Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: DAW
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Urban
Sparrow Hill Road is the tale of Rose Marshall, a hitchhiking and butt-kicking ghost who’s refused to take her death lying down. Victim to a roadside murder, she may be dead, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t stopped fighting for her freedom. Through a series of interconnected short stories, Sparrow Hill Road unravels the mystery of Rose’s fate, complete with all the McGuire trademarks that readers love—smart humor, breakneck plots, intricate worldbuilding, and characters who win everyone’s hearts.
Sparrow Hill Road is the first installment in
author Seanan McGuire's Ghost Road series. Sparrow Hill Road takes place in the
same universe as the authors InCryptid books. It is actually a collection of
short novellas which take place anywhere from 1952 to 2014. Rose Marshall died
in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan
run off the road by a man named Bobby
Cross. A man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price
of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the
idea.
It's been more than 60 years since that
night, and Rose is still 16, and she's still hitchhiking the Ghost Roads. There
are stories about Rose. They call her The Girl in the Diner, The Phantom Prom
Date, and The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Rose is what's called a hitchhiking
ghost. She has her thumb out and fixed on the horizon looking to outrace and
keep away from the man who hasn't forgotten about the one who got away from
him.
She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the
darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her
freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her. You can’t kill what’s
already dead. Rose is smart, sarcastic and brings a whole new perspective on
the eerie urban legends that follow America’s roadside mythology. Rose can
become alive again if someone offers her a piece of clothing to wear. At least
for a short time.
One of the more curious aspects of this
series, is that both Rose and Mary Dunlavy, another ghost who died in Buckley
Township, Michigan and shows up in this series of novellas, is that both have
familial relationships with the Price family. The are, in fact, recurring characters
in the InCryptid series. There are curious stops along the way like The Last
Dance Diner where best friend and bean sidhe Emma hangs out offering what
assistance she can to Rose since she no longer has a family to watch over.
McGuire is also the author of the October
"Toby" Day series and can often be found at the top of my must read
authors list for the past 10 years. Her writing is amazing, her characters
stand out in their own ways, and you can help but marvel at the world that she
creates. This is a world where there are hitchers, cross road ghosts, route
witches, banshees, psychopomps and more. If you are a fan of the author, you
will definitely want to add this to your collection.
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