Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Invisible Library
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.grcogman.com/
CITY: England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/genevieve-cogman * http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/invisible-library-genevieve-cogman/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2015010106
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2015010106
HEADING: Cogman, Genevieve
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053 _0 |a PR6103.O39
100 1_ |a Cogman, Genevieve
370 __ |e England, Northern |2 naf
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Cogman, Genevieve. The Invisible Library, 2015: |b title page (Genevieve Cogman) page preceding title page (Genevieve Cogman; has an M.Sc. in statistics with medical applications; worked as a clinical coder, data analyst, classifications specialist; The Invisible Library is her debut novel; previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer; lives in the north of England)
PERSONAL
Born in the United Kingdom.
EDUCATION:M.Sc. in statistics with medical applications.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer; worked as a clinical coder, data analyst, classifications specialist; works for the NHS in the HSCIC in England.
WRITINGS
Contributor to role-playing games, including GURPS Vorkosigan, In Nomine, Exalted, Dresden Files RPG, Orpheus, and Hearts, Swords and Flowers: The Art of Shoujo for Magnum Opus.
SIDELIGHTS
British fantasy novelist Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author who has written for several role-playing game companies such as Steve Jackson Games and White Wolf Publishing making contributions to table-top games GURPS Vorkosigan, In Nomine, Exalted, Dresden Files RPG, Orpheus, and Hearts, Swords and Flowers: The Art of Shoujo for Magnum Opus. She is writer of “The Invisible Library” fantasy novel series featuring a multidimensional library. With an M.Sc. in statistics with medical applications, she has worked as a clinical coder, data analyst, and classifications specialist. She currently works for the NHS in the HSCIC in England as a clinical classifications specialist. She lives in the north of England.
The Invisible Library
In 2016, Cogman published her debut novel, The Invisible Library, which follows a team of librarians who travel to alternate realities to acquire books to put in their mysterious library that exists outside of normal space and time so the unique books can be preserved. The story draws on numerous fantasy elements including steampunk, supernatural beings, and magic. “I had the idea for a secret agent collecting books for an interdimensional library. Some details were planned from the beginning, while others got developed or created as it went along,” said Cogman in an interview online at The Book Plank.
Compared to the works of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman, the first book of the series finds librarian Irene traveling to an alternate London where vampires, werewolves, and Fair Folk live. The goal of her and her apprentice, Kai, is to acquire a dangerous book that can be safely kept in the Library. The problem is that the book has already been stolen. Searching for the book draws Irene and Kai into an underground world of factions of mystical creatures willing to kill for the book.
Praising Cogman for vivacity, wittiness, and refreshing banter between the main characters, a Publishers Weekly contributor remarked: “Marrying political and academic intrigue with high-stakes battle scenes, the plot moves at a fair clip.” Writing in the Guardian Online, Eric Brown said it was a breath of fresh air to find a book with “a fantastical world that defies easy provenance and brings something new to the genre.”
The Masked City and The Burning Page
The second book in the series, The Masked City, finds Irene and Kai in an alternate Victorian London when Kai, the son of dragon royalty, is kidnapped by the Fae. Irene joins with detective Peregrine Vale to rescue him and avert a war between the dragons and the Fae. Reluctantly, Irene agrees to also work with the impulsive Lord Silver of the Fae. If they fail, the forces of chaos and order could devastate all the dimensions. “Series fans will be thrilled to learn more about dragon-kind and the capricious Fae,” said Lucy Lockley in Booklist.
The third book, The Burning Page, has Irene and Kai on probation from the interdimensional Library after the events of the last book. As they perform fetch-and-retrieval assignments, Irene’s arch nemesis Alberich has resurfaced, aiming to destroy the Library and Irene with it. As Irene faces Alberich, she suspects there’s a mole in the Library. In an interview on the TOR Books Web site, Cogman explained the stakes, “Vale’s got chaos contamination, Kai’s got PTSD … And Irene herself is having to make serious moral decisions about her duty to the Library versus her duty to her friends.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted, “Cogman’s writing is fresh, with a rich tonality ranging from the whimsical and witty to the suspenseful.” A writer online at Caffeinated Book Review said, “What makes this series magical are the incredible scenes and creative imagination of the author. The creatures, portals, attacks and investigation are all surrounded by a feast for your mind’s eye.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2016, Lucy Lockley, review of The Masked City, p. 65; December 15, 2016, Lucy Lockley, review of The Burning Page, p. 32.
Publishers Weekly April 25, 2016, review of The Invisible Library, p. 73; November 14, 2016, review of The Burning Page, p. 36.
ONLINE
Book Plank, http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/ (January 15, 2015), interview Genevieve Cogman.
Caffeinated Book Review, http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/ (January 10, 2017) review of The Burning Page.
Genevieve Cogman Home Page, http://www.grcogman.com (March 1, 2017), author profile.
Guardian Online, https://www.theguardian.com/ (January 16, 2015) Eric Brown, review of The Invisible Library.
TOR Books, http://www.torbooks.co.uk/ (December 16, 2016), interview Genevieve Cogman.*
Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author, who has written for several role-playing game companies. Her work includes GURPS Vorkosigan and contributions to the In Nomine role-playing game line for Steve Jackson Games: contributions to Exalted 2nd Edition and other contributions to the Exalted and Orpheus lines for White Wolf Publishing: Hearts, Swords and Flowers: The Art of Shoujo for Magnum Opus: and contributions to the Dresden Files RPG for Evil Hat Productions. She currently works for the NHS in England in the HSCIC as a clinical classifications specialist.
She has had three books of her series about the multidimensional Library accepted by Tor Books, and the first two books, The Invisible Library and The Masked City, are now available.
Her novels are represented by Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency.
Genevieve Cogman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genevieve Cogman
Occupation Author
Nationality British
Notable works The Invisible Library Series
Years active 2015 – present
Website
www.grcogman.com
Genevieve Cogman is a British author of fantasy literature and role-playing games.
