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mbpartlow's review against another edition
4.0
If you believe in the magic of books, you must read this book.
A libriomancer catalogs books for their magical potential. Anything small enough to be pulled from the pages of the book can be pulled into this world and used. Hines makes full use of defense mechanisms, weapons and ideas from an astounding array of authors, ranging from the Bible and Alice in Wonderland to the Vorkosigan novels, Dracula, The Color Purple and Mira Grant's Feed.
Delightful fantasy set in a modern world, with a seriously flawed hero and a completely fleshed-out reality that you won't want to leave.
Besides, this book brings back Smudge, the fire-spider, one of the best characters with no lines ever written.
The story has a lot of laughs, but there's also mystery, intrigue, suspense, danger, romance, lust and a dryad with a penchant for waffles.
A libriomancer catalogs books for their magical potential. Anything small enough to be pulled from the pages of the book can be pulled into this world and used. Hines makes full use of defense mechanisms, weapons and ideas from an astounding array of authors, ranging from the Bible and Alice in Wonderland to the Vorkosigan novels, Dracula, The Color Purple and Mira Grant's Feed.
Delightful fantasy set in a modern world, with a seriously flawed hero and a completely fleshed-out reality that you won't want to leave.
Besides, this book brings back Smudge, the fire-spider, one of the best characters with no lines ever written.
The story has a lot of laughs, but there's also mystery, intrigue, suspense, danger, romance, lust and a dryad with a penchant for waffles.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I am in love with the idea of this, but the execution doesn't entirely work for me. Part of that is, this just isn't the story I would have told based on the idea of book magic, but also the 'rules' feel like they're made up as we go, and there's a certain awkwardness to the story in general. I was convinced this was a YA novel for at least the first third, if not the whole thing, which caused me to underestimate the age of the protagonist--an uncomfortable mistake when it came to certain relationships that occur.
kathydavie's review against another edition
2.0
First in the Magic ex Libris paranormal fantasy series and revolving around Isaac Vainio, an ex-libriomancer, in Copper River in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.
My Take
Seanan McGuire wrote an article on influential science fiction/fantasy authors, and Hines' Libriomancer was one of her recommendations. I can't remember what exactly she said about this story, and I gotta say that yes it was a unique tale involving vampires, Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press, books, and magic in this character- and action-driven tale. Yep, I'd love to be able to stick my hand in a book and pull something out of it...look out Roarke!
It's a little bit Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files and something of Rachel Caine's The Great Library. Those automatons remind me of those in The Great Library, and Hines' description of their construction is much more interesting.
Isaac's character arc finds him battling his tendency to jump in without thinking or following the rules, helped by the story being told from Isaac's perspective using first person protagonist point-of-view. That Smudge is certainly useful, even if you do need fireproof pants. Lena has a character arc as well, which has an interesting evolutionary blip at the end.
Hines provides a fascinating back history for Isaac in a combination of comics and daydreams about changing history. His description of Lena and her abilities is another fascinating bit. As for the back history on Gutenberg, oh, boy. That's a new one on why the printing press was invented, lol. More back history describes some of the avenues explored by early libriomancers, including copies of books yet to be written!
What's the deal with the emphasis on salt? Why is the evil bugaboo after Isaac? How do they even know about him? What's the vampire attraction to Isaac?
I suspect one could say Libriomancer has a fast pace, but it certainly feels frustrating with those obscure explanations and references Hines used. There's no depth to individual scenes, and some of it doesn't feel connected. I feel as if Hines is skipping stones across the water. Some actions were too confusing. The red herrings were so puzzling as to be useless. I couldn't make any sense of various characters Isaac thought up, although it does finally start to make sense two-thirds of the way through the book.
As for tension, nope. I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on, I never did notice any.
The Story
It's vengeance, the vampires attacking Porters because those so-called good guys have attacked the vampires. And those vampires want to know why.
But they go after the wrong libriomancer when they attack Isaac Vainio who is backed up by Lena Greenwood. They're determined to expose the secrets of the Porters, of Gutenberg, and the truth behind the history of magic.
