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Available
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Series
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Penguin Publishing Group
Description
"Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure from a spectacular debut author. One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested--the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something--secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself. Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option--because it isn't just Irene's reputation at stake, it's the nature of reality itself.."--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member imyril
The pitch is great: a timeless Library sends its intrepid Librarians into worlds scattered across alternate universes to retrieve important books for safekeeping. Sadly, I never really warmed to the delivery.
Given that alternate realities tend to allow for great fun riffing off well-known tropes,
I had a similar reaction to The Affinity Bridge, so I'm prepared to admit that steampunk does absolutely nothing for me in print, even when it involves faeries and books.
Given that alternate realities tend to allow for great fun riffing off well-known tropes,
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it's unsurprising that many of the ingredients feel borrowed and twisted to new purpose. But I found it all a bit stifling rather than invigorating, as if the whole thing were a bit forced. I think I'd cheerfully watch it as an over-the-top derring-do movie in the vein of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, but I didn't enjoy reading it.I had a similar reaction to The Affinity Bridge, so I'm prepared to admit that steampunk does absolutely nothing for me in print, even when it involves faeries and books.
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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
Meh. If you've read one of these pseudo-Victorian/steampunk/fantasy novels, you've read 'em all. Nothing original to this one, about a 'librarian' sent to retrieve a book from an alternate reality (naturally an alternate version of Victorian London, so that the heroine speaks formally - sometimes -
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and gets to wear long skirts, which seems to be a fetish with this trope). The little quips about book lovers and correct grammar amused me, but the humour was offset by the sheer amount of clichés present. On a scale of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and Gail Carriger's Soulless, this attempt ranks low, unfortunately. Not even the bargain basement price won me over. Show Less
LibraryThing member passion4reading
Irene is a junior Librarian, tasked with acquiring books for the eponymous, interdimensional Library, by illegal means if necessary. Having just returned from a mission that didn’t exactly go to plan, she’s looking forward to some well-deserved time out, putting up her feet with a good book,
This is an astonishingly accomplished debut by Genevieve Cogman, the first in a new series, which promises much for the subsequent volumes. The groundwork is established by way of dialogue between the principal characters, so that there aren’t any long-winded explanations by the author. The fact that the alternate world on which most of the action takes place is chaos-infested gives the author basically a free hand to throw wildly different adversaries and scenarios at our two heroes. The resulting tale is thus never boring, and is written with a knowing wink and dry wit, with very likeable main characters. I absolutely loved the underlying idea and the world-building and can’t wait to read how the story progresses, though I felt I had to deduct half a star for just one too many damsel-in-distress situations; Irene is an intelligent and resourceful young woman, but had to be rescued a little too often by her young assistant Kai, but that’s a minor quibble. In short, I feel certain that this is exactly the sort of book that Irene would love to read herself: four and a half stars.
(This review was written as part of Amazon's Vine programme.)
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but her superiors have other ideas. She’s immediately sent back to an alternate universe to retrieve a version of Grimm’s fairy tales, and not only is that world chaos-infested, she’s also been assigned a trainee on his first mission abroad, who’s keeping his own secrets. As soon as they arrive, they learn that the previous owner has been murdered (well, he was already dead – a vampire) and the book been stolen. What follows is a breathtaking chase through an alternate Victorian London which involves steam punk elements, werewolves, an enigmatic detective and the Fae, plus much more, which it wouldn’t be fair to reveal as the surprise is half the fun of reading.This is an astonishingly accomplished debut by Genevieve Cogman, the first in a new series, which promises much for the subsequent volumes. The groundwork is established by way of dialogue between the principal characters, so that there aren’t any long-winded explanations by the author. The fact that the alternate world on which most of the action takes place is chaos-infested gives the author basically a free hand to throw wildly different adversaries and scenarios at our two heroes. The resulting tale is thus never boring, and is written with a knowing wink and dry wit, with very likeable main characters. I absolutely loved the underlying idea and the world-building and can’t wait to read how the story progresses, though I felt I had to deduct half a star for just one too many damsel-in-distress situations; Irene is an intelligent and resourceful young woman, but had to be rescued a little too often by her young assistant Kai, but that’s a minor quibble. In short, I feel certain that this is exactly the sort of book that Irene would love to read herself: four and a half stars.
(This review was written as part of Amazon's Vine programme.)