Cogman has worked as a freelance role-playing author, contributing towards the Steve Jackson Games titles In Nomine and GURPS, the White Wolf Publishing titles Orpheus and Exalted, and the Evil Hat Productions title The Dresden Files.[1]
Cogman's debut novel The Invisible Library, the first book in an eponymous series, was released in January 2015. The second book in the series, The Masked City, was released in December 2015 with the third, The Burning Page, due for release in December 2016. The series revolves around a team of secretive librarians who travel to alternate realities to acquire works of fiction on behalf of a mysterious library which exists outside of normal space and time. The series incorporates numerous fantasy elements including steampunk, supernatural beings and magic.[2] Tor Books, a fantasy imprint of Pan Macmillan, acquired rights for a further two books in the series, with the first due in December 2017.[3] Cogman is represented by the Knight Agency.[4]
Cogman has an MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications. She works for the NHS and lives in the North of England.[5]
Genevieve Cogman started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library is her debut novel, she has also previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. She is also the author of The Masked City and The Burning Page, both in The Invisible Library series. Genevieve Cogman's hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England.
JAN
15
Author Interview with Genevieve Cogman
Author interview Genevieve Cogman
Author bio:
Genevieve Cogman got started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSC in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library is her debut novel, she has also previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. Genevieve Cogman’s hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England.
----------------------------------
Hi Genevieve, welcome over at The Book Plank and for taking your time to answer these few questions for us.
BP: First off could you give us a short introduction as to who Genevieve Cogman is? What do you do besides writing; hobbies, likes and dislikes?
GC: I’m a clinical classifications specialist and cross-mapper: I work for the HSCIC, and my work involves the ICD-10 and OPCS-4 classifications. My hobbies include patchwork and quilting, beadwork, roleplaying games and computer games, and of course reading. I tend to sleep in at weekends, for some reason. :-)
BP: The Invisible Library is your debut, before this you wrote for several role playing video games. When and where did you decide that you want to become an author?
GC: Firstly, a quick correction: I didn’t write for roleplaying video games, I wrote for the pen-and-paper round-the-table sort of roleplaying games – Exalted, GURPS, In Nomine, and others.
Secondly, I didn’t actually plan to become an author and go round with the intention of “today I will become an author”. I wrote to amuse myself at first, then to amuse others – fanfiction, filk songs, then my own original fiction – and have been for, um, twenty years or so. It’s only just now that I’ve made my debut as an author.
BP: Writing a debut can be a daunting task, how did you go about and start writing The Invisible Library?
GC: I started writing it several years ago, when I had the idea for a secret agent collecting books for an interdimensional library. Some details were planned from the beginning, while others got developed or created as it went along. Then I had to go back and tidy the whole sprawling thing up and make it into a coherent narrative.
BP: Did your background in writing for roleplaying games help when you were writing The Invisible Library?
GC: Yes, I think it did: it helped me plan the cosmological structure of the Library and the alternate worlds, and gave me some idea of where I wanted the heroine’s “power level” to be in the grand scheme of things. It also helped me get used to being edited!
BP: A time travelling librarian is pretty cool! What gave you the idea behind the story of The Invisible Library?
GC: I think a lot of people before me have had the idea of hidden libraries, or libraries that connected multiple worlds: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman… I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.
BP: The Invisible Library is out this January, if you would have to sell your book with a single sentence how would it go?
GC: Love books, save the universe.
BP: If you were allowed to make one final adjustment before the book is published, would you do so? If yes, which part and why?
GC: I can’t think of anything specific that I’d change. Sorry!
BP: Did you encounter any specific problems when you were writing The Invisible Library?
GC: Nothing really specific, I’m afraid. Just sit down, write, write some more, make changes, write some more.
BP: What was the hardest part in writing The Invisible Library?
GC: I think the hardest bit was when my editor pointed out a structural flaw in the story and I had to go back and make changes to fix it.
BP: Besides the hardest part, which chapter, scene or character did you enjoy writing about the most?
GC: I think Silver’s dialogue was the most entertaining to write. There’s just something about a character who enjoys living up to the stereotype. (Or possibly down to it, in his case.)
BP: You have sold three books in The Invisible Library series to Tor, do you have any other projects that you wish to pursue in the near future?
GC: Nothing immediate – I do have some half-formed ideas, but at the moment writing on the Library series and holding down the day job are taking up all my time and focus. (Well, I do have a plan for making a quilt based on the Invisible Library, but that’s probably not what you’re thinking of.)
BP: Everyone enjoys fantasy and science fiction in their own way, what do you like most about it?
GC: I don’t really have a specific thing I could put my finger on. It might be the scope: after all, I enjoy books from a wide range of settings, from Star Trek and Bujold and Ann Leckie to Scott Lynch and Naomi Novik and Roger Zelazny. There’s room for everything.
BP: If you would have to give your top 5 favorite books, which would they be?
GC: I’m not sure – there are so many I like. Tolkien’s _Lord of the Rings_ would definitely be in there, though.
BP: And just lastly, can you give us a sneak peek of what will be in store for the readers of The Invisible Library and possible the sequel?
GC: Irene gets to go on an exotic holiday to foreign places – train rides, boat trips, and visits to the opera. Really. Would I lie?
BP: Thank you very much for your time Genevieve and good luck with your future projects!
GC: Thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy the future books too.
5 QUESTIONS: Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library series
December 16, 2016
By Rob Cox
Stolen books, secret agents, forbidden societies... it's all kicking off in Book 3 of the Invisible Library series, The Burning Page. Here author Genevieve Cogman visits the blog to take on our 5 QUESTIONS and tell us a bit more about what to expect in the next instalment of this fantastic series. The Burning Page is out right now in paperback and digital!
When it's your job to save the day - where do you start?
Librarian spy Irene has standards to maintain, especially while on probation. And absconding from a mission via a besieged building doesn't look good. But when her escape route home goes up in flames, what's a spy to do? However, it seems Gates back to the Library are malfunctioning across dozens of worlds. Worse still, her nemesis Alberich is responsible -and he plans to annihilate the Library itself . . .
* * * *
1. We're at Book 3 of The Invisible Library series: how are the stakes raised in The Burning Page?
Well, Alberich’s back: that always raises the stakes. The Library itself is in danger. Someone close to Irene might be a traitor. Vale’s got chaos contamination, Kai’s got PTSD – possibly this sort of adventure isn’t good for one’s long-term health? And Irene herself is having to make serious moral decisions about her duty to the Library versus her duty to her friends. And in the background, there are things that Irene herself doesn’t know, which may come back to haunt her in the future...
