Half-Off Ragnarok (InCryptid Book 3)

I am very disappointed that the third book of Seanan McGuire's wonderfully creative series isn't yet release as an audible.com, and I hope that will be corrected in the near future. Audible books are the only way he can enjoy so many of these great books, and to have hooked people on the first two books, but not bring in the next novel is just cruel. Please, the store, take the action to record this book soon!"

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Book three is a wild, crazy reboot to the series as it jumps to the brother’s story.

Opening Sentence: Alex knelt in front of his new terrarium, peering through the glass as he searched for a sign of his latest pet.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Half-Off Ragnarok, the third novel in the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire, offers up a completely new perspective in this wildly funny and crazy urban fantasy novel. This series follows the Healy/Price family as they protect humans from cryptids and protect cryptids from humans. Verity’s brother Alex gets his turn to tell his story as a guest researcher at the West Columbus Zoo. If you haven’t read the previous two novels then you really don’t have to in order to jump into this one but it does continue the story of Sarah, a cryptid who continues to heal after the events of the last book Midnight Blue-Light Special.

A few months have passed since Verity’s showdown with some Covenant members in New York City, Sarah is now living with her “mother” in Ohio. Alex, Verity’s older brother, is living with his grandparents while he is working at the West Columbus Zoo as a guest researcher for reptiles but in actuality he is studying the reproduction cycles of basilisks and the local cryptid population. When Alex isn’t busy with his research, he is dating a hot Australian zookeeper named Shelby Tanner, it is a relationship that he doesn’t expect to last but he is having fun while he can because not everyone can handle knowing that cryptids are in fact a real species.

A human is killed at the Zoo and it could only have been a cryptid that could have done it. Alex must find out who or what is killing humans because it could cause a whole bunch more cryptids to die when the Covenant comes to town. During a scene that could only be described as highly dangerous, incredibly insane and hilarious, Alex and Shelby learn that they actually have more in common than they thought. Together they put their relationship on the line along with their lives in order to take down the creepy creature that is turning people into stone.

Alex is the older brother of Verity and Antimony. He doesn’t quite have the skills that his sisters have but he has spent a lot of time studying reptiles. I really liked Alex although it did seem weird at times that I was reading from a man’s point of view since all the other books I’ve read from Seanan have female leads. Alex has an awesome pet, a church griffin, which is basically a cat with wings. I want one! It is a cross between a Maine coon cat and a raven but I still want one.

Shelby Tanner is an Australian zoologist with a specialty in big cats. She has some similarities to Alex but it is her since of humor and her ability to adapt to the situations that she and Alex get thrown into that make me really like her. Although I do feel Shelby’s and Alex’s relationship is a little too convenient considering they both went into it knowing it wouldn’t last.

In the end, I really like this world of hidden monsters that Seanan has created. I also like how close knit this family is even if they may seem mentally unstable at times. (I only say this because of the decision making they must go through when dealing with the cryptid population.) They stand up for their own morals and principles even at the potential cost to their own lives. I highly recommend this series for people who like a touch of paranormal with their dose of normalcy and also for characters who have a quirky sense of humor.

Notable Scene:

“I’ve got it!” shouted Dee, just as the lindworm’s head flashed past my position, and my blood went cold.

Its eyes were granite-gray from side to side, with no pupil or sclera.

“You’re not going to be able to stun it!” I whirled, firing twice more into its side. The lindworm hissed horribly and whipped around again, jaws snapping shut on the place where I would have been standing if Frank hadn’t effortlessly yanked me out of the way. I fired at the lindworm again. Thanks could wait until we were no longer in immediately danger.

There was a whoop, and Shelby was abruptly sitting on the lindworm’s back, straddling it like a cowgirl riding a bucking bronco at the rodeo. She hooked the fingers of one hand under the broad scales at the back of its skull, drawing a gun from her waistband with the other hand. Her grin died as she glanced my way, meeting me eyes.

Clenching my jaw, I nodded.

FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Half-Off Ragnarok. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Half-Off Ragnarok steps away from Verity and gives her older brother Alex a chance to shine. I would have been nervous about the change in narrator for the next few books but after reading a lot of the free short stories on Seanan McGuire's website I've really enjoyed getting to know lots of different members of the Price family so I was looking forward to the switch up.

Alex is very different to his sister, where she's confident and outgoing Alex is more of a nerd, he has friends but his circle isn't as large as Verity's and he prefers to stay out of the limelight. Alex has moved back in with his grandparents to help them take care of Sarah after the injury she received rescuing Verity in the previous book so we get to see a whole other side to her from his point of view. Technically Alex works at Columbus Zoo as a researcher who is in charge of the reptile house but he's really there trying to start a basilisk breeding program and monitoring the local incryptid populations.

Things start to get complicated when his colleagues at the zoo start dying and when Alex realises the bodies are being partially turned to stone he knows he is the only one qualified to track down the murderer. Alex is trying to balance hunting a killer and all his other cryptozoologist duties with spending time with his girlfriend Shelby, a colleague at the zoo who is a big cat trainer. Shelby is getting more and more suspicious about the weird goings on and Alex is having trouble keeping everything hidden from her.

