Backpacking Through Bedlam

Alice Price-Healy finally does the impossible: she finds Thomas. He’s not dead—he’s a war-weary sorcerer carrying the lives of a bottle universe on his back. Together with Sally, his fiercely capable not-quite-daughter, they start ferrying people across dangerous dimensions toward safety. The trail leads through giant moles, praying mantis riders, and a Nest of dragons—and finally home to Buckley, where tailypo nap on the porch and old wounds wake up fast. But New York’s cryptids are under siege, and Alice’s reunion story isn’t over. With Aeslin mice singing, a road-ghost friend urging action, and routewitches opening ways, the Prices aim to hit the Covenant where it hurts. The result is a breathless, funny, heartfelt sprint through found-family, second chances, and the stubborn belief that you fight for people—no matter the world.

• Urban fantasy fans who love monster taxonomy, found family, and snark
• Readers of Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid and October Daye series
• Listeners who want action scenes anchored by big-hearted relationships
• Anyone who cheers for underdogs with rules, maps, and a stubborn streak
• Fans of dragon politics, road magic, and kitchen‑table stakes

Seanan McGuire is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award–winning author of urban fantasy, horror, and science fiction. She’s best known for the InCryptid and October Daye series, and as Mira Grant for near-future thrillers. A lifelong folklore fan with a talent for building worlds that feel lived‑in, she writes stories filled with complicated families, dangerous ecosystems, and creatures with better manners than most humans. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with an alarming number of books, cats, and ideas.