In this exhilarating series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.… content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn….
more
Once you realize this is an alternative reality, this dystopian novel is pretty amazing! The Library holds all of the worlds knowledge and doles it out as they see fit. Most people of this world seem ok with this, but there are other factions that don’t agree and attempt to change the system.
What a find this was! I can’t believe it came out in 2015 but I’ve only just heard of it – I usually spot books about books pretty quickly, especially from authors I’ve read before. I knew of Rachel Caine from the Weather Warden books and Morganville Vampires – and while I enjoyed at least the first handful of each as fun and entertaining books, wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw she was turning her hand to the topic of books and a “new” take on censorship… Boy oh boy was I pleasantly surprised! This is a deep, deft look at control and ideology, blended seamlessly into a beautifully constructed story with a brilliant set of characters. It’s a fantastic start to a series and I’m thrilled to see that there’s a second book out already, with the third due next July.
I enjoyed this book very much! Usually when stories are about a library – the library is the place of refuge or solace – a good place to go. Authors love libraries – really how can a place filled with books be bad? Well Rachel twists the trope on this one and while the library is still the keeper of knowledge, it’s very stingy with who can access this knowledge – a monopoly and an evil one at that!
A book about the Great Library of Alexandria, and a fantasy to boot. I was sold and knew it would be a good fit for me.
Owning books is forbidden in this world. You can view and read books through the use of alchemy, but can’t actually own a book.
I don’t know about you but I love my physical books. I just know I’d break the rules and something terrible would happen. And so it goes with this story. Jess breaks the rules with his illegal cache of books. How interesting as he’s assigned to spy on those who break those very rules. When something wondrous and potentially dangerous is created it could change the world. Chaos ensues and it’s not just books that will be burned.
Ooh, now how does that grab ya? Once I got familiar with this world I was quickly swept away. Lots of intrigue and suspense kept me enthralled right to the finale.
This is an exciting beginning to a promising fantasy series. I’ll be visiting it again.
Absolutely love this series
This book was amazing. The book takes place in an alternate universe in which the Library of Alexandria was never burned, and in fact spawned “daughter” libraries throughout the world. Across the ages, the Library has become more powerful than anything else, based on the idea that knowledge is power. An example of how powerful the library is? Austria pissed the Library off, so the Library destroyed Austria. Austria does not exist in this world because the Library destroyed it. There is an incredibly diverse cast of characters and a set of amazing concepts that all work together to form a wonderful whole.
I have missed you Rachel Caine! Ink and Bone is a fantastic beginning to a whole new world that is vivid, gritty and crazy. At first I was confused whether the setting took place in the Victorian era or if it was a dystopian world. But I was super excited to discover another steampunk great that takes place in the future.
There was never a dull moment, traveling from one adventure to another with numerous amazing characters, not surprising because that is MS Caine’s forte. It was beautiful to not just see the main character grow but almost all of them, because they all went through so much together. To see boys become men, to see self-centered jerks gain a little sympathy, to seeing a broken man forced to care again.
And God, how I loved Wolfe! In a weird way he reminded me of Ms Caine’s Myrnin from her Morganville series. Not because they were alike but complete opposites but also broken men who only needed understanding and a helping hand. While Myrnin was quirky, erratic and fun, Wolfe was stoic, extremely straight laced and angry. Sometimes he angered me, sometimes he broke my heart. But more then anything, I adored him, just like I adored this book and I can’t wait for the next one.
No, seriously MS. Caine. You need to hurry with the next one. 🙂
Enjoyed getting into this YA World? The second one is just as good!
This series was recommended to me by one of my local librarians (My favorite one!) and I’m so glad she told me to read it. I’ve only finished the first book, but what an amazing story it was! Part dystopia, part fantasy, and even a bit historical fiction.
The world that Caine has created here is what might be if the library of Alexandria had not burned down. Where might our world be, and what differences would there be in our current society. In addition to that, we’ve got some alchemy, automatons, and of course, rebel groups to contend with.
The characters, as with other Caine novels I’ve read, are very well developed and you tend to feel a certain kinship with them to the point where you truly feel invested in their lives and their outcome. By the end of the book, I knew what I wanted to happen for some of the characters, and where I wanted their story to take them. I’m hoping to find some of my desires to be obtained in the next two books.
I first learned of the existence, and subsequent destruction, of the Great Library in Alexandria when I was in high school. As a lover of books, it struck me as a huge loss to the world. All those books! All that knowledge! But, who’s to say the library would have survived the dark ages, the church’s stranglehold on any knowledge that would have threatened their power, or even from rotting from within? Ink and Bone explores what would have happened if the library survived and thrived for thousands of years, what the world would look like, who would hold the power.
The world building in the book was a lot of fun. There is a little (tiny) bit of steam punk, a divide between the haves and the have nots, and the Library looming over it all. As a main character, Jess is interesting and uniquely qualified to travel to Alexandria for training in the Library. I never lost interest in the plot, and really enjoyed the mystery, the historical details and the interactions between the students. I bought the second book in the series immediately after finishing this one (and stayed up way to late to read it). Definitely a hit!
I love Jess and Morgan. This was such an interesting story. I’m so curious about what happens next. I also loved a bunch of the side characters.
Loved this first jaunt into a giant world made by Caine. I love the characters. It reminded me of a Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games with a dash of Cassandra Clare and Dan Brown for good measure.
What a great concept! I’m in love with this series and can’t wait to read them all.
This was a delight to read. I had no idea what it was going to be like but loved it; a very different kInd of book and genre. And the good new is that this was Book 1 of, at least for now, a 3-Book series. I’m on to Book 2. Thanks Rachel !!
incredible worldbuilding. I LOVE this entire series
Ink and Bone has some truly great writing. I really have to give it up for the author for her skills. I had been wanting to read this book for a long time. While I really loved the writing style, I never quite got into this story. Maybe my mind wandered too much and didn’t follow the story that well. I stuck with the story and read it to the end and sadly I never quite enjoyed it like I wanted to.
I sadly can’t even give you anything significant because I honestly forgot everything I read. I hate to say that. Maybe I’ll give it another go in the future, but for now that’s all I got.
This was a rich, complex, and grounded fantasy with loads of worldbuilding details that made it feel real. I hardly noticed it was 350 pages long, because I was enjoying the ride. The characters were all well-rounded and nicely described. To me, the reveal about Wolfe and Santi didn’t fit their characters—or at least how I had imagined them to be. There were some other cool twists and turns and details, though. The ending left me with an unfinished, slightly dissatisfied feeling because not only was it sad, the plotline wasn’t finished; I felt like I’d read half a book. I still rate this novel 5 stars because what’s here is so very well done. Most people will read on to other books in the series, so it probably won’t matter to them that this ended on a somber, troublesome note. (I rarely read series—nothing personal. There are just too many books in the world to get stuck on one that isn’t a standalone.)
A book about books? Sign me up! I was seriously on board from the get-go. That gorgeous cover is engraved into my mind.
This book and I haven’t always been friends. In fact, this is my second try at reading this book. I first tried this book after it was released last year. I got about 1/3 through the book and just stopped reading. It was way too slow for me, I wasn’t really connecting, and reading started to feel like a chore. I hardly ever DNF a book. I decided to give this book a second try. I am so very glad that I did!
By the time that I finished this book I was floored! The plot finally becomes clear and so very exciting. There is adventure, secrets, corruption and political intrigue. I love this glimpse into an alternate reality.
The plot is unique and compelling. While the book is set in the year 2050, it feels very much set in the past. The Great Library controls all knowledge, and without knowledge progress has been stalled. I love this main theme of them book – knowledge is power and the Great Library is in control. This book has a Victorian steampunk sort of feel to it. Trains and steam carriages are the modes of transportation.
I love the group of young adult characters in this book. They are diverse and they each bring something to the group. Some of the adult characters are quite memorable as well. I love Caine’s ability to write a character that seems completely horrible in the beginning, but turns out to be one of your favorites by the end of the book.
While you have a general idea of what is to come, you don’t really get a great idea until the end of the book. Everything really falls into place at the end. Once you read the last page you immediately lose that disconnected feeling from the beginning of the book and yearn for the next book.
Overall, a great book and I would definitely recommend it to others. Especially book lovers. I would just add that if you pick this up and find it slow in the beginning, just keep reading. Trudge through any boredom you may have and press on. It really does pick up and it turns out to be amazing in the end.
If you like books about books you will LOVE Rachel Caine’s INK AND BONE, where books are illegal for the common person, and The Great Library controls all knowledge. Gripping, suspenseful, and haunting.