2. With a cast of funny and original characters, do you have a favourite one to write?
I don’t have a single character, but I think I have the most fun writing Fae like Silver and Zayanna, who are quite cheerfully over the top in their various directions, and do it without a shred of self-consciousness. It’s very enjoyable to write them – and to write the more human characters’ reactions to them.
3. Which author would you say has most influenced your writing?
I honestly don’t know. There are a lot of writers that I love reading, and I’m sure that they have influenced my writing, but I don’t think that I can really point a finger at any one of them and say that they’re the biggest influence. I could mention Barbara Hambly, John Dickson Carr, Ursula Le Guin, Emma Lathen, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robert van Gulik, Kage Baker, Michael Scott Rohan, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Brahms & Simon (seriously, A Bullet In The Ballet and its sequels are old but classic), Louise Cooper, and dozens more that have all fed into my writing style and my ideas and images. But I’m not good enough at analysing my own writing to say that any of them was the greatest influence.
Rivers_of_London.jpg
4. What book do you always recommend to people, and why?
It does depend a bit on whom I’m recommending it to, because a book can be absolutely brilliant but still not suit a person’s tastes in literature. But two books – I can’t keep it to just one - that I’d recommend to anyone and everyone are The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, or Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Both of them are fantastic reads, as are their sequels.
5. Can you give us a sneak peek of the next book?
I can’t actually quote you any lines from it, because it’s only just gone to my editor (Bella Pagan, who is brilliant) and I’m not sure what may be changed. I will say that when you have multiple dragons trying to get hold of the same book, and bringing the Library into the mess, then things get explosive. Especially when guns and alcohol get involved. And how much should Librarians give up, in order to keep the Library safely neutral? Their friendships? Their children? Their lives...?
The Burning Page
Lucy Lockley
Booklist.
113.8 (Dec. 15, 2016): p32.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Burning Page.
By Genevieve Cogman.
Jan. 2017. 368p. Roc, paper, $16 (9781101988688).
Despite having averted a war between dragons and Fae during The Masked City (2016), junior librarian Irene Winters was put on probation for
abandoning her duties to go off on a dangerous rescue mission. She and the dragon prince, Kai, are serving the time fulfilling risky book retrieval
assignments, and they barely avoid a fiery death when their escape route bursts into flame. While reporting the gate's destruction to her superiors,
Irene learns her old foe Alberich, last seen in The Invisible Library (2016), is threatening to obliterate the library. Complicating matters even
more, someone--either one of her friends or a member of the library--appears to have betrayed her. Her draconian apprentice has PTSD due to his
recent abduction, and the great Victorian detective, Peregrine Vale, has begun resorting to morphine to stave off the effects of heavy exposure to
chaos contagion. Irene is not sure whom to trust, although she is determined to stop Alberich's nefarious plans. Fans won't want to miss the third
action-packed title in Cogman's engaging fantasy series.--Lucy Lockley
Lockley, Lucy
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Lockley, Lucy. "The Burning Page." Booklist, 15 Dec. 2016, p. 32. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476563499&it=r&asid=31a3a5aa7281f49151641e322b9f6567. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
2/4/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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The Burning Page
Publishers Weekly.
263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p36.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Burning Page
Genevieve Cogman. Roc, $16 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-1-101-98868-8
Cogman's third Invisible Library novel (after The Masked City), which centers on the enormous interdimensional Library that connects various
alternate versions of our world and the doughty Librarians who hunt down rare and magical books, opens with the series protagonists, Irene, a
Librarian turned spy, and Kai, her dragon apprentice, placed on probation by the ruling forces of the Library after some unfortunate events
involving the dragons and the Fae. Then Irene's arch nemesis, rogue Librarian Alberich, returns with the intent to disrupt the many worlds he has
control over, as well as the Library itself. Irene must intervene, though she fears there may be a double agent in her circle who's conspiring
against her. As in previous installments, Cogman's writing is fresh, with a rich tonality ranging from the whimsical and witty to the suspenseful.
Cogman's alternative worlds are richly detailed, and her depiction of an alternative Russia is quite magical. The stilted "will they or won't they"
love triangle of Irene and the male leads feels cliched and tacked on. Apart from that, the story is buoyed by the fast action scenes, and readers
will be fascinated by the ever-growing complexities of Cogman's world. Fans will enjoy immersing themselves in the latest installment of this
playful, entertaining series. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Burning Page." Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov. 2016, p. 36+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473458989&it=r&asid=c0be462b1631406520fdc97cd4eb424e. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473458989
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The Masked City
Lucy Lockley
Booklist.
113.1 (Sept. 1, 2016): p65.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
The Masked City. By Genevieve Cogman. Sept. 2016.384p. Roc, paper, $15 (9781101988664).
Following her adventures in The Invisible Library (2016), Irene was appointed Librarian in Residence to an alternate Victorian-era earth. With the
help of her assistant, Kai, the youngest son of dragon royalty, and the deductive skills of the great detective Peregrine Vale, she continues to
retrieve books for the mysterious, multidimensional Library. When Kai is kidnapped by a Fae Lord and whisked off to a world deep within the
chaotic end of reality, Irene intends to rescue him herself. The dragons are threatening war, and to save Kai, she will have to do two things no
Librarian should even consider; work with the impulsive Lord Silver (another Fae) and cross over into a magical city infested by chaos. Irene
may have also lost the friendship of Vale, who is deeply offended by her determination to go alone. Series fans will be thrilled to learn more about
dragon-kind and the capricious Fae, and will be eager for Cogman's third in the series.--Lucy Lockley
Lockley, Lucy
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Lockley, Lucy. "The Masked City." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2016, p. 65. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463755196&it=r&asid=293608cb5eed78046c3679c9c24f9f2b. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A463755196
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The Invisible Library
Publishers Weekly.
