Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor's Guide to the Underworld
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- Create Date：2022-03-02 08:52:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Seanan McGuire
- ISBN：0756411831
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Summary
Now in trade paperback， the eleventh book in the fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family， eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans。
Love， noun:
1。 An intense feeling of deep affection; may be romantic， filial or platonic。
Passion， noun:
1。 A strong or barely controllable emotion。
2。 Enthusiasm， interest， desire。
3。 See also “obsession。”
It’s been fifty years since the crossroads caused the disappearance of Thomas Price， and his wife， Alice， has been trying to find him and bring him home ever since， despite the increasing probability that he’s no longer alive for her to find。 Now that the crossroads have been destroyed， she’s redoubling her efforts。 It’s time to bring him home， dead or alive。
Preferably alive， of course， but she’s tired， and at this point， she’s not that picky。 It’s a pan-dimensional crash course in chaos， as Alice tries to find the rabbit hole she’s been missing for all these decades—the one that will take her to the man she loves。
Who are her allies？ Who are her enemies？ And if she manages to find him， will he even remember her at this point？
It’s a lot for one cryptozoologist to handle。
Love， noun:
1。 An intense feeling of deep affection; may be romantic， filial or platonic。
Passion， noun:
1。 A strong or barely controllable emotion。
2。 Enthusiasm， interest， desire。
3。 See also “obsession。”
It’s been fifty years since the crossroads caused the disappearance of Thomas Price， and his wife， Alice， has been trying to find him and bring him home ever since， despite the increasing probability that he’s no longer alive for her to find。 Now that the crossroads have been destroyed， she’s redoubling her efforts。 It’s time to bring him home， dead or alive。
Preferably alive， of course， but she’s tired， and at this point， she’s not that picky。 It’s a pan-dimensional crash course in chaos， as Alice tries to find the rabbit hole she’s been missing for all these decades—the one that will take her to the man she loves。
Who are her allies？ Who are her enemies？ And if she manages to find him， will he even remember her at this point？
It’s a lot for one cryptozoologist to handle。
Reviews
Kelly
，
Loved this so much。 More please。Includes novella: & Sweep Up the Woods （Buckley 1960）
Lauren
，
This feels like a culmination。Spelunking Through Hell is book 11 of a series about a family of cryptozoologists - monster scientists and preservationists。 It switches POV every few books and some are more interconnected than others。 The events that led to this one really kicked off at the end of book 5， which started a domino chain through books 6， 7， and 8， with books 9 and 10 detouring slightly。 In addition to the novels， there's a bunch of short stories and novellas - some released for free o This feels like a culmination。Spelunking Through Hell is book 11 of a series about a family of cryptozoologists - monster scientists and preservationists。 It switches POV every few books and some are more interconnected than others。 The events that led to this one really kicked off at the end of book 5， which started a domino chain through books 6， 7， and 8， with books 9 and 10 detouring slightly。 In addition to the novels， there's a bunch of short stories and novellas - some released for free on the author's website， other in anthologies or on Patreon - detailing past generations。 I can't tell you how well this one stands on its own because it stands SO WELL with its prequels， drawing two straight lines from the current continuity and the past that got us here to the culmination of what feels like a lot of things。Thematically， it's a quest。 Alice Healy has been hunting for her husband for fifty years， smashing through the walls between dimensions and giving people nightmares。 She's abandoned her children， now grown， and somehow still looks about the age of their children， or even younger。 The last time she saw her granddaughter Antimony， she learnt news that changed everything and gave her hope again。 We meet her as she back onto Earth， right before her infamous Healy luck points her in a new direction。 It might be a trap。 It might be the answer to everything。 It's definitely going to be a wild ride。Alive has a very different perspective from her grandkids。 She's older， far more cynical， and her focus is finding Thomas， with neither Covenant nor cryptozoology in sight。 She's cheerful and damaged and tremendous fun to read even as you groan at some of her choices。 She makes a lot more sense now I've read her backstory。I'm trying not to gush but my flatmate caught me grinning at my phone when [SPOILER] and I found myself going back to reread choice bits （and then found myself rereading pretty much all of it）。 There's a bit of body horror and references to Alice's very poor parenting， but if you've read any of this series and enjoyed it， you will love this。 I'd just recommend reading the Patreon stories for it to have maximum impact。 It feels like a culmination， but it also feels like an inflection point， and I can't wait to see where the Price-Healy family do next。I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own 。。。more
Shelley
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*Source* Publisher*Genre* 3。5-4*Thoughts*Spelunking Through Hell， by author Seanan McGuire， is the Eleventh installment in the authors InCryptid series。 Alice Price-Healy knows what pain feels like。 She lost her mother at a young age and her father years later。 She fell in love with a man named Thomas Price whose family was part of the dreaded Covenant which wants to rid the world of Cryptids。 65 years ago， in order to save Alice from dying painfully， Thomas made a bargain with the malevolent en *Source* Publisher*Genre* 3。5-4*Thoughts*Spelunking Through Hell， by author Seanan McGuire， is the Eleventh installment in the authors InCryptid series。 Alice Price-Healy knows what pain feels like。 She lost her mother at a young age and her father years later。 She fell in love with a man named Thomas Price whose family was part of the dreaded Covenant which wants to rid the world of Cryptids。 65 years ago， in order to save Alice from dying painfully， Thomas made a bargain with the malevolent entity known as the crossroads。 56 years ago， Thomas was separated from his wife， their son， Kevin， and newborn baby daughter， Jane。 *Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*https://gizmosreviews。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more
Felicia Harris