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LibraryThing member zeborah
This is one of those stories about a vast Borgesian Library that exists to collect and preserve books -- with a narrative focus on rare ones, because the protagonist is a Librarian whose job is to go out into the world(s) and acquire said books by various means that involve such things as murdered
If this sounds like a rousing steampunk adventure then by all means go and read it - it's perfectly good as a rousing steampunk adventure - but do not recommend it to me or anyone else as being a "fun book about a librarian".
This was not written by a librarian. I don't think any of these books, movies, and TV series ever are, and it always shows by chapter one. It's not that librarians aren't cool enough to have a secret Language that bends objects to their will (unless you count Javascript), with which they go on Indiana Jones-style adventures through alternate universes to retrieve a Mysterious Tome with a World-Changing Destiny. It's that there is so much more to being a librarian than simply stealing books from unsuspecting civilisations like you're the reincarnation of a 19th century British Museum procurement agent.
The mission of a library is not to preserve books. It's to provide access to them.
The librarian's job is not in acquiring the book. It's in selecting which books to acquire in order to best fulfill the needs and whims of the library's particular user base within the library's limited budget and shelf-space; describing it in the catalogue (and making reading lists and displays and personal recommendations) so those users find out it exists; maintaining and developing the catalogue and self-check systems so they're user-friendly, and supporting 'books' in audiovisual and/or digital format(s) and making sure everything's interoperable; organising storytimes and events in the library, and outreach beyond it; and managing the budget and staffing and physical space and strategic planning underpinning all this and so much more.
Where are the stories, is what I'm saying, about a librarian battling through unimaginable dangers to lend a book to its destined reader?
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vampires, Victorian detectives, being attacked by steel clockwork alligators at a Fae-hosted dinner party, being attacked by werewolves in a museum, daring escapes by zeppelin, and so forth.If this sounds like a rousing steampunk adventure then by all means go and read it - it's perfectly good as a rousing steampunk adventure - but do not recommend it to me or anyone else as being a "fun book about a librarian".
This was not written by a librarian. I don't think any of these books, movies, and TV series ever are, and it always shows by chapter one. It's not that librarians aren't cool enough to have a secret Language that bends objects to their will (unless you count Javascript), with which they go on Indiana Jones-style adventures through alternate universes to retrieve a Mysterious Tome with a World-Changing Destiny. It's that there is so much more to being a librarian than simply stealing books from unsuspecting civilisations like you're the reincarnation of a 19th century British Museum procurement agent.
The mission of a library is not to preserve books. It's to provide access to them.
The librarian's job is not in acquiring the book. It's in selecting which books to acquire in order to best fulfill the needs and whims of the library's particular user base within the library's limited budget and shelf-space; describing it in the catalogue (and making reading lists and displays and personal recommendations) so those users find out it exists; maintaining and developing the catalogue and self-check systems so they're user-friendly, and supporting 'books' in audiovisual and/or digital format(s) and making sure everything's interoperable; organising storytimes and events in the library, and outreach beyond it; and managing the budget and staffing and physical space and strategic planning underpinning all this and so much more.
Where are the stories, is what I'm saying, about a librarian battling through unimaginable dangers to lend a book to its destined reader?
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LibraryThing member Gwendydd
The first chapter was really promising.
Then it quickly went downhill. I got just a little over halfway through the book before I completely stopped caring and stopped reading it.
The world-building is really sloppy. The whole premise of the book makes no sense. Irene works for The Library, which is
There were some other aspects of the plot that just made no sense whatsoever. I gave up.
Then it quickly went downhill. I got just a little over halfway through the book before I completely stopped caring and stopped reading it.
The world-building is really sloppy. The whole premise of the book makes no sense. Irene works for The Library, which is
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an interdimensional library that exists between multiverses. Librarians can travel between all of the different multiverses, and they can use Language to alter reality. As a premise, that sounds pretty fantastic. But then.... Librarians use this power to travel between the different worlds to steal unique books from them to preserve them. Um, has Cogman ever met a librarian? The purpose of libraries is to provide access to books, not to hide them from the world. Stealing the books that make a particular world unique makes no sense whatsoever. And they only care about fiction, because science is the same in all universes. That also makes no sense, because some worlds have magic - by definition then, the science can't be the same in the worlds with magic. There were some other aspects of the plot that just made no sense whatsoever. I gave up.
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LibraryThing member BillieBook
It's okay, but not the best of the secret library/librarian novels.
Also, the fibula is in the leg, not the arm. (Yes, this is an actual error in this book that NO ONE caught before it went to print.)