I really enjoyed the change of pace this novel offers us, the more rural setting allows us to see a lot of the incryptids in their natural habitat and Seanan McGuire excels at adding interesting creatures to her world. Alex's pet Crow was a particular favourite of mine, he's a church griffin which is basically a cross between a raven and a main coon cat and he's utterly adorable, but you'll also meet a variety of snake like creatures from basilisks to gorgons and some cute sounding feathered frogs known as frickens.

Half-Off Ragnarok was a fun instalment to the series and I'm looking forward to reading more of Alex's story.

A letdown after the first two InCryptid novels. I expected a different flavor since the lead character was now Alex the Science Guy rather than Verity the Warrior Dancer. But it seems the change was in the quality rather than the characters.

Like others have said, Alex is boring. He isn't a good lead - he might be better as a sidekick. As a science nerd myself, I like science but I don't read fiction to be subjected to pages of biological jargon dealing with imaginary animals. I assume the author was trying to portray Alex as a nerdy science guy but a little technical writing goes a long way. It would've helped if Alex came up for the occasion but other than scooping out lindworm eyes, dissecting victims, etc. he just didn't have what it takes to be a lead character. Believe it or not, there are scientists with personalities...

There were other things I disliked, too. The Frankenstein-Grandfather for one. I thought incryptids were "real" creatures not paranormal spirits who could re-animate dead bodies and such; that's a whole different realm. The mystery was another thing I really didn't like. It was so cobbled together and out of left field that it was a cheat. The motive/s of the villain were murky, confused and weak. I re-read the ending scene just in case I missed something but it was still unclear. Ruins any story when the end doesn't make sense.

I did like some of the new cryptids like Crow, the lindworms,the frickins and of course the mice who aren't new but are never enough. I liked Shelby the girlfriend, too, mostly. At least she had some zip to her, unlike Alex. The "I'm from Australia which is the most dangerous, unappreciated country on Earth" got old, though.

All in all, a marginal read in my opinion. Probably won't read the next book with Alex as the lead. The Price family is getting to be a bit much anyway. Time to find a new series.

I simply love Seanan McGuire's writing. Both series, so completely different, have caught and held my interest, though I have heard rumblings about the last October Daye book.

Ragnarok is the first book about Alex, Verity's brother, the only returning character from the first two books is Sarah, who is making a slow recovery from the events of Midnight-blue Light Special. Alex is every bit as charming a character as Verity in his own way and he also comes with a colony of Aeslin mice.

Because if we are all honest we are only reading these books for the mice. ;)

Alex is in Ohio at the Columbus zoo giving lectures at the reptile house and doing covert studies of the local fricken population. Fricken=feathered frog. The fricken population is growing and the reason might not be good news for any of us.

Unfortunately there is even worse news- someone or something is turning employees of the zoo and the neighbor of Alex's grandparents into stone. Whoever it is wants Alex dead, too, or maybe it's Alex's sort of girlfriend, Shelby, a visiting big cat specialist from Australia.

Alex, Shelby, and Alex's assistant, Dee, are all keeping secrets, secrets that they will have to share if they want to catch a killer and sharing those secrets is not easy when the secrets have kept them alive.

As in the first two books McGuire introduces us to a lot of interesting characters, Alex's grandparents, his assistant, a young wadjet and her fiancé; and also new creatures, his Church griffen, a cockatrice, frickens, lindworms.

I love her world, I love what she's done with the state of Ohio.

Excerpt from Half-off Ragnarok:

"Shelby blinked. Then she blinked again, and finally, looking somewhat nonplussed, she asked, "Is anyone in Ohio human?""

Well, Shelby, I live in Ann Arbor and none of us think so. Go Blue! And cake and cheese for all.

Third in the Incryptid paranormal romance series and revolving around the Price family. The couple focus is on Alex Price, alias Dr. Alexander Preston, and Dr. Shelby Tanner.

My Take
I've enjoyed the first two books of this series, this one, not so much. While Alex did crack me up with some of his observations: "Sometimes science sucks…", "commit senseless acts of science", and that he chose a profession that thought running toward danger was a good idea, he isn't as entertaining to read about as his sister Verity.

I suspect my lack of enjoyment stemmed from the lack of tension. McGuire brought in a good bit of new information about cryptids, and there were opportunities for drama and tension, but she didn't go into any depth on those possibilities. Two of them include the worry about the Covenant becoming concerned about dead people and the fricken population increasing to the point that they are classified as "normal" *eek* and opening a window into the cryptid world. But they're more excuses than anything.

I do love how environmentally aware the Prices are. Knowing how smaller cryptids are faring "can be used as a general barometer of an area's well-being". It certainly helps their relationships with the cryptids.