263.17 (Apr. 25, 2016): p73.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Invisible Library
Genevieve Cogman. Roc, $15 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-101-98864-0
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The first entry in Cogman's debut fantasy series follows the adventures of feisty spy Irene. She's employed by the mysterious organization known
as the Library, which exists across space and time, to find unique works of fiction across alternate realities and store them for posterity. Her latest
mission is to find a tome in a version of London populated with vampires, werewolves, and Fair Folk while training one of the Library's newest
recruits, the enigmatic Kai. She gets more than she bargains for when the book is stolen and she's thrust into a dangerous underworld where
magic and intrigue meet. Cogman writes with a vivacity and wittiness that breathes new life into the genre. Marrying political and academic
intrigue with high-stakes battle scenes, the plot moves at a fair clip, with a captivating cast of characters. The relationship between Irene and Kai
omits cliched romantic tension, and the banter they share is quite refreshing. Reminiscent of the works of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman,
Cogman's novel is a true treat to read. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Invisible Library." Publishers Weekly, 25 Apr. 2016, p. 73. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA450904562&it=r&asid=c26dba8a7f9bf7195f2283638a775569. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A450904562
BOOK REVIEW
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
by Carrie S · Jul 13, 2016 at 3:00 am · View all 9 comments
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
SBTB Media Page
The Invisible Library
by Genevieve Cogman
JUNE 14, 2016 · ROC
Order →
B+
GENRE: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Steampunk
ARCHETYPE: Spy/Assassin
Now that was fun! The Invisible Library is not a book with a large amount of heavy emotion or thought or character development, but it’s a solidly crafted adventure story with appealing characters, in which book lovers run amok in an alternate universe where they have to deal with skin-stealing villains, cranky zeppelin pilots, and swarms of silverfish (eww).
The Library is a massive library that exists in its own time and space and which stores books from all realities (this book is big on the idea of the multiverse). Irene is a librarian who is sent with a student, Kai, to retrieve a unique edition of fairy tales by an alternate reality version of the Grimm Brothers. The edition is on a world that combines magic and technology in a fantasy/paranormal/steampunk mashup that drives Irene right up the wall but that delights and fascinates Kai.
Naturally the mission gets complicated. The book is at the center of intrigue and conflict between factions on the world including The Fae, Vampires, a detective, and at least one rogue Librarian. Not to mention that Irene can’t fully trust her mentor who assigned her the mission, and that there’s something weird about Kai.
This book can best be summed up by the following quote:
Irene felt a desperate surge of nostalgia for her Library. Her life was more than just airship chases, cyborg alligator attacks, and hanging out with this alternate universe’s nearest analogue to Sherlock Holmes. She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most fundamental part of her life involved a love of books. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and have nothing to worry about except the next page of whatever she was reading.
There’s no romance in this book although there are some flickers that make me wonder if love will grow in the sequel (The Masked City will be published on September 6, 2016 in the US). I found the lack of romance to be somewhat refreshing given that everyone is really too busy for romance to develop. This is not stopping me from madly shipping Irene with Vale, the detective.
Very little of the book takes place in the Library, possibly because reading about people reading is not as exciting as reading about sword fighting with cyborg alligators in a ballroom. I would have liked a bit more time in The Library, though. Given the fact that not only is it a vast repository of rare books but it’s also a place where many people live for decades, what is it like? Is there a cafeteria? How’s the food? Do people have apartments? Do they fight over space? The fact that we leave the Library setting about two minutes after the book starts seems like a missed opportunity. Frankly, fantasy worlds that are infused with magic and with a steampunk sensibility are a dime a dozen, but Libraries that are also homes to what I assume are hundreds of people are rare.
While I genuinely loved the characters and concepts of the book, it’s played strictly for fun adventure. This isn’t a philosophical book. There’s some character development, but it’s not huge. It’s basically just an excuse to have smart people fight cyborg alligators in a ballroom and werewolves in a museum. Luckily during the week that I read this book I was stressed out so it was just what I needed. It’s smart, well-written fluff and I ate it up with a spoon. I am avidly waiting for the sequel.
BOOK REVIEWS
Silence in the Library: Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library
Alex Brown
Wed Jun 15, 2016 3:30pm 1 comment Favorite This
Irene is no ordinary librarian, and her employer no ordinary library. She works for The Library, a sprawling mass of endless shelves surrounding a mysterious and inaccessible city and run by a crotchety cadre of bibliophiles. Or, to quote the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who: “So big it doesn’t need a name. Just a great big ‘The’.” Irene is sent off to various alternate worlds to retrieve unique copies of books to store back in the Library, but she is low on the totem pole, having suffered a severe setback after being betrayed by her former mentor, Bradamant. She may prefer to conduct research into arcane and abstruse topics, but she still has to pay her dues as a spy and thief.
After completing a difficult mission, Irene is paired up with Kai, a green-behind-the-ears newbie still under apprenticeship in the Library. They are sent to an alternate version of London to recover a missing manuscript. The case starts off straight forward enough but soon twists and turns into a mass of deceptions and secrets. Turns out the alternate is chaos-infected, meaning the Fae and their illogical magic have taken up residency. Fairies and vampires coexist with steam engines and zeppelins, turning London into a steampunk city.
Irene and Kai must contend with Bradamant trying to steal her case out from under her, a cat burglar under the nom de guerre Belphegor, a vengeful fairy, a band of anti-Fae terrorists, a dead vampire, and a private detective named Vale who may be too smart for his own good. Stirring up trouble is a sinister and ancient ex-Librarian named Alberich. He’s also after the book and Irene and Kai must use every scrap of magic they know to track it down before he does and keep it out of his wicked hands.
The debut book in Cogman’s new series was released last year in the UK, but took until now to make its way stateside, which explains why the sequel, The Masked City, is coming out so close to the first. The blurbs for The Invisible Library were practically fawning, and all that praise ended up creating expectations the story couldn’t quite meet. It’s an enjoyable read in a cleverly constructed world but there just wasn’t enough there to merit all the accolades. Not an A+ but a solid B, and there’s no shame in that. After some reflection, I think the book would read better as a binge instead of piecemeal over several weeks as I read it. Tackling it in one or two big sessions would probably smooth over the clunkier aspects and keep the adrenaline going.
Cogman has way too many things going on in her story. There’s the vampire murder mystery, the case of the missing Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the Iron Brotherhood launching robotic attacks on socialites, werewolves working in the service of the Fae, a cat burglar, a dead Librarian, dragons, Kai and Irene’s complicated backstories, political machinations in the Library, Irene’s rivalry with Bradamant, and the setup for a love triangle between Irene, Kai, and Vale, with Alberich as the throughline.
