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The Library at Mount Char: A Novel by [Scott Hawkins]

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Scott Hawkins

The Library at Mount Char: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Scott Hawkins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 7,818 ratings

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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“Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine

A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.

Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.

After all, she was a normal American herself once.

That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.

In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.

But Carolyn has accounted for this.

And Carolyn has a plan.

The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.

Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.

Praise for The Library at Mount Char

An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences."—Boston Globe

"Vivid . . . the dialogue sings . . . you'll spend equal time shuddering and chortling."—Dallas Morning News"

Print length

390 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Crown
Publication date

June 16, 2015
File size

2337 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A spellbinding story of world-altering power and revenge . . . Hawkins has created a fascinating, unusual world in which ordinary people can learn to wield breathtaking power—and he's also written a compelling story about love and revenge that never loses sight of the human emotions at its heart. A wholly original, engrossing, disturbing, and beautiful book.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An extravagant, beautifully imagined fantasy about a universe that is both familiar and unfamiliar. . . . Hawkins makes nary a misstep in this award-worthy effort of imagination. You won't be able to put it down.”—Booklist (starred review)

"A bizarre yet utterly compelling debut . . . might remind readers of Robert Jackson Bennett's or Neil Gaiman's horror/fantasies.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“A terrific book, full of dark mystery and genuine beauty.”—Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of Sandman Slim

“A first-rate novel… a sprawling, epic contemporary fantasy about cruelty and the end of the world, compulsively readable, with the deep, resonant magic of a world where reality is up for grabs. Unputdownable.”—Cory Doctorow, New York Times bestselling author of Little Brother and Makers

"Funny, horrifying and original…the kind of story that keeps yanking you off in ridiculous new directions every time you think you know what's coming next."—David Wong, New York Times bestselling author of John Dies at the End

"The most genuinely original fantasy I’ve ever read. Hawkins plays with really, really big ideas and does it with superb invention, deeply affecting characters, and a smashing climax I did not see coming."—Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Beggars in Spain

“This book is batshit crazy. From the very first pages, the story grabs you by the guts and doesn't let go. It mashes together fantasy and thriller, love stories and dark comedy, into a wild trip at once unpredictable and unforgettable. You'll never look at a librarian in quite the same way.”—Keith Donohue, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child

“A pyrotechnic debut...The most terrifyingly psychopathic depiction of a family of gods and their abusive fathersince Genesis.”—Charles Stross, Hugo and Locus Award-winning author of Accelerando and The Apocalypse Codex

"Don't pick up this book unless you want to read something you've absolutely never read before. The Library at Mount Char is funny, bizarre, moving, frightening, and surreal. The most original work I've read in ages."—Walter Jon Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Destiny’s Way and This is Not a Game

About the Author

SCOTT HAWKINS works as a software engineer for Intel. He and his wifelive in Atlanta, where they spend much of their time playingOlympic-caliber fetch with their large pack of foster dogs. THE LIBRARYAT MOUNT CHAR is his first novel.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NRQRWAA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown (June 16, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 16, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2337 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 390 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #49,700 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #145 in U.S. Horror Fiction
- #592 in Dark Fantasy Horror
- #822 in Dark Fantasy

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4.5 7,818 ratings

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I'm a computer programmer. I live in the Atlanta suburbs with my wife and a lot of dogs. I write fantasy set in the modern world.

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S. Howes

Absolutely incredible, one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023

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I learned of this book from Charles Stross’ Twitter feed. He absolutely gushed about it and I could tell he was sincere, so I put my faith in him and bought it. That was about 2015. Since then it’s bobbed near the top of my to-read list, but never quite made it to ‘currently reading’ until last week. Had I only known in 2015 what I do know I would have guzzled this book in a heartbeat!

The Library at Mount Char is an exquisitely written modern fantasy. It stands squarely on the shoulders of Zelazny’s Lord of Light and Gaiman’s American Gods, but damned if it doesn’t shine brighter and burn darker than both of them combined. Absolutely incredible, one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read, hands down.

2 people found this helpful

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Kara L West

Forgot how much I loved this book

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023

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I LOVED this book. I was organizing my room/shelves and saw this book and immediately thought OMG THIS BOOK I HAVE TO SEE IF HE WROTE MORE. I loved it, couldn’t put it down, all the things

2 people found this helpful

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a1soccer1

wow. long time urban fantasy fan.

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2023

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Wonderful. I can’t recommend this more strongly, highly. Twists and funny, interesting characters. My first Hawkins novel. I will look for more. Please read this. It will delight your sense of the unknown and it’s just a damn good story.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Really interesting

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2023

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Well, Alot of reviews said this story was weird. They're right, its weird,funny and leaves you scratching your head. But wow, what a cool story. This original plot starts out with very different storylines that will come together before to long, often with some hilarious results. Very interesting characters and superb dialogue definitely drive this story. If your looking for something damn good and different, this book could be it.

