The Library at Mount Char
Ratings265
Average rating4
The start was a bit gruesome and hard to take but because the focus kept shifting it was bearable.
Towards the end [and personally I think there are 3 endings in this book] so after the first and during the second storyline I noticed this author took a different approach to world building, one that I really enjoyed.
Alot of authors will put the firehose in your mouth and turn on the tap, which eventually bogs down the storyline [if you ever get to it] and a storyline that moves is important to me. Others will throw you in the deep end of the pool and leave you to drown; they don't spend any time on the world building and their plot has huge gaping holes, which really ticks me off.
This author, doesn't do all the world building during the first story, there are clear gaps in understanding and the world, but not enough to bog down the progress of the storyline and piss off the reader.
The second story is pretty much all back trailing, filling in the gaps in the story and alot of world building which has me interested if there's a second book. The third story was the wrap up on individual story lines and tying up loose ends, leaving me contented.
This is a book I'd put in my personal collection to pull out when I'd forgotten the minor details and enjoy multiple times over the decades.
This is my second experience with this book, and it really stands up to a reread. The writing is gripping, the characters have incredible depth, and it's such a bizarre story that the reread helps it make a bit of sense. It doesn't resonate with me the way a five star book does, but it did keep me turning pages even when I knew what was going to happen.
That said, it is one of the most violent and gory books that I've enjoyed, so if that is an issue for you, you should skip this. If you like a bloody, epic, world-bending fantasy that's grounded in what it means to be human and also what it means to be lion, though, this is not one to miss.
I absolutely loved this book, I did not want to put it down. It was a little messed up in parts but I think that was part of its appeal.
A very weird book. I enjoyed it, but would probably not have rated it so high if it weren't for how original the world building is - I can honestly say I don't think I've read a book with a similar premise or similar fantasy world building before. And that's unusual!
Some thoughts:
- the tone shifts dramatically between chapters. This makes sense as they are told with different narrators, except it's not just the narrator's voice which changes but the whole tone of the story. Like from fantasy-drama to irreverent-humour-cop-show to comedy etc.
- this book is very gory and graphic, bordering on gross at times. I hadn't seen that mentioned in any reviews. It works, and adds the feeling that you are just being tumbled along in this crazy plot line where everything is kind of over the top, but if you don't like hearing about people's intestines being pulled out and people poking their fingers into open wounds and a guy who walks around covered in caked dried blood...you won't like this.
- the reading experience of this book is odd, partly because of the tone shifts and random charges in POV to a new character you've never heard of halfway through - you have to be willing to let it take you for a ride.
- I love the idea of a mythological entity named Barry O'Shea, especially amidst others with more typical magical sounding names. That's hilarious.
2.5/3
“Library at Mount Char” offers an intricately woven tale filled with offbeat charm. The narrative is a strange concoction of elements that might leave you puzzled at times but ultimately fascinated. Each character is well-crafted, adding depth to the narrative and enriching the overall reading experience. As the story unfolds, the compelling mixture of dark humor, intrigue, and surreal scenarios keeps you hooked. Do give yourself time to acclimate to its distinct rhythm, and once you do, you'll find yourself engrossed. It's like entering a labyrinth of the peculiar - an expedition that's thrilling, creepy, and thought-provoking in equal measure. It's a wild ride, not meant for everyone, but if you appreciate the offbeat and mysterious, it's a journey you'll want to embark on.
Feels like American Gods written by Stephen King on a sadistic streak. Really enjoyed the first 75% (the rest feels like an unnecessary epilogue).
Rating: 2.37 leaves out of 5Characters: 2/5 Cover: 3/5Story: 1.5/5Writing: 3/5Genre: Horror/FantasyType: AudiobookWorth?: NoTW: blood and gore, murder, rape, animal death Hated Disliked It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedI gave it to 76% of the book before I just DNFed it. I suffered my way through thinking I could make it to the end but I just couldn't do that to myself. The characters were meh and the story itself was also meh. I don't usually have a problem with men writing women but Scott is one of those times that I do. He is so unimaginative when it comes to bad men. He is stereotypical about it and had to flavor his big bad villain with being a rapist because god forbid a man can't be evil otherwise. Actually, wait, he can be. I get it is popular but I can't seem to fathom on HOW. The main girl was like unflavored chicken and you can tell who done it so easily. This book tries to be something it is clearly not.
Deserves a review that I won't have time to write. Once I got past all the seemingly unnecessary violence I was hooked. Really unique, I hope to see more from the author.
Dit was ongetwijfeld één van de meest bizarre boeken dat ik ooit heb gelezen.
Het was meeslepend en vlot genoeg geschreven dat ik geen moment heb gedacht om het boek op te geven, maar ik heb eigenlijk nog steeds geen idee wat ik nu eigenlijk precies heb gelezen.
Het boek was een mix van fantasie en horror van de wrede en bloederige soort. De gemakkelijkste beschrijving is dat het over een eeuwenoude almachtige gaat die twaalf gewone mensenkinderen adopteert en elk van hen een deeltje van zijn macht aanleert, maar dit is slechts het oppervlakkige uitgangspunt van dit boek.