The Language, the magic Librarians use to command the world, is a curiosity that sometimes veers a little too much into deus ex machina territory but the conceit is intriguing. Frankly, the Language is at its most interesting when Irene loses the ability to use it. Watching her struggle to navigate a magical world sans magic is vastly more engaging than when she has complete control over it. We’re told repeatedly that Irene is a competent Librarian, but it’s only when she’s denied her cheat codes that we really see her shine.
Cogman’s biggest crime, however, is infodumping. Great Ada Lovelace, the exposition! Time after time the characters sit down and talk about the plot, explaining every single thing and theorizing on possible future situations. Right in the middle of a thrilling action sequence Irene will pause for a lesson on the Language or discuss their options moving forward. Much of this is unnecessary and comes off as an attempt to lampshade or preemptively close plotholes. I’d rather discover the world and its rules through the events of the story than by having characters tell me the facts. A little less plot and exposition and a little more worldbuilding would streamline the story and and some thrill to the soggy middle bits.
Don’t get me wrong, The Invisible Library really is a fun book. The premise was built on a foundation of tropes but blended together into something delightfully original. The Library and the alternate London are ripe for exploration and I can’t wait to get know each locale more in depth in future books. The cast of characters are also fascinating. Irene is tough but breakable, Kai secretive but protective, Vale logical but trusting. Bradamant and Alberich could use some shading, but they’re still compelling in aggressive and frightening ways. Beyond any misgivings I had about the book, above all I liked spending time with the main characters.
It’s probably apt that a librarian is reviewing The Invisible Library. Just to nerd out for a moment, the only thing that I can’t sort out is the classification system the Library uses to organize its shelves. “A-254” and “B-395” aren’t part of any system I’m aware of. It doesn’t seem like a very versatile or easily expandable system; not nearly enough numbers or letters to adequately describe the content of a book. Since the second book is likely going to take place largely in Vale’s alternate rather than in the Library again, it’s doubtful more information will be forthcoming to sort out the classification issues. Also, it rather annoys me that the Language doesn’t follow any functional classification system or metadata schema. Not that anyone cares except us librarians. Never mind. Moving on.
The Invisible Library is a pleasant start to what looks to be great fantasy series. Cogman has delivered up an exciting world of dragons, fairies, werewolves, giant robot insects, metal reptiles, zeppelins, and genius detectives mixed into a steampunk light mystery. The characters are appealing, the plot (mostly) engrossing, and the style satisfying. There’s plenty of potential romance and daring adventure to entice just about everyone. It may not be your favorite book, but you’ll at least savor the time spent.
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The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
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8.8/10
Intricate and magical world of alternate Earths and mysterious interdimensional libraries.
A Recommended Book of the Month
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’.
And, as a writer, that is essentially the highest praise I can think of giving a piece of fiction.
When I first read the blurb for The Invisible Library, I was hooked. 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.
The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book - almost eerily so, given that I’ve never met Genevieve Cogman. 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. 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.
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). It appeals instinctively to readers who love books on so many levels.
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.
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 Fae have a strong presence in this London, but Irene, the Librarian star of this book, is up to the challenge. 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.
As I said at the top, The Invisible Library is a world I want to write in. 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. However, I will have to satisfy myself with Genevieve Cogman treating me to future stories in this world, and I would recommend that you give yourself that same opportunity.
Joshua S Hill, 8.5/10
The Invisible Library is what I like to call a joyful little Sunday read, one of those books that I can pick up with my morning coffee and read in a single day as the sun shines (or if you're in the UK, the rain falls) and its okay to sit in your pyjamas all day.
Cogman has given us a very well written and formed novel, with a solid and vivid plot. The story revolves around the Librarian Irene, who is sent on a mission to recover a unique book for a Chaos infected world. However, it appears everyone else wants this book too, the result of which are obstacles such as vampires, werewolves, Fae and getting a little smitten for the worlds own version of Sherlock Holmes. There are flashes light and colour set against a world of darkness and secrets, and secrets within secrets. The Victorian era setting mixes effortlessly with the steampunk, magical creatures and zeppelins, the themes fluid and smooth in contrast to their opposing concepts.
The main character, Irene, is likeable and the overarching villain Alberich (who really only shows his face towards the end of the book) - while initially an abstraction and campfire nightmare tale told to other Librarians - was intriguing and left the reader wanting more.
Kia's presence for me did feel a little understated, I would have liked a more focus on his role and background, but can tell there is a lot more to come so was not greatly disappointed. I am looking forward to seeing how Kia personal history unfolds for Irene.
There were some nice mystery's and uncertainties left to the reader, my favourite being the planting of some seeds of doubt regarding the library as well as the mystery surrounding Alberich himself.
Overall, I really could not find fault with this story or it's writing. Cogman has provided a tale that is fun, with twists of darkness and secrets and plenty of action that will keep you turning the page and counting the days until the next book.
If you like you worlds colourful but dark, fantastical and adventurous, this is the book for you. Speak the name of the Library in the Language and the door will open. Step through at your own risk.
Fergus McCartan, 9/10
August 8, 2016
REVIEW: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
SiriusA- REVIEWSadventure / Fantasy7 Comments
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One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction…
Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it’s already been stolen.
London’s underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself.
Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself…
Review:
Dear Genevieve Cogman,
I learned about your book’s existence while lurking at the File 770 blog. As evidenced by my grade, I really enjoyed it. I was drawn to the book because the blurb promised that the Library (with capital L) would be at the front and center of the plot. I know I cannot speak for everyone, but the library was one of my favorite places to visit when I was growing up and I would imagine that holds true for many book lovers around the world. Well, so far the first book vastly exceeded my expectations and I hope that books two and three will not disappoint me.
We meet Irene when she is working as a spy for the Library, trying to steal a book which the Library wants for its collection. This mission takes place before the mission referred to in the blurb. As we will learn later on, this was a much less dangerous mission than the one Irene would work on next, but when the book starts one would not be able to guess that. Irene is at a magical school for boys, and while she manages to get the book, let’s just say that everything did not go smoothly for her.
I really enjoy when a book does not start with info-dumping and instead puts me in the middle of the action. I do not mind a little confusion in the beginning as long as the author orients me fairly quickly in the world she has created, and I think the writer managed to do this with gusto.
