Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
DAW Books, Inc. (New York, 2012). 1st edition, 2nd printing. 320 pages. $24.95.
Description
Gifted with the ability to draw objects out of books, Isacc Vainio, a Libriomancer, seeks assistance from a Harley-riding dryad after a number of vampire attacks are reported by other members of his secret, magic organization.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stefferoo
This was a book I had high hopes for, ever since finding out what it was about. At some point in our childhoods, I'm sure all of us bibliophiles have wished that the worlds in our favorite books were real, and wondered what it would be like to interact with with its characters and objects.
This book
First of all...ugh, why did it have to be vampires?
Seriously though, this was a good book. Even with the vampires. My issues with is, however, have more to do with my hangups with the Libriomancy magic system. Not to sound disparaging, because I don't deny it's a great idea and sounds awesome on paper (it's what first attracted me to the book, remember) but the application of it here was just...messy.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the challenges here. After all, the Libriomancers' ability to reach into books and pull out objects has got to be like the most over-powered superpower ever. This story must have been a plotting nightmare with all the deux ex machina moments just waiting to happen. It just makes sense that logically with so many books in publication, someone somewhere sometime must have written something that would be able to get our hero and his friends out of any and all troublesome situations the bad guys throw at them.
Apparently, the solution to that is to put in rules. Rules like Libriomancers can only pull out smaller objects, no bigger than the size of the open book which is the magical "window" to the world of the book. Or that certain books with dangerous or disgustingly powerful objects are magically "locked" which prevent Libriomancers to bring them into existence. Hermione's Time-Turner device in the Harry Potter series would be a perfect example.
As a result, every chapter you'll get an info dump, Isaac guiding and explaining the nuts and bolts behind the Libriomancy magic system -- what you can do and what you can't do. It's unfortunately very distracting, and I started to wonder after a while if I wouldn't have preferred to put all that out of my mind and simply enjoyed the story, plot holes and all. I love cool magic systems, but Libriomancy just doesn't seem to be one that lends itself to grow naturally in a reader's mind. Like I said, great idea, but it's not so fun when you're always finding inconsistencies and then waiting for the narrator to explain them.
Other than that, this book wasn't bad. I liked the main character, even though for a smart guy Isaac has a terrible habit of not thinking things through when he does them. He has a very single-minded way of looking at a problem and isn't above threatening his hostages with remotely-activated exploding brain implants in order to get his way. Oh, and he's constantly distracted by Lena and ogling her like a horny adolescent.
Okay, so I didn't like those aspects of him so much. But what I did like was his sense of wonder and motivation to learn new things. When Isaac isn't constantly distracted by Lena, he's constantly distracted by his curiosity and desire to find out why or how things work, which makes him instantly relatable. His love for books comes through, and also reinforces his character and makes him seem more real. When he goes into a bookstore he claims the books "speak" to him, but the way he describes it makes me doubt Libriomancy has much to do with it; every book lover can tell you how walking between the shelves of a store or library and seeing all those books can make them feel giddy and happy. There's no real magic in it, but I think it's something magical nonetheless, and the author captured those emotions very well in his characterization of Isaac.
Anyway, if you enjoy books with plots that are fast-paced and constantly driven forward by a whole bunch of things happening at once, then Libriomancer definitely fits the bill. I'll admit a lot of it was too convoluted and outrageous for me (and this coming from a diehard fan of The Dresden Files series) but if action-packed and bombastic urban fantasy stories are your thing, this book might be worth checking out.
This book
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features a magic system that plays around with the general basis of that idea. The protagonist Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of a secret organization who possesses the ability to reach inside books and pull out objects in their stories. One day Isaac is attacked by a group of vampires, and discovers that they have been targeting other magic users as well. Together with the dryad Lena, Isaac finds himself tasked with solving the mystery of the attacks as well as the kidnapping of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the movable-type printing press...and Libriomancer founder and leader.First of all...ugh, why did it have to be vampires?
Seriously though, this was a good book. Even with the vampires. My issues with is, however, have more to do with my hangups with the Libriomancy magic system. Not to sound disparaging, because I don't deny it's a great idea and sounds awesome on paper (it's what first attracted me to the book, remember) but the application of it here was just...messy.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the challenges here. After all, the Libriomancers' ability to reach into books and pull out objects has got to be like the most over-powered superpower ever. This story must have been a plotting nightmare with all the deux ex machina moments just waiting to happen. It just makes sense that logically with so many books in publication, someone somewhere sometime must have written something that would be able to get our hero and his friends out of any and all troublesome situations the bad guys throw at them.