Interesting tidbit about unicorns, lol. Then there's that nonchalant manner of discussing basilisk and cockatrice differences…mmm, love the idea of the crunchy outside and chewy inside, *eye roll and laughter*
"I have always enjoyed the company of dangerous women. Fortunately for me, many of them seem to enjoy the company of dangerous men."
– Thomas Price
Oh, man, Shelby's question about proper cultural greetings when they get to the gorgon village cracked me up. Such a great way to turn the tension around! There's a great soliloquy from Alex on the difference between whos and whats and how guilt is portioned out. It makes perfect sense to me as well as to Frank. It's odd, but Alex comes across as a pacifist until it's down to the wire, then he gets all intellectual alpha. I love it. He makes such perfect sense. He's tough. He's not willing to back down. But he is willing to give the other side as much room as possible. And he will not lie about his intentions.

Alex is terrible with women. He hasn't a clue. And Shelby is an interesting person. I do like her reasons for wanting to date Alex, although it's her after-behavior that I find reprehensible. That interim scene in the kitchen drove me nuts! Alex is being perfectly reasonable if a bit off the wall, and Shelby keeps arguing with him. WTF? Hullo?? Alex is making requests and he's obviously in pain. Just shut up and do what he asks. Stop questioning every little detail!!! Pin him down afterwards. I wanted to smack her silly. Although, it's one of the best scenes in the book; the fire was good as well.

I'm not getting why Alex would be satisfied going to the theater when what he truly wants to do is be investigating. This whole thing about Alex's impatience and having to cancel dates with Shelby so he can write his reports, etc. … what is the hurry? It feels manufactured.
"Playing fair is for people who don't mind playing to lose."
– Kevin Price

Ooh, we get a mention of Rose Marshall from Sparrow Hill Road ! I loved Rose, even if she did make me cry.

Wait a minute, Shelby is from Australia, and from what she says, she's very familiar with the great outdoors/outback. So, why does she have such a tough time being quiet in the woods?

The bad guy finally has his day, and I can't believe his reasons for running amuck. Okay, well, I get a couple of them, but the rest? I guess they're as good as any dumb humans', but really? All this over that?

I suspect that McGuire is setting Alex up to stay on in Columbus.

The Story
Alex is faking it as a visiting researcher at the West Columbus Zoo. It's a great coverup for Alex's true task: finding out what was happening to the frogs and looking over the basilisk breeding program.

Unfortunately, he's a better scientist than he is a boyfriend, always with the excuses as he cancels date after date. It is not endearing him to Shelby. Of course, Shelby's latest course of actions isn't endearing her to him. As if he doesn't have enough trouble with the lindworm, Aeslin mice worrying about the Heartless Ones, and Sarah unable to find her numbers.

The Characters
Alex Price is Verity's brother (named for his great-grandfather, one of the premiere cryptozoologists of his time), a.k.a., the God of Scales and Silence, a.k.a., Dr. Alex Preston, and passionate about his science, even if it does take him through swamps. The dragon at the San Francisco Zoo would vouch for him. Crow is his Church Griffin, a breed of miniature griffin with bratty behavior. Alex has his own congregation of Aeslin mice (they worship the Prices as gods and are thought to be extinct by the world) whom I adore. Although, in Half-Off Ragnarok, they aren't as much fun.

His maternal grandparents, the Bakers, live right there in Columbus and are excellent at blending in, for Angela's a cuckoo and Martin's a Revenant — think Frankenstein — who works as a coroner for the city. The children they adopted included Evelyn, Drew, and Sarah, the cuckoo "cousin" whom they've taken in after she saved Verity in Midnight Blue-Light Special , 2.

Verity was the dancing protagonist in Discount Armageddon , 1, and Midnight Blue-Light Special . Dominick is former-Covenant and Verity's boyfriend; they're making a road trip with weapons and mice to Oregon. Antimony is the sister we've only heard of — and I'm terrified of meeting her! Evelyn and Kevin are their parents in Oregon. Aunt Mary died decades go, but it doesn't keep her from family parties. Alice Price is Alex's paternal grandmother and "as stable as the San Andreas fault". Artie is another cousin, although half-incubus, and in love with Sarah.

Deanna "Dee" Lynn Taylor de Rodriguez keeps the records in the reptile room and functions as Alex's assistant — she knows her reptile strike zones, since she's a Pliny gorgon. Her husband, Frank (Franklin Javier Lusczando de Rodriguez), is a doctor, and they have a daughter, Megan. Her people live outside town in a carefully hidden area. Hannah is one of the leaders of the community and a mix of Pliny and Medusa gorgons. The Pliny gorgons' fringe element, those who want complete independence from humans, live a little further out. Walter is their leader and Dee's brother. Marian is part of the fringe community.

Alex is dating Dr. Shelby Tanner, a visiting Australian biologist who does a tiger show for the zoo aimed at bringing up the zoo's attendance. Turns out Shelby has Flora, a garrinna. Lloyd is a guard at the zoo. Andrew, Kim, and Nelson are some of the keepers in the reptile area. Crunchy is a big snapping turtle. Nicole is an intern driving Shelby nuts with her obliviousness. Big Ted is the biggest of the zoo's alligators.

Chandi is a wadjet, a type of dragon, who keeps breaking into the zoo, bonding with her fiancé, Shami — that bond is life-crucial. The male wadjets look like spectacled cobras while the females appear human. Dr. Kumari Sarpa, pediatrician, is Chandi's mother; Daksha is her father.

The Prices are descendants of two good Covenant families: the Healys, some of the best assassins in the society, and the Prices, who were devoted to scholarship.

Fricken are frogs with feathers. A lindworm is 18-feet long, reptilian, and predatory. There are three varieties of gorgons: the very dangerous greater gorgons, Pliny gorgons, and the more common lesser gorgons. Cuckoos, a.k.a., Johrlac, are telepathic sociopaths who manipulate peoples' memories; they also have a "racial obsession with math". Cockatrice are a type of basilisk. Garrinna are marsupial griffins.

The Covenant of St. George is an organization determined to wipe out all cryptids (supernaturals). The Thirty-Six Society is an Australian group and anti-Covenant. Well, the Covenant did try to have Australia declared anathema. Bill O'Malley was Angela and Martin's neighbor, and he has a lot to "tell".

The Cover
The cover has a 1950s feel to it with the lurid colors and Shelby’s cleavage and shorts. That’s Alex in back, the "meek, mild" scientist who regularly carries a gun. Behind them is that part of the zoo that Alex oversees, the reptiles. How very appropriate!

The title is funny if overly dramatic for the story. There’s lots of talk about the dangers of the Covenant learning about events in Columbus, which would make it a Half-Off Ragnarok, but it never gets dramatic enough for this to be a possibility. Hmmm, maybe that's why it's "half-off"?

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro

Author Seanan McGuire did it again. First, she charms her readers with fairies, then with princesses, and now with reptiles. And, let me tell you something: I’m not very fond of slithering creatures. But the InCryptid novels are a totally different world of its own. I now know and like the author’s writing style, so I had my expectations, but once I had gotten to the end, I realized that I had definitely enjoyed reading this book more than I had thought. I will miss the mice.

The story’s, cryptozoologist, Alex Price, instantly became one of my favorite characters. He’s a family guy with a love for science. Hail the God of Scales and Silence, as the Aeslin mice would say. He is very much focused on following the family business, such as searching for the local cryptid and maintaining the Field Guide and keeping it updated. But, this does not mean that he doesn’t give himself time for romance. Which brings us to his Australian zookeeper girlfriend, Shelby. The keyword here is, Australia. She has seen it all that has to be seen with the island’s cryptid population and non-cryptid. Lets just say, she is the girl you want around if you ever come across a lindworm; it’ll be like wrestling an alligator

Another character that I just loved was Alex’s cousin, Sarah, a cuckoo who is recovering from the effects of events in Midnight Blue-Light Special. She loves numbers, and ketchup with her oatmeal. It’s inconvenient that most of the time she doesn’t remember the people she lives with, but she will remain calm under any circumstance. I wish the author would give her her own book. A cryptid clan that I really liked was the Aeslin mice. They live in the Price’s house and will follow their orders if they receive enough cheese and cake. Who wouldn’t want obedient mice helping you with your homework or any other work?

The story has a good pace and is easy and interesting to follow, even if you haven’t read the two previous books and short stories. The reader is caught in this urban-fantasy, mystery which has a good way of keeping one from solving the deaths before the characters find the murderer. At the last moment I forgot that I should have been keeping tabs on certain characters, like the good detective I have become ;) I recommend this book whether or not it’s your kind of genre. There are so many other details I would like to mention here. but it would be spoiling the story. Half-Off Ragnarok It’s refreshing, fun, sarcastic, mystery that will keep you taking a second look at your local zoo’s cobras. If you need a clear image of what some of the cryptid look like, the author has illustrations and her own field guide on her website.

Someone should explain to me this series' book titles, because I don't get them: DISCOUNT ARMAGEDDON, MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL, and now HALF-OFF RAGNAROK...which doesn't mention Ragnarok at all. (Where are the Norse when you need them?) So if these titles are some pop culture reference, they've gone completely over my head. Before I started the series, I figured it was about a family-owned mega-mart, whose employees hunt cryptids on the side. Boy, was I wrong! ;-)

Weird titles aside, this is one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and currently the only one with which I'm up to date. (Book 4, POCKET APOCALYPSE, is due out in March 2015.) A switch of narrator can be a risk, but it was a wise move in this case - keeping the series fresh. Verity Price is too much of an extrovert for me to connect with, but her big brother, Alex, is much more relatable. And there's bonus!Australian Shelby Turner, who is written very much accurately, which is a credit to her American author, Seanan McGuire. And rumour has it that Book 4 is set in Australia. The author has travelled here and lived to tell the tale, but will her characters? Stay tuned...

Oh, and I adored Crow. He must be a pain in the arse for Alex, having to take him to work sometimes, but he's an adorable little beast. Anyone got fan art?

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

With HALF-OFF RAGNAROK we get the same action packed, funny and at times emotional story we’ve come to expect in an InCryptid series bookl except there is a narration change with Alex Price, brother of Verity who narrated the first two books. After hearing so much about Verity’s siblings and grandparents in MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL and DISCOUNT ARMAGEDDON I was happy to finally get a whole book involving Alex and their cryptid grandmother and cousin. It was great to finally get a chance to delve deeper into the Price family and see what makes them tick. They work really well together and after meeting more of them I would not want to get on their bad side. While Verity is still my favorite Price family member I love seeing the more serious approach Alex takes to his research of cryptids working in the reptile house of a zoo where some cryptids live amongst the rest of the zoo inhabitants.

The main plot involves a mystery surrounding the gorgons (think the Greek monster Medusa) was pretty interesting and less straightforward than I thought it would be. I liked getting a more intimate look into how cryptids live when away from humans. Assisting Alex in the mysteriously stony demises of a few people is Shelby, his Australian girlfriend. While I enjoyed Shelby’s spunk I kind of felt like she got into trouble more than she helped. Aside from her penchant for being a damsel-in-distress I liked the twist of who she actually is and what she really knows about of cryptids.

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK not only shows us some more awesome sounding cryptids; it brings back my favorite Aeslin mice who revere the Price family as gods. They’re cute, obsessively religious, and bring a lot of humor to a few situations in this book. I love the Price family and look forward to following more of their adventures with cryptids in POCKET APOCALYPSE coming out in 2015. If you need some more Price family in your life check out the short stories on Seanan McGuire’s website [...].

In the Incryptid series, Seanan McGuire has created an amazing world where evolution has far surpassed our normal, with fantastical creatures that seem as if they really could exist along with human kind. I am a big fan of the first two books and was eager to rejoin the adventures of Verity Price and her boyfriend Dominic. I admit I was disappointed to discover the next two books of the series would focus on Verity's brother Alex. Turns out I was worried for no good reason. This book is every bit as entertaining and engaging as the first two.

Alex Price is a cryptozoologist, studying the various species of cryptids and their population growth, determining when mainstream scientists may stumble upon them and trying to guide the discovery. He's on loan to Ohio's West Columbus Zoo posing as a normal zookeeper of the reptile house while he does his other studies of the State's hidden populations. He's semi-involved with Shelby Tanner, a zoologist for the big cats. One day they discover a dead colleague and Alex realizes it was no normal death. The man was partially turned to stone, something that could be caused only by a few species of cryptids. Alex needs to catch the culprit before it does any more harm, while keeping Shelby in the dark.

Once I got into the book I didn't miss Verity much at all (she makes one small appearance). I was pleased that Alex's and Verity's cousin Sarah played a prominent role. She was badly injured saving Verity in the last book and the toll it takes on everyone is evident. It was nice to see how things were progressing in the aftermath. I look forward to Alex'a next installment, and hope Sarah and Antimony (the other Price sibling) get some star treatment as well. You could certainly read this as a stand alone book, but if you like reading a series in order as I do I suggest starting from the beginning.

No Verity? WAHHHH. That was my first reaction when I saw the blurb for HALF-OFF RAGNAROK. Don't be alarmed though, we get to meet Alex her brother and his love interest Shelby who ends up being way more than expected. We also have a new set of Aeslin mice! They are not in the book as much as Verity's but they are still fun. Sarah also happens to be a secondary character in HALF-OFF RAGNAROK. She is still not the same Sarah but she is starting to heal and I have hope she will be back to normal in future books.

Alex comes off as a bit of a (ok a big) nerd. He is more of a scientist and he talks like one. He is working in the Reptile House at the zoo, he's studying the local frogs, and trying to keep his girlfriend around even though he has to keep canceling dates on her and now people are showing up dead and he needs to find out who or what is responsible before more are lost.

I didn't find Alex AS exciting as Verity but he was still entertaining and fun to learn about. Shelby ended up really surprising me. She came out of left field and rolled with every punch thrown her way. Dee, Alex's assistant happens to be a Gorgon and let me tell ya! They are pretty darn cool. Alex's Grandparents were also great secondary characters. There is nothing like watching Granny pull a gun on someone, even if she is a Johrlac.

The great thing about Seanan McGuire is that she can change characters but still keep the story smooth and consistent with the series. She did great with continuing to teach us about the InCryptid world and the different species involved. Everything with Alex and Shelby felt wrapped up by the end of book 3 so now the only question I have left after reading HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is who will be the main character in POCKET APOCALYPSE? Will we meet the third sibling maybe?

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is easily my favorite installment of the InCryptid series, probably because I adore reptiles and there is no lack of reptiles in this book. There are so many reptiles featured in the cast and setting that it delights me. Alex is a great contrast to Verity, being a little more grounded and into the non-sapient cryptids of the world. I love that this series is about a family rather than an individual person, and jumping narrators is refreshing.

