The Invisible Library

This was a really, really good urban fantasy. My first comment is that I don't know why it's shelved as YA, because it really has none of the hallmarks of that genre aside from the single viewpoint. I can see this fitting into NA these days, but there's probably not enough sex and murder for that label.

This book fits so perfectly into a genre hole I personally love - you can clearly see the influence of If on a winter's night, Possession, The Name of the Rose. All those novels about books are so wonderful on their own, and you just add a little bit of urban fantasy to end up with this wonderful mishmash of niche goodness.

To be clear, this is still very much an urban fantasy novel. A very highbrow one at that, probably one of the most literate and restrained ones out there, but still with predictable tropes, a fast pace, and relatively standard pathways of character development. For all that Cogman found a really creative setting in which to write this, I rate this 4/5 simply because the plot is still fairly standard MC-name-in-the-title urban fantasy stuff. I'd especially recommend this for readers who like the concept of urban fantasy but might find it too lowbrow or steamy for them.

4.5

Loved it to bits! I've been meaning to read this and I've finally done it. The little crumbs of romance and Kai's loyalty towards Irene is personally my favorite part. The writing is somewhat awry and the action is hard to image in my head, but I got the overall gist of it. The concept of an interdimensional Library is great and I hope the author goes deeper into its origins.

I liked the concept of the story, but it didn't grip me as I would have hoped. The characters lacked a little depth. It was an okay read.

This novel was my first encounter with this author. Overall I quite enjoyed it, enough to continue with the sequel. It has a colourful and imaginative setting, the story is gripping, and the main characters are moderately engaging.It reminds me in several ways of [a:Jasper Fforde 4432 Jasper Fforde https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1528718375p2/4432.jpg]'s Thursday Next stories, although Fforde has a knack for inspired insanity that no other author can really imitate.For my taste, this novel is too busy: the scenario and the plot are both over-complicated.In the scenario, we have a presumably infinite number of parallel worlds (alternative Earths) that Librarians can travel between. We have the Librarians with their own kind of magic; the Fae or Fair Folk with their own kind of magic; the dragons with their own kind of magic; and all these kinds of magic are ill-defined, we have no idea what their limits are. We also have vampires, werewolves, alligators, zeppelins, and odd steampunk mechanisms.Among the characters, the protagonist Irene (a Librarian) is somewhat similar to Thursday Next: a plucky youngish woman who worries but copes. Her younger apprentice Kai is not what he seems; he has secrets. Peregrine Vale is a detective, roughly similar to Sherlock Holmes, but limited to one world, because he's not a Librarian. Alberich is not a legendary dwarf in this story, but a rogue Librarian with fearsome powers of his own, similar to Fforde's Acheron Hades. Bradamant is a female Librarian somewhat senior to Irene; they work for the same organization but strongly dislike each other.The complicated story frequently involves characters competing with each other to try to work out what's going on—you can tell that the author is a fan of detective stories. I find this kind of thing a bit tiresome, because I can't be bothered to try to follow their reasoning in detail or to work out what's going on myself: I just want to read the story and find out. It doesn't take me long to read a novel, so I'll find out soon enough.

Leuk boek! Ook een leuk concept. Schrijfstijl is erg fijn en leest makkelijk weg. Ik ga zeker de rest van de serie lezen

