Same disclaimer as per usual; if you are reading a review of a long-running series—and Be the Serpent is entry number 16—you know what to expect spoiler-wise. I’ll try not to mention too much in this book, but the others are all fair game.
Another thing with long running book series is that there is a lot of potential for very long plot arcs. While most books in the October Daye series have a little surprise or two, there was something set up in A Killing Frost (Book 14) that was mostly skipped over in When Sorrows Came (Book 15) and it was only a matter of time before it got picked up again. In A Killing Frost the big grandaddy of them all returned. The King of Faerie who was lost, was found. And he was found right under our noses. And then if we flash back a few instalments before that in Night and Silence, we found that another character linked to both Toby and faerie folklore had pulled a bit of a Peter Pettigrew and was also hiding directly under peoples noses.
So, a long-time reader might ask: who else? Who else is hiding out there?
The reason this question was not addressed in When Sorrows Came was that Toby’s wedding had to be the centre of attention. But weddings end and heroes have to go back to work; Disney honeymoons cannot last forever. Be the Serpent drops us down a few months after Toby and Tybalt’s wedding. Rayseline Torquil, who has only been recently woken up, is being put on trial for the crimes she committed many, many books ago. McGuire has been setting up a redemption arc for Raysel ever since she tided up her redemtion arc for her Uncle, Simon. So you would be forgiven for thinking that this is going to be a story focused in Raysel. But—expectations inverted—that’s not the case; the plot is kicked off during the trial, when Toby receives dreadful news of an attack on her best friend Stacy Brown’s family. And the aftermath of that is crushing.
Of course this means that Toby has to drop everything and rush off to help her. Initially everyone is bewildered as well as heartbroken. Stacy and her husband Mitch are both changelings. Rather thin blooded ones too, so in the grand scheme of things, Mitch and Stacey are not considered very high up in the faerie hierarchy. So why on earth would anyone target their kids?
But then things get weird. Early into her investigation, Toby and some of her friends are hit with a very, very old kind of magic. Old enough it should not longer exist. In addition, Toby realises something very odd about the Brown children. It has been known for a long time now that Karen Brown is an oneiromancer, which means she can see the future in her dreams. Her talent is considered so rare that the Luidaeg herself took her under her wing. Then, during Raysel’s trial, her sister Cassie admits she has visions too. But it turns out it is not just the two eldest that have the gift of prophecy—its all five.
That last point? That should not be possible. Not from the offspring of two very weak-blooded changelings.
I have mentioned previously that I think some instalments of this series are more gripping or more involved than others. With regards to Be the Serpent, its right up there with Night and Silence and nearly as good as A Killing Frost. It’s a full Pepe Silvia pinboard of points: this should not be real; this should not be happening. But it is. And it all follows back into some deep, deep faerie lore. Be the Serpent is certainly an ‘reward’ entry for everyone who has been keeping up so far.
But despite the horror of the plot, I did appreciate a set of comments made by both Toby and the Luidaeg that are a little bit meta: why does Toby keep on getting stuck in pureblood affairs? Why do these things keep on happening? Why do these things keep on occuring on the west coast? Why do they occur around Toby? There are actually Reasons for this, but not everything is answered here. However, up until the last couple of pages, we think we’re being left with a trajectory and and a place to go to get those answers…
…until McGuire thows a Gainax Ending at us. And I really can’t say anymore than that.
With that, I can assure you that if you were suspecting that the October Daye series might be due for a mid-series slump, never fear. Be the Serpent will slap you around silly while pointing to the fuel gage and saying ‘Plenty more where that came from’
For Bingo, I am going with Question: what the hell was with that ending?
