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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
My favorite book of the year, hands down, no contest. Richly written worlds and characters in a dystopian future where Alexandria never burned, the printing press was never invented, and The Library acts as the governing power throughout the world. This is the first time in a long time that I have nearly cried when realizing the sequel was not available yet. The anticipation is killing me!
This book was a slow burn for me, maybe because I was slowly wading into a new, vibrant world or maybe because I’ve just been too tired to read much before bed recently. Even though it was slow, it was fascinating and became more so with each page. The world the author built here is fantastic and detailed, and her writing was cinematic and heartfelt. By the end, I adored all of the main group of characters, and each felt distinct and three dimensional. Top it off with all the important themes threaded through of the importance and right to knowledge and the love of books, and this is a outstanding book. The story is clearly only beginning, and I can’t wait to read more.
What if the library at Alexandria had never been destroyed? What if in an alternate future, it has grown instead to become an ultimate authority?
The Library is all. They hold history, dispense truth, controlling all written word as a measure for the people’s good. Jess is the son of an illegal book smuggler, a dangerous job of running handwritten originals in the black market exchange, until Jess’ calculating father sees an opportunity to send him into the heart of the Library itself. Along with a band of other new postulants, Jess begins his training with fragile hope to never run another illegal book again.
In their ruthless training under a seemingly heartless Scholar, the extent of the Library’s control grows clearer even as the students are sent directly into the heart of a war some will never return from. Secrets, found family, excellent character development (with the exception of one romance I didn’t care for the evolution of) and an intriguing ‘overthrow the government’ style anarchy. I loved this book & am looking forward to continuing the series.
The Library is all. They hold history, dispense truth, controlling all written word as a measure for the people’s good. Jess is the son of an illegal book smuggler, a dangerous job of running handwritten originals in the black market exchange, until Jess’ calculating father sees an opportunity to send him into the heart of the Library itself. Along with a band of other new postulants, Jess begins his training with fragile hope to never run another illegal book again.
In their ruthless training under a seemingly heartless Scholar, the extent of the Library’s control grows clearer even as the students are sent directly into the heart of a war some will never return from. Secrets, found family, excellent character development (with the exception of one romance I didn’t care for the evolution of) and an intriguing ‘overthrow the government’ style anarchy. I loved this book & am looking forward to continuing the series.
Really better for teenagers. A really fluffy outline of a story with lots of gaps. Not keen to read any more of these.
This was an impulse buy for me, I mean... the cover is gorgeous.
But after a few pages I was getting hooked. The characters were interesting and had depth, which is quite hard to come by. I also found myself questioning every relationship and wondering what ulterior motives they might have.
Can not wait for the next one!
But after a few pages I was getting hooked. The characters were interesting and had depth, which is quite hard to come by. I also found myself questioning every relationship and wondering what ulterior motives they might have.
Can not wait for the next one!
I loved this book. LOVED IT. Alchemy, the Great Library of Alexandria, automatons, one hell of a compelling story. I can not wait for the rest of the series.
It was a slow start. Took me a third to get into it. Good ending. We'll see about book 2.
At first glance, Caine has created my utopia in The Great Library’s universe. The world is run by the Great Library, founded and headquartered in Hellenistic Alexandria, and so much of this world — as propagandized and known by our protagonist, Jess — seems admirable: the Library preserves knowledge at all costs and are based on Hellenistic principles. They treasure books and have invented an alchemical means of preserving and transcribing original books to be distributed to the public via Codex, aka a kindle/nook/reading tablet. Real, tangible books or scrolls with pages are illegal and can only handled by Library personnel. This culture celebrates intellectual achievement, and becoming a Scholar is a highly respectable position. Almost everything about this world has been specifically designed to woo me. It sounds like perfection, but there’s, naturally, something insidious in all these apparent ideals. Having had authoritarian power and world domination for centuries, this world that so celebrates and disseminates information has, of course, become corrupted and, by controlling information, attempts to control thoughts, loyalties, and actions.
Another strength of this book is how well it shows versus tells. Don’t understand the Egyptian background? Figure it out with context clues! Don’t understand the how the Library works? You’ll figure it out. Jess is the son of a smuggling family: they smuggle actual books for a very lucrative profit, and while he acknowledges early on the dangers of the Library and how it harshly punishes those who violate the law, he still secretly accepts their propaganda. His father forces him to take the test to apply to become a postulant to join the Library’s ranks. And what follows is the typical school trope: he’s accepted, journeys to Alexandria, meets friends and frenemies, and competes brutally to earn one of the six available positions. And throughout his experiences, he learns more about what the Library is actually like and we learn simultaneously more about this world Caine has created.
The Library has stifled, on many occasions, the invention of the printing press in their need for control (and so reminds me of the Catholic Church controlling education and faith prior to Gutenberg).
Despite following some well worn tropes, Caine’s approach is fresh and entertaining. It combines (and celebrates) scholarly study and action (my favorite combinations). From Alexandria to civil war, we’re shown what happens to those who violate the Library’s neutrality, led to question what really matters most — life or knowledge (and man, my scholarly and humane instincts completely war within me on this issue), come to debate the importance free will or “knowledge,” and more.
I’ve barely mentioned the characters: both primary and secondary. Everyone is laden with secrets, and people are not what they seem going in. Jess’s preconceived notions are challenged left and right.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. (I’m very happy I read an Original copy of this book, and not a Codex version — because is there truly a substitute for the feel and smell of a book?)
4.5 stars
Another strength of this book is how well it shows versus tells. Don’t understand the Egyptian background? Figure it out with context clues! Don’t understand the how the Library works? You’ll figure it out. Jess is the son of a smuggling family: they smuggle actual books for a very lucrative profit, and while he acknowledges early on the dangers of the Library and how it harshly punishes those who violate the law, he still secretly accepts their propaganda. His father forces him to take the test to apply to become a postulant to join the Library’s ranks. And what follows is the typical school trope: he’s accepted, journeys to Alexandria, meets friends and frenemies, and competes brutally to earn one of the six available positions. And throughout his experiences, he learns more about what the Library is actually like and we learn simultaneously more about this world Caine has created.
The Library has stifled, on many occasions, the invention of the printing press in their need for control (and so reminds me of the Catholic Church controlling education and faith prior to Gutenberg).
Despite following some well worn tropes, Caine’s approach is fresh and entertaining. It combines (and celebrates) scholarly study and action (my favorite combinations). From Alexandria to civil war, we’re shown what happens to those who violate the Library’s neutrality, led to question what really matters most — life or knowledge (and man, my scholarly and humane instincts completely war within me on this issue), come to debate the importance free will or “knowledge,” and more.
I’ve barely mentioned the characters: both primary and secondary. Everyone is laden with secrets, and people are not what they seem going in. Jess’s preconceived notions are challenged left and right.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. (I’m very happy I read an Original copy of this book, and not a Codex version — because is there truly a substitute for the feel and smell of a book?)
4.5 stars
This amazing new series has it all: diverse and interesting characters plus a great story about a corrupt regime... Awesome!!!