Basically Baker believed that these two forces shape the world, and could bring magic back into it if they were incarnated.īy the time our story starts, Asphodel is dead and her work is continued by James Reed, the heir she constructed for herself from dead bodies and alchemy. She wanted to embody the Doctrine of Ethos, which McGuire describes as the “balance between language and mathematics” (kindle location 108). It’s effective because McGuire centers a complex story structure around compelling and simple character stakes to make an unusual story.Īsphodel Baker, a talented alchemist who was ignored and underestimated because she was a woman, had a big idea. MIDDLEGAME takes the ‘low and slow’ approach, revealing its secrets bit by bit. It requires a little more work and patience from your reader, but once you figure out the game, it can heighten the pleasure inherent in reading, the tension and relief of revelation. And while unintentional disorientation is the sign of bad writing, intentional disorientation can be fun. Others dole them out slowly, reeling the reader in little by little. A lot of books can’t wait to reveal all of their secrets.
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