The Characters
Isaac Vainio used to be a field agent, a libriomancer, for Porters with hopes of doing research. For the past two years he's been a librarian for both Copper River and the Porters, a cataloger who sees the magic potential of every book he's read. Smudge is a four-inch fire spider pet conjured out of a book.
Lena Greenwood is the only living dryad, a hamadryad, a nymph, in North America and proficient in kendo, gatka, and anything involving wood. She was "born" from Nymphs of Neptune. She is the live-in bodyguard (and lover) to Dr Nidhi Shah, a psychiatrist who works with Porter agents and the average Joe. Lena was originally with Frank Dearing, a farmer.
Porters are...
...formally known as Die Zwelf Portenære (DZP), a.k.a., The Twelve Doorkeepers, which was started by Johannes Gutenberg to hide magic and protect the world. Gutenberg also created twelve automatons to protect him, prevent practitioners from abusing their power, and help to hide magic.
Ray Walker is an archivist and Isaac's mentor. Nicola Pallas, a bard who shapes magic through music, is the regional master in Isaac's area; she's located in Illinois where she crossbreeds French poodles with chupacabras. Louis is the pack leader, Pac-Man, the pregnant Bessie, Pumbaa needs a diet adjustment, and Peaches was single-minded.
Victor Harrison had been a brilliant agent who could blend magic and machines. Abigail Dooley had been a telepath in Madison. Deb DeGeorge is another libriomancer and a librarian at the Library of Congress with a passion for history. Ken Cassidy had used a novel to make women fall in love with him. Luis Quenta manages Bolivia. Jared didn't do well.
The Johannes Porter Institute for Literacy is one of the DZP's corporations. Juan Ponce de Leon was one of the original Porters and has been banished to Spain. He also created the fountain of youth back in 1521.
There are six archives in the US, which is a storehouse of original locked books; being locked means the magic of any copy of that book cannot be used.
The Copper River Library...
...is in Copper River with the best sci fi-fantasy collection in the entire U.P. It's also where Isaac works. Jennifer Latona is the library director. Their clients include the feisty Mrs Trembath, who drives her Rusty Hippo, and Karen Beacuhamp, who loves to read. Bryan is Karen's brother. John and Lizzie Pascoe run the barbershop across the street from the library.
At another library, Ro, Stacy, and JJ need to fix a computer.
There are many different kinds of vampires, including...
...the Sanguinarius meyerii informally known as sparklers. Mel and Green Bay were sparklers in Copper River. Ted Boyer is an informant vampire, a Sanguinarius stokerus (they can shift forms), in Marquette. Jimmer is Ted's beagle. The Sanguinarius henricus evolved from Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. Bruce Lee is alive and living in Taiwan.
A reader is a vampire who can absorb the thoughts and experiences of their victims. A Muscavore wallacea is more commonly known as the Children of Renfield who gain their energy via insects.
Dolingen Daycare is a front...
...for a vampire pack and is managed by Kyle Forrester and ruled over by Alice Granach, an accountant in her human life and now the only surviving Sanguinarius lefaunus from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. Mister Puddles' alter ego is Rupert Loyola. Other vampires include Marisha. Some of the children include Jenny and Tamika.
Akers is a cop at the Michigan State University Library. K's Books is owned by Kevin and Fawn Shamel and is Isaac's armory. Jakob Hoffman is a character in a World War II fantasy, V-Day. Charles de Guerre copyrighted something. I think it may be V-Day. Although it might be Charles Hubert?? Margaret is Charles and Mike's mother. Private Sterling was a victim. Captain Nichols is in command. Johann Fust was an investor who helped fund Gutenberg's press. Peter had been a skilled scriptor and craftsman. Katherine Pfeifferin was a victim.
All supernatural creatures are either natural-born or created via books. Libriomancy uses the collective belief of readers who imbue the words on the page with magic. Moly is an herb that nullifies magic. Chesa, a manananggal, was captured. Merfolk and naga are part of this world. Jenny Johnson was a passion in ninth grade. Iced Z is powdered zombie brains.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a range of greens and browns with a collage of libraries making up the background and Isaac facing us in his brown leather coat and pants and pale sweatshirt, intent on watching the blazing sword he's forcing into the book's center. At the top is an arch of the title in a circus-like font using a gradient of orange to yellow. The series information is in a shadowed white beneath the first four letters of the title to the left of Isaac's head. The author's name is in a pale yellow below the book.
