A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life–mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone–and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder … climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.
With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.
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Really enjoyed the writing and plot. Great story and keeps you guessing until the end.
A book about passion — for books, for history, for the future… There is nothing about Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore that I didn’t love.
In a time when actual books are filling up tag-sale dollar boxes, along with VHS tapes and old beepers, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore reminds us that there is an intimate, adventurous joy in the palpable papery things called novels, and in the warm little secret societies we used to call ‘bookstores.’ Robin Sloan’s novel is delightfully funny, …
It’s like Willy Wonka in a bookstore setting. Magical. One of my favorite books, like ever.
Loved this fun novel! So often I feel that fiction misses the mark on trying to be particularly literary, or underestimates the reader, but this book was the perfect amount of serious and silly. Would recommend for YA and fiction lovers alike!
This was an interesting book. I would love to see this as a movie. I think CGI would make this story awesome!
This is a really special book
This was an interesting story
This is a fantastic book. A must read if you like books.
Another wonderful bookstore-related story. The bookstore’s organization, patrons, and owner arouse the curiosity of its newest employee. Before he knows it, he is caught up in a mystery and uses many resources in his quest to define and solve it. There was a point early on where this reader wasn’t sure about this book….but is glad to have …
If you’re looking for a fun and humorous read with a mystery to solve, this is it. This is a modern day quest for the fountain of youth. It is the junction where Google crosses with ancient tomes, puzzles, codes, and fellowships, with just a dash of fantasy and science fiction thrown in.
Clay Jannon is a victim of the recession, losing his job as …
This is a delightful book that juxtaposes ancient book production with modern technology in the context of an amusing mystery. Highly recommend.
Fantastic novel! Great mixture of books, technology and a quest.
A little slow in sections but absolutely worth the read. I’d love to step inside a bookstore like Mr. Penubra’s!
Really just very poorly written.
I loved the adventure in this book! It’s equal parts mysterious but I’m a way that makes it feel like it could be real life
A fun listen on audio! I quite enjoyed the fanciful aspects of this book, as well as its mystery. It is a good read.
I only picked up this book because none of the books I wanted were unavailable so I randomly selected several to listen to. I knew nothing about it or the author, but a 24-hour bookstore sounded cool.
What a FUN, unexpected, unique story! It’s just my style of humor with a little bit of intrigue and a smidgen of romance, plus a large cast of …
Very unusual premise It kept my interest
I loved this book, and I listened to the audiobook, which I almost never do, but the narrator really brought it to life. So fun and entertaining – especially if you happen to be just a little bit geeky, nerdy, or just a plain dork like I am.