Pocket Apocalypse (InCryptid)
BySeanan McGuire
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | |
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ | |
| ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ | |
| ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | |
| ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
Looking forPocket Apocalypse (InCryptid) in PDF?
Check out Scribid.com
Audiobook
Check out Audiobooks.com
Readers` Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
mary allen
This book continues with Alex as the main narrator again. And I couldn’t have been happier about that! When I found out we’d be going to Australia – the land where regular nature wants to kill you, never mind adding cryptids to the mix, and doubly never mind there being a lycanthropy outbreak in process – I was ecstatic. And scared.
Scared because no matter how much I love shapeshifters in a lot of my fiction, and how much werewolves in fiction have run the gamut from scary to friendly, these werewolves TERRIFIED me. And they just kept getting scarier. Werewolves in this world are infected. It’s a disease. No matter what we know or don’t know about it, it’s a contaminant to the body, and by that nature alone it’s not a good thing.
And it turns out there’s a lot we don’t know. I really appreciated how much we, and Alex (and thus the rest of the Prices) learn throughout this book. The fact that Alex continues to expand his, and his family’s, knowledge is one of the things that I love most about him. He continues to be one of my favorite characters – it’s hard to choose which Price to love more, so I’ll just say I love them the same.
Shelby continues to be a bright spot here, too. I appreciated how she continues to learn and recognize her own prejudices, and apologize for them. She isn’t afraid to acknowledge that she made a mistake, might have been wrong, or treated someone poorly. It’s not always comfortable to admit to those failings, and I love that Shelby does it – as soon as she realizes that it’s a failing she’s had.
Unfortunately, I’m left fumbling between bewilderment, frustration, and outright hatred for the majority of the rest of her family now. And the Thirty-Sixers are right there with them. Their obstinance, ignorance, lack of respect, and outright efforts to block any help Alex may be able to give – endangering many beloved characters and alienating other sapient cryptids – and I’m left with no respect. The entire book they fought against common sense and reason, and that they wouldn’t give an ounce of respect to Alex, who was nothing but respectful and professional with them. He went above and beyond. And they were obstinate a-holes the entire freaking time. I hate them. All of them can rot.
Even more unfortunately, they’re a big part of the story as we’re in Australia to help them with the werewolf problem. *sigh* But that doesn’t negatively affect the story – it just makes me hate the Thirty-Sixers more. The story is pretty awesome and intriguing. I like how things that are known can always be expanded on. I like how the Prices are always willing to expand their knowledge and are eager to, in fact.
My frustration and anger comes through fairly strong here, and with good reason, trust me, but there’s also moments of humor that cut through the tension at times, making things a little bit lighter. At least for a few moments. I appreciated those more than I can say, especially now, looking back.
I love this series. It’s one of the best binge series I’ve picked up in quite a long while and I’m incredibly happy that I’m reading it. But I’ll be quite happy to not see Australia, or more accurately: its resident cryptozoologists, for a very long time.
Scared because no matter how much I love shapeshifters in a lot of my fiction, and how much werewolves in fiction have run the gamut from scary to friendly, these werewolves TERRIFIED me. And they just kept getting scarier. Werewolves in this world are infected. It’s a disease. No matter what we know or don’t know about it, it’s a contaminant to the body, and by that nature alone it’s not a good thing.
And it turns out there’s a lot we don’t know. I really appreciated how much we, and Alex (and thus the rest of the Prices) learn throughout this book. The fact that Alex continues to expand his, and his family’s, knowledge is one of the things that I love most about him. He continues to be one of my favorite characters – it’s hard to choose which Price to love more, so I’ll just say I love them the same.
Shelby continues to be a bright spot here, too. I appreciated how she continues to learn and recognize her own prejudices, and apologize for them. She isn’t afraid to acknowledge that she made a mistake, might have been wrong, or treated someone poorly. It’s not always comfortable to admit to those failings, and I love that Shelby does it – as soon as she realizes that it’s a failing she’s had.
Unfortunately, I’m left fumbling between bewilderment, frustration, and outright hatred for the majority of the rest of her family now. And the Thirty-Sixers are right there with them. Their obstinance, ignorance, lack of respect, and outright efforts to block any help Alex may be able to give – endangering many beloved characters and alienating other sapient cryptids – and I’m left with no respect. The entire book they fought against common sense and reason, and that they wouldn’t give an ounce of respect to Alex, who was nothing but respectful and professional with them. He went above and beyond. And they were obstinate a-holes the entire freaking time. I hate them. All of them can rot.
Even more unfortunately, they’re a big part of the story as we’re in Australia to help them with the werewolf problem. *sigh* But that doesn’t negatively affect the story – it just makes me hate the Thirty-Sixers more. The story is pretty awesome and intriguing. I like how things that are known can always be expanded on. I like how the Prices are always willing to expand their knowledge and are eager to, in fact.
My frustration and anger comes through fairly strong here, and with good reason, trust me, but there’s also moments of humor that cut through the tension at times, making things a little bit lighter. At least for a few moments. I appreciated those more than I can say, especially now, looking back.
I love this series. It’s one of the best binge series I’ve picked up in quite a long while and I’m incredibly happy that I’m reading it. But I’ll be quite happy to not see Australia, or more accurately: its resident cryptozoologists, for a very long time.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jolene houser
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Meeting his girlfriend’s family, hunting some werewolves and taking a trip to Australia… All in day’s work!
Opening Sentence: “Alex eased himself around the open stable door, his heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to break in two.”
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Alex is back with book 4 picking up not too long after the end of book 3. Shelby has come to him and asked him about werewolves, and then she follows it up with asking him to come to Australia to help with the werewolf problem. Alex is more than a little worried, because werewolves can infect any mammals. The potential for spreading widely and quickly is unparalleled. As he packs up his most needed items and several of his Aesin mice, he worries that this could all go badly.
Once in Australia Alex meets Shelby’s highly hostile family. They make no bones about how much they dislike him, he even has to use the Aeslin mice to prove who he is. As he tries to update the thirty-six society on werewolves and how it spreads he is met with more hostility. When he goes on a supply run with society member Cooper that ends with Alex being bitten and Cooper ending up dead, things go from bad to worse.
However, Alex is shocked when his mice inform him that he is not sick, it turns out that years ago the Aselin mice experienced a werewolf outbreak with an older member of the family, and as they pass down all knowledge they passed down the scent information as well. Later, when Alex and the rest of the Tanner family are out and attacked by weresheep, he knows that they are dealing with a much bigger problem. Will he be able to help them figure out what is going on? Will he be able to stay alive?
I have to say I was a little shocked when reading book 3 and switching to Alex’s pov, but he grew on me. While he isn’t like Verity at all, he is interesting and just as resourceful if not more than Verity. I must also mention that I sincerely adore the Aeslin mice, they just might be my favorite characters in these books. They aren’t but they are pretty dang close, their religion, their speech, the feasting, their bravery. I can’t get enough of them, kudos for such a small add that really makes the story unique.
I wonder if we will eventually get a book from Antimony’s pov? I have a feeling she will be very interesting. I can’t wait to read the next book, I have missed Verity and I am looking forward to reading about her and Dominic again! If you haven’t read this series than look no further. There may be a lot of heavy stuff, but Seanan deals it out in this series in such a light-hearted way that you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride!
Notable Scene:
Aeslin Mice are small and have limited natural defenses, but they’re also smart, and surprisingly good at surviving, considering the massed forces the world has rallied to kill them off. I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled out my laptop, trusting the mice to take care of themselves.
FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Pocket Apocalypse. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Meeting his girlfriend’s family, hunting some werewolves and taking a trip to Australia… All in day’s work!
Opening Sentence: “Alex eased himself around the open stable door, his heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to break in two.”
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Alex is back with book 4 picking up not too long after the end of book 3. Shelby has come to him and asked him about werewolves, and then she follows it up with asking him to come to Australia to help with the werewolf problem. Alex is more than a little worried, because werewolves can infect any mammals. The potential for spreading widely and quickly is unparalleled. As he packs up his most needed items and several of his Aesin mice, he worries that this could all go badly.
Once in Australia Alex meets Shelby’s highly hostile family. They make no bones about how much they dislike him, he even has to use the Aeslin mice to prove who he is. As he tries to update the thirty-six society on werewolves and how it spreads he is met with more hostility. When he goes on a supply run with society member Cooper that ends with Alex being bitten and Cooper ending up dead, things go from bad to worse.
However, Alex is shocked when his mice inform him that he is not sick, it turns out that years ago the Aselin mice experienced a werewolf outbreak with an older member of the family, and as they pass down all knowledge they passed down the scent information as well. Later, when Alex and the rest of the Tanner family are out and attacked by weresheep, he knows that they are dealing with a much bigger problem. Will he be able to help them figure out what is going on? Will he be able to stay alive?
I have to say I was a little shocked when reading book 3 and switching to Alex’s pov, but he grew on me. While he isn’t like Verity at all, he is interesting and just as resourceful if not more than Verity. I must also mention that I sincerely adore the Aeslin mice, they just might be my favorite characters in these books. They aren’t but they are pretty dang close, their religion, their speech, the feasting, their bravery. I can’t get enough of them, kudos for such a small add that really makes the story unique.
I wonder if we will eventually get a book from Antimony’s pov? I have a feeling she will be very interesting. I can’t wait to read the next book, I have missed Verity and I am looking forward to reading about her and Dominic again! If you haven’t read this series than look no further. There may be a lot of heavy stuff, but Seanan deals it out in this series in such a light-hearted way that you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride!
Notable Scene:
Aeslin Mice are small and have limited natural defenses, but they’re also smart, and surprisingly good at surviving, considering the massed forces the world has rallied to kill them off. I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled out my laptop, trusting the mice to take care of themselves.
FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Pocket Apocalypse. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
One Salt Sea :: Sparrow Hill Road (Ghost Roads) :: A Local Habitation (October Daye) :: The Winter Long :: Indexing
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jennifer martin
Seanan has done it again! In Pocket Apocalypse Alex Price, herpetologist and cryptozoologist, is on his way to Australia. His girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, a cryptozoologist in her own right, has requested his help with a werewolf outbreak back home. Since Australia is a closed ecosystem, the introduction of a feral, highly contagious, apex predator is a very dangerous thing. One werewolf could infect the entire continent in a matter of months. However, the only thing more dangerous to Alex than the werewolves could be Shelby’s family. They aren’t at all happy to have their oldest daughter dating anyone, much less an American who happens to be a Price boy. This book packs a wonder for the natural beauty of Australia in with high action, and a humorous reminder that everything in Australia wants to kill you. No, really. EVERYTHING. And that’s just the things that the normal folks know about.
ragnarokI love this book so much! There are sad things and funny things, and downright silly things. The Aeslin mice continue to be one of my favorite parts of the series. (I wonder what would happen if the Aeslin mice from the InCryptid books got together with Oberon from the Iron Druid books? Probably bloodshed, but they might bond over a shared love of food.) If you haven’t read any of the InCryptid books, you can start with Half-Off Ragnarok and then come on to Pocket Apocalypse.
The first two books focus on Verity Price, the middle child of the Price family, while these two focus on Alex. I’m assuming Antimony (the baby) will also get a run. Seanan has stated that the InCryptid series is a mult-generational story, so I think we’ve got lots of time to spend with the Prices and the Healeys.
Seanan has also, in her infinite awesomeness, given us loads of InCryptid material on her website. For free! I highly recommend you swing by there and look around.
ragnarokI love this book so much! There are sad things and funny things, and downright silly things. The Aeslin mice continue to be one of my favorite parts of the series. (I wonder what would happen if the Aeslin mice from the InCryptid books got together with Oberon from the Iron Druid books? Probably bloodshed, but they might bond over a shared love of food.) If you haven’t read any of the InCryptid books, you can start with Half-Off Ragnarok and then come on to Pocket Apocalypse.
The first two books focus on Verity Price, the middle child of the Price family, while these two focus on Alex. I’m assuming Antimony (the baby) will also get a run. Seanan has stated that the InCryptid series is a mult-generational story, so I think we’ve got lots of time to spend with the Prices and the Healeys.
Seanan has also, in her infinite awesomeness, given us loads of InCryptid material on her website. For free! I highly recommend you swing by there and look around.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
cris klika
In Pocket Apocalypse we continue to follow Alex's journey but this time we get to see him travel to Australia with Shelby to help her family deal with a Lycanthropy outbreak. I've come across a lot of different werewolves over the years, from scary monsters to ones who have complete control over their transformations and I have to say that Seanan McGuire's are some of the creepiest I've read about. In this world Lycanthropy is a disease and it if you're infected it changes your body in all kinds of horrible ways. What makes it even worse is that it's not only humans who can be infected and the disease can pretty much be spread to any mammal. The smaller ones don't tend to survive their first transformation but larger animals end up becoming pretty terrifying when they're also werewolves. The prologue showing Alex's first encounter with werewolves was scary but there was a scene later on in the book that was enough to give me nightmares!
Anyway, Australia is a closed ecosystem and they've never had to deal with werewolves before so when Shelby finds out what is going on back home she asks Alex to go with her to help her family. Alex is pretty terrified of werewolves but there is no way he can let Shelby deal with the situation alone so, along with a splinter colony of six Aeslin mice, they set out to help. I think at this point I have to say again how much I adore those mice, I wish I could have a colony of my own and they are always a highlight of these books! I love how devoted they are to the Price family and it always makes me smile when they mention Alex's ancestors, especially when they follow rules that were set by previous members of the family.
I enjoyed getting to see Alex out of his element, Australia is a very different environment to what he is used to and we meet some interesting local Cryptids but the thing that really bothered me was the way Shelby's family and the rest of the Thirty-Sixers treated him. I could kind of understand that her family don't want Shelby to fall in love with an American and end up moving away permanently but considering Alex has put his life at risk to come and help them I was annoyed by the way they acted. Even if you ignored her father's posturing and threatening the new boyfriend attitude there was no excuse for the way the society treated a visiting expert - the ONLY person they had around with any previous werewolf experience. Their utter ignorance and refusal to listen to reason ended up causing some pretty devastating consequences and I've not forgiven them for that yet.
I did love the way Shelby stood up for Alex though, she told her family in no uncertain terms that Alex was going to be a permanent part of their lives and they just had to deal with it. I've really grown to respect Shelby in this book, I liked her before but now I'm totally rooting for them as a couple. Shelby has learnt a lot about Cryptids from Alex and his family and she wants to share that information with the Thirty-Sixers, she realises that they've made mistakes with how they've dealt with certain creatures in the past and she's willing to apologise and make things right in the future. Unfortunately the Thirty-Sixers are much less willing to see where they've been going wrong and I'm not convinced they'll change their ways any time soon. Alex also goes on a sharp learning curve in this book, his family have only had limited dealings with werewolves in the past and he makes a lot of new discoveries here that he's going to be able to share with everyone else when he returns.
I'm having so much fun reading this series and I've really enjoyed getting to know Alex and Shelby but I'm equally excited that we're getting to revisit Verity and Dominic in the next book before moving on to Antimony's story. I hope that we've not seen the last of Alex though, I'd like to see this series continue for a long time and keep switching up the narrators so we get to carry on spending time with everyone.
Anyway, Australia is a closed ecosystem and they've never had to deal with werewolves before so when Shelby finds out what is going on back home she asks Alex to go with her to help her family. Alex is pretty terrified of werewolves but there is no way he can let Shelby deal with the situation alone so, along with a splinter colony of six Aeslin mice, they set out to help. I think at this point I have to say again how much I adore those mice, I wish I could have a colony of my own and they are always a highlight of these books! I love how devoted they are to the Price family and it always makes me smile when they mention Alex's ancestors, especially when they follow rules that were set by previous members of the family.
I enjoyed getting to see Alex out of his element, Australia is a very different environment to what he is used to and we meet some interesting local Cryptids but the thing that really bothered me was the way Shelby's family and the rest of the Thirty-Sixers treated him. I could kind of understand that her family don't want Shelby to fall in love with an American and end up moving away permanently but considering Alex has put his life at risk to come and help them I was annoyed by the way they acted. Even if you ignored her father's posturing and threatening the new boyfriend attitude there was no excuse for the way the society treated a visiting expert - the ONLY person they had around with any previous werewolf experience. Their utter ignorance and refusal to listen to reason ended up causing some pretty devastating consequences and I've not forgiven them for that yet.
I did love the way Shelby stood up for Alex though, she told her family in no uncertain terms that Alex was going to be a permanent part of their lives and they just had to deal with it. I've really grown to respect Shelby in this book, I liked her before but now I'm totally rooting for them as a couple. Shelby has learnt a lot about Cryptids from Alex and his family and she wants to share that information with the Thirty-Sixers, she realises that they've made mistakes with how they've dealt with certain creatures in the past and she's willing to apologise and make things right in the future. Unfortunately the Thirty-Sixers are much less willing to see where they've been going wrong and I'm not convinced they'll change their ways any time soon. Alex also goes on a sharp learning curve in this book, his family have only had limited dealings with werewolves in the past and he makes a lot of new discoveries here that he's going to be able to share with everyone else when he returns.
I'm having so much fun reading this series and I've really enjoyed getting to know Alex and Shelby but I'm equally excited that we're getting to revisit Verity and Dominic in the next book before moving on to Antimony's story. I hope that we've not seen the last of Alex though, I'd like to see this series continue for a long time and keep switching up the narrators so we get to carry on spending time with everyone.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
james basinger
Alex sure has a busy life especially since he met Shelby but while i've warmed up to him he still is far behind Verity in my favourite list . In this story i discovered how loyal ( that runs in the family) and determined he can be...the way he go against his worst fear is admirable but...i'm still not liking some of his decision.. i don't know, i find that there is less humour when he is concerned...in fact there was even one moment i was on the verge of crying ( could have strangled him then).
I did love to see Shelby family and i sure hope she will want to stay with Alex family instead....hers is sure too biased in my opinion to be good crytozoologists even if Australia does look like a wonderful place to study. The story was well written but i guessed the culprit too easily for my tastes even if Seanan managed as always to keep my interest, i do regret the lack of info about the local cryptid, some are cited but Alex doesn't described them as much as he could have.
This is a good instalment in the series but i'm really glad to change the main character once again ^^
I did love to see Shelby family and i sure hope she will want to stay with Alex family instead....hers is sure too biased in my opinion to be good crytozoologists even if Australia does look like a wonderful place to study. The story was well written but i guessed the culprit too easily for my tastes even if Seanan managed as always to keep my interest, i do regret the lack of info about the local cryptid, some are cited but Alex doesn't described them as much as he could have.
This is a good instalment in the series but i'm really glad to change the main character once again ^^
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
cindy o
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
“Adversity doesn’t exist to make us stronger. Adversity exists because this world is a damn hard place to live. Prove that you’re better than the things it throws at you. Live” – Thomas Price.
Pocket Apocalypse is not like your other stories of hot, sexy, and loyal werewolves’ series. No, this series is about mammals bigger than ninety pounds, infected with the lycanthropy-w virus that degrades their mental health, changes their body structure, and turns them into killing machines that are to be shot at site, for they want to spread it to others.
We see Alex Price, once again with his girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, in a new and more dangerous than ever adventure involving werewolves and Australia. And, to make thing even worse, it’s time for Alex to meet Shelby’s parents and the mysterious Thirty-Six Society. All of this will put Alex and Shelby’s relationship to test.
In the first chapters, I liked the way that Alex describes his grandparents’ house. When I was reading this part I got the idea that he was entering the house of The Munsters and that Alex is Marilyn Munster.
“We try to avoid words like ‘monster’ when we can. They tend to prejudice people. And yet, sometimes, ‘monsters’ is the only word that fits.” – Jonathan Healy
Author Seanan McGuire, in my opinion, has created the most dangerous characters that any author could have done: the Ae mice. Why? Because we, her fans, for the rest of our lives will want to have a colony of them. Pocket Apocalypse is the fourth book in the Incryptid series and the mice don’t stop to amaze me. I believe the series will end, and we will still be falling for those little creatures.
Then, as one, they began waving their feathers and candles and shouting, “HAIL! HAIL THE GOD OF SCALES AND SCIENCES, CONQUEROR OF WEREWOLVES!” “That is not going to become a part of my official title” I said sternly…
This story has the mystery, suspense, betrayal, and the funny moments that the previous books in the series have had. You will laugh, cry a little bit, and even gasp in surprise while reading the story.
For fans of Alex, this will be the last book where he is the narrator, but don’t be sad, his sister Verity will be back as narrator for the next book, Chaos Choreography, where as how things ended up in Pocket Apocalypse, I believed, we will see all three of the Price children under the same roof.
“…I kept shunting them to the side, focusing on science. Science would save me…”
For those who are fans of Seanan McGuire or like stories of creatures which existence hasn’t been proven, I recommend you read Pocket Apocalypse. Where creatures prowl the night, disease spread through fluids, and relationships are set in stone.
Would you like to visit Australia? Tell us in the comments.
“Adversity doesn’t exist to make us stronger. Adversity exists because this world is a damn hard place to live. Prove that you’re better than the things it throws at you. Live” – Thomas Price.
Pocket Apocalypse is not like your other stories of hot, sexy, and loyal werewolves’ series. No, this series is about mammals bigger than ninety pounds, infected with the lycanthropy-w virus that degrades their mental health, changes their body structure, and turns them into killing machines that are to be shot at site, for they want to spread it to others.
We see Alex Price, once again with his girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, in a new and more dangerous than ever adventure involving werewolves and Australia. And, to make thing even worse, it’s time for Alex to meet Shelby’s parents and the mysterious Thirty-Six Society. All of this will put Alex and Shelby’s relationship to test.
In the first chapters, I liked the way that Alex describes his grandparents’ house. When I was reading this part I got the idea that he was entering the house of The Munsters and that Alex is Marilyn Munster.