We learn that the mysterious Library’s mission is to collect books from the many alternate worlds which exist in this universe, in order to strengthen ties with these worlds. Apparently librarians/spies do not always steal the books, sometimes they are able to locate and buy copies, but often enough their missions are dangerous. As the story unfolds, we learn that a lot of these worlds are being consumed by chaos and the blurb accurately describes what this chaos entails. Apparently the Library exists between the worlds and functions as stabilizing force for the worlds with which the Library has sufficiently strong links (this is one of the reasons the Library wants specific books from these worlds).
I thought the mythology of this book was fascinating. For example, some well-known fantastical species are used as two opposite elements of the dichotomy – some are agents of order and some are agents of Chaos. I do not remember ever reading a book where these species were used in a similar way. It was just such a creative twist, in my opinion. Certainly this is not the first story where a Library is a character, but what this Library can do (and I suspect we have not seen most of it yet) is so interesting and at times I did not expect that at all.
I really liked Irene. I imagine that many book lovers can relate to why Irene is working for the Library and why this is the kind of life she likes living.
“Irene shut the book reluctantly. Of course she had to send it to Coppelia first, for inspection and evaluation, but perhaps after that she could get her hands on it again. There was nothing wrong with being curious about how a story turned out, after all. She was a Librarian. It went with the job. And she didn’t want great secrets of necromancy, or any other sort of magic. She just wanted—had always wanted—a good book to read. Being chased by hellhounds and blowing things up were comparatively unimportant parts of the job. Getting the books—now, that was what really mattered to her. That was the whole point of the Library—as far as she’d been taught, anyway. It wasn’t about a higher mission to save worlds. It was about finding unique works of fiction and saving them in a place out of time and space. Perhaps some people might think that was a petty way to spend eternity, but Irene was happy with her choice. Anyone who really loved a good story would understand. And if there were rumours that the Library did have a deeper purpose—well, there were always so many rumours, and she had missions to complete. She could wait for more answers. She had time.”
I liked that she was so devoted to her work; I have always found it an admirable trait. I thought that she was competent but not arrogant. She made mistakes, but she always fought hard and gave it her best try. I have not met a character like her for quite some time.
When her superiors give her a new mission, which takes place during most of the story (the first mission only occupies the first several pages of the book), it is the first time she is entrusted with a trainee named Kai. I liked Kai *a whole lot* and as the blurb states, he has his own secrets to keep. Some of these secrets are eventually revealed and I was very pleased with the revelations. Kai is strong and talented in what he does, but I was extremely pleased that throughout the book Irene remained solely in charge of the mission. As much as Kai helps, she was making the decisions for both of them with Kai following her orders ( most of the time anyway ?). I just so rarely see it. That does not mean that Irene did not ask for help from Kai when she needed it, by the way, and it does not mean that her decisions were always perfect, but she came as close to being a competent spy/librarian while still having things to learn (she is not a Senior Librarian yet ) as I could wish for.
You probably want to know whether there is a romance in the book. The answer is not yet and quite frankly I would hope not, but my guess is that one is coming sometime in the next book. Kai clearly likes Irene enough to proposition her (to his credit he does it once and does not do it again after receiving a negative answer), and I got the impression that the only reason she said no was because she was concentrating on getting the job done. But we shall find out, I guess. And there is another guy who could be a possible candidate for Irene’s affections in future books.
Grade: A-
The best science fiction in January – review roundup
Karen Lord’s The Galaxy Game, Gareth L Powell’s Macaque Attack, Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library, Beta-Life edited by Martyn Amos and Ra Page and Paula Brackston’s The Midnight Witch
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Looking to other planets … humankind has colonised multiple worlds in Karen Lord’s Galaxy Game. Photograph: Luc Perrot
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Eric Brown
Friday 16 January 2015 06.00 EST Last modified on Friday 3 February 2017 14.52 EST
The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord .jpg
With The Galaxy Game (Jo Fletcher Books, £19.99), Karen Lord returns to the complex, culturally diverse, far-future universe introduced in her second novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds. In a diaspora in which humankind has colonised multiple worlds and undergone varied genetic transformations, Rafi Delarua has inherited his father’s psychic abilities and is on the run from the authorities. On the world of Punartam, he can indulge his passion for the game of wallrunning, while developing his powers in a way that might benefit the diaspora’s many civilisations. Rather than the intergalactic action adventure that this precis might suggest, the novel is a leisurely exploration of multiple societies, power-politics and race relations, in which discursive plot lines deceive before cohering in a satisfying finale. Karen Lord was much praised for her previous novels, and The Galaxy Game will only add to her considerable reputation.
Macaque Attack by Gareth L. Powell .jpg
The final instalment of Gareth L Powell’s barnstorming, award-winning monkeypunk trilogy Macaque Attack (Solaris, £7.99) sees Ack-Ack Macaque – a feisty nihilist monkey uplifted to intelligence thanks to futuristic gelware – lead the crew of the airship Sun Wukong in a battle to save the Earth from a horde of invading cyborgs. It’s not all gung-ho violence and derring-do, however. Powell draws his characters with fine brushstrokes, imbuing his damaged cast with humanity so that you come to care about the fate of a host of secondary characters led by Captain Victoria Valois, whose love affair with the failing computer program of her ex-husband is sensitively observed. The ideas fizz off the page, too, with riffs on the nature of reality and quantum physics. And if that’s not enough, Powell threatens reality with the universal plague from his second novel, The Recollection, in a self-referential triumph of authorial legerdemain.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman .jpg
So many fantasy authors short-change readers with lazy, off-the-peg invented worlds – kings, magicians and the forces of evil from central casting, and feudal societies and fairy castles from the overused props department – that it’s a breath of fresh air to discover a fantastical world that defies easy provenance and brings something new to the genre. Genevieve Cogman’s first novel, The Invisible Library (Tor, £7.99), features a secret society founded to preserve literary texts from a series of alternate worlds, and a warped London setting that is part eldritch fantasy, part steampunk, with a dash of the supernatural in the form of vampires and werewolves thrown into the mix. Library worker Irene is sent with her apprentice Kai to London to obtain a copy of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, only to find the book missing and others on its trail, and willing to commit murder to get what they want. With a companionable heroine in Irene, and a satisfyingly complex plot, The Invisible Library – the first of a series – is a book in which to wallow.
