Reviews

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

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frootlupo's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-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? Yes

4.75

This story’s predecessor (The Book that Wouldn’t Burn) was my favourite book I’ve read so far this year - so I had VERY high expectations and hopes for it’s sequel, and let me tell you, The Book that Broke the World certainly did not disappoint!

Mark Lawrence brought this story in a very different direction than I was expecting, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Like the first book, we are both drawn into the individual stories taking place, while also constantly wondering how these various plots are going to intersect. As mysteries are slowly revealed and we learn more and more about the world we are invited to make more and more guesses at how everything is interwoven even while caring more and more about the character and their journeys.

There is a budding romance that surprised me with how much I got invested in it. It also led me to care much more about character that truthfully I somewhat skimmed over in the last novel. By the end of the story I might have actually cared more about this new relationship that the one between our driving protagonists (but only a bit).

This is also one of the few stories in any media that revolves around time-travel that I actively enjoy and where I don’t get all caught up in quibbling with the logic of. You could squint at this, as the book basically claims “time-travel doesn’t make sense and that’s the problem” - but it’s not wrong! Truthfully it’s kinda satisfying that time-travel’s inherent paradoxical nature is one of the things causing a lot of the problems in this world.

The trilogy’s larger theme of tribalism, discrimination, and enmity was continued from the first book with the same deftness and nuance. I appreciate the gentle but decisive direction and tone that Lawrence takes.

Finally, I deeply appreciated how seamless the tone and story felt from the first book. You can really tell that the series was all written at the same time. The only tiny drawback is that The Book that Broke the World does feel like a middle novel - but the cohesiveness of the narrative is more than worth that tiny concession.

I am deeply looking forward to Book 3 - if it keeps up the same level of quality (or, dare I dream, exceeds it) The Library Trilogy is very heavily in contention for one of my favourite series of all time!

reigningchamp's review

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adventurous emotional tense

4.25

ndvdv's review

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emotional informative reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

This book was just as magical as the first for me. The underlying messages, the world-building, the characters…all of it was so engaging and I loved the development of the world outside of the library. The foreshadowing and connections between the first and the second book were immaculate and my jaw dropped a few times in the last ¼ of the story when certain plot points came together.

Celcha’s story added even more dimension to the overall messaging in Mark Lawrence’s trilogy. It covers slavery and the ramifications of dehumanizing a group of people. How the hurt that is done to us shapes us for the remainder of our lives and our decision-making. The saying “hurt people, hurt people” deeply resonates with Celcha’s character.

“Some losses are so great they hollow us. We are cored. Nothing but skin wrapped around the hurt we’ve become.”

I also appreciated the conversation around the people who don’t commit the harm but are on the sidelines, witnessing it and doing nothing. Complicity and silence are just as harmful. You can show kindness, but without action to combat the injustices, that kindness falls flat.

“It is good that you show more interest in the ganar than your fellows do. But understand that your actions are neither a kindness nor reparation. They are a bandage applied to a cancer.”

“A fault like this didn’t have neat boundaries. You couldn’t draw a line and say that those standing on this side were blameless and those on the other guilty.”

By giving perspectives from multiple species, with histories of harmful actions done to all of them by the differing groups, Lawrence does an excellent job of discussing the theme of continued hate despite it being your enemies’ ancestors causing the harm. Do you continue to hold animosity, anger and biases towards people for the crimes and injustices performed by their ancestors; or do you find a way to accept, learn from and create a more peaceful and respectful future with and for each other?

“Both of them could reel off a litany of crimes that the other’s kind had perpetuated against those they’d cared for…Perhaps the kind of healing they were both part of now was exactly what they needed if the larger, unseen wounds were ever to close. They would still be scars on their memory, but scars were meant to be lived with.”

And once again, I am in awe of the connection in this book to the availability of knowledge and the consequences that come with that access. We are living in an age where information is at our fingertips, and we can access and contribute to the wealth of knowledge that exists. I feel like we have entered a phase of being biased with the knowledge we search for, only looking for our truths rather than actual evidence. We also present our “knowledge” without consequence and often deem ourselves experts when the education and experience have yet to be achieved. We have been given many different tools to communicate and share ideas and thoughts; and we have become quite assertive with the information we want to share, often adding plausibility without evidence.

“Advancing from finger paints to the quill pen enabled writers to whisper more prettily. The printing press allowed them to shout.”

Knowledge only goes so far, and it is up to us to properly comprehend the importance, application and value of that information. We equate knowledge gathering to wisdom when one is obtained by the gathering of data while the other is achieved by experiencing life, facing consequences and extrapolating further use of the evidence collected. Humankind is so hungry for knowledge and power, yet we rarely use it to learn from the lessons and often use it to stay ahead. This comes at our detriment to learning from our mistakes and moving forward more sustainably. Lawrence does a fantastic job of applying these thoughts and concerns in this trilogy.

“The library puts knowledge in your hands and it’s up to you to understand it, judge it, use it.”

“Lessons should be learned, not taught. Wisdom has to be earned, and no number of words can wrap the gift of knowledge sufficiently to keep it safe from misuse.”

“Wisdom is difficult to write down, harder to find amid the ocean of the unwise, and, when found, next to impossible to learn from a page. The wisdom to use knowledge must be earned rather than given. That takes time. Lifetimes. Millennia. Knowledge without wisdom is fire in the hands of children.”

I also loved the further development of the side characters. Kerrol was such a welcome comedic relief, and I often caught myself giggling with his offhanded comments while he tried to read the room and manipulate his family and friends. His use of psychology and reverse psychology to get people to do what needed to be done was often portrayed humorously, and I grew to adore his character.

“This is great.” Kerrol loomed over both of them, setting a hand on Clovis’s left shoulder and Arpix’s right. “A domestic dispute, and you’re using your words. I really should be taking notes.”

And the little side development of Arpix and Clovis was a sweet surprise; a closed-off librarian deciding to live a little and a hard, military mastermind letting herself be a little soft. It added a gentleness to the stresses of the book, and I ate up the growing affection.

“What are you thinking about, human boy?” Clovis growled at his side.
“What we’ll find when we reach Yute.”
“Liar.” She gave a lazy smile. “You were thinking of me.”

The Book That Broke the World was a wonderful follow-up book to the first in this trilogy and for me, it did not fall into the second book syndrome. The continuation of the story and the frequently unexpected connections to the first book were perfection. Like its predecessor, the little hidden life lessons and contemplative thoughts placed throughout the story were perfect accompaniments to the overall plot.

“How many people, Evar wondered, had spent their youth, their whole lives, battering at locked doors, only to find – if they ever managed to open them – that there was nothing on the other side they couldn’t have found on their own side?”

“People don’t choose sides up here.” He tapped his head. “That’s where they think up the reasons for the choice after they’ve made it. The reasons they’re going to tell everyone. But the truth is that they made the choice here.” He slapped his chest.

“Livira’s advice would be, and always had been, to grab what was before him with both hands.”

I will end this review with one of my favourite quotes from the book, that made my little reader’s heart happy. We all take a little something from the books we read, and when books resonate so deeply with us, it’s hard to let go of them completely.

“Many books are taken from the shelves. None are ever entirely returned to them.”