Today is the first week of a four week readalong of Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire.    I’m loving this series and it feels as though each book just keeps adding more depth to the world created by McGuire.  Feel free to join us.  A Goodreads page is set up here or simply jump in with the comments.  Also, be aware that spoilers will be lurking below so be careful!

First, a little about the book:

Things are starting to look up for October “Toby” Daye. She’s training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down…at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit.

Toby’s efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queens decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets–and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there’s the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the throne….

To find the answers, October and her friends will have to travel from the legendary Library of Stars into the hidden depths of the Kingdom of the Mists–and they’ll have to do it fast, because time is running out. In faerie, some fates are worse than death.

October Daye is about to find out what they are.

Now to the Q&A hosted this week by Lisa at Over The Effing Rainbow:

1. We return to a couple of previously ‘spun’ story threads here, ie. Toby’s relationship with the Queen in the Mists, and the problem of goblin fruit on the streets in San Francisco – and the two are connected in ways Toby wasn’t expecting… Do you think the goblin fruit as a catalyst for Toby’s exile is just that, or did the Queen perhaps deliberately engineer this situation?

Well, from previous books we know that the Queen doesn’t like Toby and will use just about any excuse to get rid of her – even setting her up for execution!  So, I think there’s a good chance that the Queen knew that Toby would eventually show up at Court to discuss the problem of Goblin fruit.  Yes, deep down, I think the Queen has engineered this situation – she really does dislike Toby.

2. Speaking of queens and opposition, there’s a surprise revelation here: this queen was not the heir to her throne. Larger plots are kicking off now, and it seems the Luidaeg is deeply involved this time. What are your thoughts on this development, and where it might lead?

I was surprised but also not surprised by this revelation.  To be honest I really hadn’t guessed about the Queen not being the true heir – but, I knew something just wasn’t right.  I hope that this will lead to more revelations about the Luidaeg and why she seems to be so restrained in what she can and can’t say!  Clearly Toby is going to have to find the true heir and that’s going to be very interesting. And, let’s be honest – I love any story that gives me more about the Luidaeg!  She’s such a great character.

3. We also get some fresh exploring to do, in the Library of Stars! If you could visit a magical library like this, what sorts of books might you look for?

I would be like a child in a sweet shop.  I’d probably spend about an hour getting nowhere fast, dithering, and jumping from one thing to the other!  I think I would love to look at anything about myths and legends but more than that I would want to visit their SFF section!   Can you imagine – I can.  I have this idea that maybe they would have all sorts of original manuscripts for people like Wells, the Brontes, Tolkien – you could discover just about anything here and take it to that cosy living room between the shelves.  I think there’s a very real chance I would never re-emerge.

Plus, this:

‘librarianship is a form of heroism.  It’s just not as flashy as swords and dragons.’