I liked it a lot. I like the fact that I wasn't certain about anyone's loyalties or sides or so. I was suspecting everyone, and half of the people weren't as bad as I feared they would be :-D Also, the bad guys were as bad as they were supposed to be. Or at least, that's the impression we got... now... there's always the possibility of things changing in the future. I suspect the fae might not be quite as bad as presented, and the library might not be as good as presented. I like that aspect of the story.Also, this is sort of a “pilot episode” :-D It can be read as an independent story and forget everything about what will happen in the future. This story has an ending, and it's satisfactory, though it leaves plenty of threads hanging for people who are interested to read on. After all, there are 8 books in this series. I do hope it doesn't do me [b:A Discovery of Witches 8667848 A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1) Deborah Harkness https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525097370l/8667848.SY75.jpg 13190160], where the first book was nice, the second book pure crap. [I think I hate those stories most of all. Like Game of Thrones. (Tv-series. I haven't read the books, and I doubt I will, because of the tv-series. Sorry, George.) The stories start very well, but then fall down and keep flopping. It's like I've been promised an iPad for a present, and then it's one of those sanitary pads with an eye drawn on. I seriously hope this isn't like that.]This reminds me somewhat of [b:A Winter's Promise 40969531 A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor #1) Christelle Dabos https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532807526l/40969531.SX50.jpg 25320621]. If you liked that, you might like this, if you liked this, you might like that.P.S. I love the characters. I like Irene, I'm in love with Lord Silver, Kai is amazing, and even Bradamant is somewhat interesting. I hope Vale improves, I just need to know more about the elder Miss Retrograde, if there is a younger Miss Retrograde, and who and what might that be :-D

This was such a unique story! Loved the magic system. Buuut the story really dragged in some places. It took me forever to finish it

A Library made to contain all the alternative universes' books with interesting characters and a twisty plot? Strong book, with strong writing.

Excellent book, really grasped my attention. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Nice plot and nice ideas, but flat characters.

It was fun, but I think Cogman bit more than she can chew. The universe of Invisible Library is quite complicated in itself. The concept of The Library, the parallel universes, and finally the alternate our protagonist's adventure is happening in, are all too confusing to be all happening in the first instalment of a series. There is no use of the “outsider figuring out the world” trope, that the reader would identify with, and no scene explicitly explaining everything early on (like the “yer a wizard ‘Arry” in Harry Potter). The protagonist basically discovers something then explains to us why that's supposed to be Major, so basically I had no emotional investment.

However, the adventure/spy/thriller part of the book is quite good, which makes it fun even through all the confusion of the universe's inner politics. I have some curiosity to see how the series will continue, but I don't know if I'm gonna read the next book.

Vacation reads #4 #bookclub4m steampunk month. This premise is catnip for librarian types: librarian-espionage for unique books for an inter dimensional Library? Come now. I liked the interplay of characters as shit explodes around our lovely protagonist. Happy to see it's a series :D

2024 re-read: I think I may have enjoyed this one even more than the first go around!~
——
This book is a wonderfully done steampunk novel, with not too much jargon. While with any steampunk novel there are new and interesting mechanics, this novel does not focus on them entirely and sticks mostly to the basics, with the few fun elements thrown in, such as attacking alligators. The language is not so detailed or explanation-filled to make a reader's eye glaze over, but just the right amount, in my opinion.

The concept is quite interesting and not the same as the TV show: The Librarians. While there are some similarities, such as people going out and collecting materials for the Library, the biggest differences are that this book has people gathering only books and they go to different realities with different levels of magic, science/technology, and chaos-infection. These aspects create an interesting combination of fantasy and science fiction with characters zeppelins flying in the air, sponsored and supported by faeries.

I also found the writing to be well done. One of my personal pet peeves is when the first book in a series feels like the first book — being more of the background and set up for the rest of the series, but this one could very well stand alone, if one didn't mind the few little mysteries not yet solved. So, the main mystery is solved and there are only a few loose ends that will tie the series together, I'm guessing.

There are fun characters, all of whom can be kept separate. There are a few too many side characters with little mention, whom I would forget about, but the following text would help remind who they are. Irene is a strong, smart main character, who has room to grow and learn, which we can see in the novel. Kai, is mysterious, with multiple sides, so learning about him is fun. There is also a famous private detective, who I'm hoping will appear in later books. The other female character is an agent of the library as well and of course, the rival of the main character. This irked me, because this book now doesn't have any healthy female relationships. Hopefully the next book will improve on this.