Apparently, the solution to that is to put in rules. Rules like Libriomancers can only pull out smaller objects, no bigger than the size of the open book which is the magical "window" to the world of the book. Or that certain books with dangerous or disgustingly powerful objects are magically "locked" which prevent Libriomancers to bring them into existence. Hermione's Time-Turner device in the Harry Potter series would be a perfect example.
As a result, every chapter you'll get an info dump, Isaac guiding and explaining the nuts and bolts behind the Libriomancy magic system -- what you can do and what you can't do. It's unfortunately very distracting, and I started to wonder after a while if I wouldn't have preferred to put all that out of my mind and simply enjoyed the story, plot holes and all. I love cool magic systems, but Libriomancy just doesn't seem to be one that lends itself to grow naturally in a reader's mind. Like I said, great idea, but it's not so fun when you're always finding inconsistencies and then waiting for the narrator to explain them.
Other than that, this book wasn't bad. I liked the main character, even though for a smart guy Isaac has a terrible habit of not thinking things through when he does them. He has a very single-minded way of looking at a problem and isn't above threatening his hostages with remotely-activated exploding brain implants in order to get his way. Oh, and he's constantly distracted by Lena and ogling her like a horny adolescent.
Okay, so I didn't like those aspects of him so much. But what I did like was his sense of wonder and motivation to learn new things. When Isaac isn't constantly distracted by Lena, he's constantly distracted by his curiosity and desire to find out why or how things work, which makes him instantly relatable. His love for books comes through, and also reinforces his character and makes him seem more real. When he goes into a bookstore he claims the books "speak" to him, but the way he describes it makes me doubt Libriomancy has much to do with it; every book lover can tell you how walking between the shelves of a store or library and seeing all those books can make them feel giddy and happy. There's no real magic in it, but I think it's something magical nonetheless, and the author captured those emotions very well in his characterization of Isaac.
Anyway, if you enjoy books with plots that are fast-paced and constantly driven forward by a whole bunch of things happening at once, then Libriomancer definitely fits the bill. I'll admit a lot of it was too convoluted and outrageous for me (and this coming from a diehard fan of The Dresden Files series) but if action-packed and bombastic urban fantasy stories are your thing, this book might be worth checking out.
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LibraryThing member libraryman_76021
OK, I must admit. I am impressed. This is an extremely fun read. Isaac Vainio is a librarian who is secretly cataloging books for their magical potential. He's also a libriomancer: a person with the ability to reach into books and create objects from their pages. He gets pulled unexpectedly into a
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growing conflict between vampires and the secret organization he works for and must use his wits and skills to find out who and what is orchestrating the conflict from the shadows with only Smudge, a fire-spider, and Lena Greenwood, a dryad, to assist him. That's right, folks! A librarian -- no, wait, -- a CATALOGER fights to save the world! How awesome is that?!?! Show Less
LibraryThing member Shimmin
I was really interested in this because of the premise, and some early scenes (like the vampire typology) really felt promising. As things progressed it started to feel a little less fresh and interesting. There are plenty of decent ideas, and I still think the basic premise is cool, but the early
A brief nitpick: whatsisname states that libriomancy works because the writers describe things powerfully enough that readers can really envisage them and a libriomancer can reach in. The Holy Grail is not described in the Bible, but originates from 12th-century poetry. By the book's own logic, Gutenberg cannot have achieved immortality that way.
There's also an awkward balance between explanation and exposition. A setup like this offers a mass of plot hole opportunities (fantasy and sci-fi books, as well as mythology, offer stuff that could let you do literally anything) and Hines tries to plaster them over with Libriomancy rules, which he mostly manages. Trouble is, that means quite a lot of infodumping as whatsisname relates these rules to poor Lena, and magic rules just ain't that interesting to read about. I don't want to jump on any plot holes here, it's clearly supposed to be a fairly fun read, but to some extent the more you describe the rules, the more I care about the remaining loopholes...
So on the whole, I had a reasonable time with this book, but would have liked less exposition and a romance-free Lena who got to concentrate on being awesome instead. I mean, she can still have romance as characterisation, that's fine, just keep the protagonist out of it.
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enthusiasm waned. I felt the whole Lena thing was kind of awkward; the character is an interesting one and I liked what she can do, but the romance setup seemed a bit tired. I've read too many books with that kind of setup (unprepossessing male failure lusting over hot female acquaintance, repeatedly, in the text) and it seemed like a distraction from the story. I don't want to go on too much about that one aspect, but that plus the power dynamic was just a bit uncomfortable. Smudge was fun, though.A brief nitpick: whatsisname states that libriomancy works because the writers describe things powerfully enough that readers can really envisage them and a libriomancer can reach in. The Holy Grail is not described in the Bible, but originates from 12th-century poetry. By the book's own logic, Gutenberg cannot have achieved immortality that way.
