Calculated Risks

McGuire continues the adventures of the extended Healy-Price clan of cryptozoologists in this entertaining 10th InCryptid novel (following Imaginary Numbers), injecting her unique mix of pop culture awareness, sly humor, and creepy weirdness into an urban fantasy framework. After saving the world, Sarah Zellaby—mathematician, telepath, and member of an extradimensional invasive species descended from humanoid wasps—is stranded on a mostly abandoned university campus in a bizarre parallel dimension, along with a small group of friends and family. As if that wasn’t bad enough, everyone’s lost their memories of Sarah, seeing her only as a potential threat; the campus is filled with shambling zombies possessed by a sentient mathematical equation; and the local ecosystem includes giant insects. To return home, Sarah must convince her family to trust her once more, and piece together the math that will open the way between worlds. Maybe she can even win back the heart of Artie, the love of her life, while she’s at it. The change in setting and tone works well, ramping up the science fiction and horror undertones of the premise and making for a satisfying conclusion to Sarah’s arc. While not an ideal starting place, this is a treat for series fans. [em]Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.) [/em]