Review: 1 Incryptid Short Story Narrated by the Aeslin Mice - Seanan McGuire

If you're a fan of Seanan McGuire's Incryptid series you may or may not be aware that she has written a large number of short stories set in the world but written about various different characters. A lot of these short stories are available for free on her website HERE but a few of them can only be found in anthologies. I thought it would be nice to have one place to write quick reviews for the short stories but since there are so many of them I'm going to split them out by the characters and these reviews may be updated in the future if the author writes additional stories.

This review includes all the short stories that have been written about the Aeslin Mice, stories by other narrators will be reviewed separately.

Entire Incryptid Series:
14 Jonathan Healy & Frances Brown Short Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
3 Alice Healy & Thomas Price Short Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Discount Armageddon
Midnight Blue-Light Special
4 Antimony Price Short Stories (Read some for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
3 Istas and Ryan Short Stories (Read most for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Half-Off Ragnarok
1 Sarah Zellaby and Arthur Harrington Short Story (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
5 Verity Price & Dominic De Luca Stories (Read for free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Pocket Apocalypse
Chaos Choreography
1 Elsie Harrington Short Story (Short Story in the Shadowed Souls anthology)
Magic for Nothing
1 Aeslin Mice Short Story (Purchase though Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page)
Tricks for Free
That Ain't Witchcraft

Ghost Roads Series:
(Stories are set in the Incryptid World)
Sparrow Hill Road
Train Yard Blues (Short Story in the Coins of Chaos anthology)
The Ghosts of Bourbon Street (Crossover Short Story with Verity from the Incryptid series free on Seanan McGuire's website)
Last Call at the Last Chance (Short Story available via Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page)
The Girl in the Green Silk Gown

Short Stories narrated by the Aeslin Mice:

(Unless otherwise stated all stories are available for free on the author's website)
The Recitation of the Most Holy and Harrowing Pilgrimage of Mindy and Also Mork (Purchase though Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page)

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

The Recitation of the Most Holy and Harrowing Pilgrimage of Mindy and Also Mork

Review:
The Recitation of the Most Holy and Harrowing Pilgrimage of Mindy and Also Mork (great name for a story right?!) is a short story that can be purchased through Seanan McGuire's Patreon Page. It fits into the Incryptid timeline immediately after events in Magic for Nothing and will include huge spoilers if you haven't read that book yet so look away from this review now if you're not up to date with the series!

This story is narrated in alternating chapters by the Aeslin mice Mindy and Mork as they navigate the airport to make their way back to the Price family to tell them of Annie's adventures; and Sam, Annie's circus boyfriend who is desperately trying to figure out a way to track down his missing girlfriend. We don't get to see a resolution to either of these plots as I'm pretty sure that's going to be covered in the next full length novel, Tricks for Free, (due to publish in March 2018) but this story is a fantastic filler and I loved every minute of it.

If you're anything like me then you'll already love the Aeslin mice but this was a chance to see things through their eyes and fully understand their devotion to their gods and priestesses. I loved Mindy's dedication to Annie and her determination to return to the colony with a full record of her experiences with the covenant. Mindy knows that unless she makes it back to the family the Prices will never know exactly what happened or why Annie has gone into hiding but she also has a mission of her own to take Mork to her home and figure out a way to return the rest of the splinter colony that are still hiding in the covenant headquarters.

Sam and Annie had their ups and downs, especially when he realised she'd been keeping such huge secrets from him, but I was really pleased that it hasn't changed his feelings for her. He is worried out of his mind that she is out there all alone and he's determined to figure out a way to find her. Something that is going to be easier said than done but he might have a little help in the form of a certain Crossroads Ghost.

Like I said this is a filler story and I doubt it's going to be an essential read between the main books but if you've read any of Seanan McGuire's other short stories you'll already know she always manages to pack a lot of heart into a small number of pages and they're always a fun addition to the series.