There's also an awkward balance between explanation and exposition. A setup like this offers a mass of plot hole opportunities (fantasy and sci-fi books, as well as mythology, offer stuff that could let you do literally anything) and Hines tries to plaster them over with Libriomancy rules, which he mostly manages. Trouble is, that means quite a lot of infodumping as whatsisname relates these rules to poor Lena, and magic rules just ain't that interesting to read about. I don't want to jump on any plot holes here, it's clearly supposed to be a fairly fun read, but to some extent the more you describe the rules, the more I care about the remaining loopholes...
So on the whole, I had a reasonable time with this book, but would have liked less exposition and a romance-free Lena who got to concentrate on being awesome instead. I mean, she can still have romance as characterisation, that's fine, just keep the protagonist out of it.
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LibraryThing member Kellswitch
This book was so much fun, the most fun I've had reading a book in such a very long time. I stayed up two nights in a row till 4:00 am becuase I couldn't put the book down and I can't remember the last book that enthralled me that much.
The concept of being able to reach in and bring out objects
The story is well paced, it never feel either rushed or that it dragged, the humor, drama and action all balanced each other out and felt natural to the story and not tacked on, this was really just a well crafted and put together story.
This was my first Jim Hines novel but it will not be my last, I am so looking forward to reading more of his work.
The concept of being able to reach in and bring out objects
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from books while not entirely unique is handled here in such a smart way it feels like a new idea and there are just enough well thought out rules that are consistently followed throughout the book that you never feel like the author is cheating or using this magic in cheap easy way. And his approach to vampires is simply brilliant.The story is well paced, it never feel either rushed or that it dragged, the humor, drama and action all balanced each other out and felt natural to the story and not tacked on, this was really just a well crafted and put together story.
This was my first Jim Hines novel but it will not be my last, I am so looking forward to reading more of his work.
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LibraryThing member pollywannabook
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
All kids long for special powers like the ability to fly, become invisible, or read minds. And while I dabbled with dreams of soaring into the sky, it’s the ability so lovingly described in Jim C. Hines’ LIBRIOMANCER that stayed foremost in my mind
The same magic that enables libriomancers to create objects from books has more than a few pesky sideeffects. Reaching into a book with, say, vampires can be dangerous. While reaching for a weapon, the libriomancer is partially made real inside the book which can lead to biting. So not only do vampires run wild in LIBRIOMANCER, but there are different kinds depending on which book they came from. Hines details a number of them including Meyerii aka Sparklers from the Twilight series and a specific Southern variety courtesy of Charlaine Harris.
As much fun as this world was, and as many geektastic Dr. Who references that were packed in, that only really carried my enjoyment for about a hundred pages. After that, the story and characters were on the underwhelming side, specifically the attempted romance. Issac was fun in a beta Harry Dresden way–though not nearly as cool, but Lena was not. She’s a uber alpha dryad that shoulders her way in to rescue Issac early on and unfortunately never leaves. She’s got all the annoying characteristics of typical alpha males, but we’re supposed to be okay with it because she’s a female. Issac gets jerked around by her big time *SPOILER* as she uses him to rescue her lover, tries to guilt him into sex, then trade him to the enemy, then ditches him the second she sees her lover. In one of the most frustrating endings ever, Lena proposes a F/F/M relationship that ends on all three going at it in Issac’s kitchen. *END OF SPOILER*
Ultimately, I was left not liking this book. The world and magical ideas were so fantastic, but the story wasn’t anything special and the characters weren’t likable (in Lena’s case) or were too much of a doormat (in Issac’s case) to save it. This will be my first and last read in the Magic Ex Libris series which should see a sequel in 2013.
Sexual Content:
F/F/M Kissing
All kids long for special powers like the ability to fly, become invisible, or read minds. And while I dabbled with dreams of soaring into the sky, it’s the ability so lovingly described in Jim C. Hines’ LIBRIOMANCER that stayed foremost in my mind
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even into adulthood. Libriomancy is the unbelievably cool ability to reach into books and pull out objects. Hines treats this idea of libriomancy with as much realism as possible. For example, it would make sense that dedicated libriomancers would study books religiously looking for new and wonderful objects. Speculative fiction titles would be of special interest for magical and high tech items. Longtime lovers of SF&F will get a kick out of seeing Lucy’s magical cordial from THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, and Paul’s shield belt from DUNE.The same magic that enables libriomancers to create objects from books has more than a few pesky sideeffects. Reaching into a book with, say, vampires can be dangerous. While reaching for a weapon, the libriomancer is partially made real inside the book which can lead to biting. So not only do vampires run wild in LIBRIOMANCER, but there are different kinds depending on which book they came from. Hines details a number of them including Meyerii aka Sparklers from the Twilight series and a specific Southern variety courtesy of Charlaine Harris.