“We try to avoid words like ‘monster’ when we can. They tend to prejudice people. And yet, sometimes, ‘monsters’ is the only word that fits.” – Jonathan Healy
Author Seanan McGuire, in my opinion, has created the most dangerous characters that any author could have done: the Ae mice. Why? Because we, her fans, for the rest of our lives will want to have a colony of them. Pocket Apocalypse is the fourth book in the Incryptid series and the mice don’t stop to amaze me. I believe the series will end, and we will still be falling for those little creatures.
Then, as one, they began waving their feathers and candles and shouting, “HAIL! HAIL THE GOD OF SCALES AND SCIENCES, CONQUEROR OF WEREWOLVES!” “That is not going to become a part of my official title” I said sternly…
This story has the mystery, suspense, betrayal, and the funny moments that the previous books in the series have had. You will laugh, cry a little bit, and even gasp in surprise while reading the story.
For fans of Alex, this will be the last book where he is the narrator, but don’t be sad, his sister Verity will be back as narrator for the next book, Chaos Choreography, where as how things ended up in Pocket Apocalypse, I believed, we will see all three of the Price children under the same roof.
“…I kept shunting them to the side, focusing on science. Science would save me…”
For those who are fans of Seanan McGuire or like stories of creatures which existence hasn’t been proven, I recommend you read Pocket Apocalypse. Where creatures prowl the night, disease spread through fluids, and relationships are set in stone.
Would you like to visit Australia? Tell us in the comments.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
becki
Endangered, adjective: Threatened with extinction or immediate harm.
Australia, noun: A good place to become endangered.
Alexander Price has survived gorgons, basilisks, and his own family—no small feat, considering that his family includes two telepaths, a reanimated corpse, and a colony of talking, pantheistic mice. Still, he’s starting to feel like he’s got the hang of things…at least until his girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, shows up asking pointed questions about werewolves and the state of his passport. From there, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to Australia, a continent filled with new challenges, new dangers, and yes, rival cryptozoologists who don’t like their “visiting expert” very much.
Australia is a cryptozoologist’s dream, filled with unique species and unique challenges. Unfortunately, it’s also filled with Shelby’s family, who aren’t delighted by the length of her stay in America. And then there are the werewolves to consider: infected killing machines who would like nothing more than to claim the continent as their own. The continent which currently includes Alex.
Survival is hard enough when you’re on familiar ground. Alex Price is very far from home, but there’s one thing he knows for sure: he’s not going down without a fight.
In the fourth novel by Author Seanan McGuire, we have Alexander (Alex) Price, member of a cryptozoologist family, with some non-humans. He has a Church Griffin named Crow for a pet and he works at the West Columbus Zoo as a visiting researcher from California (he was not from California and the zoo had no idea what he was researching). Placed there to oversee the basilisk breeding program established by his predecessor in the back room of the reptile house, something he was happy to do after seeing a lovely lady from Australia, Shelby Tanner. When Shelby asked him to come home with her to Australia, as they had a werewolf outbreak, Alex was frightened, but agreed to.
Of all the monsters out there, werewolves scared him. But he learns there might be worse things than werewolves and the virus they carry—Shelby’s father, Riley, leader of the Thirty-Six. It seems Riley does not care for the American boyfriend with the last name of Price, especially since he thinks the Prices are still card-carrying members of the Covenant of St. George. And that dislike gets worse for Alex, when he is attacked and bitten by a werewolf and a fellow Thirty-Sixer, Cooper, is also bitten and dies. Between working to get a cure made, fighting off werewolves, making friends with the local cryptids, being worshiped by his Aeslin mice (if you ever read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, these mice put me into the mind of the pan-dimensional overlords, just not as advanced.), and surviving the Australian eco-system.
ocket Apocalypse is Steve Irwin meets Destination Truth with a dash of Animal Planet and Monster Quest. Ms. McGuire kept me engaged and took mythology and folklore to the next level of page-turning urban fantasy with the plot and characters.
Australia, noun: A good place to become endangered.
Alexander Price has survived gorgons, basilisks, and his own family—no small feat, considering that his family includes two telepaths, a reanimated corpse, and a colony of talking, pantheistic mice. Still, he’s starting to feel like he’s got the hang of things…at least until his girlfriend, Shelby Tanner, shows up asking pointed questions about werewolves and the state of his passport. From there, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to Australia, a continent filled with new challenges, new dangers, and yes, rival cryptozoologists who don’t like their “visiting expert” very much.
Australia is a cryptozoologist’s dream, filled with unique species and unique challenges. Unfortunately, it’s also filled with Shelby’s family, who aren’t delighted by the length of her stay in America. And then there are the werewolves to consider: infected killing machines who would like nothing more than to claim the continent as their own. The continent which currently includes Alex.
Survival is hard enough when you’re on familiar ground. Alex Price is very far from home, but there’s one thing he knows for sure: he’s not going down without a fight.
In the fourth novel by Author Seanan McGuire, we have Alexander (Alex) Price, member of a cryptozoologist family, with some non-humans. He has a Church Griffin named Crow for a pet and he works at the West Columbus Zoo as a visiting researcher from California (he was not from California and the zoo had no idea what he was researching). Placed there to oversee the basilisk breeding program established by his predecessor in the back room of the reptile house, something he was happy to do after seeing a lovely lady from Australia, Shelby Tanner. When Shelby asked him to come home with her to Australia, as they had a werewolf outbreak, Alex was frightened, but agreed to.
Of all the monsters out there, werewolves scared him. But he learns there might be worse things than werewolves and the virus they carry—Shelby’s father, Riley, leader of the Thirty-Six. It seems Riley does not care for the American boyfriend with the last name of Price, especially since he thinks the Prices are still card-carrying members of the Covenant of St. George. And that dislike gets worse for Alex, when he is attacked and bitten by a werewolf and a fellow Thirty-Sixer, Cooper, is also bitten and dies. Between working to get a cure made, fighting off werewolves, making friends with the local cryptids, being worshiped by his Aeslin mice (if you ever read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, these mice put me into the mind of the pan-dimensional overlords, just not as advanced.), and surviving the Australian eco-system.
ocket Apocalypse is Steve Irwin meets Destination Truth with a dash of Animal Planet and Monster Quest. Ms. McGuire kept me engaged and took mythology and folklore to the next level of page-turning urban fantasy with the plot and characters.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
leslie binder
I started this book with a bit of trepidation. I’d liked the first book with Alex narrating, but not nearly as much as I’d liked the first two books in the series.
I needn’t have worried. This book was far better than the last one. The plot, which was a bit closer to horror than previous entries in the series, kept me guessing without ever seeming like twists were pulled out of nowhere.
There’s an engagement scene that has to be read to be believed.
The best part was the mice, of course. But this time they contributed to the plot, instead of just being cute.
Alex’s narration was amusing. This was a particular favorite bit: “Verity is basically a cryptid social worker, with a side order of kicking people’s teeth in when they refuse to acknowledge that “being a good neighbor” doesn’t mean eating the neighbors.”
He also makes the following statement, which has got to be the understatement of the century coming from anyone in the Healy-Price clan: “Sometimes I feel as if my life is very strange.”
The dialogue was, like in everything by Ms. McGuire that I’ve read, excellent. It was perfectly believable and entertaining. My favorite line was: “I’ve managed to resign myself to the fact that you’re a mammal and hence by definition, insane.” It’s still a good line and I’m writing this review so long after I read the book that I don’t recall the context.
The setting just keeps getting richer and richer. You can tell that the author has put a lot of work into it.
The only thing I found to complain about was that Thomas Price was mentioned as having been missing for sixty years, yet the family tree at the beginning of the book seems to indicate that he was still in this dimension in 1964. And, really, when a timeline glitch is the only thing I can complain about, clearly a book is excellent.
I needn’t have worried. This book was far better than the last one. The plot, which was a bit closer to horror than previous entries in the series, kept me guessing without ever seeming like twists were pulled out of nowhere.
There’s an engagement scene that has to be read to be believed.
The best part was the mice, of course. But this time they contributed to the plot, instead of just being cute.
Alex’s narration was amusing. This was a particular favorite bit: “Verity is basically a cryptid social worker, with a side order of kicking people’s teeth in when they refuse to acknowledge that “being a good neighbor” doesn’t mean eating the neighbors.”
He also makes the following statement, which has got to be the understatement of the century coming from anyone in the Healy-Price clan: “Sometimes I feel as if my life is very strange.”
The dialogue was, like in everything by Ms. McGuire that I’ve read, excellent. It was perfectly believable and entertaining. My favorite line was: “I’ve managed to resign myself to the fact that you’re a mammal and hence by definition, insane.” It’s still a good line and I’m writing this review so long after I read the book that I don’t recall the context.
The setting just keeps getting richer and richer. You can tell that the author has put a lot of work into it.
The only thing I found to complain about was that Thomas Price was mentioned as having been missing for sixty years, yet the family tree at the beginning of the book seems to indicate that he was still in this dimension in 1964. And, really, when a timeline glitch is the only thing I can complain about, clearly a book is excellent.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
cea person
Fourth in the InCryptid urban fantasy series and revolving around the Price-Healy family of cryptozoologists. The couple focus is on Alex Price and Shelby Tanner. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the InCryptid books on my website, http://kddidit.com/reading-books/series-info/chronological-lists-of-complex-intersected-series/#incryptid.
My Take
Oh, yuck. McGuire has done a twist on werewolves that will make you gag. They can turn any mammal that's big enough to handle the change. Try imagining a horse / wolf combo! Almost worse are the sheep werewolves, lol.
McGuire does a nice bit of summing up as to Alex's activities over the past year. Busy boy. He must be taking his dad's advice:
"The trick to doing things people say are impossible is confidence. As long as you seem to know what you're doing, and never hesitate, you're very unlikely to face any challenges. People don't like to break illusions, even when they don't know that's what they're looking at."
At last! The real reason why so many homeowners' associations insist upon houses being beige! It makes more sense than any of the other reasons, lol.
"[And] lo, the words of the Noisy Priestess did tell us You May Leave the Bag, Just Don't Get Caught. And we have left the bag, and we have not been caught!"
And lo, another rule is created: "Thou Shalt Not Denude the Airplane's Cheese Selection."
God, I do adore the Aeslin mice!! They are the best part of the whole series!
"Prove that you're better than the things life throws at you. Live." – Thomas Price
Geez, I hate to say it, but the Tanners have a point, a wrong one, but still a good point about the Healy-Prices being known for betraying an ally. That said, I don't like the Tanners. Talk about super-prejudiced! And it's an odd prejudice: they'll protect non-human-looking cryptids, but ignore the cryptids who look human. They claim that the cryptids don't belong in Australia. As if the Europeans sent there as convicts do!
The Tanners and the Society know that they know nothing about werewolves, that the Healy-Prices left the Covenant, that Shelby invited Alex to come to Australia because he does know about lycanthropy-w, but they still won't believe what he says and they insist on seeing him as Covenant. If that's true, then they can't complain that the Price-Healys betray their allies…since the Aussies keep saying that Alex is still Covenant.
