A Local Habitation

Authors: Seanan McGuire

Tags: #Fantasy, #Fiction, #General, #Mystery fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fiction - Fantasy, #Science Fiction And Fantasy, #American Science Fiction And Fantasy, #Fantasy - General, #Fairies, #Women private investigators

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

ONE - June 13th, 2010

TWO

SIX

TEN

Praise for the
October Daye
Novels:

“Well researched, sharply told, highly atmospheric and as brutal as any pulp detective tale . . . sure to appeal to fans of Jim Butcher or Kim Harrison.”

—Publishers Weekly

“The brisk pacing, the effective mix of human and magical characters, and the PI ambience all make this an excellent choice for fans of Butcher’s Harry Dresden series. . . . Toby’s unusual heritage and her uneasy relationships with her mother’s family will remind readers of Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series, and Thompson fans will appreciate Toby’s tough and self-reliant character. This outstanding first novel is a must for fans of genre-bending blends of crime and fantasy.”

—Booklist
starred review

“This is a wonderful debut. McGuire’s story uses familiar tropes, but she turns them into something new and interesting. The city of San Francisco is as much a character as Toby, with kelpies and the King of Cats lurking in dark alleyways. Toby is a prickly protagonist with a compelling story that readers absolutely should not miss.”

—Romantic Times

“McGuire successfully blends Robert B. Parker-like detective fiction with love and loss, faith and betrayal—and plenty of violence. . . .
Rosemary and Rue
will have readers clamoring for the next genre-bending installment.”

—
www.bookpage.com

“A refreshingly original story told in a wry, confident voice.
Rosemary and Rue
is a treat to read.”

—Kelley Armstrong, author of
Frostbitten

“Seanan McGuire’s
Rosemary and Rue
has everything you’d ever need in an urban fantasy. It’s a smart story, cleanly told that allows both humor and heartbreak to take their turn on stage but, more importantly, the ‘urban’ and the ‘fantasy’ are of equal importance. McGuire clearly knows and loves San Francisco as much as she knows and loves the world of Faerie and has combined them seamlessly.”

—Tanya Huff, author of
The Blood Books

“
Rosemary and Rue
is one of the most successful blends of mystery and fantasy I’ve ever read—like Raymond Chandler by way of Pamela Dean. Toby Daye has become one of my favorite heroines, and I can’t wait to read more of her continuing adventures.”

—Tim Pratt, author of
Dead Reign

“McGuire knows her fairy lore, bringing the wonder and the danger of the fair folk to the streets of San Francisco so vividly you can smell the rose goblins. Action, intrigue, and a dash of romance make
Rosemary and Rue
a fun, engaging read. An impressive first novel that leaves you impatient for the second.”

—Jim Hines, author of
The Mermaid’s Madness

DAW Books Presents Seanan Mcguire’s October Daye Novels:

ROSEMARY AND RUE

A LOCAL HABITATION

AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT
(
Available September 2010
)

Interior dingbat created by Tara O’Shea.

DAW Book Collectors No. 1503.

DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

eISBN : 978-1-101-17173-8

All characters and events in this book are fictitious.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly
coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Nearly all the designs and trade names in this book are registered trademarks. All that are still in commercial use are protected by United States and international trademark law.

First Printing, March 2010

S.A.

http://us.penguingroup.com

For Amanda and Merav, who helped me find the map when it was missing.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Writing a book is a solitary exercise; actually finishing a book is not. Large portions of this book were written while traveling abroad, and my thanks go to Rika Koerte, Mike and Anne Whitacker, Talis Kimberley, and Simon Fairborne, for providing me with space while I was working in their kitchens and spare rooms (and who failed to complain about the crazy American who came to England to work on her novel). Forensic help, medical advice, and some serious logic discussion were provided by Melissa Glasser, Meredith Schwartz, and Amanda Weinstein, while my entire crack team of machete-wielding proofreaders provided merciless feedback and a lot of textual baby-sitting. This wouldn’t be the book it is without them, or without Chris Mangum, who listened patiently as I complained about plot during multi-hour telephone calls.

My agent, Diana Fox, was tolerant of my endless need to whine about punctuation, and provided many excellent suggestions that helped to make the staff of ALH Computing come alive, at least for me, and my fabulous editor, Sheila Gilbert, once again cut straight to the heart of what needed to be done. Finally, thanks are due to Kate Secor, Michelle Dockrey, Rebecca New-man, and Brooke Lunderville, who put up with sharing my time with fictional people while still hitting this book with as many sticks as they could swing. (In Kate’s case, thanks also for letting me use the TiVo. It did a lot to preserve my sanity.)

My personal soundtrack while writing
A Local Habitation
consisted mostly of
August and Everything After
, by the Counting Crows,
Engine
, by We’re About 9, and
Tanglewood Tree
, by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. Any errors in this book are entirely my own. The errors that aren’t here are the ones that all these people helped me fix.

Thank you for reading.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:

Bannick:
ban-nick
. Plural is Bannicks.

Banshee:
ban-shee
. Plural is Banshees.

Barrow Wight:
bar-row white
. Plural is Barrow Wights. Cait Sidhe:
kay-th shee
. Plural is Cait Sidhe.

Candela:
can-dee-la
. Plural is Candela.

Coblynau:
cob-lee-now
. Plural is Coblynau.

Cornish Pixie:
Corn-ish pix-ee
. Plural is Cornish Pixies.

Daoine Sidhe:
doon-ya shee
. Plural is Daoine Sidhe, diminutive is Daoine.

Djinn:
jin
. Plural is Djinn.

Ellyllon:
el-lee-lawn
. Plural is Ellyllons.

Gean-Cannah:
gee-ann can-na
. Plural is Gean-Cannah.