There aren’t many books that I’ll drop everything for in order to finish reading at any cost. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve missed my stop while reading on the bus more times than I care to admit, but few books exert the kind of pull that will, say, make me late for work. Well, truth booth, while sitting and thinking about what to write for this blog post I realized that every one of Lish McBride’s books has made me late for work at least once (SORRY BOSSES PLEASE DON’T FIRE ME). That weird young woman sitting in the janky pickup truck you walked by in the parking lot who was crying over what appeared to be a horror novel about necromancers? That was me.
Now, with that image in mind, just imagine how excited I am to inform you that Lish McBride’s newest book, Pyromantic, is out this week. It’s the follow up to Firebug, AND IT IS WEIRDER AND FUNNIER AND MORE UNNERVING AND LOVELIER than I could have ever hoped for.
There are so many reasons to love this series, from the bizarre and irreverent gallows humor to the amazing variety of obscure mythical creatures represented; the fact that romantic love is not the only kind of love displayed or sought by the main characters; the value placed on multi-generational and non-conventional family units; the fully conceptualized female and queer characters; the insane action sequences; the witty banter, OH, THE WITTY BANTER. Did I mention the heavily-researched-and-cleverly-modified-to-make-them-even-more-appealing-but-also-terrifying-obscure-mythical-creatures? Because there are a lot of them. They are legion.
So stock up on coffee and snacks, make sure your laundry is already done or that you at least have clean underwear. I suggest starting with her first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, before immediately jumping into the sequel, Necromancing the Stone. You could also start with Firebug, but I personally really appreciated the world building and backstory that those first two books provided. Seriously, clear your schedules.
I could go on and on (really, I’ve had a lot of coffee and my dog is asleep on the couch so the sky’s the limit as far as me dweebing-out goes) but instead I’ll just leave you with this interaction that I had with my husband right after I finished reading Pyromantic for the second time:
THE SCENE: We're driving to his parents house for dinner...
Me: *squinting off into space in the passenger seat of truck*
Husband: Whatchya doin?
Me: Oh, thinking about what kind of were-creature I would be…
Husband: Oh my god.
Me: I think I would be like a jackrabbit or something. Or maybe a were-dog.
Husband: Okay.
Me: What would you be?
Husband: …..
Me: I could see you as like a wolfhound or deerhound.
Husband: *blinking*
Me: Something big and slow, thoughtful but also scruffy and fearsome.
Husband: *visibly trying to keep his eyes on the road*
Me: Yeah, wolfhound.
-Anje
Lish McBride will be at our Lake Forest Park Store on Friday, March 24th at 6:30 PM