I gotta say, I thought this protesting and bitching was overdone. I'd'a thought that Shelby's family would be intelligent people concerned about protecting Australia. I can understand Shelby's parents being unhappy about her daughter's choice of man, but not this bad. Then there's Raina. What is her problem? These people are off. The. Wall.
Hooee, Alex also makes a good point about how easy it is to be tolerant when you're the dominant species. That sentiment can certainly apply to a number of people.
Wow, it is amazing how nasty Shelby's dad is. The way he talks, you'd think he was some kind of religious nut. The rest of the family and the Thirty-Sixers aren't that much better. I don't think they've ever considered using logic.
Basil's way of thinking may well modify the Price-Healy mission statement. At least it will, if the Price-Healys are smart!
"The reality of her, on the other hand, was worth moving mountains for."
It was a good ending. McGuire set it up with lots of promise for the immediate and far future.
It's a story that proves you'll never know everything.
The Story
Nope, Dee ain't believin' it. Only critters that can move can migrate. And yams are not on the list of movable critters.
But the last laugh will be on Alex, as Shelby comes to him, begging him to help her and her family tackle an outbreak of lycanthropy-w in Australia. It's his worst nightmare. Werewolves.
"This is a terrible, horrible, incredibly foolish idea. Let's try it and see what happens."
– Jonathan Healy
The Characters
The Healy-Price family is…
…renowned throughout the cryptozoological world as defectors from the Covenant of St. George with a shoot-to-kill-on-sight.
Alex Price, a.k.a., the God of Scales and Silence, is a credentialed cryptozoologist, ostensibly from California and masquerading as Dr. Preston, doing research at the Columbus Zoo. Yes, he has his own colony of Aeslin mice, the pantheistic rodents who worship the Price-Healy family as gods and have raised passing on the family oral history to a religious ritual — think living black boxes. Crow is a Church Griffin — think cat with wings — and something of a familiar / pet to Alex.
His sister Verity is a cryptid social worker who does ballroom dancing for fun. Antimony is the youngest sister and still in a state of rebellion. Sarah Zellaby is a cousin by adoption and a cuckoo who almost died when she saved Verity in Midnight Blue-Light Special, 2. While in Columbus, she and Alex are living with his maternal grandparents: Angela and Martin Baker. Angela's a cuckoo and Martin is a Revenant (think Frankenstein) who works as a coroner for the city. Cousin Artie is half-incubus. Alice is the dimension-hopping grandmother on the Price side.
Dr. Shelby Tanner is a big cat specialist from Australia. And a member of the Thirty-Sixers. LOL, she tries to make Alex feel better about meeting her family, says it'll be like taking a trip back home to see his family. Only Alex replies that "that doesn't make it any better. He's met his family." The Aeslin mice give her a name: the Unpredictable Priestess. That settles it.
The Thirty-Six Society is…
…anti-Covenant and obsessed with protecting their own island ecosystem. Those Thirty-Sixers who have been infected include Trevor McConnell, Isaac Wall, and Pamela and Jeffrey Cornish.
The Tanner family…
…worries Alex as "he breathed" might be a good enough reason for the Tanners to kill him. Raina (she has an obsession with Pokémon games) and Gabby (she's fixated on a career in opera) are Shelby's sisters; Jack is the brother who died. Riley and Charlotte are her very suspicious and incredibly antagonistic parents. Flora is a garrinna, Shelby's familiar.
Cooper is head of security and a vet tech. Jett is Cooper's dog. Angelo Magdael will act as Alex's jailer. Patrick Hester is not trusted due to his drop bear dealings. Chloe Bryant likes stirring up trouble, Mick is the idiot, Trigby, Blithe, Donny, Albert, and Deb are more of the Society.
Dr. Helen Jalali is a wadjet and Kumari's cousin. She also has three university degrees. Basil is a yowie, a swamp monster, who's annoyed about his Tim Tams and Dr. Who Magazine.
Columbus, Ohio
The West Columbus Zoo
Dee is a Pliny's gorgon and Alex's assistant at the zoo, happily married to Frank, the doctor of the local gorgon community. Kim and Nelson are the junior zookeepers in the reptile house. Crunchy is the big alligator snapping turtle who has come in handy in the past when Alex needs to get rid of a body or two.
Cryptids in Columbus include…
…Dr. Kumari Sarpa is a wadjet who can appear human and works as a pediatrician. Chandi is her daughter trying to bond with her zoo-bound fiancé, Shami.
The werewolf incident outside Vancouver, Canada, 7 years ago
Kevin (he's a chronicler and general historian, a.k.a., the God of Decisions Made in Necessity) and Evelyn Baker (she's a cryptid health professional known as the Thoughtful Priestess) Price, Alex's parents, and his Aunt Jane Price-Harrington were leading the hunt. Elsie is Alex's cousin. Alex is hoping Aunt Mary will show.
The Covenant of St. George is a secret "organization of scholars, warriors, and ***, dedicated to eradicating the world's 'monster' population". Exterminators with no sense of humanity, although they are responsible for werewolves coming into existence. Seems Grandpa Thomas Price was sent by the Covenant to take out the Healys, but became enamored of Grandma Alice's rack.
Cuckoos, a.k.a., Johrlac, are math-obsessed telepathic predators with no compassion. Wulver are therianthropes who are perfectly nice, um, people and beasts. The bite of a wagyl can cure anything.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dorky. Sorry, it is. It's got a cartoon quality to it, and Alex and Shelby look like cutouts into which two people stuck their faces. It's a tropical sort of scene with lush trees, a small body of water under and behind them with Shelby wearing an abbreviated pair of khaki shorts with a matching safari shirt, unbuttoned down to there, and a rifle in her hand. Alex is wearing a green safari vest over a purple button-down shirt with loose-fitting jeans. And werewolves are circling them.
The title is an Australian problem, a Pocket Apocalypse that threatens the entire continent. Good thing it's an island.
My Take
Oh, yuck. McGuire has done a twist on werewolves that will make you gag. They can turn any mammal that's big enough to handle the change. Try imagining a horse / wolf combo! Almost worse are the sheep werewolves, lol.
McGuire does a nice bit of summing up as to Alex's activities over the past year. Busy boy. He must be taking his dad's advice:
"The trick to doing things people say are impossible is confidence. As long as you seem to know what you're doing, and never hesitate, you're very unlikely to face any challenges. People don't like to break illusions, even when they don't know that's what they're looking at."
At last! The real reason why so many homeowners' associations insist upon houses being beige! It makes more sense than any of the other reasons, lol.
"[And] lo, the words of the Noisy Priestess did tell us You May Leave the Bag, Just Don't Get Caught. And we have left the bag, and we have not been caught!"
And lo, another rule is created: "Thou Shalt Not Denude the Airplane's Cheese Selection."
God, I do adore the Aeslin mice!! They are the best part of the whole series!
"Prove that you're better than the things life throws at you. Live." – Thomas Price
Geez, I hate to say it, but the Tanners have a point, a wrong one, but still a good point about the Healy-Prices being known for betraying an ally. That said, I don't like the Tanners. Talk about super-prejudiced! And it's an odd prejudice: they'll protect non-human-looking cryptids, but ignore the cryptids who look human. They claim that the cryptids don't belong in Australia. As if the Europeans sent there as convicts do!
The Tanners and the Society know that they know nothing about werewolves, that the Healy-Prices left the Covenant, that Shelby invited Alex to come to Australia because he does know about lycanthropy-w, but they still won't believe what he says and they insist on seeing him as Covenant. If that's true, then they can't complain that the Price-Healys betray their allies…since the Aussies keep saying that Alex is still Covenant.
I gotta say, I thought this protesting and bitching was overdone. I'd'a thought that Shelby's family would be intelligent people concerned about protecting Australia. I can understand Shelby's parents being unhappy about her daughter's choice of man, but not this bad. Then there's Raina. What is her problem? These people are off. The. Wall.
Hooee, Alex also makes a good point about how easy it is to be tolerant when you're the dominant species. That sentiment can certainly apply to a number of people.
Wow, it is amazing how nasty Shelby's dad is. The way he talks, you'd think he was some kind of religious nut. The rest of the family and the Thirty-Sixers aren't that much better. I don't think they've ever considered using logic.
Basil's way of thinking may well modify the Price-Healy mission statement. At least it will, if the Price-Healys are smart!
"The reality of her, on the other hand, was worth moving mountains for."
It was a good ending. McGuire set it up with lots of promise for the immediate and far future.
It's a story that proves you'll never know everything.
The Story
Nope, Dee ain't believin' it. Only critters that can move can migrate. And yams are not on the list of movable critters.
But the last laugh will be on Alex, as Shelby comes to him, begging him to help her and her family tackle an outbreak of lycanthropy-w in Australia. It's his worst nightmare. Werewolves.
"This is a terrible, horrible, incredibly foolish idea. Let's try it and see what happens."
– Jonathan Healy
The Characters
The Healy-Price family is…
…renowned throughout the cryptozoological world as defectors from the Covenant of St. George with a shoot-to-kill-on-sight.
Alex Price, a.k.a., the God of Scales and Silence, is a credentialed cryptozoologist, ostensibly from California and masquerading as Dr. Preston, doing research at the Columbus Zoo. Yes, he has his own colony of Aeslin mice, the pantheistic rodents who worship the Price-Healy family as gods and have raised passing on the family oral history to a religious ritual — think living black boxes. Crow is a Church Griffin — think cat with wings — and something of a familiar / pet to Alex.
His sister Verity is a cryptid social worker who does ballroom dancing for fun. Antimony is the youngest sister and still in a state of rebellion. Sarah Zellaby is a cousin by adoption and a cuckoo who almost died when she saved Verity in Midnight Blue-Light Special, 2. While in Columbus, she and Alex are living with his maternal grandparents: Angela and Martin Baker. Angela's a cuckoo and Martin is a Revenant (think Frankenstein) who works as a coroner for the city. Cousin Artie is half-incubus. Alice is the dimension-hopping grandmother on the Price side.
Dr. Shelby Tanner is a big cat specialist from Australia. And a member of the Thirty-Sixers. LOL, she tries to make Alex feel better about meeting her family, says it'll be like taking a trip back home to see his family. Only Alex replies that "that doesn't make it any better. He's met his family." The Aeslin mice give her a name: the Unpredictable Priestess. That settles it.
The Thirty-Six Society is…
…anti-Covenant and obsessed with protecting their own island ecosystem. Those Thirty-Sixers who have been infected include Trevor McConnell, Isaac Wall, and Pamela and Jeffrey Cornish.
The Tanner family…
…worries Alex as "he breathed" might be a good enough reason for the Tanners to kill him. Raina (she has an obsession with Pokémon games) and Gabby (she's fixated on a career in opera) are Shelby's sisters; Jack is the brother who died. Riley and Charlotte are her very suspicious and incredibly antagonistic parents. Flora is a garrinna, Shelby's familiar.
