cover image Chaos Choreography: An InCryptid Novel

Chaos Choreography: An InCryptid Novel

Seanan McGuire. DAW, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 978-0-7564-0813-8

For the fifth installment of her InCryptid series (following Pocket Apocalypse), McGuire revisits cryptozoologist Verity Price, last seen as a primary character in 2013's Midnight Blue-Light Special. When Verity's alter ego, professional ballroom dancer Valerie Pryor, receives an invitation to appear in a special all-star season of the reality show Dance or Die, which made her briefly famous, she accepts in order to give her dancing days the closure they deserve. With her husband and a contingent of Aeslin mice in tow, Verity dons Valerie's wig and heads back to Los Angeles. Then someone starts ritually murdering eliminated contestants, and Verity has to maintain her secret identity and continue to compete even as she and her allies investigate the supernatural killings. McGuire skillfully skewers the reality show mindset as she infuses it with urban fantasy tropes and a blend of humor and action. As always, the cryptids%E2%80%94 some drawn from myth, others original to the setting%E2%80%94are entertaining in their own right, . It's great to see Verity in action, and this tale sets the stage for many more exciting adventures. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.)