The title is about a Libriomancer, Isaac Vainio to be precise.
My Take
Seanan McGuire wrote an article on influential science fiction/fantasy authors, and Hines' Libriomancer was one of her recommendations. I can't remember what exactly she said about this story, and I gotta say that yes it was a unique tale involving vampires, Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press, books, and magic in this character- and action-driven tale. Yep, I'd love to be able to stick my hand in a book and pull something out of it...look out Roarke!
It's a little bit Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files and something of Rachel Caine's The Great Library. Those automatons remind me of those in The Great Library, and Hines' description of their construction is much more interesting.
Isaac's character arc finds him battling his tendency to jump in without thinking or following the rules, helped by the story being told from Isaac's perspective using first person protagonist point-of-view. That Smudge is certainly useful, even if you do need fireproof pants. Lena has a character arc as well, which has an interesting evolutionary blip at the end.
Hines provides a fascinating back history for Isaac in a combination of comics and daydreams about changing history. His description of Lena and her abilities is another fascinating bit. As for the back history on Gutenberg, oh, boy. That's a new one on why the printing press was invented, lol. More back history describes some of the avenues explored by early libriomancers, including copies of books yet to be written!
What's the deal with the emphasis on salt? Why is the evil bugaboo after Isaac? How do they even know about him? What's the vampire attraction to Isaac?
I suspect one could say Libriomancer has a fast pace, but it certainly feels frustrating with those obscure explanations and references Hines used. There's no depth to individual scenes, and some of it doesn't feel connected. I feel as if Hines is skipping stones across the water. Some actions were too confusing. The red herrings were so puzzling as to be useless. I couldn't make any sense of various characters Isaac thought up, although it does finally start to make sense two-thirds of the way through the book.
As for tension, nope. I was so busy trying to figure out what was going on, I never did notice any.
The Story
It's vengeance, the vampires attacking Porters because those so-called good guys have attacked the vampires. And those vampires want to know why.
But they go after the wrong libriomancer when they attack Isaac Vainio who is backed up by Lena Greenwood. They're determined to expose the secrets of the Porters, of Gutenberg, and the truth behind the history of magic.
The Characters
Isaac Vainio used to be a field agent, a libriomancer, for Porters with hopes of doing research. For the past two years he's been a librarian for both Copper River and the Porters, a cataloger who sees the magic potential of every book he's read. Smudge is a four-inch fire spider pet conjured out of a book.
Lena Greenwood is the only living dryad, a hamadryad, a nymph, in North America and proficient in kendo, gatka, and anything involving wood. She was "born" from Nymphs of Neptune. She is the live-in bodyguard (and lover) to Dr Nidhi Shah, a psychiatrist who works with Porter agents and the average Joe. Lena was originally with Frank Dearing, a farmer.
Porters are...
...formally known as Die Zwelf Portenære (DZP), a.k.a., The Twelve Doorkeepers, which was started by Johannes Gutenberg to hide magic and protect the world. Gutenberg also created twelve automatons to protect him, prevent practitioners from abusing their power, and help to hide magic.
Ray Walker is an archivist and Isaac's mentor. Nicola Pallas, a bard who shapes magic through music, is the regional master in Isaac's area; she's located in Illinois where she crossbreeds French poodles with chupacabras. Louis is the pack leader, Pac-Man, the pregnant Bessie, Pumbaa needs a diet adjustment, and Peaches was single-minded.
Victor Harrison had been a brilliant agent who could blend magic and machines. Abigail Dooley had been a telepath in Madison. Deb DeGeorge is another libriomancer and a librarian at the Library of Congress with a passion for history. Ken Cassidy had used a novel to make women fall in love with him. Luis Quenta manages Bolivia. Jared didn't do well.
