The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

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The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins



                Carolyn and the other eleven librarians have been living with Father since they were children. All orphaned with nowhere to go after a tragic event, Father brought them into his home and assigned them each a catalog. They would become masters of their catalog and were not allowed to study anyone else’s. War, languages, medicine, animals, the ways of the world would be theirs. Two decades later Father goes missing and none of the librarians can enter the library. They’re stuck in America a world they no longer know and they have to find Father, who they believe may be God, and get back into the library.
                Well, this was just all around a good time. Carolyn has committed a murder. Father is missing. Steve is being framed. David is running around in a tutu. Jennifer is high. Margaret stinks. Michael didn’t tell anyone that Nobununga was a tiger. He thought everyone knew. What Hawkins did with this novel is throw the reader into an extremely unusual situation. And it is pure entertainment. Carolyn, one of the main characters, is funny, witty, cunning and unpredictable in every way. She is a well-developed character whose motivations are a mystery. I found her intriguing. She kept the plot and the pace of this story moving. All of the characters were well developed and entertaining. Hawkins did a great job with presenting his characters and making their little quirks and traits obvious. The unusual characters and supernatural creatures helped create this vastly different time and place. This novel feels fantasy without being overwhelmingly so and it’s because the story is grounded in a place we know but the circumstances and events are extraordinary.
                Hawkins did a pretty good job with this novel. I was never bored. I was constantly hunting for little clues to try and understand the mystery of the library and Father. I was kept on my toes the entire time. There were moments where vicious things were happening but because of Hawkins’s writing style I never felt like it was over the top. The reasoning always made sense and most of it had a hint of dark humor mixed in. Overall this was a well done. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Easily something to recommend to anyone looking for a new author with a fresh new take on fantasy.


Thanks Blogging for Books for this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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