The story was interesting enough. Writing was a little amateur. I think the author will get better the more she writes. There are a lot of gaps, hopefully filled in the second book, but obvious enough that the characters would have said something in a real life situation. There were a few locations where they said actual “secrets” out loud before giving explanations to the persons they said them to. It's flawed in a few places. The “Who Dun It” was fairly obvious at a certain point before the book was even half over. That was a lot of negative. The story line was generally enjoyable. I like the relationship between Kai and Irene–though I'm not sure where it's going tbh. It was a fun enough read. Lighthearted. Only slightly creepy.

It took me a while to get into this one and I don't know why. It has everything that I should like, alternate histories, vampires, books, thievery, and dragons. But something just didn't click until about the end of the book. I ended up liking it and I'm sure I'll get back around to these sometime. I liked them okay, but I didn't love them.

Once again, I have Sword & Laser podcast and Good Reads group to thank for leading me to an entertaining book. I found the characters easy to like and they kept me interested in the story. I don't gravitate toward stories of supernatural beings,however, Cogman presents them in a matter-of-fact way that worked for me.

What I liked:
- The characters. While the rest of the world was fun and interesting, the characters kept me in the book
- Cogman's voice. The narrative flowed well and read naturally.
- Being able to identify as a lover of books and literature with references that feel natural rather than borrowing from another author's creation.

What I didn't like so much:
- The supernatural beings. Werewolves and vampires, specifically. That being said, these beings were treated in such a way as to not generate an hysteria based on fear of dark powers.

As an avid reader, what can be more fun than reading about books and bookworms like me. That's what made me interested in taking up this book. The central character of this book is the titular one – The Invisible Library – which is tethered to all the worlds that exist and contains books from all the alternates. Irene is a librarian who gets assigned tasks like finding a book from an alternate and bringing it back to the library. This book is about one such mission and all the hurdles that Irene and her assistant Kai face in a chaos infested alternate London. It's a simple story with not very well developed characters except Irene. She is smart, intelligent and witty. She is great at thinking on her feet to get out of unforeseen situations like getting attacked by alligators or drowning in the river. But her most endearing quality is her loyalty to the library – her mission always comes first even if she will end up not getting the credit for it. Her thoughts are always concentrated on the safety of the books, the secrets of the Library and the well being of her friends. I liked the book for its fun elements, the adventure and action sequences and the hope for an interesting sequel. However, the thing I connected to most is Irene's love for books. The feelings she describes when talking about books or the Library are so similar to how I feel when I am in a place surrounded by books. So, there is no way that I don't love her. All I can do now is wait to read the next book and hope that I will be taken on more bookish adventures.

Nice book! I'll probably read the second one.

It was an interesting game on the literal world of books and their magic. The characters are very engaging.

Executive Summary: This is another one of those books that was alright, but whose premise offered me a lot more than I felt that I got. Audiobook: I have a hard time deciding how I feel about this. I had listened to Susan Duerden do [b:The Eyre Affair 27003 The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1) Jasper Fforde https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445540555s/27003.jpg 3436605] (which has a similar feel to me) and I thought she was much better there. It's not that she does a bad job exactly, it's just I felt distracted by her narration at times.It's as though she was whispering for much of the book, only I don't mean she was quiet so much as that sort of raspy sound that comes from someone whispering. After awhile I got used to it, and I thought she was alright enough, but every so often her narration would pull me out of the story and I'd be more focused on that than the plot.Full ReviewSo this book beat a beloved book of mine in the Sword & Laser March Madness tournament. I was intrigued by the premise, but after reading it, I'm a bit bummed out that it won.The idea of a secret library outside of all other parallel worlds sounds really cool. A book agent who acts as a cross between a spy and a detective of sorts sounds right up my alley. There are a lot of elements here for a fun story.There were definitely times I really enjoyed the book, particularly the end. The ending was intriguing enough to have me consider picking up the sequel at some point. I want to know more about the library itself, and the new mystery that was revealed near the end of the book.Irene is a pretty good character. Much like Thursday Next, she's capable and smart, and very likeable. Most of the supporting cast was pretty good too. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I enjoyed the obvious influence of those stories here.That said, I feel like too much of the book was focused on the wrong things. I wanted to know more about the library. I thought that we'd maybe get several worlds/books to be collected rather than spending most of the book on one.It could be that Ms. Cogman is just saving a lot of the “good stuff” for later in the series, but at this point I'm not sure that I'll continue on. The ending has definitely made a better case for it than the beginning, but I think I need a break from magic libraries for awhile.

