by Genevieve Cogman (Cogman)
The Invisible Library is the beginning of a (so far) seven book series about alternate-dimension-hopping librarians. It’s very reminiscent of Doctor Who since the “alternates” are at different time periods and there’s a great deal of running away from and outwitting danger without just shooting things.
This first book opens James Bond
style with the action climax of Irene’s just-wrapping-up mission to secure a
unique manuscript from a boarding school, followed immediately by a new
assignment in a “high chaos” alternate. Here, “chaos” basically means that a
world is falling into storybook tropes and increased magical interference. This
can be lethal for visiting librarians. She’s also been assigned a newbie, Kai,
who claims to have been pressed into service to the dimensional hub library
because of street criminal activities, but he’s acting *awfully* aristocratic.
And, right on cue, the murders begin in an alternate that’s much like our
Victorian England but with more zeppelins and fae folk out in public. Wouldn’t
it be interesting if Irene ran into a consulting detective?
I recommend The Invisible Library to fans of Victorian mysteries and generally perilous adventures.
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith, or The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.]
[
official Invisible Library page on the official Genevieve Cogman
web site ]
Recommended
by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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