Reviews

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

francesfincher's review against another edition

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5.0

a hardcore 4.5

sunscour's review against another edition

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5.0

So stinking good...

abbyprinceatwood's review against another edition

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4.0

Super fun read. And the book cover glows in the dark! Not like I'm judging books by their covers, but seriously.

iluxia's review against another edition

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4.0

Super engaging, wonderfully nerdy, thought-provoking, and with a heart-warming philosophy to share. Highly recommend.

sassyyabby's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

trenchcoat_moss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

laurakh's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this book because it is so fluid and unique. It doesn't really have a genre, and the many topics included don't usually appear together but work so well in this book. You can tell the topics--technology, books, 3D modeling, typography--are things that the author is interested in. Similarly to Ready Player One, it seemed as if the premise is rather strange but the author's passion and interest shines through and makes it a pleasure to read.

The mood of this book isn't at all what I expected. I was anticipating dark corridors and mysterious passageways and ancient magic--and there is plenty of that! But by mixing that with modern technology and art, the mysterious magical part avoids being cliche. I enjoyed the puzzles and the ways the characters all came together in the end and contributed their varied talents to find the solution. Overall, a very engaging and unique read!

Side note: I LOVE the cover of this book and think it fits so perfectly with the theme of the book--the intersection between books and technology. Also mine glows in the dark which for some reason really shocked me

jencunn2024's review against another edition

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4.0

Loved, loved, loved this story about old books and magic meeting up with high tech and coding/decoding. The story was a little slow to start but by about 1/4 of the way in, it was moving and progressed right along with all of the excitement the protagonist named Clay (moldable?) has just started a new job as the clerk at Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore which serves as a front over a mysterious world. Clay and a newfound friend/love named Kat and another friend Neel set out to try and crack a secret code. This novel intersects at a touch of historical fiction, standard fiction, rom com, and fantasy. It was a lot of fun!

lmsully's review against another edition

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3.0

“We all come to life and gather allies and build empires and die, all in a single moment…”

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

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3.0

Google and ILM and Hadoop meet dusty bookstores and ancient secret orders. A pleasant book in which technology and OK (Old Knowledge) go head to head, with a likeable guy-next-door narrator, but nothing really memorable.