Overall:A really fun, fast paced adventure with an interesting setting and an intriguing whodunit.

After 1st Reading: If you are looking to get sucked into an adventure involving detectives, magic, airships and book-loving-hero-librarians ... then this is the book for you.

Personally I don't think you can ever have enough book-loving-hero-librarians, or airships.

Gosh, I wish I had an airship...

After 2nd Reading: This story is based upon a very fun version of the multiverse. Here are the key points:

• There are an infinite number of alternate worlds (aka “Alternates”), each slightly different due to a key event, or difference in natural laws (such as the existence, level or nature of magic).
• Existing between these worlds is The Library, whose staff slip between the worlds to retrieve key volumes unique to each world.
• Also travelling between the worlds are The Great Dragons, who can assume human form and seek to bring order to the worlds, and the Fae who bring chaos to the worlds they inhabit. (we learn this pretty early on).

In this first book our main character Irene is sent to a deliciously steampunk world where things go a little more epic than she expected her simple book retrieval to go.

This first book is fun, fast paced, funny with a good mystery to solve and lays the groundwork for the much bigger tale to come.

(btw. it's three years since my first read and I still don't own an airship. Darn it. One day....)

This was a pretty fun book overally, though maybe not to my taste. The literary references are by far the most enjoyable part, and you can tell it's written by a book lover, for book lovers. It's a fun homage for Sherlock Holmes fans in particular. The action gets a little non-sensical at times (why would anyone use cyborg alligators for a land attack? Why? There are so many better predators for a land-based attack!), but it's a solid as a popcorn adventure romp.

This. Book. Was. Amazing. I couldn't put it down. I want to be a librarian/spy/badass wielder of The Language with a crazy cool tattoo. How do I apply? Where do I send my resume and do they take respiratory therapists, or do you need a master's degree? I'm babbling. But seriously this book was so good.

SO MUCH FUN!!! I loved it! A mixed blend that reminded me at times of the Thursday Next series, Doctor Who and The Librarians tv series, but with its own flair and awesomeness. Fast paced, great characters and a crazy world of alternate realities filled with a steampunk flavour, magic and Fae and a mystery that evokes thoughts of Sherlock Holmes. So much packed into the pages, that felt I read a longer book than it actually was...in a good way. I also want to know more! More about the characters, more about the mysterious Library and more about the worlds yet to be explored in this series. Highly recommended if you're looking for something light, fun, fast and full of magic!

In [b:The Invisible Library 21416690 The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1) Genevieve Cogman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416823893s/21416690.jpg 40717845] Genevieve Cogman gives us a story involving a multitude of alternate worlds and a secret inter-dimensional library that operates across them. The hero of the story is Irene, an agent of the Library. A librarian spy! She and her assistant Kai have to undertake a mission to a dangerous and chaotic world to retrieve a valuable book. It proves to be difficult. They find themselves in an alternate London where both technology and magic work. The book they seek has already been stolen and its owner murdered. They must team up with a famous local detective to solve the murder and find the book. It soon becomes evident that several factions and individuals are working against them, including a renegade librarian. Dangers multiply and Irene and Kai have to respond to a series of attacks as they seek their prize. The action is almost non-stop. The story features malefic manipulative Fey, airship chases, chaotic magic, vampires, and attacks by werewolves and cyborgs. Great fun!All in all, quite an enjoyable story.