Cooper is head of security and a vet tech. Jett is Cooper's dog. Angelo Magdael will act as Alex's jailer. Patrick Hester is not trusted due to his drop bear dealings. Chloe Bryant likes stirring up trouble, Mick is the idiot, Trigby, Blithe, Donny, Albert, and Deb are more of the Society.
Dr. Helen Jalali is a wadjet and Kumari's cousin. She also has three university degrees. Basil is a yowie, a swamp monster, who's annoyed about his Tim Tams and Dr. Who Magazine.
Columbus, Ohio
The West Columbus Zoo
Dee is a Pliny's gorgon and Alex's assistant at the zoo, happily married to Frank, the doctor of the local gorgon community. Kim and Nelson are the junior zookeepers in the reptile house. Crunchy is the big alligator snapping turtle who has come in handy in the past when Alex needs to get rid of a body or two.
Cryptids in Columbus include…
…Dr. Kumari Sarpa is a wadjet who can appear human and works as a pediatrician. Chandi is her daughter trying to bond with her zoo-bound fiancé, Shami.
The werewolf incident outside Vancouver, Canada, 7 years ago
Kevin (he's a chronicler and general historian, a.k.a., the God of Decisions Made in Necessity) and Evelyn Baker (she's a cryptid health professional known as the Thoughtful Priestess) Price, Alex's parents, and his Aunt Jane Price-Harrington were leading the hunt. Elsie is Alex's cousin. Alex is hoping Aunt Mary will show.
The Covenant of St. George is a secret "organization of scholars, warriors, and ***, dedicated to eradicating the world's 'monster' population". Exterminators with no sense of humanity, although they are responsible for werewolves coming into existence. Seems Grandpa Thomas Price was sent by the Covenant to take out the Healys, but became enamored of Grandma Alice's rack.
Cuckoos, a.k.a., Johrlac, are math-obsessed telepathic predators with no compassion. Wulver are therianthropes who are perfectly nice, um, people and beasts. The bite of a wagyl can cure anything.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dorky. Sorry, it is. It's got a cartoon quality to it, and Alex and Shelby look like cutouts into which two people stuck their faces. It's a tropical sort of scene with lush trees, a small body of water under and behind them with Shelby wearing an abbreviated pair of khaki shorts with a matching safari shirt, unbuttoned down to there, and a rifle in her hand. Alex is wearing a green safari vest over a purple button-down shirt with loose-fitting jeans. And werewolves are circling them.
The title is an Australian problem, a Pocket Apocalypse that threatens the entire continent. Good thing it's an island.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
victoria l keller
Originally posted at http://kimheniadis.com
I came upon Seanan McGuire’s books when I read the first one in her October Daye series, “Rosemary and Rue”. The title caught my attention, which is often why I choose a book. I knew rosemary i used in spells and meant for remembrance, so I figured this book would have something to do with the supernatural. While it’s not about witches, it does have to do with Fairies and their Courts, along with some other supernatural creatures.
I had to pause here in writing my review because although I knew what rosemary is for, I didn’t know for what rue is known. So after a Google search, I found out it’s known for grace. I have to wonder why I didn’t Google that a long time ago.
There are a fews series that I eagerly await the next book, and October Daye is one of them. I love all the books in the series, so I was really excited when she came out with the InCryptid series, which “Pocket Apocalypse” is number four in. I started this series because it’s by McGuire, but even if I had never read anything by her before, I would have still picked up book one because of the title, “Discount Armageddon”.
The Incryptid series follows the adventures of the Price family while they investigate various inhumans. The first two books focus on one of the Price children, Verity Price, who is a professional dancer when she’s not running over rooftops chasing after bad guys. I really enjoyed Verity’s sass, and the stories.
The third and fourth books focus on the brother, Alex Price. Whereas Verity enjoys urban settings, Alex works in a zoo and likes a quieter life. In book three, Alex meets Shelby, and when she asks for his help in this book with the werewolves that have invaded her home in Australia, Alex reluctantly agrees. Not because he doesn’t want to help Shelby, but because his first experience with werewolves was not a good one.
Now for the reason it’s taken me so long to write this review. I have really liked everything else that I have read by McGuire, but this one was just okay.
Alex is met with hostility once he gets to Australia, not only by Shelby’s family, but the rest of the group of people he is there to help. Brief backstory: there is a group called the Covenant that the Price family use to belong to. The Covenant would just go in and eradicate everything that was not human. Some of Alex’s ancestors came to the realization that this was not the way to go, so they defected. But most people still question their associations.
Okay. I understand there is going to be hostility, and at first it’s is a bit amusing, especially when Shelby’s sisters threaten his life. But it got old really fast, and it lasted more than halfway into the book. If McGuire had taken all of that out, this would have been a novella instead of a book.
Although I was disappointed with this book, I was happy that the Aeslin mice were featured more in this story, since I love those little creatures. The Aeslin mice are thought to be extinct, but they worship the Price family as Gods, and are the keepers of their family history. Who wouldn’t want a group of mice celebrating all the achievements in your life!
Even though this book wasn’t as good as the others in the series, I would say still read it. Maybe just skim over the hostility, enjoy the mice, and look for the one thing that advances the story plot.
And make sure to read the October Daye series if you haven’t already. I would also say give McGuire’s website a view. She has lots of additional background information that will only enhance your reading pleasure. She also writes music, and has a couple albums available online, which I look forward to checking out.
I came upon Seanan McGuire’s books when I read the first one in her October Daye series, “Rosemary and Rue”. The title caught my attention, which is often why I choose a book. I knew rosemary i used in spells and meant for remembrance, so I figured this book would have something to do with the supernatural. While it’s not about witches, it does have to do with Fairies and their Courts, along with some other supernatural creatures.
I had to pause here in writing my review because although I knew what rosemary is for, I didn’t know for what rue is known. So after a Google search, I found out it’s known for grace. I have to wonder why I didn’t Google that a long time ago.
There are a fews series that I eagerly await the next book, and October Daye is one of them. I love all the books in the series, so I was really excited when she came out with the InCryptid series, which “Pocket Apocalypse” is number four in. I started this series because it’s by McGuire, but even if I had never read anything by her before, I would have still picked up book one because of the title, “Discount Armageddon”.
The Incryptid series follows the adventures of the Price family while they investigate various inhumans. The first two books focus on one of the Price children, Verity Price, who is a professional dancer when she’s not running over rooftops chasing after bad guys. I really enjoyed Verity’s sass, and the stories.
The third and fourth books focus on the brother, Alex Price. Whereas Verity enjoys urban settings, Alex works in a zoo and likes a quieter life. In book three, Alex meets Shelby, and when she asks for his help in this book with the werewolves that have invaded her home in Australia, Alex reluctantly agrees. Not because he doesn’t want to help Shelby, but because his first experience with werewolves was not a good one.
Now for the reason it’s taken me so long to write this review. I have really liked everything else that I have read by McGuire, but this one was just okay.
Alex is met with hostility once he gets to Australia, not only by Shelby’s family, but the rest of the group of people he is there to help. Brief backstory: there is a group called the Covenant that the Price family use to belong to. The Covenant would just go in and eradicate everything that was not human. Some of Alex’s ancestors came to the realization that this was not the way to go, so they defected. But most people still question their associations.
Okay. I understand there is going to be hostility, and at first it’s is a bit amusing, especially when Shelby’s sisters threaten his life. But it got old really fast, and it lasted more than halfway into the book. If McGuire had taken all of that out, this would have been a novella instead of a book.
Although I was disappointed with this book, I was happy that the Aeslin mice were featured more in this story, since I love those little creatures. The Aeslin mice are thought to be extinct, but they worship the Price family as Gods, and are the keepers of their family history. Who wouldn’t want a group of mice celebrating all the achievements in your life!
Even though this book wasn’t as good as the others in the series, I would say still read it. Maybe just skim over the hostility, enjoy the mice, and look for the one thing that advances the story plot.
And make sure to read the October Daye series if you haven’t already. I would also say give McGuire’s website a view. She has lots of additional background information that will only enhance your reading pleasure. She also writes music, and has a couple albums available online, which I look forward to checking out.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
mary kitt neel
This fourth novel in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series is the second narrated by Alexander Price, the older and somewhat stuffier brother of previous narrator Verity Price. Where Verity’s two books explored the Cryptid communities in New York City, Alex’s two novels have taken us to increasingly remote locations: first suburban Ohio (in Half-Off Ragnarok) and now outback Australia. The changes in setting and in narrator give books three and four a different feel than the first two books. Personally, I think this is a great way to keep the series interesting, and find myself excited to see what a novel narrated by youngest sister Verity will sound like (as compared to the short stories featuring her). Compared to Verity, Alex’s voice is a bit less excitable (even in high-stakes situations) if no less passionate about the work. Cryptozoology is not for the half-hearted, after all.
It’s not easy introducing yet another entirely new supporting cast in a way that will make the readers care about said characters, but for the most part McGuire pulls it off. By starting the novel “at home” in Ohio, we get a little bit of a check-in with the supporting characters from Alex’s previous adventure before Alex, and we, are thrust into meeting all these new folks. The scenes on the airplane allow our nervousness about meeting Shelby’s family to build alongside Alex’s. And when we do meet the Tanner family, and their friends in the Thirty-Six Society, we feel as much an outsider as Alex does. Still, during the middle third of the book, I did find myself wondering if I would ever actually like the Tanners and their friends. I think this was intentional on McGuire’s part, but I still found myself thinking “I understand all of the ecological reasons for Alex to stay and fight this infestation, but I really couldn’t care less about the personal toll. Shelby’s better off without this family.” The end of the book, which is where 90% of the actual action and fighting-with-werewolves takes place, helped to change that opinion, of course. But it was a close call for a while there.
And then there’s the issue of how werewolfism/lycanthropy developed in this particular world. The InCryptid books approach mythological creatures with scientific nomenclature and explanations: biology, chemistry and evolution all play a part in the world-building, which occasionally makes these books feel like they should be more in the “Mira Grant” part of the author’s oeuvre than the “Seanan McGuire” part. The concept of lycanthropy as a communicable disease is not a new idea in speculative fiction, but McGuire puts a nice in-universe spin on how the virus came to be and why it’s so much more dangerous than naturally-therianthropic (shape-changing) populations.
A fun read, even with the somewhat uncharacteristic “running-in-place” feel of the book’s middle third.
It’s not easy introducing yet another entirely new supporting cast in a way that will make the readers care about said characters, but for the most part McGuire pulls it off. By starting the novel “at home” in Ohio, we get a little bit of a check-in with the supporting characters from Alex’s previous adventure before Alex, and we, are thrust into meeting all these new folks. The scenes on the airplane allow our nervousness about meeting Shelby’s family to build alongside Alex’s. And when we do meet the Tanner family, and their friends in the Thirty-Six Society, we feel as much an outsider as Alex does. Still, during the middle third of the book, I did find myself wondering if I would ever actually like the Tanners and their friends. I think this was intentional on McGuire’s part, but I still found myself thinking “I understand all of the ecological reasons for Alex to stay and fight this infestation, but I really couldn’t care less about the personal toll. Shelby’s better off without this family.” The end of the book, which is where 90% of the actual action and fighting-with-werewolves takes place, helped to change that opinion, of course. But it was a close call for a while there.
