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I picked Indexing by Seanan McGuire as an audiobook purely because it was narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal and I like her narration style. I've had a mixed experience with McGuire's books in the past - some I've liked and some I haven't - so I thought it was worth taking a chance on this one.
It's about a team of agents who protect the world from The Narrative, which turns people into fairytale archetypes and tries to force them to enact their story, generally to the detriment of themselves and the world at large.
The story throws you straight in without any explanation - and when the exposition does start to come in, it does so very repetitively and without really shedding much light on the situation. And the situation makes very little sense if you think about it, so it's best just to go with it and let you take you on its ride.
The plot is very episodic, without much to hold it all together, and the eventual arc feels quite arbitrary and perhaps too easily resolved.
What kept me listening and ultimately prompted me to buy the sequel was the characters. Henry, the protagonist and team leader, is a Snow-White-in-waiting and makes for an engaging companion along the way, but it's the rest of her team I wanted much more information about - Sloan, who struggles with her storybook villain tendencies; Jeff who has to fight against the urge to make shoes; and Andy, who isn't linked to a story and just wants to adopt a baby with husband and try to be normal.
I didn't get nearly enough of any of them, so I'm hoping to get more in the sequel, along with perhaps a more cohesive plot, though I won't hold my breath!
It's about a team of agents who protect the world from The Narrative, which turns people into fairytale archetypes and tries to force them to enact their story, generally to the detriment of themselves and the world at large.
The story throws you straight in without any explanation - and when the exposition does start to come in, it does so very repetitively and without really shedding much light on the situation. And the situation makes very little sense if you think about it, so it's best just to go with it and let you take you on its ride.
The plot is very episodic, without much to hold it all together, and the eventual arc feels quite arbitrary and perhaps too easily resolved.
What kept me listening and ultimately prompted me to buy the sequel was the characters. Henry, the protagonist and team leader, is a Snow-White-in-waiting and makes for an engaging companion along the way, but it's the rest of her team I wanted much more information about - Sloan, who struggles with her storybook villain tendencies; Jeff who has to fight against the urge to make shoes; and Andy, who isn't linked to a story and just wants to adopt a baby with husband and try to be normal.
I didn't get nearly enough of any of them, so I'm hoping to get more in the sequel, along with perhaps a more cohesive plot, though I won't hold my breath!