The Johannes Porter Institute for Literacy is one of the DZP's corporations. Juan Ponce de Leon was one of the original Porters and has been banished to Spain. He also created the fountain of youth back in 1521.
There are six archives in the US, which is a storehouse of original locked books; being locked means the magic of any copy of that book cannot be used.
The Copper River Library...
...is in Copper River with the best sci fi-fantasy collection in the entire U.P. It's also where Isaac works. Jennifer Latona is the library director. Their clients include the feisty Mrs Trembath, who drives her Rusty Hippo, and Karen Beacuhamp, who loves to read. Bryan is Karen's brother. John and Lizzie Pascoe run the barbershop across the street from the library.
At another library, Ro, Stacy, and JJ need to fix a computer.
There are many different kinds of vampires, including...
...the Sanguinarius meyerii informally known as sparklers. Mel and Green Bay were sparklers in Copper River. Ted Boyer is an informant vampire, a Sanguinarius stokerus (they can shift forms), in Marquette. Jimmer is Ted's beagle. The Sanguinarius henricus evolved from Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. Bruce Lee is alive and living in Taiwan.
A reader is a vampire who can absorb the thoughts and experiences of their victims. A Muscavore wallacea is more commonly known as the Children of Renfield who gain their energy via insects.
Dolingen Daycare is a front...
...for a vampire pack and is managed by Kyle Forrester and ruled over by Alice Granach, an accountant in her human life and now the only surviving Sanguinarius lefaunus from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. Mister Puddles' alter ego is Rupert Loyola. Other vampires include Marisha. Some of the children include Jenny and Tamika.
Akers is a cop at the Michigan State University Library. K's Books is owned by Kevin and Fawn Shamel and is Isaac's armory. Jakob Hoffman is a character in a World War II fantasy, V-Day. Charles de Guerre copyrighted something. I think it may be V-Day. Although it might be Charles Hubert?? Margaret is Charles and Mike's mother. Private Sterling was a victim. Captain Nichols is in command. Johann Fust was an investor who helped fund Gutenberg's press. Peter had been a skilled scriptor and craftsman. Katherine Pfeifferin was a victim.
All supernatural creatures are either natural-born or created via books. Libriomancy uses the collective belief of readers who imbue the words on the page with magic. Moly is an herb that nullifies magic. Chesa, a manananggal, was captured. Merfolk and naga are part of this world. Jenny Johnson was a passion in ninth grade. Iced Z is powdered zombie brains.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a range of greens and browns with a collage of libraries making up the background and Isaac facing us in his brown leather coat and pants and pale sweatshirt, intent on watching the blazing sword he's forcing into the book's center. At the top is an arch of the title in a circus-like font using a gradient of orange to yellow. The series information is in a shadowed white beneath the first four letters of the title to the left of Isaac's head. The author's name is in a pale yellow below the book.
The title is about a Libriomancer, Isaac Vainio to be precise.
laureenreads's review against another edition
4.0
Libriomancer was a fun, fast-paced read about Isaac, a disgraced libriomancer. The story starts off with an explosion of action as Isaac is attacked by vampires while he's at his day job as a librarian. Oh, and let's not forget that those vampires? Came out of a book. Isaac learns that this has been happening to other libriomancers and like any good hero, he follows the call to action and suits up to save the day, along with a small cast of friends.
What really appealed to me about this book was the magic. After all, I don't think you will find any book lover who hasn't wished that they could just reach into a book and pull out something from within the pages. Like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver, or King Arthur's Excalibur. And yet that is exactly how magic works (well, that and belief and readers, but essentially that's all it takes).
Either way, the use of magic and excerpts from other books made this a fun read, and the constant action made this a very fast-paced and quick read. I wasn't too fond of the final romantic relationship, but I can understand how that is an entirely personal decision to be making.
Review also available on my blog.
What really appealed to me about this book was the magic. After all, I don't think you will find any book lover who hasn't wished that they could just reach into a book and pull out something from within the pages. Like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver, or King Arthur's Excalibur. And yet that is exactly how magic works (well, that and belief and readers, but essentially that's all it takes).
