Calculated Risks

January 25, 2021
McGuire continues the adventures of the extended Healy-Price clan of cryptozoologists in this entertaining 10th InCryptid novel (following Imaginary Numbers), injecting her unique mix of pop culture awareness, sly humor, and creepy weirdness into an urban fantasy framework. After saving the world, Sarah Zellaby—mathematician, telepath, and member of an extradimensional invasive species descended from humanoid wasps—is stranded on a mostly abandoned university campus in a bizarre parallel dimension, along with a small group of friends and family. As if that wasn’t bad enough, everyone’s lost their memories of Sarah, seeing her only as a potential threat; the campus is filled with shambling zombies possessed by a sentient mathematical equation; and the local ecosystem includes giant insects. To return home, Sarah must convince her family to trust her once more, and piece together the math that will open the way between worlds. Maybe she can even win back the heart of Artie, the love of her life, while she’s at it. The change in setting and tone works well, ramping up the science fiction and horror undertones of the premise and making for a satisfying conclusion to Sarah’s arc. While not an ideal starting place, this is a treat for series fans. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary.

February 15, 2021
The latest in the InCryptid series more than makes up for the cliff-hanger ending of 2020's Imaginary Numbers: Sarah, having beaten the math that was going to destroy our world, now has to face the consequences. One of those consequences is that a chunk of the university campus has been transported wholesale from Iowa to another dimension. Another is that Sarah's cousins no longer remember her as part of the family. After she convinces them that she's not the monster they assume her to be, they have to deal with the remnants of the cuckoos who were trying to use her to escape our dimension, gather the human survivors, figure out how to get home, and cope with the trauma of having not just Antimony but also Artie looking at her and seeing not a beloved friend but an inhuman enemy. There are, meanwhile, ever more reveals about the Price-Healy family and the Johrlac, alongside a complex and satisfying web of relationships. McGuire balances a deceptively light and entertaining structure with dire stakes and serious background themes especially well in the InCryptid series, and this volume is no exception.

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