I've actually read this novel quite a few years ago but never published this review at my usual haunts. This is especially sad since “The Invisible Library” went on to become one of my favourite fantasy series despite the steampunk elements which I don't really like.Thus, I was a wee bit sceptical: The premise of a secret society of librarians traversing alternate realities to collect rare books seemed almost too fantastical: With Dragons on the order-extremist side of the order/chaos spectrum and the Fae, fantastical creatures of all kinds, on the chaos-extremist side and the afore-mentioned Library somewhere in-between, shady and obsessive humans, this sounded rather... wild!And yet, only shortly after our protagonist, Irene, a resourceful and quick-witted Librarian, embarks on her mission, I was smitten. Assigned to retrieve a unique version of Grimm's Fairy Tales from an alternate London riddled with chaos, she teams up with the dashing and enigmatic Dragon Kai, who harbours a few secrets of his own...Cogman's world-building is nothing short of masterful. The alternate London we're introduced to is a steampunk-inspired wonder, complete with airships, clockwork contraptions, and a healthy dose of Victorian intrigue. Even a real-life Sherlock Holmes counterpart comes along on the ride! The fantastical elements are deftly woven into the fabric of the story, creating a seamless blend of the familiar and the fantastical.As a bibliophile and passionate reader, I found the concept of The Library utterly enchanting. This mysterious, interdimensional institution exists between realities and acts as a repository for the world's knowledge. The Library's Librarians are bound by a strict code, but the allure of forbidden knowledge constantly tempts them, adding a delicious layer of complexity to the narrative.The novel's magic system, referred to as ‘The Language,' is equally captivating. Librarians like Irene are able to manipulate reality by speaking in this ancient and powerful tongue. The way Cogman explores the potential and limitations of this magic is both thought-provoking and genuinely thrilling.Countering this is the Dragon magic which allows them to manipulate reality and bend it to their will. Their magic is tied to their emotions, and they can use it to create illusions, teleport, and even manipulate time.Additionally, Dragons also have physical abilities that are beyond human capabilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, and senses. They are also incredibly long-lived and can take on human form if they choose to do so.The Fae's magic is tied to their nature as creatures of chaos. Their magic is rather unpredictable, chaotic at times, and can have unintended consequences. Like the Dragon's magic their magic is also tied to their emotions.However, the Fae's magic is also tied to their word, and their ability to make deals and bargains. They can use their magic to create powerful oaths and contracts, which are binding and cannot be broken without severe consequences. This makes the Fae powerful negotiators and manipulators, as they can use their magic to influence others and gain the upper hand in any situation. This is also in-line with traditional fairy tales like the Grimms' and adds to the overall allure of those characters.What really brings this novel and the entire series to life, though, are the amazing characters: Irene is a strong, intelligent, and deeply relatable protagonist. She's not without her flaws, but her dedication to her work and her sense of duty make her an admirable heroine. Kai, with his enigmatic past and smouldering charm, is the perfect foil for Irene, and their chemistry is undeniable and, uhm, manifests physically... The array of secondary characters, from the cunning and treacherous Alberich to the enigmatic and morally ambiguous Lord Silver, only serve to enrich this already engrossing tale.Cogman's writing style is both elegant and engaging, and her ability to seamlessly blend genres and balance humour, action, and heart is a testament to her prowess as a storyteller. The breakneck pace of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists and turns were utterly unexpected.In conclusion, “The Invisible Library” is a resplendent, enchanting, and downright exhilarating read that left me craving for more. Genevieve Cogman has crafted a world that captivates the imagination and characters that linger in the heart long after the final page is turned. Meanwhile, I've long turned that final page (of the entire series even!) but I'm still hoping that Genevieve Cogman will - at some point - return to this fabulous multiverse and its inhabitants which brought me so much fun. The one star I withhold is due to some rough edges in this first instalment which is nevertheless a great overture to an amazing series.Four out of five stars!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam