotional weight to a scene when you didn't realize it needed it.

And when she gives a warning--you know things are serious. But the reader gets to chuckle the way she does it.

Obviously, we needed Sumi if we're going to spend time with Nancy (we're going to need Kade for similar reasons). But I personally needed a dose of her in general. And while what we got was sufficient, I'm hoping it's not too long before we spend time with her again.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THROUGH GATES OF GARNET AND GOLD?
After last year's Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I assumed we'd get something good, but not great for this book--we were due for McGuire to take her foot off the pedal a bit and coast a little. I'm very glad that McGuire wasn't thinking like that and brought us another stellar installment in this series.

I mean, I was sold from the instant I saw that Nancy was coming back--and McGuire did right by this return. When Nancy got her door again, I wasn't prepared for that to happen. I didn't realize we were going to spend so little time with most of these characters, just enough to fall in love with them as characters, and then watch them go on to the next chapter of their lives--and that we'd very likely be done with them (aside from an occasional glance at most). I've embraced that when it comes to these books, and it no longer gets to me so much that we walk away from them. But I've always wanted more Nancy.

So, sure, that made me an easy sell for this book--but that didn't mean I was guaranteed to rave over it. It just made it very likely.

I didn't really understand what Nancy saw in the Halls of the Dead before, nor do I think I truly understood what was involved. This world made a lot less sense to me than any of the others, and I really wasn't that interested in it other than as it served as Nancy's true home. But we got to see much more of it than we have previously, we get some more mature description of it from Nancy (and her Lady). I see the appeal, the attraction. Or at least I understand where some would. Personally? The only world I'm less interested in is the underwater world that Nadya introduced us to last year (I just don't think I could get over being underwater). But now, I get why Nancy and the others want to be there.

What the questors and readers learn about the forces attacking--and their plans--is pretty unsettling, and tells us a little more about McGuire's universe and the stories she's telling. In a way that made me uncomfortable and pleased me at the same time. You'll have to read it yourself. But it's such a fantastic touch.

As usual for this series, McGuire balances whimsy and danger, joy and weeping, with skill and aplomb. For Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, I wrote:

This is definitely one of the stronger books in this series that is on a great roll lately, I commend it to your attention. As with just about every book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as an entry point (but I strongly encourage reading at least Every Heart a Doorway before any of the others). I was sad when it ended—not because of the way it ended, I just wasn't ready to move on. I predict I won't be alone in that.

That's a pretty good way to wrap up this post, too. With one significant difference--I need to know what happens after the last page, preferably now. It's not a cliffhanger (this is not one of those series), in fact it's a perfectly fitting ending for this novella. But I really need the next page--and fear McGuire is going to make us wait a bit before she gives it to us. show less