Either way, the use of magic and excerpts from other books made this a fun read, and the constant action made this a very fast-paced and quick read. I wasn't too fond of the final romantic relationship, but I can understand how that is an entirely personal decision to be making.
Review also available on my blog.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Isaac, is a young man, a libromancer who has been banned from using his magical abilities. The group that oversees magical uses called The Porters thinks he is a danger. He is close to losing his mind to the characters in the books. In this world they can take you over, possess you. There is a really cool side to this, you can pull weapons, potions, and other really amazing stuff out too. Can you imagine do that ? It had my inner geek girl riveted to the pages. Many popular authors/books are dragged into the story giving me another level of connection. So Isaac the outcast is forced back into service when Gutenberg goes ? Nobody is really sure what happened to him, But he is the BIG DOG, the all powerful leader, and yes he is that Gutenberg. He crosses paths with vampires, dangerous mechanical creatures, and other magical beings from the pages of this world. He fumbles,makes mistakes and he a great character.
This was a very different book. I think any scifi geek would enjoy it as would fans of Tuesday Next and Harry Dresden.
This was a very different book. I think any scifi geek would enjoy it as would fans of Tuesday Next and Harry Dresden.
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This book didn't hold me in its thrall the way reads I really enjoy do, but it was solid, and I liked it a lot. I'll try to ensure this review isn't too spoiler-y.
It was very refreshing to read about a hero who, while he does have some of the general cockiness you might expect from your typical male fantasy protagonist, is very self-aware. When Isaac messes up, he knows it and he owns it. He's also very thoughtful about his potential love interest and what the implications are of getting into a relationship with her, though I have to say I found her kind of stock.
The concept of this book is interesting too. Naturally, being the book lover I am, I think a magic system revolving around books would be awesome, and I really appreciated that Hines set up a solid system that involves rules that make sense. It's a given that our hero is going to find a way to take the magic beyond what he initially thought he could do, and while I thought that was fine in this book, there is the potential for things to become so god-like in future installments that I might end up disconnecting--I'm never a fan of fantasy books where the main characters have powers that are *too* uber. We'll see.
The other thing I admired about this book was how it grapples with the ethics of magic and tries to reckon with the secrets Isaac learns. I'm all about thoughtful portrayals of the consequences of one's actions, so well done, Isaac, for actually reflecting in the actions of yourself and others and questioning whether those actions were right. I also appreciated that there was a lot of gray area in these books, and that they were willing to go into lesser-of-two-evils territory.
This book didn't hold me in its thrall the way reads I really enjoy do, but it was solid, and I liked it a lot. I'll try to ensure this review isn't too spoiler-y.
It was very refreshing to read about a hero who, while he does have some of the general cockiness you might expect from your typical male fantasy protagonist, is very self-aware. When Isaac messes up, he knows it and he owns it. He's also very thoughtful about his potential love interest and what the implications are of getting into a relationship with her, though I have to say I found her kind of stock.
The concept of this book is interesting too. Naturally, being the book lover I am, I think a magic system revolving around books would be awesome, and I really appreciated that Hines set up a solid system that involves rules that make sense. It's a given that our hero is going to find a way to take the magic beyond what he initially thought he could do, and while I thought that was fine in this book, there is the potential for things to become so god-like in future installments that I might end up disconnecting--I'm never a fan of fantasy books where the main characters have powers that are *too* uber. We'll see.
The other thing I admired about this book was how it grapples with the ethics of magic and tries to reckon with the secrets Isaac learns. I'm all about thoughtful portrayals of the consequences of one's actions, so well done, Isaac, for actually reflecting in the actions of yourself and others and questioning whether those actions were right. I also appreciated that there was a lot of gray area in these books, and that they were willing to go into lesser-of-two-evils territory.
tishywishy's review against another edition
3.0
Not as detailed as a typical Jim Hines novel. I could not connect with the characters, and I am a fan of Hines' character development, and the story was a bit bland. I doubt I will read the others in this series.
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Have you ever written crossover fan-fiction? Or imagined how artifact X would play in world Y?