Also, the fibula is in the leg, not the arm. (Yes, this is an actual error in this book that NO ONE caught before it went to print.)
LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman is the first book in The Invisible Library series. Irene (not her real name) works for the Library. The Library is a special place and it is hidden from most people. Irene gets sent out on assignments by Senior Librarians. She obtains books from alternate
The Invisible Library sounded like a fascinating story, but it does not live up to its description. There is way too much going on in this novel (especially for just the first book). You know the phrase “they put in everything but the kitchen sink”? That phrase definitely applies to The Invisible Library (and I believe the author threw in the kitchen sink as well). It is hard to get into this story because of all the activity, descriptions, etc. (too much). We have dragons, Fae, vampires, books, steampunk devices, Victorian-type England, Zeppelins, and strange magic (this is not all). I think if the writing had been better (instead of bland), the author could have pulled it off. Instead of being fascinating and spellbound, I was bored and uninterested (the book just dragged because of all the details and descriptions). The Invisible Library is convoluted and confusing (Irene spent too much time speculating—pages and pages). It made for a hard to read book (which made it is difficult to enjoy). I give The Invisible Library 3 out of 5 stars. It was just okay for me. I like the concepts but not how it was put together. The Masked City is the next book in the series (and I will not be reading it).
I received a complimentary copy of The Invisible Library in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
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worlds or realities (there are many different versions) for the Library (books that are special and unique). Irene just returned from a three-month assignment and is being sent out immediately by Coppelia (Irene’s supervisor and mentor). Irene is also getting an assistant to help her. Kai is an apprentice in the Library and this is his first fieldwork assignment (he is anxious to escape the confines of the library). Irene and Kai are going to London (actually London parallel B-395). This is going to be a dangerous assignment though. It turns out that this London is infected or contaminated by chaos. They have to be careful that the chaos does not enter the Library. Their contact in London is Dominic Aubrey. Aubrey guards the entrance to the Library (which is housed in the British Library) and will provide assistance to the pair. Irene goes to retrieve the book from Lord Wyndham’s safe and discovers that it is gone. Someone beat them to it. Irene and Kai need to obtain it and get back to the Library as quickly as possible. They are not, though, the only people after this special book. Will Irene and Kai succeed in their mission? They will have to battle Fae Folk, a cat burglar, a former librarian that sold out to chaos, and Bradamont (a senior librarian with her own agenda) to succeed. Join Irene and Kai on their adventure in The Invisible Library.The Invisible Library sounded like a fascinating story, but it does not live up to its description. There is way too much going on in this novel (especially for just the first book). You know the phrase “they put in everything but the kitchen sink”? That phrase definitely applies to The Invisible Library (and I believe the author threw in the kitchen sink as well). It is hard to get into this story because of all the activity, descriptions, etc. (too much). We have dragons, Fae, vampires, books, steampunk devices, Victorian-type England, Zeppelins, and strange magic (this is not all). I think if the writing had been better (instead of bland), the author could have pulled it off. Instead of being fascinating and spellbound, I was bored and uninterested (the book just dragged because of all the details and descriptions). The Invisible Library is convoluted and confusing (Irene spent too much time speculating—pages and pages). It made for a hard to read book (which made it is difficult to enjoy). I give The Invisible Library 3 out of 5 stars. It was just okay for me. I like the concepts but not how it was put together. The Masked City is the next book in the series (and I will not be reading it).
I received a complimentary copy of The Invisible Library in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Irene is an agent of the Library, a mysterious organization that collects unusual books across different realities/variant universes. Balanced against the forces of order (dragons) and chaos (fae), the Library connects the universes together. But Irene’s new assistant, Kai, turns out to be a
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dragon—highly unusual, to say the least—and her latest assignment puts her in the path of the Library’s most dangerous enemy, a former Librarian determined to assist the forces of chaos. Nice (multiple) worldbuilding and use of language as a “magic” distinct from ordinary magic and technology. And, nice for me, there is another volume already out and another on the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member GennaC
"Irene felt a desperate surge of nostalgia for her Library. Her life was more than just airship chases, cyborg alligator attacks, and hanging out with this alternate universe's nearest analogue to Sherlock Holmes. She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most fundamental part of her life involved a
This book is everything I've ever wanted. A strong Sherlock Holmes vibe but with a fantastic and literary bent. Great detective hijinks, librarian spies, a secret book collecting order, bewitching dragons, cyborg alligators, zeppelins, alternate realities... The Invisible Library was an absolute riot, a rollicking steam punk adventure.