In ieder geval vond ik deze aanleiding bijzonder intrigerend en het boek wist me ook te boeien, ook al was ik het merendeel van de tijd in de war, maar na het lezen van de laatste pagina bleef ik toch wat gefrustreerd achter.
De auteur had heel veel leuke en originele ideeën, maar ook heel veel blijft onduidelijk en vaag. Op het einde blijven er zoveel vragen over, dat het gewoon teleurstellend is.
Dus dit was een boek dat ik eigenlijk wel graag heb gelezen, waar ik blijf over nadenken, maar hoe meer ik erover nadenk, hoe meer problemen ik heb en gaten ik vind in verschillende concepten en ideeën.
This is a strange book to review. I did enjoy it. It had unique characters with unique abilities.
It is a rich fantastical world. The librarians are raised from children in 1 of 12 specialised talents by “Father” a god-like being with god-like powers.
I wavered between giving this 3 or 4 Stars (I would have given it 3.5 Stars if I could)
What stopped me giving it the 4 Stars were the horrific scenes of torture against children.
I would recommend this to lovers of strange dark fantasy, but with a warning of the violence.
#JennyGuyColvin
This was a very weird story but I loved this book. The beginning was a bit confusing but once I understood what was going on I couldn't stop reading. The characters were amazing
The first half of this book was much better than the second half. I found the last few chapters to actually be pretty boring. I wasn't surprised by any of the twists. I was really disappointed overall.
Amazing out of this world book. Not insane, so easy to follow, but just mind bending enough to be entertaining.
Boooo. I was told this would be scary.
This book, while perfectly fine as a retelling of Judeo-Christian creation mythology, is entertaining, if not compelling. The circuitous route by which the reader is taken to meet all the players is bland. I kept going with the promise of horror and was met instead with some gore. I almost DNF'd so many times, but it was recommended in a list of scary books by a number of people, so I persisted. Arriving at the end with gratitude, I'm off to find something that lives up to its reputation.
I wish I could give this more stars. I did not want this book to end and that's rare for me. Usually I'm wanting to get to the end so I can move on to the next one but not so with this one. I wanted to stay in Carolyn's world for at least another 1000 pages. Can't recommend this one enough.
A letter to the author....
Oh my God Scott!
This was by far one of the craziest, yet wonderful books I have ever read!
I usually have issues being patient enough to try and figure out exactly what the hell is going on in books that don't want to at least start trying to explain things within the first few chapters, but I was so caught up in the sheer delightful mindfck of not being able to even guess what the hell was going to happen next, that I didn't care.. I just wanted to know what these characters could possibly show us next. Everything that happened was vividly described yet not superfluous in any way. Such a rare treat in fantasy/sci-fi writing.I also laughed out loud in many places, which is something I rarely do when reading.The characters were wonderful, the story was batsht crazy yet somehow made perfect sense, and all I feel now after finishing it is disappointed because you HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANY MORE BOOKS!
However, after stalking you on your website and blog, and understanding the reason why you haven't yet released any more fiction, all I can say is thank you.
Thank you for not only taking the time to make sure this was right before you released it, but also for not jumping into production line mode and releasing hollow, cookie cutter stories for the sake of making a quick buck.
Because of that, I can safely say you have a definite sale here for whatever you do end up releasing next (if anything), no matter how long it takes to be ready.
Thank you again for the journey you just took me on.
This was one of the most bizarre books I've ever read. In the wrong hands this story could have been corny and confusing. But instead, it worked.
I thought it was a master class in how to set up scenes and give the reader little nuggets of information to advance the story. Any aspiring novelist could learn something from this book, no matter the genre or age group.
It definitely wasn't perfect, (I had a fair amount of issues with it, although none overly important) but despite the absolute absurdness of the plot, somehow, it felt real. Perhaps the best compliment I could give Scott Hawkins is if/when he releases another book I'll buy it the day it comes out.
What a fucking weird book. What did I just read? I have no idea what this book was about or why the plot went the way it did. I am confused. I didn't NOT like it but I probably won't read it again. Hm.
One of the best books I've ever read. Hawkins creates a fantastic universe and weaves a unique story.
This book is every bit as strange and weird as I wanted it to be without ever feeling like it was bizarre simply for the sake of being bizarre. The story flows well and the pacing is fantastic. Even when you think you know exactly what's going to happen in a given situation, there's a slight turn. It's not twisty and turny to the point that you feel like the author was deliberately misleading you though. It was never obscure in a way the compromised my comprehension (a problem I find with a lot of fiction similar to this). I had a general feel for the overarching plot pretty quickly, and, though I guessed some of what was to come, I felt like the journey was totally worth it and delivered much more than I predicted.
This is definitely a book I will reread in the future, but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
One of the few books I'm rereading, not because I just love it so much, but because it needs a second read just so you actually understand what the heck is even happening. I liked it on first read, but that doesn't mean I actually understood much. I keep getting Umbrella Academy vibes from this one, if mr terrible garbagesack had wanted to give normal kids both trauma AND magic, rather than just find some kids with magic and skip straight to traumatizing them.