I have, and I think that's a big part of why I adored "Libriomancer" so much.
Isaac is a Libriomancer - he uses magic to hone the collective imagination of readers into reality, and "pull" things out of books. He works for the Porters, who are sworn to protect people from magic, and to keep magic secret. Unfortunately, he also flubbed his field assignments and has been busted back to Catalog work in a small town of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
That is, until a trio of vampires show up at his library to avenge an attack by the other Porters. He's saved in the nick of time by the bodyguard of the psychologist that stripped him of his field credentials. The two of them are left without allies or a plan, and are faced with the necessity of finding out just what's going on.
The ensuing adventures blend action, mystery, investigation and a bit of romance. The book is a smooth, engaging read with characters that you both love, and love to hate. The clues that the duo gather point first one way, then another before they finally figure out what's going on, and who's behind it.
I definitely recommend "Libriomancer" for any fan of fantasy adventure from 12 to 120.
I have, and I think that's a big part of why I adored "Libriomancer" so much.
Isaac is a Libriomancer - he uses magic to hone the collective imagination of readers into reality, and "pull" things out of books. He works for the Porters, who are sworn to protect people from magic, and to keep magic secret. Unfortunately, he also flubbed his field assignments and has been busted back to Catalog work in a small town of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
That is, until a trio of vampires show up at his library to avenge an attack by the other Porters. He's saved in the nick of time by the bodyguard of the psychologist that stripped him of his field credentials. The two of them are left without allies or a plan, and are faced with the necessity of finding out just what's going on.
The ensuing adventures blend action, mystery, investigation and a bit of romance. The book is a smooth, engaging read with characters that you both love, and love to hate. The clues that the duo gather point first one way, then another before they finally figure out what's going on, and who's behind it.
I definitely recommend "Libriomancer" for any fan of fantasy adventure from 12 to 120.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
While LIBROMANCER is great for all audiences and is super fun for lovers or urban fantasy, it's clear it was written for one specific group: bookworms. I'm not just talking about Isaac's ability to pull objects out of books (which is one of the coolest powers EVER), or the many, many references made to classic tales all across the span of time, but by completely divesting in the power that words and stories have over our creativity and imagination. It truly makes you appreciate what authors go through when they write a novel, and I absolutely loved that aspect of it.
That said, it made the story and magic a little complicated, and sometimes I needed to pause to remember what was going on. It usually didn't take that much to draw me back in, but it was especially complicated at the end, even though the ending was pretty sweet.
The characters are great. Isaac is that book nerd we all know and love, and Lena is an absolute goddess in my eyes. I absolutely love her backstory and the way she views the world, and she's no slouch in a fight either.
There's plenty of action to carry the story along, and it's never the same thanks to the "weaponized" books Isaac carries around. I highly recommend LIBROMANCER to anyone who has a deep love for books, imagination, fun, and a desire to see the toughest nymph to ever hit the page. I'm really looking forward to the sequel!
That said, it made the story and magic a little complicated, and sometimes I needed to pause to remember what was going on. It usually didn't take that much to draw me back in, but it was especially complicated at the end, even though the ending was pretty sweet.
The characters are great. Isaac is that book nerd we all know and love, and Lena is an absolute goddess in my eyes. I absolutely love her backstory and the way she views the world, and she's no slouch in a fight either.
There's plenty of action to carry the story along, and it's never the same thanks to the "weaponized" books Isaac carries around. I highly recommend LIBROMANCER to anyone who has a deep love for books, imagination, fun, and a desire to see the toughest nymph to ever hit the page. I'm really looking forward to the sequel!
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably the most amazing book I have read so far this year. it is what my mom would probably refer to as a book for geeks. There were so many references to sci-fi and fantasy books, as well as numerous references to Doctor Who and Firefly. I didn't want to put Libriomancer down but when I wasn't reading it I was basically obsessively thinking about it with a feeling of compulsion to get back to reading. The concept is one that I have dreamed about before. what bibliophile hasn't dreamed of having the ability to reach into a book and pull out an object from that world/universe? I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next one in the series.