Irene is a Librarian. As a spy for the Library, she travels between realities on secret missions to retrieve rare books and spirit them back to the Library for safekeeping. Sent to a Victorian London rife with the chaos of vampires, werewolves, Fae, and cyborg monsters, Irene's one mission, with the help of her charming but enigmatic new assistant Kai, is to retrieve a highly coveted edition of the Brothers Grimm collection of fairy tales. But this version of London is much more chaotic than they were expecting. Hurtled into an explosive drama, the hunt for this text is constant havoc, as they join forces with a legendary detective and bring down upon themselves the wrath of several devious and dangerous organizations.
Irene is crafty and witty, and The Invisible Library a constant adventure with ridiculous plot twists and fascinating new characters at every turn. It was as clever and absurd as it was satisfying and nothing short of the perfect steam punk detective story.
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love of books. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out, and have nothing to worry about, except the next page of whatever she was reading."This book is everything I've ever wanted. A strong Sherlock Holmes vibe but with a fantastic and literary bent. Great detective hijinks, librarian spies, a secret book collecting order, bewitching dragons, cyborg alligators, zeppelins, alternate realities... The Invisible Library was an absolute riot, a rollicking steam punk adventure.
Irene is a Librarian. As a spy for the Library, she travels between realities on secret missions to retrieve rare books and spirit them back to the Library for safekeeping. Sent to a Victorian London rife with the chaos of vampires, werewolves, Fae, and cyborg monsters, Irene's one mission, with the help of her charming but enigmatic new assistant Kai, is to retrieve a highly coveted edition of the Brothers Grimm collection of fairy tales. But this version of London is much more chaotic than they were expecting. Hurtled into an explosive drama, the hunt for this text is constant havoc, as they join forces with a legendary detective and bring down upon themselves the wrath of several devious and dangerous organizations.
Irene is crafty and witty, and The Invisible Library a constant adventure with ridiculous plot twists and fascinating new characters at every turn. It was as clever and absurd as it was satisfying and nothing short of the perfect steam punk detective story.
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LibraryThing member pwaites
Irene works for the Library, an organization outside of time and space that collects books from across alternate realities of Earth. Right as she gets back from one assignment, she’s sent out on another, along with a new apprentice, Kai. Irene and Kai are supposed to find and retrieve a
The Invisible Library was a light, almost fluffy story. I could see comparisons to Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books, except I didn’t find it as humorous or frankly as weird. A comparison to Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate minus some of the romance focus might be more accurate, since the world Irene and Kai end up in turns out to be steampunk themed and to contain vampires, werewolves, and fae.
Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of steampunk, especially when it throws in the most common of urban fantasy creatures. I feel like a lot of books in the genre just regurgitate the look and feel of steampunk without ever putting a whole lot of thought into their world and what makes it different from all the other steampunk stories out there. It also felt like Cogman started out with the idea of “steampunk with supernatural creatures” and then tried to create the magic system/world building to explain it, which didn’t work very well.
I found the beginning promising. The whole idea of the Library is interesting, and Irene seems sensible and thoroughly capable. However, by the last third I found myself skimming.
While I liked Irene all right for the whole book, I never warmed to any of the other characters. The supporting staff never seemed to move much beyond stock types (genius detective, sexy supernatural guy, ect.). The supporting cast was also almost entirely male. Besides Irene, there’s only one reappearing female character, and she’s Irene’s rival. She fits into a ton of the “bitchy mean girl” tropes. You know the ones.
Still, The Invisible Library wasn’t terrible. I did enjoy it some at the beginning, and even when I was bored by the end, it never entered the realms of horrible. It’s also a book that I could see other people enjoying, maybe those who like steampunk more than I do. It might still be worth picking up if you’re looking for a light read, but it’s not a series I’m planning on continuing with.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received a copy of The Invisible Library from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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mysterious book, but they soon find that the book’s owner has been murdered and the book has vanished. To make matters worse, they aren’t the only ones looking for it.The Invisible Library was a light, almost fluffy story. I could see comparisons to Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books, except I didn’t find it as humorous or frankly as weird. A comparison to Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate minus some of the romance focus might be more accurate, since the world Irene and Kai end up in turns out to be steampunk themed and to contain vampires, werewolves, and fae.
Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of steampunk, especially when it throws in the most common of urban fantasy creatures. I feel like a lot of books in the genre just regurgitate the look and feel of steampunk without ever putting a whole lot of thought into their world and what makes it different from all the other steampunk stories out there. It also felt like Cogman started out with the idea of “steampunk with supernatural creatures” and then tried to create the magic system/world building to explain it, which didn’t work very well.
I found the beginning promising. The whole idea of the Library is interesting, and Irene seems sensible and thoroughly capable. However, by the last third I found myself skimming.
While I liked Irene all right for the whole book, I never warmed to any of the other characters. The supporting staff never seemed to move much beyond stock types (genius detective, sexy supernatural guy, ect.). The supporting cast was also almost entirely male. Besides Irene, there’s only one reappearing female character, and she’s Irene’s rival. She fits into a ton of the “bitchy mean girl” tropes. You know the ones.
Still, The Invisible Library wasn’t terrible. I did enjoy it some at the beginning, and even when I was bored by the end, it never entered the realms of horrible. It’s also a book that I could see other people enjoying, maybe those who like steampunk more than I do. It might still be worth picking up if you’re looking for a light read, but it’s not a series I’m planning on continuing with.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received a copy of The Invisible Library from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 4* of five
I want to be a Librarian.
The atmosphere of the place soothed her automatically; the rich lantern lights, the sheer scent of paper and leather, and the fact that everywhere she looked, there were books, books, beautiful books.
***
She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most
***
And then they were inside, and out of the wind, and surrounded by comforting walls and walls of books. The rich, delightful smell of old paper, leather and ink permeated the place, washing away the pettier odours of blood and oil and smog.
Need I say more?
A high level of chaos would mean that they could expect to meet the Fae, creatures of chaos and magic, who were able to take form and cause disorder on such a corrupted world. And that was never good news.
***
A Librarian’s mission to seek out books for the Library developed, after a few years, into an urge to find out everything that was going on around one. It wasn’t even a personal curiosity. It was a simple, impersonal, uncontrollable need to know. One came to terms with it.
***
And if she’d been able to choose her options a few hours ago, being trapped in a dead vampire’s private study with an angry Fae would not have been one of them.
***
Irene sighed. “So we have an incredibly glamorous female cat burglar who slinks around in a black leather cat-suit, who kills vampires in her spare time?”
Now. Are you sold? If not, skip it and regret nothing. The rest of us who aren't dead-souled potato heads will be happily reading the five extant volumes for the sheer verve with which Author Cogman lobs twists at us.
I want to be a Librarian.
The atmosphere of the place soothed her automatically; the rich lantern lights, the sheer scent of paper and leather, and the fact that everywhere she looked, there were books, books, beautiful books.
***
She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most
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fundamental part of her life involved a love of books. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and have nothing to worry about except the next page of whatever she was reading...***
And then they were inside, and out of the wind, and surrounded by comforting walls and walls of books. The rich, delightful smell of old paper, leather and ink permeated the place, washing away the pettier odours of blood and oil and smog.
Need I say more?
A high level of chaos would mean that they could expect to meet the Fae, creatures of chaos and magic, who were able to take form and cause disorder on such a corrupted world. And that was never good news.
***
A Librarian’s mission to seek out books for the Library developed, after a few years, into an urge to find out everything that was going on around one. It wasn’t even a personal curiosity. It was a simple, impersonal, uncontrollable need to know. One came to terms with it.
***
And if she’d been able to choose her options a few hours ago, being trapped in a dead vampire’s private study with an angry Fae would not have been one of them.
***
Irene sighed. “So we have an incredibly glamorous female cat burglar who slinks around in a black leather cat-suit, who kills vampires in her spare time?”
Now. Are you sold? If not, skip it and regret nothing. The rest of us who aren't dead-souled potato heads will be happily reading the five extant volumes for the sheer verve with which Author Cogman lobs twists at us.
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LibraryThing member JonArnold
The high-concept: What Jasper Fforde might have done if he’d turned to urban fantasy rather than postmodern whimsy. The big idea in the first of a new series is that there is a Library that sits at the heart of all realities; it helps keep the multiverse in harmony by sending out Librarians to
The Invisible Library sets the series up nicely, economically introducing the characters and concepts it needs to. Our lead is Irene, a relatively junior librarian. She’s what seems to be a fairly standard female lead character these days; flawed but smart and plucky. She acquires an assistant, Kai, who’s more than he seems. She has superiors who can’t quite be trusted and a rival Librarian who’s just a touch more ruthless than she is. Plenty of material to be worked with over the course of a series there and it’s exploited nicely over the course of the book with well-timed revelations advancing the story of both book and series. We also get introduced to the villain of the series, a librarian gone bad who’s got a splendidly gruesome methodology and is more than he seems in the best of ways.
