I read Scott Hawkins' The Library at Mount Char a few days ago, and I thought it worth a large fraction of the hype it seems to be accruing. It's a newly published contemporary fantasy, and I'm not quite sure what to compare it to - certainly not an urban fantasy in the sense of that subgenre. If it doesn't end up somewhere among my favorite books published this year, I'll have had a most excellent year's reading.
For me, it was the type of book where I readjusted my understanding of the characters and what was going on several times throughout. I did think the ending was a bit weaker than much of the book, but if you read it, I think you'll agree it's an awfully difficult ending to pull off well.
In my view, the blurb is one of those that describes a book with a similar plot to the actual one, while failing to convey the flavor of the actual book.
Quote:
Carolyn's not so different from the other human beings around her. She's sure of it. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. She even remembers what clothes are for.
After all, she was a normal American herself, once.
That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,” when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.
Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.
In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.
Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.
But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.
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