Beta-Life edited by Martyn Amos and Ra Page .jpg
Beta-Life (Comma, £10.99), edited by Martyn Amos and Ra Page, is a timely anthology inspired by the 2013 European Conference on Artificial Life. The project brings together 19 authors with scientists working in a range of artificial life and unconventional computing disciplines “to follow research itself into the future, rather than reflect purely on current concerns”. The result is a strong anthology of speculative fictions set in 2070, each followed by a factual essay by a scientist. Standouts include Martyn Bedford’s sly story about lie-recognition software and the difficulty of writing about the future, “The Sayer of the Sooth”; Adam Marek’s cautionary tale about the dangers, both personal and societal, of cellular nanotechnology, “Growing Skyscrapers”; and Adam Roberts’s marvellously tongue-in-cheek “A Swarm of Living Robjects Around Us”, which explores the nature of machine consciousness and our dependence on technology. Many of the fictions are cutting-edge, and the essays offer a crash-course in futurology.
The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston .jpg
In The Midnight Witch (Corsair, £7.99), New York Times bestseller Paula Brackston combines, as in her previous novels, romantic-historical drama with witchcraft. On the death of her father, the sixth Duke of Radnor, Lilith Montgomery takes on the mantle of Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven, while her feckless, opium-addled brother, Freddie, becomes the seventh Duke. Lilith is torn romantically between her fiance, the witch Viscount Louis Harcourt, and the non-witch artist Bram Cardale. Not only has Lilith to battle with society’s expectations and her own conflicting desires, but there is a challenger to her role of coven leader. Brackston neatly balances a vivid portrayal of 1913 London on the brink of war with fantastical necromantic set-pieces, and despite a rather deus ex machina denouement, The Midnight Witch is a compelling read.
Eric Brown’s latest novel is Jani and the Greater Game (Solaris).
Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The Burning Page By Genevieve Cogman
January 10th, 2017 kimbacaffeinate Review 30 Comments
10th JAN
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
The Burning Page
by Genevieve Cogman
Series: The Invisible Library #3
Published by: Penguin on January 10, 2017
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
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Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Never judge a book by its cover...
Due to her involvement in an unfortunate set of mishaps between the dragons and the Fae, Librarian spy Irene is stuck on probation, doing what should be simple fetch-and-retrieve projects for the mysterious Library. But trouble has a tendency of finding both Irene and her apprentice, Kai—a dragon prince—and, before they know it, they are entangled in more danger than they can handle...
Irene’s longtime nemesis, Alberich, has once again been making waves across multiple worlds, and, this time, his goals are much larger than obtaining a single book or wreaking vengeance upon a single Librarian. He aims to destroy the entire Library—and make sure Irene goes down with it.
With so much at stake, Irene will need every tool at her disposal to stay alive. But even as she draws her allies close around her, the greatest danger might be lurking from somewhere close—someone she never expected to betray her...
ADDICTIVE BOOKLOVE paranormal SUSPENSE
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman is the third book in the Invisible Library fantasy series. Cogman once again took us on a maddening adventure as Librarian Irene and her loyal friends faced down danger. Imaginative and suspenseful with a touch of magic and science fiction the worlds of the Invisible Library are ones I want to visit again and again.
Irene, our Librarian, is currently on probation but she and her apprentice Kai, have been kept busy retrieving books. At the end of their current mission, they are almost killed when a door to the library fails to open. It leads to a harrowing escape and sets the tone for Burning Pages. Librarians are called into the library via special transport and informed that Alberich the Library’s nemesis had issued an ultimatum, “Surrender the library or all will fall.” Irene is giving a new assignment. She must retrieve a book from the Crystal Palace in Saint Petersburg.
Cogman weaves colorful worlds spread across the universe and within it is a secret library where rare books are collected in an attempt to balance or protect the worlds. The premise of these worlds is fascinating. Each is similar, and yet vastly different. Some are ruled by order and others chaos. Within these worlds are humans, FAE and even DRAGONS! The author weaves in familiar elements for the reader from books, events, and secondary characters. In the world Irene is assigned as a librarian, she has friended Vale, the world’s greatest detective who resides on Baker Street. He has aided them throughout the series. Vale is currently suffering from Chaos contamination after events in The Masked City.
Irene finds herself receiving messages from Alberich and someone is attempting to kill her. I loved the creative ways they tried to do away with her. Of course, our librarian is talented, and her abilities shine in The Burning Pages. Kai, her assistant, the dragon prince continues to be both stubborn and heroic. Li Ming his uncle is present. I liked that we see Kai and the Dragons offer a stronger role, and I’m curious to see how this progresses throughout the series. Silver, a powerful and influential FAE Lord, helps them when it suits him. He is a colorful character, whom I envision as Crowley from Supernatural.
Fast paced, with fascinating creatures Cogman had us traveling through portals, and dimensional streams as we raced to save the library. It was rather brilliant. The current story along with the overall ARC threads kept me guesses. I’ve grown attached to the characters and appreciate their growth and seeing their friendships strengthen.
What makes this series magical are the incredible scenes and creative imagination of the author. The creatures, portals, attacks and investigation are all surrounded by a feast for your mind’s eye. Unimaginable creatures in an underground market, shifters for hire, the language of the library, and the worlds we travel to all from the comfort of our reading chair. The battle scenes are delivered in vivid 3-D and will have you holding your breath.
Books, Dragons, Secret Spy Librarians and book thieves…pure magic. The Burning Pages provided a satisfying ending, but the Invisible Library story is far from over. Hints have been laid, nests have been stirred, and I am anxious to read the next book. At this time, there are two more books scheduled to release. The Lost Plot will release in December 2017.
Book Review: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Posted on January 21, 2017 by Brandon Murray
Have you ever wanted to write a book, but never seem to have the time?
What if I told you that you might have already written it, just in an alternate universe…?
That is the core concept behind Genevieve Cogman’s 2015 novel, The Invisible Library.
The first in a series, the novel centers around Irene, a Librarian who works for the Invisible Library also known simply as “The Library,” which exists outside of time for the purpose of archiving books written in various alternate universes throughout the multiverse.