And then there’s the issue of how werewolfism/lycanthropy developed in this particular world. The InCryptid books approach mythological creatures with scientific nomenclature and explanations: biology, chemistry and evolution all play a part in the world-building, which occasionally makes these books feel like they should be more in the “Mira Grant” part of the author’s oeuvre than the “Seanan McGuire” part. The concept of lycanthropy as a communicable disease is not a new idea in speculative fiction, but McGuire puts a nice in-universe spin on how the virus came to be and why it’s so much more dangerous than naturally-therianthropic (shape-changing) populations.
A fun read, even with the somewhat uncharacteristic “running-in-place” feel of the book’s middle third.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
chrisi
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
With a series about cryptids who can kill you in very weird ways it was inevitable that a visit to Australia, a land of ten thousand things that can kill you if you look at them wrong; was in store for the Incryptid series. POCKET APOCALYPSE introduces werewolves into this world which from the perspective of someone who has read a ton of werewolf related books, seemed kind of mundane for this series. Luckily, the werewolves in this book were something unique and treated as an invasive disease of a sort which increased the threat level of werewolves and made a seemingly 'boring' cryptid into something dangerously strange and fitting within this world.
With this werewolf apocalypse occurring in Australia we get to visit Alex's girlfriend's family and see the how the human-cryptid culture in Australia works. It was fun to see the different approach in the treatment of cryptids which is vastly different to how the Price family runs things in the U.S. Shelby's family introduces a new dynamic for Alex to interact with and it was kind of fun to see him try to figure out how to get on the good side of these people who are already suspicious of his intentions with Shelby and his capabilities in dealing with this werewolf apocalypse. I liked having Alex as a kind of unconventional hero. He's a science geek, who happens to know his way around a gun. Much of the way he figures the werewolf issue out is through scientific analysis and reasoning. Also shooting things. While there is a lot of thinking and analyzing there are some fantastic and teeth-clenching action scenes in this story.
POCKET APOCALYPSE is a fun cryptid mystery with a good balance of snark, tension, and tons of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. The only complaint I had was the fact that no one had a drop bear as a pet because I wanted to see one in this story. The pet Church Griffin was an acceptable and awesome replacement. While I had fun with Alex, Shelby, and Shelby's kind of frightening family, I am looking forward to seeing what Alex's sister Verity has been up to in CHAOS CHOREOGRAPHY coming out in 2016.
With a series about cryptids who can kill you in very weird ways it was inevitable that a visit to Australia, a land of ten thousand things that can kill you if you look at them wrong; was in store for the Incryptid series. POCKET APOCALYPSE introduces werewolves into this world which from the perspective of someone who has read a ton of werewolf related books, seemed kind of mundane for this series. Luckily, the werewolves in this book were something unique and treated as an invasive disease of a sort which increased the threat level of werewolves and made a seemingly 'boring' cryptid into something dangerously strange and fitting within this world.
With this werewolf apocalypse occurring in Australia we get to visit Alex's girlfriend's family and see the how the human-cryptid culture in Australia works. It was fun to see the different approach in the treatment of cryptids which is vastly different to how the Price family runs things in the U.S. Shelby's family introduces a new dynamic for Alex to interact with and it was kind of fun to see him try to figure out how to get on the good side of these people who are already suspicious of his intentions with Shelby and his capabilities in dealing with this werewolf apocalypse. I liked having Alex as a kind of unconventional hero. He's a science geek, who happens to know his way around a gun. Much of the way he figures the werewolf issue out is through scientific analysis and reasoning. Also shooting things. While there is a lot of thinking and analyzing there are some fantastic and teeth-clenching action scenes in this story.
POCKET APOCALYPSE is a fun cryptid mystery with a good balance of snark, tension, and tons of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. The only complaint I had was the fact that no one had a drop bear as a pet because I wanted to see one in this story. The pet Church Griffin was an acceptable and awesome replacement. While I had fun with Alex, Shelby, and Shelby's kind of frightening family, I am looking forward to seeing what Alex's sister Verity has been up to in CHAOS CHOREOGRAPHY coming out in 2016.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
khadija
This is the fourth book in the Incryptid series and the 2nd book in this series from Alex Prices’s point of view. This was an excellent continuation of this series. It was a very fun read and I really enjoyed it a lot. The fifth book in this series will be titled Chaos Choreography and is expected to release in 2016. Chaos Choreography will feature Verity Price again.
Alex knows it’s time to get worried when his girlfriend Shelby start asking questions about werewolves. Ends up Shelby’s home country of Australia is having some trouble with werewolves and Shelby’s family needs Alex’s expertise. Against his better judgement Alex journeys to Australia in hopes of preventing a widespread outbreak of werewolfism. Hopefully he can survive the werewolves and, even tougher, survive meeting Shelby’s family.
This book again follows Alex, Verity's brother. This time the story takes us to Australia where we meet tons of new and intriguing creatures. Additionally we get to meet Shelby's family, they are just as crazy as the Price family.
There is a ton of action in here as well as some wonderful cryptozoology. I truly enjoyed this book, it was just a great pleasure to read. This book deals more with werewolfism as a virus, so at times it has a bit of this viral outbreak panic feel to it. We do still get to meet some fascinating creatures as well though.
Most of the story is a sort of mystery where Alex and Shelby (and her family) are trying to track down patient zero and figure out who has and has not been infected.
I love both Alex and Shelby as characters; they have a lot of depth to them and are fun to read about. The Aeslin mice play a huge role in this story as well; they are hilarious and intriguing little beasts.
The story wraps up nicely and I just really enjoyed the whole book. In fact I have really loved this series as a whole.
Overall this is a wonderfully fun and creative addition to the InCryptid series. This whole series is recommended to urban fantasy fans; it's more light-hearted than McGuire's October Daye series but just as wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Chaos Choreography holds for us. I also highly recommend McGuire’s October Daye series; it is less action-packed than this one but still wonderfully creative urban fantasy.
Alex knows it’s time to get worried when his girlfriend Shelby start asking questions about werewolves. Ends up Shelby’s home country of Australia is having some trouble with werewolves and Shelby’s family needs Alex’s expertise. Against his better judgement Alex journeys to Australia in hopes of preventing a widespread outbreak of werewolfism. Hopefully he can survive the werewolves and, even tougher, survive meeting Shelby’s family.
This book again follows Alex, Verity's brother. This time the story takes us to Australia where we meet tons of new and intriguing creatures. Additionally we get to meet Shelby's family, they are just as crazy as the Price family.
There is a ton of action in here as well as some wonderful cryptozoology. I truly enjoyed this book, it was just a great pleasure to read. This book deals more with werewolfism as a virus, so at times it has a bit of this viral outbreak panic feel to it. We do still get to meet some fascinating creatures as well though.
Most of the story is a sort of mystery where Alex and Shelby (and her family) are trying to track down patient zero and figure out who has and has not been infected.
I love both Alex and Shelby as characters; they have a lot of depth to them and are fun to read about. The Aeslin mice play a huge role in this story as well; they are hilarious and intriguing little beasts.
The story wraps up nicely and I just really enjoyed the whole book. In fact I have really loved this series as a whole.
Overall this is a wonderfully fun and creative addition to the InCryptid series. This whole series is recommended to urban fantasy fans; it's more light-hearted than McGuire's October Daye series but just as wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Chaos Choreography holds for us. I also highly recommend McGuire’s October Daye series; it is less action-packed than this one but still wonderfully creative urban fantasy.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
carson wright
Pocket Apocalypse
Seanan McGuire
DAW, Mar 3 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756408121
Cryptozoologist Alex Price, like most of his kin (see his sister Verity star in Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special), courageously has fought against all sorts of paranormal brutes including in-family combat. However; the one species that shook his courage the most was his only encounter with a werewolf. That battle still haunts him as if it just happened.
So when his Australian girlfriend Shelby Tanner pleads with him to accompany her home to fight a werewolf epidemic threatening the continent, Price rationalizes two reasons to remain in Ohio: werewolves and meeting the parents. Alex also has two reasons to go Down Under: being a curious Price Cryptozoologist and Shelby. In Australia he meets paranormal species he never met before, local cryptozoologists who want the damn Yankee to go home and the disapproving Tanner brood patriarch Riley head of the Thirty-Sixer who hates anything Price. As the visiting American learns more about the exponential growing werewolf pandemic, Alex wonders what he can do to prevent species cleansing especially after he is bitten.
The fourth InCryptid urban fantasy continues Alex’s misadventures (see Half-Off Ragnarok) while relocating from the States to Australia, which adds new challenges from a new assortment of monsters and of course the hostile Tanners. As always with Seanan McGuire’s novels the fast-paced storyline contains a terrific support cast held together by the reluctant hero.
Harriet Klausner
Seanan McGuire
DAW, Mar 3 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756408121
Cryptozoologist Alex Price, like most of his kin (see his sister Verity star in Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special), courageously has fought against all sorts of paranormal brutes including in-family combat. However; the one species that shook his courage the most was his only encounter with a werewolf. That battle still haunts him as if it just happened.
So when his Australian girlfriend Shelby Tanner pleads with him to accompany her home to fight a werewolf epidemic threatening the continent, Price rationalizes two reasons to remain in Ohio: werewolves and meeting the parents. Alex also has two reasons to go Down Under: being a curious Price Cryptozoologist and Shelby. In Australia he meets paranormal species he never met before, local cryptozoologists who want the damn Yankee to go home and the disapproving Tanner brood patriarch Riley head of the Thirty-Sixer who hates anything Price. As the visiting American learns more about the exponential growing werewolf pandemic, Alex wonders what he can do to prevent species cleansing especially after he is bitten.
The fourth InCryptid urban fantasy continues Alex’s misadventures (see Half-Off Ragnarok) while relocating from the States to Australia, which adds new challenges from a new assortment of monsters and of course the hostile Tanners. As always with Seanan McGuire’s novels the fast-paced storyline contains a terrific support cast held together by the reluctant hero.
Harriet Klausner
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
tracey e
This fourth novel in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series is the second narrated by Alexander Price, the older and somewhat stuffier brother of previous narrator Verity Price. Where Verity’s two books explored the Cryptid communities in New York City, Alex’s two novels have taken us to increasingly remote locations: first suburban Ohio (in Half-Off Ragnarok) and now outback Australia. The changes in setting and in narrator give books three and four a different feel than the first two books. Personally, I think this is a great way to keep the series interesting, and find myself excited to see what a novel narrated by youngest sister Verity will sound like (as compared to the short stories featuring her). Compared to Verity, Alex’s voice is a bit less excitable (even in high-stakes situations) if no less passionate about the work. Cryptozoology is not for the half-hearted, after all.
