“Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy.”—The Wall Street Journal“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta MagazineA missing God.A library with the secrets to the universe. A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away. Carolyn’s not so different from …
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn’s not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.
In the years since then, Carolyn hasn’t had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father’s ancient customs. They’ve studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they’ve wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
But Carolyn has accounted for this.
And Carolyn has a plan.
The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she’s forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.
Praise for The Library at Mount Char
An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences.”—Boston Globe
“Vivid . . . the dialogue sings . . . you’ll spend equal time shuddering and chortling.”—Dallas Morning News”
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I wasn’t sure how this would go but it wasn’t long before I couldn’t put it down. Deliciously weird and strangely satisfying.
An unusual story. Children with more than human powers living in a Library. It took a few chapters to get into but I enjoyed the journey. There are many subplots and secondary characters. It has some good twists and leaves an opening for another book.
this book is absolutely bonkers.
in the best of ways! but still insane. it totally throws you in medias res and leaves you scrambling for any kind of foothold, which takes you a while as the book is determined to switch narrators frequently, introduce large swaths of cast members all at once, and never explain anything. it takes a while to get into it, but things eventually come together and start making sense and fitting together beautifully.
the narrative eventually settles on just a few people, but the scope of the book is nothing short of spectacular. larger than interplanetary science fiction or space opera, beyond the scope of the universe itself. it would be easy to let a story like this get so large it becomes incomprehensible or bloated with extraneous information, but it never does.
the language is plain and honest, the dialogue is real. the characters are equally fun and lovable as they are despicable and fury-inducing. there’s an issue where almost every female character is a victim of horrific abuse and rape, which is jarring even among the rampant gore and disturbing sequences.
overall, just a wonderful and massively original book.
Great book! I devoured this modern fantasy in a few days. Both fun and frightening. The world-building was on point and I wish I could’ve followed Carolyn around for a bit longer.
I’m going to be honest, this is the hardest review I’ve written to date. My struggle for words isn’t because of the book is horrible or fantastic, it is because from beginning to end, the story is so bizarre it left me in a sort of mind limbo; I’m not sure what to think or what to feel. It’s freaking weird. This novel is very well written, and I thought the execution was awesome. I loved the ending. The creativity in the storyline and complex characters are very appealing. My only real gripe with this story is I had a very hard time connecting with any of the characters. In saying that, I’m not sure the reader is meant too.
Man, I LOVED this book. So original. I’m a sucker for any storyline about gods and bigger than ben hur deities, so this book didn’t disappoint. The off-beat nature of the storyline was fantastic. If you’re a fan of anime/manga, it really reminded me of those kind of crazy storylines, where you just learn to go along with the weird things that are happening. Don’t even know how to describe this one genre-wise – an urban fantasy of sorts…supernatural mixed with crime thriller. If you like Ben Aaronovitch, give this one a try.
Too violent for my taste, but an original concept
I’m usually not a fan of surrealist books, but this grabbed me and kept me.