The plot was exciting and although I figured out the end early, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of being proven right. The writing is just as snappy and tight as to be expected from McGuire. The book is a wild ride from start to finish, and I loved every minute of it. I cannot recommend this series, and especially this book, enough.

And if the reptiles weren't enough to delight me, there are Aeslin Mice and a Church Griffin.

Cryptid, noun: Any creature whose existence has not yet been proven by science.
Cryptozoologist, noun: Any person who thinks hunting for cryptids is a good idea. See also “idiot.”

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is the third book in the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. This book introduces a new protagonist from the Price family, Alex Price. Alex, older brother to Verity, the protagonist of the previous two InCryptid novels, DISCOUNT ARMEGEDDON and MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL, is a Price through and through. Specializing in rural and reptilian cryptids, Alex is at home knee deep in mud as he explores the flora and fauna in the wilds of Ohio. His current (secret) projects include the study of frickins in the area as well as getting a pair off hibernating basilisks to breed.

The main theme of this novel is Family. The importance of family, the duty of family, the sacrifices made for family. This isn’t just with the Price family—who are in constant danger from the Covenant of Saint George—it’s with the family structure, breeding, and culture of Aeslin mice, gorgons, basilisks, frickins, wadjets, and lindworms. McGuire highlights the needs and pain of family again and again without actually saying “Families can be hard but are usually worth it.” This come through loud and clear.

Joining Alex is Shelby, an Aussie big cat specialist visiting the zoo that Alex is temporarily working at as a reptile specialist. As much as I love Alex, I adore Shelby—despite her obvious flaws. Shelby was a surprise on a number of levels and I won’t spoil any of them for you. Just know that she’s more than a match for the eldest Price boy. Together, they’re a ton of fun and just as much trouble.

The novel’s mystery—someone’s been turning people to stone in and around the zoo both Shelby and Alex work for. When the original suspect, a wild basilisk, shows up at the Price family home, Alex realizes there’s more to this crime than meets the eye. It’s a fun mystery with some clear clues for the careful reader.

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is my favorite book in the InCryptid series thus far. I thought Verity was interesting but I’m half in love with Alex. The whole Price family is a hoot and Shelby is an interesting wild card in the mix. If urban fantasy, intriguing animals, and fast-paced adventure is your thing, you’re going to love HALF-OFF RAGNAROK. Highly recommended.

Summer vacation made this book take me longer to read than it should have. I enjoyed it very much. I was surprised to find that this installment was about Alex and not either one of the girls. Pleasantly surprised as it turns out, though I do admit to missing Verity at this point. Alex's life as a cryptozoologist differs quite a bit from his sisters. He's working in a zoo and I loved that mix of cryptids and "normal" animals. I also loved the dynamic between him and his love interest in the book and I look forward to seeing that grow in future books (please Ms. McGuire?) Another thing that I truly loved about this volume, was how shocked I was at who the "villain" was at the end. I honestly did not see it coming and I love when a novel like this can truly take me by surprise. I'm so glad I picked up this series.

Cryptid, noun: Any creature whose existence has not yet been proven by science.
Cryptozoologist, noun: Any person who thinks hunting for cryptids is a good idea. See also “idiot.”

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is the third book in the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. This book introduces a new protagonist from the Price family, Alex Price. Alex, older brother to Verity, the protagonist of the previous two InCryptid novels, DISCOUNT ARMEGEDDON and MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL, is a Price through and through. Specializing in rural and reptilian cryptids, Alex is at home knee deep in mud as he explores the flora and fauna in the wilds of Ohio. His current (secret) projects include the study of frickins in the area as well as getting a pair off hibernating basilisks to breed.

The main theme of this novel is Family. The importance of family, the duty of family, the sacrifices made for family. This isn’t just with the Price family—who are in constant danger from the Covenant of Saint George—it’s with the family structure, breeding, and culture of Aeslin mice, gorgons, basilisks, frickins, wadjets, and lindworms. McGuire highlights the needs and pain of family again and again without actually saying “Families can be hard but are usually worth it.” This come through loud and clear.

Joining Alex is Shelby, an Aussie big cat specialist visiting the zoo that Alex is temporarily working at as a reptile specialist. As much as I love Alex, I adore Shelby—despite her obvious flaws. Shelby was a surprise on a number of levels and I won’t spoil any of them for you. Just know that she’s more than a match for the eldest Price boy. Together, they’re a ton of fun and just as much trouble.

The novel’s mystery—someone’s been turning people to stone in and around the zoo both Shelby and Alex work for. When the original suspect, a wild basilisk, shows up at the Price family home, Alex realizes there’s more to this crime than meets the eye. It’s a fun mystery with some clear clues for the careful reader.

HALF-OFF RAGNAROK is my favorite book in the InCryptid series thus far. I thought Verity was interesting but I’m half in love with Alex. The whole Price family is a hoot and Shelby is an interesting wild card in the mix. If urban fantasy, intriguing animals, and fast-paced adventure is your thing, you’re going to love HALF-OFF RAGNAROK. Highly recommended.

Summer vacation made this book take me longer to read than it should have. I enjoyed it very much. I was surprised to find that this installment was about Alex and not either one of the girls. Pleasantly surprised as it turns out, though I do admit to missing Verity at this point. Alex's life as a cryptozoologist differs quite a bit from his sisters. He's working in a zoo and I loved that mix of cryptids and "normal" animals. I also loved the dynamic between him and his love interest in the book and I look forward to seeing that grow in future books (please Ms. McGuire?) Another thing that I truly loved about this volume, was how shocked I was at who the "villain" was at the end. I honestly did not see it coming and I love when a novel like this can truly take me by surprise. I'm so glad I picked up this series.

Charting the population growth of chicken-frogs (frickens) is very important. Really. There's all kind of eco-information to extrapolate. Unfortunately, the swamp where frickens live is hard on Alex's boots. Eeew. This introduction also lets us know that Alex Price thinks very differently than his sisters Verity and Antimony. And his assistant is definitely not Covenant, because she has snakes instead of hair.

This book has family issues, but not Price family issues! And you can't go anywhere without tripping over secret members of secret societies keeping secrets from each other. Regular cryptids keep secrets from each other, too. How will Alex ever get to the bottom of this?

Catching fire does NOT HELP.

Fun book.

Interesting story with Alex Price as the lead this time around.
He is the brother that is into the reptiles. Anyhow he is pretending to be a visiting zoologist to the Ohio Zoo, but is actually there to oversee a basilisk breeding program, and hopefully help his cousin Sarah recover from what happened in New York.
But then he and his girlfriend—Shelby Tanner, an Australian zoologist with a fondness for big cats, find a body, with stone eyes, on their lunch break, and things start to get real interesting.

Worth the read and I am looking forward to seeing Shelby and Alex in Australia in Pocket Apocalypse.

Seanan McGuire has another InCrypted novel out as of a few days ago.

Half-Off Rangarok leaves off of Verity's adventures for a spell and visits her brother, Alex, in Ohio.

Frankly this book was great and not so great, but it still gets an Awesome! for one fact: it is well written, the characters are good, etc. It just was as fun for me as the ones about Verity have been. Alex, frankly, isn't as interesting a person, he doesn't interact with the Aeslin Mice enough, and I miss Istas.
That said, I found the writing superb, and Shelby was a pretty interesting person. We learn about a few more interesting cryptids, etc.

Honestly, if you're like me, and characters have a lot to do with your enjoyment of a story you may want to snag the sample off the store, iBooks, or whichever before you lay your $7.99 on the table; just to be sure this one will be enjoyable enough, or if you'll want to look out for a chance to grab it on sale, second-hand, etc. Frankly, it's worth getting and with 5 books contracted and 10 planned it'll probably be worthwhile to read it.
If you just like a well told story, characters be damned, grab it.

If you like characters who are well done, but nothing particular about any given character strikes your fancy except that they're well done, grab it.

Half-Off Ragnarok
Seanan McGuire
Daw, Mar 4 2014, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756408114

Cryptozoologist Alexander Price takes a research position at the Columbus Zoo where he studies non-urban cryptids and assists on the basilisk breeding program. His hidden reason for accepting the move is to help his family especially with what happened to Cousin Sarah and to grandpa. Visiting Australian Big Cat zoologist and Alex's girlfriend Shelby Tanner also conducts research at the Columbus Zoo.

Something deadly and strange occurs at the zoo when corpses partially turned to stone begin to appear everywhere. To Alex's trepidation these deaths most likely mean a serial killing gorgon and he knows of one very nearby though he refuses to accept this individual as the psychopath. At the same time, the Aeslin mice warn Alex that his cousin is losing control, which if true makes her extremely dangerous. As he investigates, Shelby wonders what is going on with her man and at the zoo.

The third InCryptid urban fantasy (see Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special) remains fresh as this entry relocates from Manhattan to Ohio and changes lead from Verity to her older brother; while keeping reader fascination into the Price family and the monsters they fight. Fast-paced with a strong support cast, Alex struggles between ending the terror of a stone cold serial killer, being there for his family and hiding secrets from the brilliant woman who rocks his world.

Harriet Klausner

I have read and enjoyed the other 2 InCryptid books in the series which take place in NY and involve Alex's sister. I was looking forward to this one. What a disappointment. Alex just didn't come to life. The actual mystery was a little boring and so was the romance. I enjoyed meeting Alex's grandparents, the gorgons and his pet bird/cat. I liked finding out that Sarah (she's in the other books) was recovering. Time is precious, I wouldn't recommend reading the whole thing. Skim it. Maybe wait til it gets to your local library and read it them when you don't have anything better to read.

Book number three of a three book series. The author has plans for at least two more books in the series.

So, Alex, Verity's older brother, is living with his grandparents, a Frankenstein and a projective telepath while he works at the Cleveland Zoo and breeds Incryptids. Nice!

Lots of coincidences in this book but, I like coincidences. And I like the Aeslin mice!!! Cheese and cake for everyone!

Please note that while Seanan and I share the same middle and last name, we are not related as far as I know.

I really enjoyed seeing different family members, and seeing some of the fallout from the last book. While Alex isn't my FAVOURITE (He's more serious and into snakes then I am), I enjoyed his "So Done" attitude. And Shelby was a delight.

I want a book that is just magical first aid and mice.

Alex Price travels to Ohio to oversee the breeding program for the Bisilisk's and while doing that, bodies start turning up but they're not just dead, they've been half turned to stone.

This is the third book in the InCryptid series and I think it would probably be better to read the series in order because I was a little lost starting off with this one first. But I found the world this author has created to be wondrous and full of creatures I've never heard of and some I'd love to see.

I think the highlight of this book for me were the talking Aeslin mice. They see Alex and the other Price men as gods and do what he asks, but the chemistry between Alex and the mice was one of mutual respect and admiration. The mice are not just mindless, squeaking rodents but intelligent personable creatures that I truly liked.
I loved how the mice would cheer when Alex brought them food, it was really cute. The interactions with the mice were some of the best interactions in the book for me.

These characters had some peculiar quirks that made reading this story fun. One such quirk was the fact that Alex's grandma would drink her coffee with ketchup and black pepper added to it. Or like one of Alex's friends with rattlesnake venom.

Not all the characters in this book were human, some like one of Alex's friends was called a Gorgon which is human looking but with snakes on their head instead of hair. Think Medusa and you might have a fair understanding of what a Gorgon would look like but without never being able to look them in the eye without being turned to stone. Another character is a little girl, but she is much more than that as her father is a very large cobra. I found her very interesting and we get to know her well as she visits her fiancé who happens to be a snake at the zoo.

While there are a lot of great creatures and non human characters there's also a mystery as to who is killing people. This book has a lot going on and a lot of characters but the author did a good job of keeping the flow smooth and having a storyline that kept my attention throughout the entire book.

If you're interested in herpetology, mythical creatures, reptiles, science and a little mystery then you might like this book.
[...]

Which surprised me. I loved the first book, and didn't put down the second until I had completed it. This one was a bit slower paced, had some good surprises that were clearer in hindsight, which to me is a sign of good writing.
I don't have complaints, I simply don't love it. It's not stopping me from eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
Sorry, Ms. Maguire.

I had heard good things about Seanan McGuire for a while now. I had heard positive things about her Toby Daye series, her Mira Grant books, and her InCryptid series. So deciding I’d start somewhere I picked up Discount Armageddon, the first in the InCryptid series.

Let me just say... it was fantastic.

It was fun, had tons of action, was full of engaging characters and put a great twist on the whole monster that goes bump in the night motif. In fact, I liked it so much that I finished both the first and the second book in the series (Midnight Blue-Light Special) in a manner of days, leaving me wanting more. Luckily for me, Seanan McGuire is an incredibly prolific writer.

Now, the third book in the series, Half-Off Ragnarok is slightly different than the first two books in the series. The biggest difference is that this volume follows Alex Price (Verity’s geekier (but still dangerous) brother). While it follows the events of Midnight Blue-Light Special, if a reader absolutely had to, they would be able to pick up the story and have a grand ol’ time reading the third book in the series first (now I would heartily recommend reading the books in order, but if you haven’t read the other books and this one happens to be calling your name, then have no fears that you wont be able to follow the story.)

Besides changing the protagonist and the setting, this book is very similar to the previous books in the series. It is full of fun action, there is a love interest that is filled with problems, its has hilarious quotes from older Healys and Price’s to start each chapter, and it’s just a good fast fun read. I personally liked the first two books in the series better, but I think that had less to do with Alex, who I liked quite a bit as a protagonist, and more to do with the nature of the mysteries being solved. That said, I fully recommend Half-Off Ragnarok as well as all of Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid Series, particularly for anyone who wants a series they wont be able to put down.

[...]

Took quite a while of forcing myself through this, until I got to where I cared about the character enough to be interested. Then it took off. So if you like the author, as I do, keep on. It gets better. Don't know if I will buy future books, though.

Such fun to read about another member of the Price family. To date I've read all of Seanen's October Daye series and now the Incryptid files. Can hardly wait for the next books in these series. If you enjoy Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files you'll love Seanan's series.

Seanan McGuire is on of my favorite authors and I adored the first 2 books in this series. I was intrigued by the shift to a different Price narrator, but ultimately this book lost me. Too little wit, too little action, and no characters worth caring about (Alex and Shelby are so flat compared to Verity, Sarah and Dominic). I actually stopped reading 2/3 of the way through. I really, really hope Verity comes back - if so I'll come back too.

Half-Ragnorak, the third in the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire moves us into the life of Verity's brother and away from New York. Set against Columbus Ohio, we begin to learn more about the Price family and meet new characters. The plot moves quickly, and the action is nearly continuous. It's a great, funny and quick read.