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I still live for this series！ I own every title in this series and every time I see a new one is announced i get so excited。 I love getting to see these characters again and learn more about this world McGuire has been creating。 I honestly have nothing else to say buy please do yourself a favor and go check out this series！ In fact just go check out all of McGuire's work and you can thank me later。 I still live for this series！ I own every title in this series and every time I see a new one is announced i get so excited。 I love getting to see these characters again and learn more about this world McGuire has been creating。 I honestly have nothing else to say buy please do yourself a favor and go check out this series！ In fact just go check out all of McGuire's work and you can thank me later。 。。。more
Meredith Katz
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Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。I decided to request this book （Incryptid #11） despite not having read the first ten books because -- well， one has to start somewhere！ And although it's usually at the start， I'm familiar enough with paranormal investigation series that run this long to know that although there are ties backward and forward， they are generally pretty standalone。That was 100% the case with this book， which had the occasional moment of oddity I cou Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。I decided to request this book （Incryptid #11） despite not having read the first ten books because -- well， one has to start somewhere！ And although it's usually at the start， I'm familiar enough with paranormal investigation series that run this long to know that although there are ties backward and forward， they are generally pretty standalone。That was 100% the case with this book， which had the occasional moment of oddity I could tell was a reference to a previous book （like the offscreen handling of the Crossroads） but which otherwise kept all elements of its central story， both the emotional story and the literal narrative plot， completely self-contained。 It felt like a great place to begin， which is a fantastic thing for such a long series to do with any one book。 Maybe I just got lucky and the last 9 wouldn't have been good places， but if it's luck， I'll take it！I really enjoyed this book。 It had a fun adventure， a strong emotional drive that was really sold from the prologue， and a great plot （both A and B）。 The narrative voice was consistent， and its tone just *felt* right for a paranormal investigation story -- many paranormal investigation stories try to imitate the combination gritty patter/humor of the original trailblazers， and often come across not quite making it there， but this one sells the fantasy completely。The only negative is one that didn't bother me too much -- but basically， I didn't always buy what I saw of the worlds Alice went to。 For example， why， （view spoiler）[in a world that's in a famine so bad that even though they used to trade and thrive they choose to try to eat the first traveler who comes instead of trade with her， are there so many inhabitants that they can blot out the sky when pursuing Alice （the trait of a famine is rarely a booming population）？ Why， in a world struggling to live due to the effects of a dead dimension nearby， would the area where there was the most life be the one closest to that other world instead of the one with the least life （hide spoiler）]？ Etc。 In the text， most of these got left as 'Well dimensional differences are weird'， which was fine enough for me to handwave them， but they didn't always feel completely grounded rather than just a cool idea。That said， these moments were few and Alice's drive sold the rest of it; I didn't always like Alice （an admittedly bad mother who literally cut away every part of herself that wasn't finding the man she loved） but I always believed she was a real person with real motivations。 A really fun read， and I'm looking forward to going back and giving the rest of the series a go。One really nitpicky thing I can't not mention: Spelunking is a term specifically reserved for caves and the hell in this book doesn't have a single cave in it。 It's like calling it Mountaineering through Hell and putting Hell on the plains。 Schlepping or Sauntering might have been better choices。 Yes， I know this is super nitpicky， and it would never impact my star rating！ But I was really hoping for some fun cave horror sequences， and the closest was one cave on a non-hell world early on！ It might be metaphorical caves -- "Seanan McGuire's allegory of the cave" my wife offers -- but still。Also: This ARC includes an additional InCryptid novella at the end， which deals with some of Alice's younger years and is incredibly moving。 I definitely cried for some mice。 Really good！ 。。。more
Liz （Quirky Cat）
，
You know how sometimes you don't realize how much you needed something until it was sitting right in your lap？ That is what happened to me with Spelunking Through Hell。 I never realized how badly I needed to read a novel from Alice Price's perspective， but thankfully that's no longer a concern。tSpelunking Through Hell is the eleventh novel in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series。 It's also the first story from Alice Price/Healy's point of view。 Given the pattern of the series so far， it seems unlik You know how sometimes you don't realize how much you needed something until it was sitting right in your lap？ That is what happened to me with Spelunking Through Hell。 I never realized how badly I needed to read a novel from Alice Price's perspective， but thankfully that's no longer a concern。tSpelunking Through Hell is the eleventh novel in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series。 It's also the first story from Alice Price/Healy's point of view。 Given the pattern of the series so far， it seems unlikely that it'll be the last。 Oh！ It also contains another classic InCryptid novella， And Sweep Up the Wood。 More on that in a moment。tAlice knows what pain feels like。 She lost her mother at a young age and her father years later – not that he was ever the same after his wife's death。 Yet she fell in love with a man named Thomas Price – a Covenant man。tIt's been fifty years since that very man disappeared into another dimension。 Fifty years of searching - as Alice is never one to give up。 She's sacrificed so much to get to this point， and yet it feels like she's closer than ever after finding one critical piece of information。 Will Alice and Thomas finally be reunited？tSeanan McGuire has done it again。 Spelunking Through Hell is another fantastic addition to the InCryptid series。 Seriously， fans of this series need to make a point of picking it up and reading it ASAP。tI'll be honest with you here: I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Alice's POV， thus Spelunking Through Hell。 