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A review by blue_guitar
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this as part of the 2024 r/fantasy Bingo – Prologues and Epilogues.
The Library at Mount Char has been floating around my "to read list" for a while now and I'm glad I got the chance to go into completely unaware of what I was setting foot into.
Mount Char is a dark and mysterious dive into a strange reality where the mundane world collides with the supernatural. The only book that I think I can compare it to is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. However Mount Char lacks the human belief element - the things in Mount Char don't care what you believe. The Librarians, of which the main character is, exist totally unaware of - and indifferent to the human beings around them.
The best way I can describe it is a battle between otherworldly powers, trying to gain the ability to govern reality as they see it.
On the experience of reading it, I have to say, this is a unique work and I found myself enjoying it. That being said, some things didn't work for me. I had trouble following the goals of the characters. It wasn't always clear why they were doing the things they did. A couple times they seemed so confused they were asking each other what was going on and someone would say, "forget it, you wouldn't understand."
As a result, it was hard to get invested in their struggles because it wasn't always clear what was at stake. Also, by the same token, the lore and world building seemed really interesting but we never really got much understanding of it. It would have been great to know more about the catalogues and the other librarians - towards the end it only seemed like a few of them mattered to the story.
Things that I thought were quite evocative, like the horror elements, were really good. The brazen bull, the dogs, the healing and "magic". All really impressive.
The Library at Mount Char has been floating around my "to read list" for a while now and I'm glad I got the chance to go into completely unaware of what I was setting foot into.
Mount Char is a dark and mysterious dive into a strange reality where the mundane world collides with the supernatural. The only book that I think I can compare it to is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. However Mount Char lacks the human belief element - the things in Mount Char don't care what you believe. The Librarians, of which the main character is, exist totally unaware of - and indifferent to the human beings around them.
The best way I can describe it is a battle between otherworldly powers, trying to gain the ability to govern reality as they see it.
On the experience of reading it, I have to say, this is a unique work and I found myself enjoying it. That being said, some things didn't work for me. I had trouble following the goals of the characters. It wasn't always clear why they were doing the things they did. A couple times they seemed so confused they were asking each other what was going on and someone would say, "forget it, you wouldn't understand."
As a result, it was hard to get invested in their struggles because it wasn't always clear what was at stake. Also, by the same token, the lore and world building seemed really interesting but we never really got much understanding of it. It would have been great to know more about the catalogues and the other librarians - towards the end it only seemed like a few of them mattered to the story.
Things that I thought were quite evocative, like the horror elements, were really good. The brazen bull, the dogs, the healing and "magic". All really impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault