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“Indexing” by Seanan McGuire is a masterpiece that perfectly integrates fantasy and reality, retelling famous and obscure fairy tales in the modern era.
In “Indexing,” fairy tales aren’t just stories; they’re an infestation. Fiction frequently invades reality, causing incidents like towns falling into comas and otherwise kind people mistreating their stepfamilies.
The fairy tale incursions aren’t limited to the child-friendly Disney versions; Rapunzels can be abandoned by their prince, Cinderellas can commit suicide and there are some versions of Sleeping Beauty where instead of a kiss, the princess is awoken by giving birth after being assaulted while in a coma.
Our main character, Henry Marchen, is a Snow White with ebony hair, bloody lips, corpse-pale skin and an entourage of songbirds. She works with a secret branch of the government, the ATI Management Bureau (ATI stands for Aarne-Thompson Index, a catalog of folktales), to limit the damage of the Narrative’s meddling.
Her tale is dormant and stays that way until she falls into a poisoned coma. When the ATI’s analysts begin constantly misidentifying the tales involved in incursions, Henry and the team must work twice as hard to reduce casualties.
Demi Santos, the newly recruited Pied Piper, is the audience insert, learning alongside the reader. She’s plucked out of her (mostly) normal college life to assist in a case, activating her previously dormant tale.
“Indexing” combines a unique premise and interesting characters, creating a nostalgic and new story with clever twists and subtle foreshadowing.
You can find “Indexing” on Kindle Unlimited, Audible or as a paperback.
Rating: 5/5 Spinnaker sails
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