Previously， all I've ever seen of Alice has been through the perspective of her grandchildren， so it's been a bit of a mixed bag。tNow？ Now I have a solid idea of Alice's character and how much determination that woman carries within it。 More than that， I know how much pain she has gone through to find the one she loves most。 It's pretty endearing， not that I would ever say that to her face。tGetting a chance to see more dimensional travel within the InCryptid world was a delight， if I may say so。 There's so much to learn and explore here。 I thought I already knew that， but as it turns out， the previous books barely scraped the surface。 I cannot wait to see more （I'm assuming/hoping that Alice will be the primary perspective for the next novel）。tTo say that there's a lot in this book would be a serious understatement。 Alice on her own would be a lot。 Throwing in magical tattoos， dimensional travel， the endless quest to find her husband， and several other curveballs？ Well， that makes the perfect recipe for another InCryptid novel， doesn't it？One of the many things I loved about Spelunking Through Hell is the dominant theme throughout the pages。 Trust。 Secondary to that is the ever-present debate over how much time can （or can't） change a person。tOnce again， I find myself thrilled with the latest novel from Seanan McGuire。 Likewise， I'm already counting down the days to the next release， as they always prove to be enchanting。 Stay tuned below for a review of the novella included alongside Spelunking Through Hell: And Sweep Up the Wood。And Sweep Up the WoodtI've concluded that all of the Price/Healy short stories/novellas will hurt my heart in some way， shape， or form。 At least part of that pain stems from the fact that many of the novellas have been set in the past – meaning that I know what will ultimately happen to those characters。tAnd Sweep Up the Wood is set long before the events of Spelunking Through Hell – by fifty-plus years。 It's set before Alice needs to take up her lifelong quest， but after the man she falls in love with has come into her life。tAs such， one would think this story would be predictable since we know what happened before， and we know what follows。 One would be wrong。 This story is arguably one of the most emotionally compelling novellas I've read from the InCryptid-verse in quite some time – and that is saying something。 It's a melancholy tale， one that resonated with me。 I won't say why it did so， as that would open the door for spoilers。 But it hit close to home on several occasions。tOn a happier note， the Aeslin mice are back！ Their presence was understandably minimal during Spelunking Through Hell （though I'm sure they would have loved the opportunity to see and carry those stories）， but they were also very much missed。 Here is a bit of a chance to see more of them， which I appreciated。 As always， they are my favorites。 That is all I will say on that matter。tThanks to DAW and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks 。。。more
Bradley
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Do you see that cover on the book？ Yeah， that's one hell of a hot octogenarian。 And she kicks ass， doesn't care if she gets skinned alive， will destroy hell dimensions and adjacent universes with all the heavy armament she can carry and doesn't care about the cost。Knowing the rest of the family， grandma isn't all that surprising。 And she's been searching for her husband for 50 years after he was whisked away for a crossroads price like a legendary cross-dimensional true warrior。This is her story Do you see that cover on the book？ Yeah， that's one hell of a hot octogenarian。 And she kicks ass， doesn't care if she gets skinned alive， will destroy hell dimensions and adjacent universes with all the heavy armament she can carry and doesn't care about the cost。Knowing the rest of the family， grandma isn't all that surprising。 And she's been searching for her husband for 50 years after he was whisked away for a crossroads price like a legendary cross-dimensional true warrior。This is her story。 Finally。 And it's a blast。 Literally。 Lots of gunpowder， broken dimensional barriers， and a few surprises。 :） 。。。more
Karissa
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Series Info/Source: This is the 11th book in the InCryptid series。 I got a copy of this to review as an eGalley from NetGalley。Thoughts: This was an amazing continuation of this series。 I loved finally getting Alice's story and background。 This was really， really well done。 This book actually takes place in current time but there is a novella that goes back into Alice's past included after the main book as well。 We get to join Alice on her journey through different dimensions as she gets closer Series Info/Source: This is the 11th book in the InCryptid series。 I got a copy of this to review as an eGalley from NetGalley。Thoughts: This was an amazing continuation of this series。 I loved finally getting Alice's story and background。 This was really， really well done。 This book actually takes place in current time but there is a novella that goes back into Alice's past included after the main book as well。 We get to join Alice on her journey through different dimensions as she gets closer and closer to finding her husband Thomas （after 50 years of searching）。I loved the different dimensions we journey through， they were very intriguing and creative。 I also loved the fast pace and all of the action here。 Alice is one tough cookie and watching the way she couples pure toughness， magic， and training was fun。 I also loved how this whole story ties in with the larger story that is woven throughout this series involving the crossroads…。 Oh， and there are Aeslin mice aplenty， you have to love the mice！ The novella included at the end was an excellent read as well。 We get a lot more background on Alice and Thomas’s past in that and it was a wonderful read。My Summary （5/5）: Overall I think this was the best Incryptid book that I have read in quite some time。 I really， really loved the dimensional traveling and getting to spend time with the legendary， kick-butt Alice。 This was an incredibly fun read and tied many things from earlier books in the series together beautifully。 I think you could read this as a stand alone and enjoy it， but you will enjoy it so much more if you have read the previous novels as well！ So much fun :-） 。。。more
Robin （Bridge Four）
