The Library at Mount Char

Paperback

Published April 5, 2022 by Titan Books.

ISBN:
978-1-78909-986-7
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4 stars (8 reviews)

A missing God. A library with the secrets to the universe. A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.

Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.

After all, she was a normal American herself once.

That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.

In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered …

7 editions

Let down by weak writing

3 stars

The writing isn't it's strongest part. The story is strong, the characters quirky, but the ending is weak if mostly satisfying. Resurrection seems to be the main fantastical tool used with few archaic Arabic sounding words that just feel thrown in. The size of the library becomes a little too Warehouse 13 or those TV movies and series 'The Librarian' or 'The Librarians' - where this story diverges is not in missing artifacts or books, but rather in the focus on 'The Librarians' being criminally insane and it's an adopted-family feud. I did enjoy this book, but it lacked something in the story, the writing was the weakest part, dialogue was fine, but the actual writing was the weakest part.

Review of 'The Library at Mount Char' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Just picked it up on a whim after seeing it mentioned on an article on weird fiction somewhere. This is possibly one of the best examples of "weird" or "other-wordly" fiction. I've read it tagged as "urban horror" in a few places, although I'm not very sure of that label (I don't read much horror).

This book in particular takes you through a lot of weird places and scenarios, all the while continuing to move along in the plot. It does not sacrifice its plot or its characters for the "fantastic" elements in any manner, and that is what makes it a great book.

If you liked [b:American Gods|30165203|American Gods|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1462924585s/30165203.jpg|1970226], this might be worth a read.

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