It’s not easy introducing yet another entirely new supporting cast in a way that will make the readers care about said characters, but for the most part McGuire pulls it off. By starting the novel “at home” in Ohio, we get a little bit of a check-in with the supporting characters from Alex’s previous adventure before Alex, and we, are thrust into meeting all these new folks. The scenes on the airplane allow our nervousness about meeting Shelby’s family to build alongside Alex’s. And when we do meet the Tanner family, and their friends in the Thirty-Six Society, we feel as much an outsider as Alex does. Still, during the middle third of the book, I did find myself wondering if I would ever actually like the Tanners and their friends. I think this was intentional on McGuire’s part, but I still found myself thinking “I understand all of the ecological reasons for Alex to stay and fight this infestation, but I really couldn’t care less about the personal toll. Shelby’s better off without this family.” The end of the book, which is where 90% of the actual action and fighting-with-werewolves takes place, helped to change that opinion, of course. But it was a close call for a while there.
And then there’s the issue of how werewolfism/lycanthropy developed in this particular world. The InCryptid books approach mythological creatures with scientific nomenclature and explanations: biology, chemistry and evolution all play a part in the world-building, which occasionally makes these books feel like they should be more in the “Mira Grant” part of the author’s oeuvre than the “Seanan McGuire” part. The concept of lycanthropy as a communicable disease is not a new idea in speculative fiction, but McGuire puts a nice in-universe spin on how the virus came to be and why it’s so much more dangerous than naturally-therianthropic (shape-changing) populations.
A fun read, even with the somewhat uncharacteristic “running-in-place” feel of the book’s middle third.
It’s not easy introducing yet another entirely new supporting cast in a way that will make the readers care about said characters, but for the most part McGuire pulls it off. By starting the novel “at home” in Ohio, we get a little bit of a check-in with the supporting characters from Alex’s previous adventure before Alex, and we, are thrust into meeting all these new folks. The scenes on the airplane allow our nervousness about meeting Shelby’s family to build alongside Alex’s. And when we do meet the Tanner family, and their friends in the Thirty-Six Society, we feel as much an outsider as Alex does. Still, during the middle third of the book, I did find myself wondering if I would ever actually like the Tanners and their friends. I think this was intentional on McGuire’s part, but I still found myself thinking “I understand all of the ecological reasons for Alex to stay and fight this infestation, but I really couldn’t care less about the personal toll. Shelby’s better off without this family.” The end of the book, which is where 90% of the actual action and fighting-with-werewolves takes place, helped to change that opinion, of course. But it was a close call for a while there.
And then there’s the issue of how werewolfism/lycanthropy developed in this particular world. The InCryptid books approach mythological creatures with scientific nomenclature and explanations: biology, chemistry and evolution all play a part in the world-building, which occasionally makes these books feel like they should be more in the “Mira Grant” part of the author’s oeuvre than the “Seanan McGuire” part. The concept of lycanthropy as a communicable disease is not a new idea in speculative fiction, but McGuire puts a nice in-universe spin on how the virus came to be and why it’s so much more dangerous than naturally-therianthropic (shape-changing) populations.
A fun read, even with the somewhat uncharacteristic “running-in-place” feel of the book’s middle third.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
flkitty reads
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
With a series about cryptids who can kill you in very weird ways it was inevitable that a visit to Australia, a land of ten thousand things that can kill you if you look at them wrong; was in store for the Incryptid series. POCKET APOCALYPSE introduces werewolves into this world which from the perspective of someone who has read a ton of werewolf related books, seemed kind of mundane for this series. Luckily, the werewolves in this book were something unique and treated as an invasive disease of a sort which increased the threat level of werewolves and made a seemingly 'boring' cryptid into something dangerously strange and fitting within this world.
With this werewolf apocalypse occurring in Australia we get to visit Alex's girlfriend's family and see the how the human-cryptid culture in Australia works. It was fun to see the different approach in the treatment of cryptids which is vastly different to how the Price family runs things in the U.S. Shelby's family introduces a new dynamic for Alex to interact with and it was kind of fun to see him try to figure out how to get on the good side of these people who are already suspicious of his intentions with Shelby and his capabilities in dealing with this werewolf apocalypse. I liked having Alex as a kind of unconventional hero. He's a science geek, who happens to know his way around a gun. Much of the way he figures the werewolf issue out is through scientific analysis and reasoning. Also shooting things. While there is a lot of thinking and analyzing there are some fantastic and teeth-clenching action scenes in this story.
POCKET APOCALYPSE is a fun cryptid mystery with a good balance of snark, tension, and tons of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. The only complaint I had was the fact that no one had a drop bear as a pet because I wanted to see one in this story. The pet Church Griffin was an acceptable and awesome replacement. While I had fun with Alex, Shelby, and Shelby's kind of frightening family, I am looking forward to seeing what Alex's sister Verity has been up to in CHAOS CHOREOGRAPHY coming out in 2016.
With a series about cryptids who can kill you in very weird ways it was inevitable that a visit to Australia, a land of ten thousand things that can kill you if you look at them wrong; was in store for the Incryptid series. POCKET APOCALYPSE introduces werewolves into this world which from the perspective of someone who has read a ton of werewolf related books, seemed kind of mundane for this series. Luckily, the werewolves in this book were something unique and treated as an invasive disease of a sort which increased the threat level of werewolves and made a seemingly 'boring' cryptid into something dangerously strange and fitting within this world.
With this werewolf apocalypse occurring in Australia we get to visit Alex's girlfriend's family and see the how the human-cryptid culture in Australia works. It was fun to see the different approach in the treatment of cryptids which is vastly different to how the Price family runs things in the U.S. Shelby's family introduces a new dynamic for Alex to interact with and it was kind of fun to see him try to figure out how to get on the good side of these people who are already suspicious of his intentions with Shelby and his capabilities in dealing with this werewolf apocalypse. I liked having Alex as a kind of unconventional hero. He's a science geek, who happens to know his way around a gun. Much of the way he figures the werewolf issue out is through scientific analysis and reasoning. Also shooting things. While there is a lot of thinking and analyzing there are some fantastic and teeth-clenching action scenes in this story.
POCKET APOCALYPSE is a fun cryptid mystery with a good balance of snark, tension, and tons of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. The only complaint I had was the fact that no one had a drop bear as a pet because I wanted to see one in this story. The pet Church Griffin was an acceptable and awesome replacement. While I had fun with Alex, Shelby, and Shelby's kind of frightening family, I am looking forward to seeing what Alex's sister Verity has been up to in CHAOS CHOREOGRAPHY coming out in 2016.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
lindsay antikainen
This is the fourth book in the Incryptid series and the 2nd book in this series from Alex Prices’s point of view. This was an excellent continuation of this series. It was a very fun read and I really enjoyed it a lot. The fifth book in this series will be titled Chaos Choreography and is expected to release in 2016. Chaos Choreography will feature Verity Price again.
Alex knows it’s time to get worried when his girlfriend Shelby start asking questions about werewolves. Ends up Shelby’s home country of Australia is having some trouble with werewolves and Shelby’s family needs Alex’s expertise. Against his better judgement Alex journeys to Australia in hopes of preventing a widespread outbreak of werewolfism. Hopefully he can survive the werewolves and, even tougher, survive meeting Shelby’s family.
This book again follows Alex, Verity's brother. This time the story takes us to Australia where we meet tons of new and intriguing creatures. Additionally we get to meet Shelby's family, they are just as crazy as the Price family.
There is a ton of action in here as well as some wonderful cryptozoology. I truly enjoyed this book, it was just a great pleasure to read. This book deals more with werewolfism as a virus, so at times it has a bit of this viral outbreak panic feel to it. We do still get to meet some fascinating creatures as well though.
Most of the story is a sort of mystery where Alex and Shelby (and her family) are trying to track down patient zero and figure out who has and has not been infected.
I love both Alex and Shelby as characters; they have a lot of depth to them and are fun to read about. The Aeslin mice play a huge role in this story as well; they are hilarious and intriguing little beasts.
The story wraps up nicely and I just really enjoyed the whole book. In fact I have really loved this series as a whole.
Overall this is a wonderfully fun and creative addition to the InCryptid series. This whole series is recommended to urban fantasy fans; it's more light-hearted than McGuire's October Daye series but just as wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Chaos Choreography holds for us. I also highly recommend McGuire’s October Daye series; it is less action-packed than this one but still wonderfully creative urban fantasy.
Alex knows it’s time to get worried when his girlfriend Shelby start asking questions about werewolves. Ends up Shelby’s home country of Australia is having some trouble with werewolves and Shelby’s family needs Alex’s expertise. Against his better judgement Alex journeys to Australia in hopes of preventing a widespread outbreak of werewolfism. Hopefully he can survive the werewolves and, even tougher, survive meeting Shelby’s family.
This book again follows Alex, Verity's brother. This time the story takes us to Australia where we meet tons of new and intriguing creatures. Additionally we get to meet Shelby's family, they are just as crazy as the Price family.
There is a ton of action in here as well as some wonderful cryptozoology. I truly enjoyed this book, it was just a great pleasure to read. This book deals more with werewolfism as a virus, so at times it has a bit of this viral outbreak panic feel to it. We do still get to meet some fascinating creatures as well though.
Most of the story is a sort of mystery where Alex and Shelby (and her family) are trying to track down patient zero and figure out who has and has not been infected.
I love both Alex and Shelby as characters; they have a lot of depth to them and are fun to read about. The Aeslin mice play a huge role in this story as well; they are hilarious and intriguing little beasts.
The story wraps up nicely and I just really enjoyed the whole book. In fact I have really loved this series as a whole.
Overall this is a wonderfully fun and creative addition to the InCryptid series. This whole series is recommended to urban fantasy fans; it's more light-hearted than McGuire's October Daye series but just as wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Chaos Choreography holds for us. I also highly recommend McGuire’s October Daye series; it is less action-packed than this one but still wonderfully creative urban fantasy.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
amitav
Pocket Apocalypse
Seanan McGuire
DAW, Mar 3 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756408121
Cryptozoologist Alex Price, like most of his kin (see his sister Verity star in Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special), courageously has fought against all sorts of paranormal brutes including in-family combat. However; the one species that shook his courage the most was his only encounter with a werewolf. That battle still haunts him as if it just happened.
So when his Australian girlfriend Shelby Tanner pleads with him to accompany her home to fight a werewolf epidemic threatening the continent, Price rationalizes two reasons to remain in Ohio: werewolves and meeting the parents. Alex also has two reasons to go Down Under: being a curious Price Cryptozoologist and Shelby. In Australia he meets paranormal species he never met before, local cryptozoologists who want the damn Yankee to go home and the disapproving Tanner brood patriarch Riley head of the Thirty-Sixer who hates anything Price. As the visiting American learns more about the exponential growing werewolf pandemic, Alex wonders what he can do to prevent species cleansing especially after he is bitten.