Irene and her fellow librarians are trained in spycraft and combat to infiltrate alternate realities in order to retrieve unique fiction books desired by their superiors for safekeeping and study in The Library.
In order to complete their missions, Librarians are made known of the following facts: While each universe is different, they each vary based on the level of science versus magic, and Order versus Chaos. The multiverse has agents of Order known as Dragons (yes, those kind of dragons) and agents of Chaos known as the Fae (or fairy tale creatures). The Library, while neutral, is wary of chaos-infested universes because they tend to be full supernatural creatures such as vampires.
So it is much to Irene’s chagrin that she is assigned a trainee with a mysterious past named Kai and ordered into the chaos-infested London of a universe filled with Fae, zeppelins, secret societies, machines that run on clockwork technology, werewolves, vampires, and mechanical centipedes.
They arrive intending to stealthily retrieve an 1812 Brothers Grimm manuscript from the collection of a high society vampire named Lord Wyndham.
The purpose of their mission is summed up best by Irene herself, “There may be a hundred brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in a hundred different words, and each time they may have written a different set of fairy tales. That’s where our interest lies.”
Unfortunately for the Librarian and her trainee, the Grimm manuscript is not only missing but it’s also at the heart of a murder investigation. In this world of magic and electric swords, Irene’s main weapons are her wits and a power taught to Librarians known as “The Language” which allows her to alter aspects of reality with a spoken word.
This work by Cogman, is an entertaining piece of adult fiction that introduces elements of detective fiction, such as a notorious thief terrorizing Londoners, and a police consultant and investigator named Vale in pursuit, who is akin to Sherlock Holmes without a Doctor Watson. There are also elements of horror and fantasy fiction in the guise of the nefarious cat-eyed Mr. Silver who is also in pursuit of the manuscript. The mystery elements are created with care by the author as there are clever twists and turns throughout the novel.
Fans of steampunk novels will enjoy the mechanical monstrosities that arise and zeppelin chase sequence. In addition, fans of the fantasy television series The Librarians may notice some thematic similarities.
Cogman, creates a strong start for this adult fiction series by setting up elements of a larger overarching story by introducing characters such as Bradamant, a rival Librarian who is intent on poaching Irene’s assignment at any cost, and Alberich, the evil ex-Librarian intent upon imposing his will upon the multiverse.
The characters are given room to grow, and just like the sea of alternate universes from which The Library gathers its books, the possibilities are endless.
Book Review: Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library
23
APR
A seemingly endless Library, with books from across multiple worlds. A library with connections and portals to endless worlds. It can take hours, even days, to get to locations within the library. It is a Library of the first order, in the same tradition as Pratchett’s multidimensional and universe-spanning idea of L-Space in his Discworld novels. The Librarians are devoted to the love of books, their acquisition and preservation. They travel to alternate worlds in search of rare books, of key books, of special books to add to their collection. This process does not always go well, especially with the rarer finds.
Irene is a junior librarian of the Library. When she is assigned a new assistant (who is clearly more than he appears) and a seemingly simple task to find a book in an alternate London, things start going wrong immediately.
The-Invisible-Library
A rival Librarian demands that she hand over both the job and the assistant over to her. The chaotic world she steps into makes trying to find the book far more complicated than she anticipates. The book itself seems to be extremely dangerous in nature. Faerie, Chaos, and the possible appearance of a dread enemy of the Library are going to make this simple book acquisition far more dangerous than Irene anticipated.
And then there is the possible ally who is hauntingly familiar in his nature, especially given Irene’s own name…
The Invisible Library is the debut novel from Genevieve Cogman.
As a reader, I’ve been fascinated with multiple worlds, alternate universes and cross-dimensional doings ever since reading Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber. Books that cross dimensions and worlds as fundaments of their worldbuilding quickly go from engaging my curiosity to getting my full attention. Given that the author, like myself, is a longtime veteran of playing the roleplaying game based on Zelazny’s novels, I am not surprised by the author’s choice for her debut novel. Cogman makes the best use of this, providing a theoretically limitless canvas for adventures in her universe. The idea of Librarians going forth and doing interesting things in the multiverse is an excellent high concept. It reminds me of the fictional “Librarians Militant” mentioned in Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End.
After an opening one-chapter adventure, and some time in the Library itself, the author mainly restricts the action to one world. And that is quite a world that Irene and company wind up exploring. The world that Irene and Kai investigate is the London we know … and it isn’t. It is a melange of genre elements (a fact explained within the text itself) that is part steampunk, part magic, and part Doctor Who. The classic Doctor Who episode “The Talons of Weng Chiang” is a spiritual sister to Cogman’s novel. The crazy-quilt nature of that London provides an excellent canvas for Irene’s adventures, and the novel simply knows how to have fun with the premise and the setting.
As fun as this wide canvas and setting are, the real heart of the novel is the character. First and foremost, Irene is an example of a young but not unskilled protagonist, working her way through the ranks. It would have been easy for the author to make her a neophyte Librarian as a way of limiting her ability and allowing her to explore and understand the world through the lens of youthful enthusiasm over competence. Instead, Irene is a junior Librarian but she is a Librarian. This is far from her first mission, she has history with various members of the Library (a fact that becomes plot relevant), and skills and a good head on her shoulders to boot. She is our POV character for almost all of the book, and I took to her immediately.
There are some lovely bits of worldbuilding, plotting and character above and beyond Irene herself. For example, given the nature of the library, the names of characters from The Library are literary references, which provides an interesting channel to further explore their character and nature (at least, as they see themselves). There’s tension between Order and Chaos (the Library is a force for Order, with universe-spanning abilities to match in its use of “The Language”). And when in doubt, and whenever the action and fun seem to want to flag, the novel follows Doyce Testerman’s sage advice to add Genre-Appropriate Ninjas. The novel is also chock full of allusions, jokes, references, motifs, and easter eggs, and I am certain that I missed some, too.
The Invisible Library’s greatest drawback is one that’s not really its fault. The novel is currently only available in the UK and Europe, having no US publisher. Readers, anywhere, though, looking to see the intersection of multiple worlds, spies, librarians and cosmic doings, however, will really enjoy The Invisible Library and what Cogman has to offer.