In our world, librarians are a special type of hero, but the librarians in The Invisible Library dedicate their lives to saving works of fiction from alternate planes of the world.
In their quests to find the important works of fiction in different realities, Librarians spend many years training to master the Language, spoken and written magical words that are useful in telling doors to unlock or waters to rise up and flood hallways. The Language is often needed because while the Librarians feel they are preserving the books, the worlds where they take the books from believe they are stealing—a difference of opinion that leads to close calls and risky business.
The adventure begins for heroine Irene and trainee Kai when the book they need to bring back was stolen right before their arrival. In this alternate London of a vague 1890s timeframe, the world has been overtaken by a chaotic infestation. Fanciful creatures populate this dimension, and Irene and Kai need to puzzle out who the good guys are from the bad ones, all the while searching for the book that many parties are after. Vampires, dragons, the Fae and a rogue Librarian are just some of the creatures our heroes battle. Irene and Kai join forces with a detective with great powers of discernment á la Sherlock Holmes, and the biggest mystery is why the book is so valuable to so many parties.
The Invisible Library’s writing is on the wall. The premise and execution are too engaging for just one book, and this promises to be a series worth investing in for future reading. Genevieve Cogman’s debut will please bibliophiles and mystery, fantasy and adventure readers.
