Backpacking Through Bedlam - (Incryptid) by Seanan McGuire (Paperback)

About the Book

"Alice Price-Healy gave up her life for fifty years to focus completely on the search for her missing husband. The danger of focus like that is that it leaves little room for thinking about what happens after ... and now that she's finally managed to find Thomas, she has no idea what she's supposed to do next. The fact that he comes with a surrogate daughter who may or may not have some connection to Alice's recently adopted grandson is just icing on the complicated cake. So the three of them are heading for the most complicated place in the universe: they're going home. But things on Earth have changed while Alice, Thomas, and Sally have been away. The Covenant of St. George, antagonized by Verity's declaration of war and Sarah's temporary relocation of an entire college campus, is trying to retake North America from the cryptids and cryptozoologists who've been keeping the peace for the past hundred years. And they're starting in New York. Alice and company have barely been back for an hour before the Ocean Lady and the Queen of the Routewitches are sending them to New York to help, and they find themselves embroiled in the politics of dragons, kidnappings, and of course, the most dangerous people of all: family. Getting 'back to normal' may be the hardest task Alice has undertaken yet"--

Book Synopsis

Seanan McGuire's New York Times-bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated urban fantasy InCryptid series continues with the twelfth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around us.

Reunion, noun:
1. The state of being united again.

Reconciliation, noun:
1. An act of reconciling, as when former enemies agree to an amiable truce.
2. The process of making consistent or compatible.
3. See also "impossible."

Alice Price-Healy gave up her life for fifty years to focus completely on the search for her missing husband. The danger of focus like that is that it leaves little room for thinking about what happens after...and now that she's finally managed to find Thomas, she has no idea what she's supposed to do next. The fact that he comes with a surrogate daughter who may or may not have some connection to Alice's recently adopted grandson is just icing on the complicated cake.

So the three of them are heading for the most complicated place in the universe: they're going home.

But things on Earth have changed while Alice, Thomas, and Sally have been away. The Covenant of St. George, antagonized by Verity's declaration of war and Sarah's temporary relocation of an entire college campus, is trying to retake North America from the cryptids and cryptozoologists who've been keeping the peace for the past hundred years. And they're starting in New York.

Alice and company have barely been back for an hour before the Ocean Lady and the Queen of the Routewitches are sending them to New York to help, and they find themselves embroiled in the politics of dragons, kidnappings, and of course, the most dangerous people of all: family.

Getting "back to normal" may be the hardest task Alice has undertaken yet.

Review Quotes

Praise for Backpacking through Bedlam

"As always, McGuire offers plenty of action and mayhem, complex worldbuilding, snappy dialogue, and a strong focus on the strength of family--both biological and found. Fans will not be disappointed." --Publishers Weekly

"Following on Spelunking Through Hell, this latest installment in the InCryptid series continues to highlight the fast action, delightful cryptids, and the gloriously dysfunctional family dynamics the Prices are known for. Urban fantasy fans will rejoice." --Library Journal

Praise for the InCryptid novels

Two-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Series

"The only thing more fun than an October Daye book is an InCryptid book. Swift narrative, charm, great world-building...all the McGuire trademarks." --Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series

"[Half-Off Ragnarok] is kind of like taking a tour through a very deadly theme park made up of alternating parts awesome and terrifying. Come to think of it, that sums up this series quite nicely.... This book effectively acts as a jumping-on point to those just coming in." --Tor.com

"McGuire has honed her craft over a decade-plus of writing, and if you call yourself a sci-fi or fantasy fan, yet haven't picked her work up, you're doing yourself a disservice." --Culturess

"McGuire's InCryptid series is one of the most reliably imaginative and well-told sci-fi series to be found.... McGuire's heroine is a brave, resourceful and sarcastic delight, and her intrepid comrades are just the kind of supportive and snarky sidekicks she needs." --RT Reviews

"While chock-full of quality worldbuilding, realistic characters, and a double helping of sass, at its core, Half-Off Ragnarok is a book about judging others according to stereotypes, how nurture can overcome nature, and the importance of family." --Ranting Dragon

"The InCryptid series continues to be storytelling at its best. Tricks for Free sends us on a rollercoaster of emotions and thrills with its engaging plot and ever-expanding and fascinating world." --All Things Urban Fantasy

"Imaginary Numbers is a stunning installment and one that every urban fantasy reader is sure to relish." --Fresh Fiction

About the Author

Seanan McGuire is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author. The October Daye novels are her first urban fantasy series, and the InCryptid novels are her second series, both of which have put her on the New York Times bestseller list and the Hugo ballot. She is the first person to be nominated for five Hugo Awards in a single year.