The other great selling point of the series is the way Cogman’s central idea allows her to mash genres; we get detectives, vampires, werewolves and faeries in a steampunk setting. This is deftly done; the nature of the reality the central pair visit here never feels compromised by too many ingredients being added but there’s more than enough to keep the novel interesting.
I’m not sure my initial rating of the book will hold; whilst this is a satisfying read in its own right much depends on how the story progresses. The joy of following these series is seeing how the characters and their relationships develop over the course of several books and as yet all we have is outlines; Irene is potentially a fine lead character but is still slightly generic, and for all the icons borrowed from other genres the urban fantasy feels a little too familiar after reading the likes of Ben Aaronovitch and Paul Cornell. It’s certainly well enough done for me to add the next book I the series to my reading pile though.
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acquire key books from these realities so that the Library may hold them. There’s a concept to warm any bibliophile’s heart; all reality is held together by books and stories. Oh, and Librarians are capable of changes to reality by use of language (or rather The Language). Of course, things aren’t necessarily straightforward for them and their aim is complicated by various opponents, but mainly those representing chaos. Another tick; a little fanboy glow for the teenage RPGer I once was.The Invisible Library sets the series up nicely, economically introducing the characters and concepts it needs to. Our lead is Irene, a relatively junior librarian. She’s what seems to be a fairly standard female lead character these days; flawed but smart and plucky. She acquires an assistant, Kai, who’s more than he seems. She has superiors who can’t quite be trusted and a rival Librarian who’s just a touch more ruthless than she is. Plenty of material to be worked with over the course of a series there and it’s exploited nicely over the course of the book with well-timed revelations advancing the story of both book and series. We also get introduced to the villain of the series, a librarian gone bad who’s got a splendidly gruesome methodology and is more than he seems in the best of ways.
The other great selling point of the series is the way Cogman’s central idea allows her to mash genres; we get detectives, vampires, werewolves and faeries in a steampunk setting. This is deftly done; the nature of the reality the central pair visit here never feels compromised by too many ingredients being added but there’s more than enough to keep the novel interesting.
I’m not sure my initial rating of the book will hold; whilst this is a satisfying read in its own right much depends on how the story progresses. The joy of following these series is seeing how the characters and their relationships develop over the course of several books and as yet all we have is outlines; Irene is potentially a fine lead character but is still slightly generic, and for all the icons borrowed from other genres the urban fantasy feels a little too familiar after reading the likes of Ben Aaronovitch and Paul Cornell. It’s certainly well enough done for me to add the next book I the series to my reading pile though.
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LibraryThing member keristars
As I read The Invisible Library, and even after I finished it, I couldn't help but feel like I needed to be doing something else at the same time. The pacing and plot felt very strongly like one of those movies or tv series I like to put on while I sew or cook: entertaining enough but not really
I kept hoping for something else to happen and for the premise of The Library and multi-world connections to have more importance to the story. As it was, The Library and the book the protagonists are trying to find are McGuffins with some interesting stage-setting. Sometimes that's fine, but here it was a little bit of a letdown. By the end of the book, I thought that perhaps the multi-world elements would have more of a role in future series installments, except that the novel effectively ends with a permanent assignment to the one world.
The setting here is a steampunk London with vampires, werewolves, and fae, which makes for a lot of nice visuals - honestly perfect for a tv series, less so as a novel where too many descriptions bog down the writing, and too little leave the setting feeling underused.
I don't really know what else to say - it was a nice little diversion but better off as an audiobook so I could give the other half of my attention to some other task, and I was disappointed that the larger premise didn't really go anywhere. I don't plan to read further into the series.
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compelling, and especially not something I need to give my full attention to.I kept hoping for something else to happen and for the premise of The Library and multi-world connections to have more importance to the story. As it was, The Library and the book the protagonists are trying to find are McGuffins with some interesting stage-setting. Sometimes that's fine, but here it was a little bit of a letdown. By the end of the book, I thought that perhaps the multi-world elements would have more of a role in future series installments, except that the novel effectively ends with a permanent assignment to the one world.
The setting here is a steampunk London with vampires, werewolves, and fae, which makes for a lot of nice visuals - honestly perfect for a tv series, less so as a novel where too many descriptions bog down the writing, and too little leave the setting feeling underused.
I don't really know what else to say - it was a nice little diversion but better off as an audiobook so I could give the other half of my attention to some other task, and I was disappointed that the larger premise didn't really go anywhere. I don't plan to read further into the series.
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LibraryThing member melaniehope
This is an adventure novel that includes time travel, fantasy, steampunk, monsters, fairies, vampires, man eating crocodiles and much more craziness. I read the whole book but just was not for me. I have not been impressed with steampunk genre, time travel and karate kicking protagonists. I had
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read one review that said the book was a modern version of Harry Potter. I was thinking this would be a more magical story line, but it was a bit too chaotic for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member jdifelice
Another fun read to start out 2018 with!
I really enjoyed the adventure aspect of this novel and the fact that the main character is a Librarian. This had a super fun premise -a secret Invisible Library society where the Librarians go into alternate worlds and collect books! I really enjoyed Irene's
Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to more in this series!
I really enjoyed the adventure aspect of this novel and the fact that the main character is a Librarian. This had a super fun premise -a secret Invisible Library society where the Librarians go into alternate worlds and collect books! I really enjoyed Irene's
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character and how she explained the world and the Library. I liked the world building and how the exposition was done. The plot was fast-paced and well paced. I enjoyed the writing style as well - it was very readable and just right for the story telling.Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to more in this series!
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LibraryThing member cynrtst
The Invisible Library is a dense tale, a world building so immense it holds a veritable Library itself in it. Our heroine, Irene Winter, is a creature whose whole existence serves an entity called the Library. Her life has been given over to this service and her superiors expect her to do whatever
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it takes to complete the tasks they set for her.This time it's to retrieve a copy of Grimm's Fairy tales from an alternative London. She has certain abilities that allow her to manipulate objects and people. She speaks the language of the Library, and though to others it sounds like their native language, to the Librarians, it allows them to open locks, freeze people's actions; pretty much anything can happen if the Universe hears her voice speaking the command.
She is to fetch this book, a simple task, with her new assistant, Kai. What she finds, even before she walks into the alternative space, is a colleague who warns her off of the job, a cat burglar named Belphegor, dragons, a mythic Rogue Librarian, zeppelins, Magic, Fae, blackmail, mechanical alligators and centipedes, and all manner of obstacles. This is not turning out to be Irene's week.
I liked this book but it is an intense experience. The troubles Irene faces don't give her space to take a deep breath. It's told entirely from her viewpoint. Irene doubts herself, but she really shouldn't. She quite competent but in this world it is better that she appear to be Kai's assistant and Kai be seen as the head of the investigation. The famous detective Vale joins their search for the book and a vampire named Silver is the main bad guy who sends wave after wave of henchmen and creatures after the three good guys. But Irene can't be sure of anyone's real motive, even Kai and Vale, as they have secrets.
I'm looking forward to the sequel.
I received this e-book for free in return for my unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member sundowneruk
Very good! Looking forward to book #2 in December.
LibraryThing member infjsarah
I should have found this fantastic but sadly I didn't - it's just average. The characters are well defined but it just somehow didn't quite work for me.
LibraryThing member mariananhi
Dear beloved readers,
I know underage working is illegal, and also stealing books, but I’m sorry, I just found my dream job, a Librarian (with a capital “L”)! I will leave to join this awesome, unbelievably incredible Library soon.
Before you freak out, I need to tell you something. You might
However, I need to warn you, there are many side affects from The Invisible Library that can easily “endanger” you, including losing sleep from reading through the night, bumping into walls because you can’t seem to take your eyes of the book, and the the strong urge to punch something because you can’t wait for Book 2. The result usually ends in you want to rereading it again and again, and all the supernatural forces in this books—dragons and vampires and fae—can’t seem to leave your mind.
Yes, there are fae and dragons. And yes, there are many heart-gripping adventures through different alternatives and mind-racing mysteries. Yes, there are also magic and a detective who could swoon any Sherlock’s fan. And most important, there are plenty of books, book lovers, and book jokes. It’s an absolutely perfect job for me, so don’t worry.
Take care,
Your dear bookaholic blogger, who is now a Librarian Spy (in her dream)
I know underage working is illegal, and also stealing books, but I’m sorry, I just found my dream job, a Librarian (with a capital “L”)! I will leave to join this awesome, unbelievably incredible Library soon.
Before you freak out, I need to tell you something. You might
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change your mind about this whole situation. But the first you need to do is to pick up this book and read it.However, I need to warn you, there are many side affects from The Invisible Library that can easily “endanger” you, including losing sleep from reading through the night, bumping into walls because you can’t seem to take your eyes of the book, and the the strong urge to punch something because you can’t wait for Book 2. The result usually ends in you want to rereading it again and again, and all the supernatural forces in this books—dragons and vampires and fae—can’t seem to leave your mind.
Yes, there are fae and dragons. And yes, there are many heart-gripping adventures through different alternatives and mind-racing mysteries. Yes, there are also magic and a detective who could swoon any Sherlock’s fan. And most important, there are plenty of books, book lovers, and book jokes. It’s an absolutely perfect job for me, so don’t worry.
Take care,
Your dear bookaholic blogger, who is now a Librarian Spy (in her dream)
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LibraryThing member florabundi
Amazing book about an amazing job. If I could enter any book and live in it, this would be the one. Loved every minute of it, so sad to reach the last page. Good news is, another book soon available.
Irene is a librarian at the Invisable Library which exists outside of time. The librarians travel to
This book was free from the author and ROC publishing by way of Netgalley. Thank you all. Great book, a keeper.
Irene is a librarian at the Invisable Library which exists outside of time. The librarians travel to
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alternate worlds to collect original books that don't exist elsewhere. Normally, its a fairly quiet job-slip into a world, locate the book and retrieve it by buying, trading or theft. The books are usually little known and unprotected so no disturbance is caused. Other times unexpected things happen. Magic and science mix and cause problems. Irene's moto is: Things Will Go Wrong. Be Prepared. She is a steadfast herione, a person who knows who she is. Aided by her new assistant, the mysterious Kai, she sets out on a quest for a book and encounters more trouble than anyone should face. Lots of problems to solve, help from great characters, wicked villains abound and Irene would settle for a little quiet and a good book to read.This book was free from the author and ROC publishing by way of Netgalley. Thank you all. Great book, a keeper.
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LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
This is a book about a library. A very special one. I happen to work in a library which was enough to get me to try it. Then I discovered it was about so much more. There are special books, magic, mystical beings, alternate worlds and even cyborg alligators! How could I not fall in love with it!
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Fans of the tv show The Librarians will especially enjoy this. Best news is that it is just book one of a trilogy and our wait for the next two will be short. Book two comes out in September and book three in December! Show Less
LibraryThing member PhxDan
I think this is an amazing novel and am looking forward to reading the next two in the series. It has adventure, steampunk weapons, seductive fae, an intriguing detective, realistic characters (and some that feel like they are straight out of a novel), and enough twists and turns that you don't
The easiest way to describe this book is Thursday Next meets TNTs The Librarian movie and TV series.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
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know who to trust until the very end. All that because of a book. Coming from someone that almost never finishes a novel, I couldn't put this one down.The easiest way to describe this book is Thursday Next meets TNTs The Librarian movie and TV series.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
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LibraryThing member kthxy
i thought i'd rate this 4 stars but i really just enjoyed it too much not to ignore the bits i didn't love with all of my heart
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
This book is a little bit of everything -- fantasy, mystery, steampunk, alternate worlds, magic, language, and filled with book lovers. It's complicated in the best way possible. I will admit that it took my a bit to wrap my brain around the world(s) of The Library, but I was so invested in the
Read if you like: The Eyre Affair, Gail Carriger, and Every Heart a Doorway.
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mystery I forgot about the complexities of the world-building. By the end, I was completely hooked and can't wait to read the next book! So happy to know it's a short wait!Read if you like: The Eyre Affair, Gail Carriger, and Every Heart a Doorway.
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LibraryThing member oldbookswine
A debut novel. Irene is a librarian for the Mysterious Library, who finds books that the Library finds important. Traveling to alternate worlds with an apprentice Kai she is searching for a lost book containing the 87th story of Grimm. Werewolves, fae, dragons and others stand in her way of her
This book in some ways reminded me of the movies and TV series the librarian with the main character being a female. English teachers as well as librarians will find this new series great fun. ( Hope my grammar is correct)
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goalThis book in some ways reminded me of the movies and TV series the librarian with the main character being a female. English teachers as well as librarians will find this new series great fun. ( Hope my grammar is correct)
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Awards
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2016)
Original publication date
2015-12-15
Local notes
Invisible Library, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Cogman |