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This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I have been waiting FOREVER for Alice and Thomas's story and finally with Spelunking Through Hell， the 11th book of the Incryptid series， we are finally here。 Alice has been on a journey to find her husband， taken by the Crossroads over fifty years ago。 It is her obsession and if all she finds is a headstone， well that is fine t This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I have been waiting FOREVER for Alice and Thomas's story and finally with Spelunking Through Hell， the 11th book of the Incryptid series， we are finally here。 Alice has been on a journey to find her husband， taken by the Crossroads over fifty years ago。 It is her obsession and if all she finds is a headstone， well that is fine too at least she will know。 But， she has loved Thomas since before she was supposed to love a man and she can't move on until she knows。 "Nothing is lost forever。 Sometimes we just pretend not to understand what it would cost to find it。" --Juniper Campbell With the Crossroads gone， Alice's quest has been reinvigorated and she is more determined than ever to find the love of her life。 She has confirmation that Thomas is still alive and out there somewhere。 After finding a book from a long ago dimensional traveler and cartographer， she has a new direction and hope to go towards and some doubts about the individual she considered a friend that had helped her all of these years。Alice will risk everything to be reunited with her husband。 Will she find him？ Well I think it is a sad story indeed if that didn't happen。 Will he remember her？ Alice is pretty unforgettable and she is going to need all the Healy luck to be able to convince the universe it is time to give her husband back。The readers get to find out so many mysteries in this series。 Such as:1 - How is Alice in her eighties now but still look to be 19 or 20。 Let's just say ewww and ouch。2 - What kind of impact did this have on her kids growing up？ Hard to have mommy bail to go find daddy and never really come home。3 - What has this life cost her？ So much more than she probably knows。4 - How does dimensional travel work and how can Alice do it？5 - Where was the Crossroads stashing some of the people it made bargains with。So many questions answered and so much chaos ensues， but what else would you expect with Alice jumping around in the Universe。I had so much fun with this book， although I was a little impatient to get to the part where we actually find Thomas。 But patience pays off and I'm really looking forward to how all of these new developments are going to rock the world of my favorite Cryptozoologist family。 。。。more
Annarella
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I discovered the Incryptid series via Netgalley， became addicted and thoroughly enjoyed this story that kept me reading till late in the night as I couldn't stop reading。It's one of those book high on sleep deprivation due to fun and low on bore or dragging plot。Alice is a fabolous characters and I rooted for her and Thomas。 The world building is excellent and the storytelling well done。I can't wait to read the next book in this series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalle I discovered the Incryptid series via Netgalley， became addicted and thoroughly enjoyed this story that kept me reading till late in the night as I couldn't stop reading。It's one of those book high on sleep deprivation due to fun and low on bore or dragging plot。Alice is a fabolous characters and I rooted for her and Thomas。 The world building is excellent and the storytelling well done。I can't wait to read the next book in this series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Heidi
，
Ok， spoilers before publication are kind of evil so I’m going to try to write mine pretty spoiler free。 I was really happy to get an ARC of this book through NetGalley。 It’s on my buy anyway list but I don’t want to wait！While there’s zero reason to not read the rest of the series if you haven’t （and if you haven’t why are you looking at book 11？） I think you could read this one as a stand alone。 Alice is so isolated from the rest of humanity with her obsession and decades of isolation that it r Ok， spoilers before publication are kind of evil so I’m going to try to write mine pretty spoiler free。 I was really happy to get an ARC of this book through NetGalley。 It’s on my buy anyway list but I don’t want to wait！While there’s zero reason to not read the rest of the series if you haven’t （and if you haven’t why are you looking at book 11？） I think you could read this one as a stand alone。 Alice is so isolated from the rest of humanity with her obsession and decades of isolation that it really doesn’t matter what the rest of her family is doing。 Alice is doing Alice。 If you’re a series fan you’ll love this one too！Here’s where I’d usually talk a favorite plot point but I can’t think of non spoilers to talk。 I found the story satisfying。 I enjoyed the characters。 But Alice really really some professional help。 She is not ok。 Page turner of a story。 Good short story at the end of the book too。 And I can’t believe I found myself sniffling… okay crying a bit over a ****** ****。 。。。more
Jessica
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I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this book for an honest review。I am DNFing this book because it just wasn't as good as the other books in the series。 The main character is supposed to be a bad ass that happens to be in her 80s that looks like she is maybe 18。 In reality， she is acts completely irrationally and down right dumb。 Maybe even like a child。 I really was looking forward to reading this book， but I just had to stop。 Maybe I can get it on audiobook， and I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this book for an honest review。I am DNFing this book because it just wasn't as good as the other books in the series。 The main character is supposed to be a bad ass that happens to be in her 80s that looks like she is maybe 18。 In reality， she is acts completely irrationally and down right dumb。 Maybe even like a child。 I really was looking forward to reading this book， but I just had to stop。 Maybe I can get it on audiobook， and listen at 2x speed to make it more palatable。 。。。more
Lauren
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Electronic ARC review。I've been waiting for Alice's story for so long， and Spelunking Through Hell does not disappoint。 I loved finally getting a chance to see inside Alice's head （she is somehow just as competent as I've always assumed and also an epic disaster of a person， which is hilarious）。 I found the first half of the book slightly repetitive， as it takes Alice awhile to really gain momentum and she doesn't spend a lot of time with other characters， so there is a lot of internal monologue Electronic ARC review。I've been waiting for Alice's story for so long， and Spelunking Through Hell does not disappoint。 I loved finally getting a chance to see inside Alice's head （she is somehow just as competent as I've always assumed and also an epic disaster of a person， which is hilarious）。 I found the first half of the book slightly repetitive， as it takes Alice awhile to really gain momentum and she doesn't spend a lot of time with other characters， so there is a lot of internal monologue。 The second half of the book was much more fun， and brings some long awaited answers along with the action。 I'm trying to avoid saying anything too specific， but as with every recent Incryptid book I find myself excited about the new developments and wanting to know where things go from here。 The novella at the end was also a delight， giving us a long awaited moment in Alice and Thomas' past （I really can't get enough of young Alice and Thomas， they're seriously the best）。 。。。more