As much fun as this world was, and as many geektastic Dr. Who references that were packed in, that only really carried my enjoyment for about a hundred pages. After that, the story and characters were on the underwhelming side, specifically the attempted romance. Issac was fun in a beta Harry Dresden way–though not nearly as cool, but Lena was not. She’s a uber alpha dryad that shoulders her way in to rescue Issac early on and unfortunately never leaves. She’s got all the annoying characteristics of typical alpha males, but we’re supposed to be okay with it because she’s a female. Issac gets jerked around by her big time *SPOILER* as she uses him to rescue her lover, tries to guilt him into sex, then trade him to the enemy, then ditches him the second she sees her lover. In one of the most frustrating endings ever, Lena proposes a F/F/M relationship that ends on all three going at it in Issac’s kitchen. *END OF SPOILER*
Ultimately, I was left not liking this book. The world and magical ideas were so fantastic, but the story wasn’t anything special and the characters weren’t likable (in Lena’s case) or were too much of a doormat (in Issac’s case) to save it. This will be my first and last read in the Magic Ex Libris series which should see a sequel in 2013.
Sexual Content:
F/F/M Kissing
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
Jim C. Hines is good at set dressing, but less so with character + plot combos. I wish I could come up with overall ideas like him, but that's about all I wish for. The story, like his other stories, are very linear and take all place in the immediate present with little thought to backstory or
So there's no literary devices, no foreshadowing, no flashbacks, no Easter eggs, no moments where the character sits and talks. I could read the last 25% without needing to know the first 75%. The character maintains his personality from beginning to end, like an action movie. And I don't read books for action. This was part of my problem with the Uglies books. I don't like reading descriptions of car chases and shoot-outs. I like plot turns and character revelations. That's what drives a book, IMHO.
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contemplation. I feel like his characters don't drive the plot, events do. And the result is I don't have much sense of character. No sense that this matters to the character personally, only immediately. So there's no literary devices, no foreshadowing, no flashbacks, no Easter eggs, no moments where the character sits and talks. I could read the last 25% without needing to know the first 75%. The character maintains his personality from beginning to end, like an action movie. And I don't read books for action. This was part of my problem with the Uglies books. I don't like reading descriptions of car chases and shoot-outs. I like plot turns and character revelations. That's what drives a book, IMHO.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Libriomancer gets bonus points for being a very cool idea. More of a 3.5 than a 4 star read, in my estimation, but I found it interesting.
Isaac Vainio is a librarian, who adds information to books catalogued by him, things that only make sense to Libriomancers, he misses his days on the field, but
I liked the concept, there were times when I felt a little lost by the story but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to more of this series.
Isaac Vainio is a librarian, who adds information to books catalogued by him, things that only make sense to Libriomancers, he misses his days on the field, but
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now his life is more sedate, until some vampires come after him and he has to resurrect his rusty libriomancer skills and try to save the day.I liked the concept, there were times when I felt a little lost by the story but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to more of this series.
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LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
This is a very silly book in the best possible way. The magic system - being able to literally reach into books and pull out useful things, like guns or magic potions - is absurdly powerful, but it's counterbalanced well by the physical and psychological costs. The plot is basically an exercise in
I was worried that the romance - between the titular male character and a magically-created sort-of sex slave - was going to make me mad however it ended, even though Hines is currently Winning the Internet with his geder-flipped cover art campaign and seems to be generally reliable when it comes to gender issues, but he managed to both explore the problematic nature of fantasy women and find a solution that actually worked on both an emotional and a political level. So, props for that, I was impressed.
Totally fun, very silly, and worth a quick read, especially for genre fans.
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worldbuilding, in that stuff happens and then we learn what aspect of the magic system allowed that stuff to happen. That isn't a criticism - it works well and keeps things moving, and sets up the sequels efficiently.I was worried that the romance - between the titular male character and a magically-created sort-of sex slave - was going to make me mad however it ended, even though Hines is currently Winning the Internet with his geder-flipped cover art campaign and seems to be generally reliable when it comes to gender issues, but he managed to both explore the problematic nature of fantasy women and find a solution that actually worked on both an emotional and a political level. So, props for that, I was impressed.
Totally fun, very silly, and worth a quick read, especially for genre fans.
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LibraryThing member mainerk8
I liked it! cool story line, I haven't read anything like it before. Language and writing style is a bit unrefined and choppy, but I liked the story!
LibraryThing member nnschiller
I liked this book. I struggled between two or three stars. I enjoyed myself as I read it and laughed quite a bit, but it took me a while to come to terms with it on the continuum between silly and serious. I didn't quite find Hines' rhythm and didn't know when to expect a slapstick joke or a
By the end of the book I learned to trust Hines and he delivered a satisfying read. It isn't particularly challenging but it is capable fluff that will entertain.
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serious comment.By the end of the book I learned to trust Hines and he delivered a satisfying read. It isn't particularly challenging but it is capable fluff that will entertain.
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LibraryThing member empress8411
There isn't a lot I can say about this book that will be anything other than the dribble of a rabid fan girl. Hines' created a world that every bibliophile dreams of and he did it was imagination, warmth, humor and adventure. Buy this book. Read it. That's the only way you will understand.
PS:
PS:
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Hines' get serious points for using one of my favorite books of all time as a pivotal plot point. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Isaac is a libriomancer, one of a few people on earth who loves books so much he can manifest objects directly from their pages. It's a fantastic power, but one that is strictly guarded. When his magic use got out of control, he was pulled from field work and told not to use magic again. Now he's
The basic idea is fascinating--perhaps too fascinating. Isaac mostly creates blasters and a few techno-gizmos out of books, which seems oddly limited. Hines tries to explain this by mentioning the recommendations and rules of libriomancer training, but Isaac's lack of imagination in regards to such an incredibly power still makes him feel banal and small. My other big problem with this book was Lena's role. I would have enjoyed this story much more if she'd been a comrade, not a love interest. As adryad pulled from a book, Lena always wants to serve and please her master, whoever holds that role. She comes across as a well-rounded sentient being, but that's at least partly a facade created to please her lover. As such, there's pretty much no way to be in a romantic relationship with her that isn't problematic and sketchy, and while Hines is clearly very aware of this, the narrative also pushes her and Isaac together. The romance is unnecessary to the plot or the characterization, makes Isaac seem unreal (because seriously, he has so little personality that I have no idea why a dryad would seek him out to be her new master so she could mold herself after him), and adds a layer of uncomfortable slime to the story. Taking out the "romance" or telling the story from another pov (Lena's perspective on libriomancers has got to be fascinating!) would have made the characters a lot more appealing.
A fine adventure story, but I dislike Isaac and am skeeved out by Lena's relationships (although props to Hines for putting in a queer poly relationship), so I doubt I'll seek out other books in this series.
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just a librarian, whose only reminder of magic is his pet spider. But it seems the local vampires weren't told, and when they come after him, Isaac is forced to start using libriomancy once more. The basic idea is fascinating--perhaps too fascinating. Isaac mostly creates blasters and a few techno-gizmos out of books, which seems oddly limited. Hines tries to explain this by mentioning the recommendations and rules of libriomancer training, but Isaac's lack of imagination in regards to such an incredibly power still makes him feel banal and small. My other big problem with this book was Lena's role. I would have enjoyed this story much more if she'd been a comrade, not a love interest. As a
A fine adventure story, but I dislike Isaac and am skeeved out by Lena's relationships (although props to Hines for putting in a queer poly relationship), so I doubt I'll seek out other books in this series.
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LibraryThing member quondame
OK, but the adventure of deactivated for lack of professional discipline libriomancer Isaac as he reactivates and saves everyone from an almost overwhelming power, doesn't have much to add to the meta-book sub-genre and both tries too hard and gets uncomfortable with it's sexual stances.
LibraryThing member KayMackey
What if you could reach into your favorite novel and pull out a magic sword, or a laser gun, or a spider? Isaac, the protagonist in Libriomancer, can do all that and more through the magic of believing in the power of books. But can he stop magical chaos from breaking through into everyday reality?
Readers of Piers Anthony's Xanth novels or Terry Brooks' "Magic Kingdom of Landover" series will enjoy the light, humorous fantasy of Libriomancer. The concept is similar to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, in which characters are read out of (and into) books, but it is not as compelling emotionally, nor as linguistically well-crafted. The author feels the need to stop for explanations of how his character's magic works so often that the flow of the story is sometimes lost at the very height of the action.
This is a book for geeks, pure and simple. From Tolkien to Adams, nearly every fandom imaginable gets a shout-out here. Anyone who hates Twilight will cheer to see Isaac take on the sparkly vampires in the opening scenes, as well. And even fans of Twilight will admit it's amusing that Hines' characters credit Meyer with the existence of new species of vampire.
Libriomancer is the first in the Magic Ex Libris series, with book two, Codex Born, coming soon.
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Or will vampires, self-serving sorcerers, and character-possessed libriomancers prevail?Readers of Piers Anthony's Xanth novels or Terry Brooks' "Magic Kingdom of Landover" series will enjoy the light, humorous fantasy of Libriomancer. The concept is similar to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, in which characters are read out of (and into) books, but it is not as compelling emotionally, nor as linguistically well-crafted. The author feels the need to stop for explanations of how his character's magic works so often that the flow of the story is sometimes lost at the very height of the action.
