Silver and Lead

October Daye, Book 19

By: Seanan McGuire

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series continues as Toby Daye is thrust once again into danger... and this time she has more than ever to protect.

"Narrator Mary Robinette Kowal ... navigates the shifts in tone and energy in this book flawlessly..."—AudioFile on The Brightest Fell

"Mary [Robinette] Kowal is adept at bringing the characters alive and drawing out the humor and determination that run through even their darkest moments."—AudioFile on An Artificial Night

Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania's reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists—until it's discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous.

At least the theft means that Sir October "Toby" Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she's eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn't mean she can’t take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby's child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears....

Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what's been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2025 Seanan McGuire (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Exceptional addition to the series!

Silver and Lead starts several months after the last book ends. However, most of the realms are still in shock trying to grapple with what has changed both fake and true. Some remember nothing while others remember both old and different versions of their lives and the people in them. Even our hero Toby struggles as she niw tempers a life of live and devotion as Sylvester’s daughter a life and relationship she never had but wants to maintain while others are not so lucky. These people are left with loss and grief for what is no longer the lives they live. And to top it off Toby who barely had time to grapple with being 4 months pregnant is nearly ready to burst at 8 1/2 months and Tybolt has (with all the best intentions) had her locked away nearly the entire time for fear he will lose her again along with the terror he might lose both her and the baby like his first wife. This leaves Toby (although very understanding of Tybolt’s reasons) climbing the walls in need of anything that might get her out of the house if just for a few hrs.

One really should be more careful what they wish for because this heralds not one but two visitors that change Toby’s life in ways she could never have foreseen. The first is the Sea Witch who offers to be her babies God Mother a very old tradition almost unheard of in modern fairy. The second summons Toby to court to testify against the false Queen. However, nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems and a new errand is set forth for our night and hero of the realm. It turns out that while the false queen was ruling the vault was robbed of some very dangerous and valuable artifacts. Ones that seemingly can’t wait a few weeks to be found so Toby can have the baby and recover before she can start looking for them.
Mary Kowal is perfection as the narrator and captures every nuance to perfection. Mary does an exceptional job bringing this story to life!
Toby as always falls head first into danger no one could have ever imagined . In what seems a simple side quest to get justice for the fake queen who claims she was kidnapped. And what was supposed to be a simple questioning turns into a kidnapping leaving her fighting to break free. It soon becomes clear that although the items had been stolen (and dangerous) they are a ruse to get Toby out of the safely of her home and the perpetrators will stop at nothing to get her baby. Yep big plot twist with both enemies snd Allie’s old and new converge to both help snd hinder our hero and friends.
This book was amazing and a fantastic addition to the series. I love this series so much it was a delight to listen to this audio book snd I highly recommend it! Do read in order tho this has long reaching ties to last novels and is not a stand alone.

Flawless

Always perfectly written and narrated. I love the Toby stories and this one doesn't disappoint!

Wonderful story full of favorite characters from October’s world.

Fantastic!!! It seemed like a long wait for this new book in the series, but it was well worth the wait! One of the best in the series.

it's here

it arrived it was excellent as always. I love October Day books and am about to start over.

Nineteen

I loved it. And I was frustrated by the cliffhanger ending. Fantastic, fun, frustrating story.