Cressa
，
We finally get to see the love story of Alice Healy and Thomas price。 I enjoyed this book as it was a long time in coming。 However， I do feel like it was a bit slow in places。 ARC from netgalley。
Harrison Schweiloch
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This is the book I have been waiting for and it did not disappoint！！！！I am a HUGe fan of Seanan McGuire’s books - she is one of my favorite authors， hands down， and for good reason -she consistently writes numerous excellent， honest， and fun books every year。 I was thrilled when DAW and NetGalley gave me an eARC of her newest Incryptid novel， Spelunking Through Hell， which is the 11th novel in the series。 This is it！ This is Alice’s book！ We finally get to travel with her as she roams the multiv This is the book I have been waiting for and it did not disappoint！！！！I am a HUGe fan of Seanan McGuire’s books - she is one of my favorite authors， hands down， and for good reason -she consistently writes numerous excellent， honest， and fun books every year。 I was thrilled when DAW and NetGalley gave me an eARC of her newest Incryptid novel， Spelunking Through Hell， which is the 11th novel in the series。 This is it！ This is Alice’s book！ We finally get to travel with her as she roams the multiverse looking for Thomas， her missing husband！（To recap， the Incryptid series involves a family of cryptozoologists that work to protect the natural diversity of the hidden world。 Every few books， the point of view narrator shifts to another member of the same family， which has the added benefit of keeping the series fresh and invigorated。）In order to get ready for it， I binge read all of the Alice and Thomas short stories on Seanan McGuire’s Patreon page。 Are they necessary to enjoy this book？ No。 Do they make this a much richer and more rewarding novel？ Yes， immensely！！The beginning of the book felt a bit slow to me - which is odd， because it spends a lot of time on action as Alice dimension hops and gets into some big action set pieces， but I can’t really explain it。 All of this in the beginning was necessary to set up what follows， so it’s not that big of a deal。 Should I spoil the best parts of the book for you？ No？ Well， suffice it to say that if you care about these characters and this series then you will love this book。 It was satisfying in all of the right ways。 One tiny quibble - at one point Alice makes some Star Trek references， but according to the timeline， she left on her dimension hopping journey in the early 1960s before Star Trek premiered。 I’m sure she could have caught an episode here or there when she was visiting earth in the past 50 years， but I don’t recall her ever being a big pop culture or sci-fi fan in her earlier appearances。 My only real complaint is I have to wait a whole other year to find out what happens next！！！ This book is a must buy。 Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anthony
，
Spelunking Through Hell， the eleventh book in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series chronicling the adventures of a family of cryptozoologists （the Prices）， is an action-packed emotional rollercoaster that caps off a long-running subplot and bodes a momentous change in the family’s status quo going forward。 Oh， and it just happens to be the first book in the series narrated by nominal family matriarch Alice Price-Healy。I say “nominal” because in the preceding ten novels， Alice has been more conspicu Spelunking Through Hell， the eleventh book in Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series chronicling the adventures of a family of cryptozoologists （the Prices）， is an action-packed emotional rollercoaster that caps off a long-running subplot and bodes a momentous change in the family’s status quo going forward。 Oh， and it just happens to be the first book in the series narrated by nominal family matriarch Alice Price-Healy。I say “nominal” because in the preceding ten novels， Alice has been more conspicuous in her absence and its effect on her children and grandchildren。 She’s been travelling between dimensions in search of her stolen husband， and that has absolutely put a strain on her relationship with her descendants。 Most of the important things that have happened in this series？ Alice has been absent for， and whoever is narrating a particular book （grandchildren Verity， Alex， and Antimony; extended family member Sarah） usually comments on it。 It’s been an effective way to build interest in Alice and her quest， a great slow boil sub-plot that finally pays off as we get to see Alice in her element and hear her voice。And that voice is straightforward， no nonsense。 Alice is committed to her path。 She will find her lost husband if it kills her （and it comes pretty darn close several times）， even if it damages her familial relationships （as we know it has）， even if it means she never returns to Earth （a distinct possibility）。 We’ve seen this commitment， this willingness to risk all for the right cause， in her grandkids – especially Antimony – so clearly Alice has been an influence on them。 But it becomes clear there is so much Alice has not told her loved ones， that she has done Things of Which the Family would Not Approve （as the Aeslin mice would say， pronouncing all those capital letters along the way）。 Those things are just the latest trauma that has made Alice the woman she is。This book is a wild adventure with fight scenes galore and fascinating world-building （the way dimensions work and dimensional travel happens is fascinating and not like any other version of such I’ve read） but it is also a treatise on the way repeated trauma informs who we are as well as how we can become inured to it。 Those who have read the short stories chronicling Alice’s childhood， teen， and college years on McGuire’s website and Patreon know just how much emotional and physical trauma Alice has experienced: several near-death experiences， the loss of her mother at an early age （which also caused her father to become emotionally distant and controlling）， the later violent losses of the grandparents who helped raise her as well as her father， and of course the taking of her husband by the Crossroads。 Any one of those events is traumatic enough to cause one to seek therapy; a lifetime of them would be more than many of us would survive。 