Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Six word summary: Google fanboy writes fast-paced “bookstore mystery.”

Over the top in its descriptions of Google's “Big Box” and awe for the power of computing. It's somewhat ironic that this book draws attention to the cult-like secrecy of bibliophile societies but fails to demonstrate any similar awareness of the cult of Google. The scenes at Google read almost like a satire, but they're way too fawning for that.

Trying painfully too hard to make a statement about the future of digital books and libraries. The effort to tie in the protagonist's favorite fantasy series just made me cringe.

The characters seemed promising at first, but I grew tired of them quickly after they failed to develop with any depth. Two stars because the plot did keep me turning pages quickly.

SPOILER: The ultimate reveal of the codex seemed facile - it's just a little too convenient that the Gerritszoon punches end up unlocking the centuries-old message.