James Nicoll Reviews

2013’s Velveteen vs. the Multiverse is the second volume in Seanan McGuire’s Velveteen vs. series.

Velma ​“Velveteen” Martinez seeks refuge from her former crew, the Super Patriots, America’s paramount super-franchise. She moves to Oregon, the only state that hasn’t contracted with the franchise. She’s free to build a new life, with a new apartment, new adventures, and a new boyfriend. The Super Patriots’ predatory ways are behind her.

Just kidding. Cutting ties with the Super Patriots is an affront Marketing will never forgive. Harassment ensues.

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2016’s Nebula and Hugo-winning Every Heart a Doorway is the first volume in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series.

Children through the ages have stepped through doors to other lands. Some, like Nancy, return — only to find themselves rejected by families unable to accept what their children have become. A lucky few, like Nancy, find their way to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

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Last week I had a very annoying evening. I wanted to read in a very specific genre — superhero fiction — but every book that looked interesting was either not available in a format I wanted to purchase … or might have existed in that format but was effectively concealed from me by Kobo’s grotesquely ineffective search function. 

Eventually, I discovered that Seanan McGuire’s site offered a selection of her Velveteen stories. So I read those. 

I believe the stories on her site are those also found within Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, so I am going to pretend I went out and acquired a copy of that.

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