The fourth InCryptid urban fantasy continues Alex’s misadventures (see Half-Off Ragnarok) while relocating from the States to Australia, which adds new challenges from a new assortment of monsters and of course the hostile Tanners. As always with Seanan McGuire’s novels the fast-paced storyline contains a terrific support cast held together by the reluctant hero.
Harriet Klausner
Seanan McGuire
DAW, Mar 3 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756408121
Cryptozoologist Alex Price, like most of his kin (see his sister Verity star in Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special), courageously has fought against all sorts of paranormal brutes including in-family combat. However; the one species that shook his courage the most was his only encounter with a werewolf. That battle still haunts him as if it just happened.
So when his Australian girlfriend Shelby Tanner pleads with him to accompany her home to fight a werewolf epidemic threatening the continent, Price rationalizes two reasons to remain in Ohio: werewolves and meeting the parents. Alex also has two reasons to go Down Under: being a curious Price Cryptozoologist and Shelby. In Australia he meets paranormal species he never met before, local cryptozoologists who want the damn Yankee to go home and the disapproving Tanner brood patriarch Riley head of the Thirty-Sixer who hates anything Price. As the visiting American learns more about the exponential growing werewolf pandemic, Alex wonders what he can do to prevent species cleansing especially after he is bitten.
The fourth InCryptid urban fantasy continues Alex’s misadventures (see Half-Off Ragnarok) while relocating from the States to Australia, which adds new challenges from a new assortment of monsters and of course the hostile Tanners. As always with Seanan McGuire’s novels the fast-paced storyline contains a terrific support cast held together by the reluctant hero.
Harriet Klausner
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
dv de mayo
Overall Thoughts: As book #4 in the series, this one continues to build on the world the author has already created. In this book, the second narrator, Alex, goes to Australia with his girlfriend Shelby to stop an outbreak of the lycanthropy-w disease; which is werewolves with a few caveats.
The constant aggression Alex faces upon arriving in Australia from Shelby’s family is over-exaggerated and ridiculous to the point of annoyance.
And this concept of how lycanthropy/werewolves works, while new, is kind of stupid. Other mammals, like horses or kangaroos, anything mammalian in fact, can contract the disease which is not in keeping with the name of the disease itself, as ‘lycanthropy’ is for wolves only. It would have made more sense to have called this disease and outbreak a ‘zombie plague’.
The disease concept and outbreak is interesting, and keeps in line with the incryptid world, but I didn’t like that the author used werewolves as the base for the disease because it didn’t really work. The descriptions of the disease were confusing and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. However, when I started thinking of the disease as ‘zombie’ instead, the story worked much better overall.
The author’s story concept is cool and I love the concept of monsters-as-people (more suggestions please?) but her writing style lacks consistency and is not that well organized. I feel as if this was skimmed during the professional editing process rather than gone over in detail. Additionally, the description of how the lycanthropy-w disease works seems jumbled and not completely thought out.
However, the characters are likeable and the story itself is solid. It’s just a bit rough around the edges. I enjoy this world and the monsters-as-people theme so I will continue reading the rest of this series, even if the writing leaves a bit to be desired.
Rating: 3/5
The constant aggression Alex faces upon arriving in Australia from Shelby’s family is over-exaggerated and ridiculous to the point of annoyance.
And this concept of how lycanthropy/werewolves works, while new, is kind of stupid. Other mammals, like horses or kangaroos, anything mammalian in fact, can contract the disease which is not in keeping with the name of the disease itself, as ‘lycanthropy’ is for wolves only. It would have made more sense to have called this disease and outbreak a ‘zombie plague’.
The disease concept and outbreak is interesting, and keeps in line with the incryptid world, but I didn’t like that the author used werewolves as the base for the disease because it didn’t really work. The descriptions of the disease were confusing and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. However, when I started thinking of the disease as ‘zombie’ instead, the story worked much better overall.
The author’s story concept is cool and I love the concept of monsters-as-people (more suggestions please?) but her writing style lacks consistency and is not that well organized. I feel as if this was skimmed during the professional editing process rather than gone over in detail. Additionally, the description of how the lycanthropy-w disease works seems jumbled and not completely thought out.
However, the characters are likeable and the story itself is solid. It’s just a bit rough around the edges. I enjoy this world and the monsters-as-people theme so I will continue reading the rest of this series, even if the writing leaves a bit to be desired.
Rating: 3/5
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
lester
The weakest book of the series. The variety of creatures is part of what made the previous books fun, and in this one we get...racist (OK, speciest) humans, and werewolves (which are simply humans who have been changed). Yawn. A lot of the motivations of the characters seemed to be solely to create conflict. I was sorely disappointed. Had this been the first book I would have avoided the rest of the series.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ghada
I start this review to establish a few things. First, Seanan McGuire is an incredibly talented writer who is able to spin a captivating tale that is sure to entrance readers of all sorts. This is evidenced by the fact that I went from one book to the next, followed by one series to the next, until sadly I had exhausted the then currently published supply of books by this talented author.
Luckily for me, Seanan McGuire is an incredibly prolific writer who publishes (under multiple pseudonyms) multiple books, short stories, and novellas per year.
One of the reasons I love McGuire's writing is that she fills each book with enough sarcasm, humor, and captivating action to entice even the most hesitant of readers. Couple that with a plethora of odd creatures (both based in mythology as well as created from the brilliant mind of McGuire) (including Yowie, now one of my new favorite inCrypid) and it's no wonder that McGuire's InCryptid series is by far my favorite.
I say all of this to establish the point that the InCrypid series is my favorite of Seanan's series and that Pocket Apocalypse does not disappoint.
As has been established by McGuire's InCryptid series, Pocket Apocalypse is told from Alex Price's point of view. In this novel he and his girlfriend Shelby are returning to Shelby's home to take care of a mounting werewolf problem in Australia (and even more terrifyingly to meet Shelby's parents for the first time). McGuire makes sure to heap on the awkward family drama as things go from bad to worse in the ways of impressing Shelby's family, couple this with near fatal mauling, and its enough for Alex to miss dealing with his normal home brew of poisonous snakes and petrifying (literally) gorgons.
All in all, I loved Pocket Apocalypse. It is filled with lovable characters that I can't get enough of, tons of action, and enough sarcasm and witty narration to make anyone crack a smile (and most to laugh out loud). All of this easily makes this a highly recommended book that I hope readers will give a chance.
http://whatchamacallitreviews.blogspot.com/2015/03/pocket-apocalypse-by-seanan-mcguire.html
Luckily for me, Seanan McGuire is an incredibly prolific writer who publishes (under multiple pseudonyms) multiple books, short stories, and novellas per year.
One of the reasons I love McGuire's writing is that she fills each book with enough sarcasm, humor, and captivating action to entice even the most hesitant of readers. Couple that with a plethora of odd creatures (both based in mythology as well as created from the brilliant mind of McGuire) (including Yowie, now one of my new favorite inCrypid) and it's no wonder that McGuire's InCryptid series is by far my favorite.
I say all of this to establish the point that the InCrypid series is my favorite of Seanan's series and that Pocket Apocalypse does not disappoint.
As has been established by McGuire's InCryptid series, Pocket Apocalypse is told from Alex Price's point of view. In this novel he and his girlfriend Shelby are returning to Shelby's home to take care of a mounting werewolf problem in Australia (and even more terrifyingly to meet Shelby's parents for the first time). McGuire makes sure to heap on the awkward family drama as things go from bad to worse in the ways of impressing Shelby's family, couple this with near fatal mauling, and its enough for Alex to miss dealing with his normal home brew of poisonous snakes and petrifying (literally) gorgons.
All in all, I loved Pocket Apocalypse. It is filled with lovable characters that I can't get enough of, tons of action, and enough sarcasm and witty narration to make anyone crack a smile (and most to laugh out loud). All of this easily makes this a highly recommended book that I hope readers will give a chance.
http://whatchamacallitreviews.blogspot.com/2015/03/pocket-apocalypse-by-seanan-mcguire.html
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ronaanne
Not gonna lie, I originally judged this book by its cover and couldn't have been more wrong! As a classical mythology fan, I was in for a treat when I realized that Alexander Price was fighting against mythical creatures (compared to the romance novel I thought I was in for). This was the first book I read from the series, and it got me hooked into reading the rest of them. Still one of my favorites though, because it was fun to piece out the various mythical creatures and how McGuire weaved myth with modern urban life. I found the slight romance very tastefully done and overall I was sucked into the story. I can't wait for the next book in the Incryptid series to come out!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
harry indrawan
Book number four of a four book series. There will be more books in the series. Please note that the series is readable for the Aeslin mice alone. All the rest is icing.
The book heads down under with the protagonist of the previous book and his fiance in the midst of a werewolf virus outbreak. I'm still trying to remove the image of the werewolf sheep out of my mind.
Note: Seanan Lynn McGuire and myself are not related (that I know of) despite having the same middle and last names.
The book heads down under with the protagonist of the previous book and his fiance in the midst of a werewolf virus outbreak. I'm still trying to remove the image of the werewolf sheep out of my mind.
Note: Seanan Lynn McGuire and myself are not related (that I know of) despite having the same middle and last names.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
lee nespor
This was different than some of the past ones, with all the new characters, only Alex and Shelby are in this one, and the location being mainly in Australia allowed for many new discoveries.
Still loving this series and the authors writing in general.
Still loving this series and the authors writing in general.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jenn manley lee
This book is a great continuation of the series. It further expands the world, continuing with a the narrative pace that make the series so enjoyable to read. There is humor, action, and quirky humor. Listen, you have to buy it ... the mice demand it.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
susan smith
A big disappointment after the first three books. The tone is darker, the action is more hectic than logical or necessary. The Australian 36 Society (and the whole Tanner family) sound and act remarkably like a group of hysterical inept teenagers (rather than a secret monster fighting society of a long standing). Long - and stupid - family squabbles become irritating very fast. The general stubborn stupidity of the whole is very boring.
I do hope the author goes back to Verity, tight plots and witty dialogues. This one is an irritating flop.
I do hope the author goes back to Verity, tight plots and witty dialogues. This one is an irritating flop.
Please RatePocket Apocalypse (InCryptid)
Alex and Shelby might not always seem like the most obvious couple, but watching them work together in POCKET APOCALYPSE made it clear they are meant to be. It was nice to see how other cryptozoologists live and work. It wasn't so great to see their prejudice towards those that are not human. I am glad that Alex and Shelby were able to go there and help and show them that not all 'monsters' are monsters. Alex did not have an easy time in Australia. Shelby's dad was not happy that his 'little girl' brought a man home, but even worse, he doesn't like that Alex's family is former covenant. He questions his actions at every turn and gives him a really hard time about everything.
On to other things. It's great to see Sarah getting better. She isn't herself yet, but she is closer than she was during the last book. I continue to love the Aeslin mice. They are a big hit in every book and as I learn more about them, I like them even more.
There have been two books for Verity and Dominic, two books for Alex and Shelby, will Antimony be next? Can't wait to find out and learn more about her.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.