Alice could not rescue her parents or grandparents， so rescuing her husband becomes not just a goal， but a mission， an obsession。 As long as she’s focused on that， she can justify the further trauma she experiences， both self-inflicted （abandoning her son and daughter to the care of family friends， as well as something else I won’t spoil because it’s a major plot point） and inflicted by others （she starts the novel with another near-death experience）。 I haven’t been through anywhere near as much trauma as Alice has， but I recognized some of the language she uses and some of her coping mechanisms as similar to my own。 McGuire understands trauma， understands coping mechanisms， and understands that sometimes the latter fail and we’re left raw。 And she does not back away from or soften those moments。 Nor should she。If there’s a downside to this book， it’s a minor one: because Alice spends most of her time （and thus most of the book） away from Earth， any on-going plots regarding the Price family’s relationships and danger from the Covenant get put on hold。 It’s a little jarring at first， but McGuire has more than earned the opportunity to veer off from the main narrative to finally tell the story she’s been anxious to tell from the start。 It’s not a total disconnect， as events from the previous books are mentioned – especially those of Antimony’s novels which had a direct effect on Alice’s decisions at the start of this book。The book also contains a novella that chronicles a key moment in Alice and Thomas’ shared past。 It is both sweet and horrific at the same time。 Which is something Seanan McGuire does so well。I received an electronic advance reading copy for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
Adjectiveplusnoun
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If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my ownI was incredibly excited to receive this book because even though I’ve already pre-ordered it， getting an ARC means I didn’t have to wait until March。 I’ll put my standard disclaimer here: this is book eleven in a long-running series， even if you can start here， you’ll be spoiling key elements of the previous books plots， and a lot of the If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my ownI was incredibly excited to receive this book because even though I’ve already pre-ordered it， getting an ARC means I didn’t have to wait until March。 I’ll put my standard disclaimer here: this is book eleven in a long-running series， even if you can start here， you’ll be spoiling key elements of the previous books plots， and a lot of the significance of certain characters/events will be lost on you。 I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers， but a certain amount will be unavoidable。 I really loved this book， sometimes when you’re this far into a series a novel is either a great story in its own right， or a great entry into the series， but Spelunking through Hell is both。 Alice is a fascinating character and I enjoyed learning more about her network of friends， allies and enemies。 I can’t do this review as spoiler free as I usually do because I’d be omitting half of my thoughts on the book， so I’ll have a spoiler paragraph at the end that you should only read if you’ve already finished the book/don’t care about spoilers。 I was really happy to finally see Alice in her element， instead of her popping in as firepower for her grandchildren。 She does it well， but I love morally grey bounty hunters， and it was good to see the price for her seemingly miraculous abilities。 I loved the support system she’d built up， proving without having to say it in as many words that a healthy romantic relationship （even an all-consuming lifetime mission style love） isn’t the only thing you should value。 I really liked Alice’s friends on Ithaca， and the variety of ways she solved problems。 I felt like her maturity showed in her confidence in her own abilities， and also in her blindspots regarding people/methods she relied on， even when it may not have been the best option。 The only minor complaint I had about this book， and it really is miniscule， is that some of the foreshadowing felt a little heavy handed。 Other than that， the obstacles and challenges Alice and the other characters faced were believable， varied and entertaining。 I loved the way flashbacks were incorporated into this book， and the slow dawning realisations Alice came to， and then fought back with denial， only to slowly come to accept it once more。 The characters in this book were varied and entertaining， as always， addressing heavy themes like forced marriage， cannibalism， slavery and the ethics of colonisation without becoming tragic or gloomy。 There are some clear feminist themes in this book that I love to see， especially given the time in which Alice would have been born。 I love the representation of people with all kinds of values/priorities， I think the mark of a good writer is when not all good， strong， or admirable people are presented as having the same strengths and weaknesses。 Alice is not Verity with different hair， or Antimony if she jumped through dimensions for a few decades。 She’s a fully fledged character in her own right， and I loved getting a chance to know more about her。 LGBTQ+ representation in this series continues to be top tier， and I loved the way various types of relationships that Alice had （professional， familial， romantic， platonic） are highlighted in Spelunking through Hell。 Spelunking through Hell will be a delight to any long-time fans of Seanan McGuire， and I also think this book would appeal to people who enjoyed VE Schwab’s Shades of Magic or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; and would also be a good choice for anyone who enjoyed The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher; Liz Williams’s Poison Master; or Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series。 And now， for those of you that have read the book， here are the spoilers。 （view spoiler）[I liked that Thomas and Alice were equally dedicated and stayed faithful throughout their separation， and if the aging pause they both managed seemed a little coincidental， I’ll allow it for the story。 I thought Alice’s blindspot regarding Naga was actually well written， she’d endured so much at his hand， and known him for such a long time， that she never thought to question him。 I’m also glad that the giant snake ended up being evil not because reptiles bad （a lot of fantasy treats races as a monolith， with good and bad characters being defined by genetics alone， something I find pretty boring and unbelievable） but because he was greedy， a far more universal motivator。 I also think the ‘you betrayed me and I would’ve made this choice myself if you’d allowed me to’ is always a heart-wrenching dynamic。I was happy that Thomas was always unfailingly respectful of Alice’s autonomy， up to and including allowing her to risk her life。 He may be from the 20s or something， but Thomas is a feminist。 I can’t wait for him to meet his children and grandchildren， and the outcasts that have been adopted in his absence。 The possibilities of him interacting with Antimony， Dominic， James， his children， Sarah， his new great-grandchild and honestly any of the Price-Healy’s is a fascinating one， and I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here。 I also can’t wait to see James and Sally’s reunion， and I love that they’re both gay so there’s no annoying ‘destined love’ trope。 I love when platonic love is treated as seriously as romantic love， and I adore the gleeful representation Seanan McGuire brings to her books。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Dawn