This is a book for geeks, pure and simple. From Tolkien to Adams, nearly every fandom imaginable gets a shout-out here. Anyone who hates Twilight will cheer to see Isaac take on the sparkly vampires in the opening scenes, as well. And even fans of Twilight will admit it's amusing that Hines' characters credit Meyer with the existence of new species of vampire.
Libriomancer is the first in the Magic Ex Libris series, with book two, Codex Born, coming soon.
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LibraryThing member omnia_mutantur
This book is pure, unadulterated nerd crack.
It's quickly paced, it's got a magic system based on books that holds together really well. There's strong women, consistent logic, libraries and classifications of vampires based on literary traditions. There's same-sex couples, reasonable moral
It's quickly paced, it's got a magic system based on books that holds together really well. There's strong women, consistent logic, libraries and classifications of vampires based on literary traditions. There's same-sex couples, reasonable moral
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conflicts, a fire-spider and Gutenberg. And the ending rocks mightily. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bodagirl
I was so worried that this book would be bad. I mean the idea was just too good that I was worried that the story and writing wouldn't support it. But after reading a glowing endorsement from the Patrick Rothfuss, I decided to give it a shot. And it was wonderful!
The one issue I had with this book
Being a librarian made me love this book even more, especially the scene where Issac works his research "magic." Issac Vainio has joined the ranks of great fictional librarians (e.g., Bunny Watson and Rupert Giles)
A great read during the Dresden drought as well as on its own merit. Can't wait for the next.
P.S. I want a fire-spider.
The one issue I had with this book
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is that it reminded me a lot of the Dresden Files. Issac is a little like Harry Dresden, he wears a long trench coat with lots of pockets, has a pet that also acts as a warning system and all around guard, sarcastic sense of humor, and likes to make things go bomb. The Porters (the libriomancy governing body)smacks of the White Council. And Lena, Isaacs love interest, is a strange and slightly disturbing (at least to the feminist in me) amalgamation of Susan Rodriguez and Karen Murphy. But the concept of libriomancy is a fresh spin that opens up a world of possibilities with the meta-fiction element..Being a librarian made me love this book even more, especially the scene where Issac works his research "magic." Issac Vainio has joined the ranks of great fictional librarians (e.g., Bunny Watson and Rupert Giles)
A great read during the Dresden drought as well as on its own merit. Can't wait for the next.
P.S. I want a fire-spider.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Isaac is a libriomancer, able to call objects out of books. Popularity can also make phenomena in books real, resulting among other things in the rise of a new, sparkly vampire species. When war breaks out between the libriomancers and the vampires, Isaac—benched for misusing his magic—becomes
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central to figuring out why and how to stop it, even as the consequences of overuse of magic threaten his health and sanity. Also, there’s a nonexclusive romance with a dryad, and a spider that sets things on fire. (The comma there is important.) It was well enough constructed, but didn’t grab me; still, if you like the idea of reaching into a book and pulling out any object therein, from magic-sensing glasses to the One Ring, you might give this urban fantasy a try. Show Less
LibraryThing member cissa
I love the idea of literal- rather than figurative- magic that is book-based! I'm a passionate reader myself, and that makes it especially fun.
And since I'm a sf/f reader mostly, I'll comment on the world first. It works really well. Hines thought out his magic systems very thoroughly, so there
The character interactions were generally well-done, too, with some unexpected elements. I'd except the vamps; they were vamps, though I loved the genus/species names for the vamp varieties.
The plotting was extremely well-done; the book actually FINISHED, and yet left some threads for future novels in this world.
In short- a lot of fun!
And since I'm a sf/f reader mostly, I'll comment on the world first. It works really well. Hines thought out his magic systems very thoroughly, so there
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were no "magic ex machina" moments; even when a specific magical action was a surprise, it had been decently fore-shadowed.The character interactions were generally well-done, too, with some unexpected elements. I'd except the vamps; they were vamps, though I loved the genus/species names for the vamp varieties.
The plotting was extremely well-done; the book actually FINISHED, and yet left some threads for future novels in this world.
In short- a lot of fun!
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
Isaac Vainio is a librarian and a libriomancer, a special kind of magic-user who has the ability to make objects from books manifest in reality. Removed from field work due to an inability to control his magic under stress, Isaac is working a more mundane job as a librarian in a small-town Michigan
Fast-paced, funny, unique, and entirely engaging, this series opener is an absolute hit. Librarians and booklovers of all stripes will be trying to master libriomancy themselves after a visit to Hines’ world.
