I want the opportunity to play in this sandbox, to visit the Library and meet someone new, and to take them on adventures through this intricate and magical world of alternate Earths and mysterious interdimensional libraries. Along with a mysterious (not-so mysterious) student Librarian, a brilliant detective (who is Sherlock Holmes in all but name, and therefore someone Irene is instinctively drawn to), and a cast of other miscreants, law officers, and villains, The Invisible Library is a stunning work of art that has me absolutely begging for more.Īs I said at the top, The Invisible Library is a world I want to write in. The Fae have a strong presence in this London, but Irene, the Librarian star of this book, is up to the challenge.

This particular book takes place in an alternate world where technology is somewhat steampunk-ish, but less so, as magic and ‘chaos’ have perverted the world and made some technology useless and magic more important. The only negative thing to say about the book is that at times characters fall victim to some lazy writing by the author - in one case a character so vehemently reveals a plot point that you cannot help but feel the author didn’t know how else to drop this information in other than blatantly and uncharacteristically.

It appeals instinctively to readers who love books on so many levels. The Invisible Library is both the name of the book and the name of this library between worlds, and it is a brilliant concept (that I imagine has at least something to do with Terry Pratchett’s own writings about libraries). Manned by lovers of books, named Librarians, these ageless superheroes (in my eyes, at least) spend their preternaturally long lives scouring the alternates for copies of books that may exist only there, or books that are inherently important to that alternate, or different variations on books so many of us have heard of. Set in a world of alternate Earths, a library between worlds exists to collect and ensure the continuity of every book it can get its hands on. The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book - almost eerily so, given that I’ve never met Genevieve Cogman. And while technically the author’s debut novel, her Goodreads profile confirms that she has been published before as a freelance roleplaying game writer - which shows, because The Invisible Library is not the work of an amateur - nor even a lucky beginner. When I first read the blurb for The Invisible Library, I was hooked. I have never before in my life wanted to write in someone else’s created world more than I do now that I have read Genevieve Cogman’s ‘The Invisible Library’.Īnd, as a writer, that is essentially the highest praise I can think of giving a piece of fiction.

The invisible library series order