When will you RISE? Available now!

There are so many words flying around in my head I don't know if I can sort them out. I've been eagerly awaiting this collection, and now that it's here it didn't meet my expectations, it soared far, far beyond them. I got the download just after midnight Tuesday and stayed up all night to read it through, but I needed some time to have any hope of making sense with my comments.

Rise was magnificent, striking so many emotional chords. It was inspiring, heartbreaking, at times humorous and at other times terrifying. I almost hyperventilated when George passed out in Coming to You Live. I could hear the Browncoats singing, and I was singing along with them, eyes blurry with tears.. Mahir's adventure in Australia made me smile (especially the wombat). It was wonderful to see the world through his eyes.

And then there's Foxy. I have always wanted to know more about her, and now that I do I can honestly say my heart has never ached for a fictional character like it does for her. In a just world the fact that she got any of those children out alive would have been heralded as the miraculous, heroic accomplishment it was. And, I think, that probably would have destroyed her. In my opinion she is the strongest character of the Newsflesh world; she's been horribly battered and scarred, but she hasn't been broken, not quite, because she's still going. Finding out she was alive was very bittersweet for me; yes, I was glad that this wonderful, colorful character was back, but that was tempered by the understanding of just how deep her pain is.

I very much appreciated the insight All the Pretty Little Horses gave me into Stacy and Michael. I wasn't a fan of theirs, and this story didn't change that, but I feel like I understand them better. I've always felt great sympathy for their terrible loss, and respect for their heroism during the Rising, and to see them in this light, Stacy broken by what circumstance forced her to do, and Michael so desperate to save the woman he loved, truly made me hurt for them. I understand them much better now, but I still can't find it in myself to forgive them.

I approached Coming to You Live with a great deal of trepidation. I wanted more of Georgia and Shaun as much as anyone else, but I also wanted them to have the happy ending they deserved. I'm eternally grateful that they still have that, even though the tension had me shaking as I read. This story brought a very satisfying closure to their tale. I understand why they felt the need for such a hasty departure, but it did leave their friends dangling in a void. I think what the others failed to appreciate fully was the fact that their desire to disappear wasn't solely due to the events of the novels. They had lived their entire lives at the center of a carefully orchestrated media circus and they just wanted something they had never had before, the freedom to be themselves. I rest in the assurance that this crisis has taught them a valuable lesson, and they'll be making those regular visits to see Dr. Abbey.

There is so much more I could say, but I'm going to stop with a heartfelt thank you, Seanan. You are a treasure.