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public library and doing database duty on the side for his other employers, Die Zwelf Portenaere—the Porters. However, the Porters—a magical organization founded by Johannes Gutenberg to manage libriomancy—are under attack, and Isaac, off-duty or no, is no exception. Narrowly saved from vampires by the intercession of a dryad friend, Isaac soon discovers that all the different species of vampires—all of whom were originally created out of books, in a unique genre twist—have banded together to fight against what they perceive as attacks by the Porters. The few Porters Isaac can reach, however, have no idea what’s going on and Isaac, along with dryad Lena Greenwood and Smudge the fire spider, fling themselves into the investigation, trying to first convince the vampires that the Porters are no threat and second to discover just who the villain actually is and what he’s done with the Porters’ founder, Gutenberg himself.Fast-paced, funny, unique, and entirely engaging, this series opener is an absolute hit. Librarians and booklovers of all stripes will be trying to master libriomancy themselves after a visit to Hines’ world.
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LibraryThing member rosstrowbridge
We book-geeks have always known that stories are magical, right? They take you far away, in the companionship of amazing characters and kindred spirits, to places you either want desperately to run away to or to never see again. Hines comes up with the premise that each reader’s experience turns
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that fictional story into a bit of reality, and the more bits, the more powerful it becomes. With the invention of printing (yes, Johannes Gutenberg plays a role!) came the potential for thousands – tens of thousands – millions! – of readers creating the same reality because they are reading the exact same text. A sufficiently trained person-of-magical-talent can then draw objects from a book into the ordinary world. Picture going “on assignment” carrying a small library of books instead of weapons or gadgets. It’s quite delicious Show Less
LibraryThing member maybedog
3.5 stars rounded down because I think the ending was a cop-out.
This was an interesting and unique premise which was very welcome. I liked the characters, I liked that although the main character Isaac was sort of on the outs with his agency it wasn't because he had a big mouth or was an asshole.
Some good things:
Lena is the very beautiful love interest and she is described many times as being heavy set. she's also majorly kick-ass and saves Isaac on more than one occasion, one time even shielding his body with hers. He describes her as perfect.
There is lots of action and danger and injury and emotion.
There are lesbian and bi characters and they are powerful and smart.
Isaac had a lot in common with me (fear of bridges over water, couldn't even highlight his textbooks because it was marring them, sf geek in addition to the fantasy) which made me relate to him better.
His mother proposed to her husband-to-be, not the other way around.
All kinds of sf references, many that only true fans would recognize (particularly Doctor Who stuff), and Firefly is one of his top two shows.
The story was mostly unpredictable. The plot ending could have gone several as I didn't know which until they did.
The author had a good understanding of publishing and printing.
Isaac loves Lena so much that he He's willing to let her go. This isn't a case of not fighting for your love, it's him realizing that the fight will only make it harder on her and not fighting will make her happy. He is not a stalker.
Some not so good things:
He claims to have read every sf/f book in his work library (3,000 ), plus every vampire novel ever written, plus the ones that he needs that aren't there plus plenty of non-sf/f books plus all the ones he has to catalog for the agency--I don't think even a book a day would be enough to get through all that given that he's fairly young and couldn't have started reading all the adult stuff until the middle grades at the earliest. So I found that unrealistic.
At one point a character is tiny, a couple of inches high, but dust is still in the same proportions (some dust motes would be at least golf ball sized) and it doesn't take as long as it should to get from place to place.
A doorway was described as the ideal place to take refuge during an earthquake. No, under a sturdy table or desk is and a doorway is actually one of the worst places--despite what we learned in school--because there is no supporting structure shoring it up and because even skinny people are thicker than doorways.
He's injured severely, completely out of it in peril, then he wakes up and is fine.
Plot hole: We are told no sentient beings can come from books (Lena came a different way) but vampires are from books.
An excerpt from a book that was written by a non-writer for the wrong reasons should have been much worse than it was.
a few logistical questions were never answered like what would happen if a magical item were destroyed outside of the book and what if a book were destroyed before a magical item from it had been neutralized.
Overall it was a good book but I think the last 2-3 pages were too easy and a cop out. It really tainted the ending for me. But that's not why I'm not giving it a higher rating. Something about the book just didn't connect with me. Something about it felt unpolished but I can't put a finger on it at all. I don't think the extra-large type in the hardback edition helped. If it weren't for the absurd ending, I'd be eager to read the next one when it comes out. Right now I could take or leave it. I do give him props for being a feminist and I would try another series of his if it weren't all high fantasy. But as it is, when the next one comes out I'll take a look if I notice it and then we'll see.
This was an interesting and unique premise which was very welcome. I liked the characters, I liked that although the main character Isaac was sort of on the outs with his agency it wasn't because he had a big mouth or was an asshole.
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I thought Lena was an interesting character but she was set up in such a way that she will never be free of her burdens which prevent her from being truly real. Some good things:
Lena is the very beautiful love interest and she is described many times as being heavy set. she's also majorly kick-ass and saves Isaac on more than one occasion, one time even shielding his body with hers. He describes her as perfect.
There is lots of action and danger and injury and emotion.
There are lesbian and bi characters and they are powerful and smart.
Isaac had a lot in common with me (fear of bridges over water, couldn't even highlight his textbooks because it was marring them, sf geek in addition to the fantasy) which made me relate to him better.
His mother proposed to her husband-to-be, not the other way around.
All kinds of sf references, many that only true fans would recognize (particularly Doctor Who stuff), and Firefly is one of his top two shows.
The story was mostly unpredictable. The plot ending could have gone several as I didn't know which until they did.
The author had a good understanding of publishing and printing.
Some not so good things:
He claims to have read every sf/f book in his work library (3,000 ), plus every vampire novel ever written, plus the ones that he needs that aren't there plus plenty of non-sf/f books plus all the ones he has to catalog for the agency--I don't think even a book a day would be enough to get through all that given that he's fairly young and couldn't have started reading all the adult stuff until the middle grades at the earliest. So I found that unrealistic.
At one point a character is tiny, a couple of inches high, but dust is still in the same proportions (some dust motes would be at least golf ball sized) and it doesn't take as long as it should to get from place to place.
A doorway was described as the ideal place to take refuge during an earthquake. No, under a sturdy table or desk is and a doorway is actually one of the worst places--despite what we learned in school--because there is no supporting structure shoring it up and because even skinny people are thicker than doorways.
Plot hole: We are told no sentient beings can come from books (Lena came a different way) but vampires are from books.
An excerpt from a book that was written by a non-writer for the wrong reasons should have been much worse than it was.
a few logistical questions were never answered like what would happen if a magical item were destroyed outside of the book and what if a book were destroyed before a magical item from it had been neutralized.
Overall it was a good book but I think the last 2-3 pages were too easy and a cop out. It really tainted the ending for me. But that's not why I'm not giving it a higher rating. Something about the book just didn't connect with me. Something about it felt unpolished but I can't put a finger on it at all. I don't think the extra-large type in the hardback edition helped. If it weren't for the absurd ending, I'd be eager to read the next one when it comes out. Right now I could take or leave it. I do give him props for being a feminist and I would try another series of his if it weren't all high fantasy. But as it is, when the next one comes out I'll take a look if I notice it and then we'll see.
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LibraryThing member arbjames
Books are magic. Who knew? :-)
On the surface, Isaac Vainio appears to be a normal librarian (if there is such as a thing--as a librarian myself, I have to say that I don't think normal and librarian belong together in the same sentence!), albeit with a penchant for sci-fi. However, Isaac is really
On the surface, Isaac Vainio appears to be a normal librarian (if there is such as a thing--as a librarian myself, I have to say that I don't think normal and librarian belong together in the same sentence!), albeit with a penchant for sci-fi. However, Isaac is really
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a libriomancer--someone who can literally reach into books and bring things out into the real world. This skill is not without danger, and in the past, Isaac was unable to adequately control his power and was forbidden to us it by the secret society he is a member of. That secret society was founded by Johannes Gutenberg (yes, that Gutenberg), who has controlled the libriomancers for centuries with the help of his 12 automatons. When libriomancers are murdered, a strange new breed of vampire launches attacks all over the world, and Gutenberg goes missing, Isaac may be the only one who can save the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member turkcebkf
I read Libriomancer because I heard a lot of good things about Jim C. Hines. They were right. Libriomancer is a fast pacing, fun to read novel. If you like urban fantasy and want stories with well defined characters Libriomancer is for you.
LibraryThing member bgknighton
Good start to the series. Like the characters, like the magic mechanism.
LibraryThing member reellis67
A derivative of other recent urban fantasy novels (The Dresden Files, The Iron Druid Chronicles, etc.) this is a light, quick read. Many of the same plot devices exist here as the aforementioned series, but this exists somewhere between the two I chose to mention. The hero is less powerful than the
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Iron Druid, who regularly defeats gods (...) but follows in the footsteps (in almost direct register) of Harry Dresden, at least the early Dreseden. The world building is fairly interesting and the writing is neither strong nor weak - about what you would imagine from a late entry into a well established genre that is not fan fiction. I'm not sure yet if I will read further into the series (I've read all the Dreseden Files books to date, but gave up on the Iron Druid because the hero has no real flaws, endless allies, pulls off ridiculous victories - too much superhero for my tastes), but I did enjoy reading this introduction to the series. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012-08
Physical description
320 p.; 6.25 inches
ISBN
0756407397 / 9780756407391