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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.
But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell ... and Earth.
Review:
Any book, especially a fantasy book, about a library will most certainly get my attention on NetGalley. The Library of the Unwritten, by A.J. Hackwith, is a fun fantasy adventure story that I would best describe as Percy Jackson for grown-ups. It has a fun mix of heroes and villains, religious themes from many cultures, and a story that is filled with many locations and adventures. This is a highly entertaining book.
What I Liked:
World-building:The story is set in Hell, specifically, Hell's library where the manuscripts of unfinished novels dwell. All that unrealized potential, just sits on the shelves. At times, the characters in these works "wake up" and try to escape. This is where the librarian comes into play. It is their job to put these fictional characters back in their story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of this library, the librarian, and her assistant, and the escapee characters. Also, there is a second story line set in Heaven. It seems that there is a tremendous bureaucratic machine (where lines literally take an eternity) processing people entering Heaven. Although neither Hell or Heaven is described in great length, we can sense that entering Heaven will be worth the wait.
Characters:
The librarian, Claire, has a mysterious past that we will learn about as the story progresses. But for now, we see that she is strong, efficient, and no-nonsense. She collects a random array of lost souls, all realizing that Claire has their best interest at heart. But that has not always been the case...
Ramiel is an Angel who is assigned to find the pages of a book called The Devil's Bible. He is full of righteousness as he encounters Claire, assuming she is evil because she works for the Devil. But, because he is also working towards redemption for something in his past, he begins to see there is more to Claire and her friends than meets the eye.
There are many wonderful side characters, but I particularly like the ones who are fugitive characters from the unfinished novels of the library. The author has fun playing with common archetypes such as the Hero and the Damsel. There is also a exploration of how a story is created. Does the plot create the characters or do the characters drive the story?
Story:
The book centers around finding the lost pages of The Devil's Bible, a book that holds tremendous power. The Librarian must travel to the earthly world, as well as otherworldly realms such as Valhalla, to find the missing pages. As with any quest, each new destination presents a challenge Clair must pass to prove herself worthy (as in the Percy Jackson books). This was fun, and not always straight-forward.
What I Was Mixed About:
Slow Beginning:The beginning of the story was slow to get going. I was worried that the novel would be one cliche after another. It was starting to annoy me when finally the story picked up with Ramiel and other characters that added more variety to the story. Going to many different locations, also created a sense of unpredictability. I just wish the author would have done this faster.
Rating:
Release Date: October 1st, 2019
Author: A. J. Hackwith
Publisher: Ace Books
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 384 pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation:
Apparently, this is the first novel in a series. I had lots of fun getting to know the universe of this book, and I look forward to reading about the further adventures of these characters.