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Alice is a total badass who doesn't hesitate to charge in and make quick decisions。 She's chaotic， more fragile than she seems and very， very tired。 She's also been given a new infusion of hope in her efforts to find Thomas so she continues bouncing through dimensions with very little care for her own well-being in a desperate last-ditch effort to get to him。 The result is another amazing installment in this series， and an incredibly satisfying read。Some details I really liked: Getting to see mo Alice is a total badass who doesn't hesitate to charge in and make quick decisions。 She's chaotic， more fragile than she seems and very， very tired。 She's also been given a new infusion of hope in her efforts to find Thomas so she continues bouncing through dimensions with very little care for her own well-being in a desperate last-ditch effort to get to him。 The result is another amazing installment in this series， and an incredibly satisfying read。Some details I really liked: Getting to see more closely how Alice uses her magic tattoos to travel across dimensions and keep herself in （mostly） one piece。 I also enjoyed getting to see more of the dimensions in this universe， the complexity with which they connect to one another。 Magic systems and world-building tend to be my jam， and these were both interesting and well-fleshed out。 A major theme for many of the characters throughout this book is trust。 Trusting each other， trusting themselves， what it means to both earn and lose trust。 Just a lot of really good inter-character moments that are handled with McGuire's trademark blend of quippy dialogue meets sincerity。 These ties drive a lot of the story， and motivate a lot of the character growth。 In a word， this was a gratifying read。 A few of the long story arcs from the series have some major plot advancement， and I think it's one that InCryptid fans are really going to treasure。 （At least I am！） Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC， this is an unbiased review。 。。。more
amy boese
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I adore Seanan McGuire but I couldn't find any reason to keep reading this book。 The main character， Alice， is not charming， even if she is very good at killing things。 She left all of her responsibilities， including two kids， to chase after a guy， which seems pretty lame， even for her family of poor decisionmakers。 I didn't like her personality or her quest enough to be engaged with the story， and I really， really don't like to read about flaying。 Thank you for NetGalley and the advanced reader I adore Seanan McGuire but I couldn't find any reason to keep reading this book。 The main character， Alice， is not charming， even if she is very good at killing things。 She left all of her responsibilities， including two kids， to chase after a guy， which seems pretty lame， even for her family of poor decisionmakers。 I didn't like her personality or her quest enough to be engaged with the story， and I really， really don't like to read about flaying。 Thank you for NetGalley and the advanced readers copy！ I'll steer folks to her other titles。 。。。more
Steven
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Review to come… but the book was fantastic and the bonus novella was a gem！
Aiyesha
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***THE VERSION OF THIS THAT I READ WAS AN ARC***I would do some unfortunate things to see more of Alice & Thomas。Further details closer to publication。
Melliane
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3。5/5Mon avis en FrançaisMy English reviewI’m always curious to get into a new Seanan McGuire novel and I happily dove into this new novel。This time， we follow Verity’s grandmother: Alice。 She who has not aged because she goes from dimension to dimension to find her husband who has been missing for 50 years。 Will she finally find him now that the crossroads have disappeared？ This new quest may bring her what she has been searching for， but she will also discover revelations she would rather neve 3。5/5Mon avis en FrançaisMy English reviewI’m always curious to get into a new Seanan McGuire novel and I happily dove into this new novel。This time， we follow Verity’s grandmother: Alice。 She who has not aged because she goes from dimension to dimension to find her husband who has been missing for 50 years。 Will she finally find him now that the crossroads have disappeared？ This new quest may bring her what she has been searching for， but she will also discover revelations she would rather never have known。I was curious to discover Alice’s story， but in the end I have to say that I found it harder to get hooked on this new novel。 I found it less fast paced， but it may also be that we are moving away from the main plot with the Covenant and that the characters are perhaps less iconic than our three Prices。Either way， it was a nice new volume and I can’t wait to see who we follow in the next one。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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Spelunking Through Hell（InCryptid #11）by Seanan McGuire Now this is the way to start the New Year！ A terrific fantasy adventure that keeps your blood pumping and mind whirling！ Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this outstanding book！ It will be hard to top this book no matter how many I read this year！This has Thomas who made a deal at the crossroads to save the life of the girl he loves， Alice。 He can't leave his house， part of the terms， and they （Powers that be Spelunking Through Hell（InCryptid #11）by Seanan McGuire Now this is the way to start the New Year！ A terrific fantasy adventure that keeps your blood pumping and mind whirling！ Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this outstanding book！ It will be hard to top this book no matter how many I read this year！This has Thomas who made a deal at the crossroads to save the life of the girl he loves， Alice。 He can't leave his house， part of the terms， and they （Powers that be） can come take him at any time。 Alice and Thomas marry and have a child and due to have another baby any day when they come for him。 They don't even let him say goodbye。Now Alice is not a pushover and has a bit of power。 She has a forest that loves her， and a mouse congregation complete with Priest that keep records and prays for her。 She also has a ghost babysitter。Alice is determined to find her husband。 As soon as the baby is born， she is off through the Dimensions searching for him。 For 50 years！ This is so awesome！ The characters are amazing！ The places she goes！ She is one tough cookie！ Tattoos for healing and more。 There is multiple elements at play too！ Unpredictable， page turner， so clever and mind blowing！ There are flash backs to her life as a child and that is incredible！ The whole book is a feast for the brain。 Total brain candy！ 。。。more
Louisa
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This was such a fantastic read！ Alice has been after Thomas for so long， in the background of this series basically from the beginning It was such a great read， and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here！ My review of And Sweep Up the World:This was a fantastic short story， of Jonathan's death， and everything that results from that！ There were highs and there were lows， and it was a fantastic story！ This was such a fantastic read！ Alice has been after Thomas for so long， in the background of this series basically from the beginning It was such a great read， and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here！ My review of And Sweep Up the World:This was a fantastic short story， of Jonathan's death， and everything that results from that！ There were highs and there were lows， and it was a fantastic story！ 。。。more
Glennis
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This may be the eleventh book in the series but with the constantly changing POV characters as the series goes on it stays fresh。 This one can work a start to the series if you don’t mind spoilers about the previous books。 Alice has been looking for her husband for the last 50 years。 She appears in her early twenties and is covered in magical tattoos that help her heal and use magic on her search for her missing husband。 She is helped by a Naga that has been a family friend on her quest。 She wor This may be the eleventh book in the series but with the constantly changing POV characters as the series goes on it stays fresh。 This one can work a start to the series if you don’t mind spoilers about the previous books。 Alice has been looking for her husband for the last 50 years。 She appears in her early twenties and is covered in magical tattoos that help her heal and use magic on her search for her missing husband。 She is helped by a Naga that has been a family friend on her quest。 She works for him tracking down bounties for him while she searches for any trace of where the Crossroads might have sent her husband。 When she finds a book in a cave while she is retrieving her backpack， she gets a new direction to search in。 She also discovers that things are not what she believes about what she has been doing。 There are lots of flashbacks during the book as a part of her traveling between worlds。 When she finally starts hitting the right direction to get to Thomas things start adding up to something she doesn’t want to know。 Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss 。。。more
MAB LongBeach
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The Incryptid series changes narrators again。 This time the focus is Alice Healy， who has spent the last fifty years searching the dimensions for her missing husband， stolen away by the malevolent entity known as the crossroads。 With the crossroads dead， maybe she finally has a chance。 The discovery of journals and a dimensional map by a famous explorer sets her on a new path。 But the dimensions are not kind， and neither is her most reliable helper。Definitely worth reading。CW: body horrorI recei The Incryptid series changes narrators again。 This time the focus is Alice Healy， who has spent the last fifty years searching the dimensions for her missing husband， stolen away by the malevolent entity known as the crossroads。 With the crossroads dead， maybe she finally has a chance。 The discovery of journals and a dimensional map by a famous explorer sets her on a new path。 But the dimensions are not kind， and neither is her most reliable helper。Definitely worth reading。CW: body horrorI received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Laurie
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We finally get Alice and Thomas’s story。 Alice continues her search for her missing husband after fifty years of searching。 ARC from NetGalley。
Amanda
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I wasn't sure I would like Alice as a protagonist， as she was more Verity in nature than some of our recent protagonists。 But Alice won me over just a few chapters into the story。 The expanding Incryptid world is getting more and more interesting with each addition。 I wasn't sure I would like Alice as a protagonist， as she was more Verity in nature than some of our recent protagonists。 But Alice won me over just a few chapters into the story。 The expanding Incryptid world is getting more and more interesting with each addition。 。。。more
Charlotte
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ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This is one book I was really looking forward to and Seanan McGuire did not disappoint。 I really loved the look into the other dimensions and the beings that call those places home。 Alice was a character that was hard for me to connect with at first but then she grew on me。 Her voice is certainly one that is different considering just what she has put herself through over the years。 I really did love that she acknowledges just how odd s ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This is one book I was really looking forward to and Seanan McGuire did not disappoint。 I really loved the look into the other dimensions and the beings that call those places home。 Alice was a character that was hard for me to connect with at first but then she grew on me。 Her voice is certainly one that is different considering just what she has put herself through over the years。 I really did love that she acknowledges just how odd she has become and all the mistakes she has made in the past。 Particularly， when it comes to the children she ended up leaving behind。 If you enjoy books about dimension hopping I would say give this one a go。 Though， with the amendment that you would probably want to at least read the last two books in the series since those do heavily impact this one。 。。。more
Jennybeast
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