7 people found this helpful

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Jamie Davis

If you love Neil Gaiman, you will love this book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016

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One of the best books I've ever read.
Hail the Amazon Gods for recommending this book about American Gods while I was shopping the other day! I am sad that I didn’t know about it when it was released last year, but am oh so thankful to have had this experience now. Fans of Neil Gaiman are in for a treat.

In his debut novel, Scott Hawkins has created a darkly weird world of adult librarians, who were essentially kidnapped by Father when they were eight years old and brought into the infinite Library at Mount Char to study and work. The librarians have been trained in twelve catalogues – one category per child, with strict instructions on not discussing/sharing your catalogue with another.

David (master of the war catalogue) and Margaret (master of the dead catalogue) have story lines that are the most violent and brutal, and some of the scenes concerning David, frankly, I could have lived without, but what do you expect from a character who is the master of the war catalogue? His story line is not going to be about eating cupcakes in the park with his girlfriend. The violence is necessary for the subject matter. After all, one does not get to be a God without being burned alive a time or two. As examples of other catalogue subjects, Rachel’s catalogue involves the prediction and manipulation of possible futures. Carolyn is the master of all languages.

So. Back to the plot. Father is dead, and maybe one of his librarians killed him (I don’t want to spoil it for you) and maybe another one of his many enemies killed him. All of the librarians are completely out of touch with humanity and arguably insane now that they are in their 30s. It made me think of our world leaders, and how out of touch they must all be with their respective citizens. (Oh, do you not have the sun anymore? Food is a problem for you now? And I am to understand that you don’t like that?)

I was also quite amused by the zombies in the suburbs. Hey, I know these people! Wait a minute, am I one of these people?! Just kidding. I am pretty sure I am not one of the reanimated dead. But, you never know who your neighbors are…

I think what I enjoyed the most about this read is how Hawkins brought the story full-circle towards the end of the book. We learn more about Father and his relationships with his librarians, specifically, with his protege that he has been grooming all this time to take over his position. Many times, after I am finished with a book, I am still left with a lot of questions that I wish were tied up by the author. Challenging your readers is great, and Hawkins does this in the beginning and the middle. The end is tied up quite nicely for you, and I appreciate that. I want to know what the author thinks he’s written! Tell me a story. Don’t tell me a set of circumstances and then leave me sitting over here pissed off contemplating like a jerk for days on end – “Well, what did it all mean?”

I think that is a skill that is quite rare, and I hate it when the author doesn’t address the big “Why” questions.

Great job, Hawkins! This is one of the best books I have read in many years. I am so glad I purchased this one, because I marked the copy up quite a bit, and will no doubt be returning for a second read next summer. This is one that I am betting will read different to me after knowing how it ends.

77 people found this helpful

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Matt

The most imaginative book I have read this year

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2018

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It took me until December, nearly Christmas!, to find the book of the year that is just plain good fun while feeding my soul. I always think it is incredibly dopey of most people to go around quoting movie lines that actors deliver without thinking through to the idea that somewhere, sometime, a WRITER put those words in the actor's mouth. We should have authors that we follow around with the some slavish devotion that we assign to witless actors. But I digress. Scott Hawkins deserves more accolades than he will probably ever get as a "lowly" author. It's how our universe runs....but it could be a lot worse if we peek into the Library at Mount Char.
Ever wrestle with the idea of what life really means? Is there a God up there? And if there is, what does he expect? Is there any way to turn the wheels of time and quantum space itself? Can one person ever amass too much knowledge?
All of those ideas get turned on their heads in this book and examined from all angles. We follow an acolyte of God Himself/Herself/Father (as we dimly realize the hierarchical sets) through life-changing experiences. Along the way, our heroine, Carolyn, picks up your average Steves and Mrs. McGillicuddys and Erwins and breathes life into them without destroying their essential humanity and likableness. These characters will fulfill reoccurring roles, almost like reincarnations. Sure, we have the usual immortal Titans that are cruel (and infinite in their cruelty)...but at the same time Titans enjoy brownies, too. Even lions get a chance to help save the universe along the way by getting rid of a few horrible singers and their crappy songs.
I don't know how long it took Mr. Hawkins to write this book but every chapter is infused with humor, a little bit of slap-stick, and thoughtful, truly mind-blowing revelations. Alright, and some gross stuff. But you can't have a car chase without some crashes. It is a little bit fantasy, a little bit science fiction, a little bit philosophy, a little bit spiritual and a whole lot of not for the faint-hearted or easily grossed out. There are rapes, both metaphorical and actual, many people die in creative and quick ways, and humanity is shown to be mostly full of crap and laziness. As one would expect by looking around the world now. So pretty realistic but delivered in a hopeful not hopeless fashion.
I don't want to write synopsis of the book that you can get in the introduction. Instead, I want to tell you how I felt when I read the book. I could not put it down. I wanted to read just one more chapter. I laid in bed all Saturday only stopping to raid a chocolate stash, grab more hot tea, kick the cat out, and hop back into bed. To read. The story was engrossing, thrilling, and, for you feminists out there, satisfying until you realize that gender doesn't really matter to the story. It's how you are as a human being, a heart coal....and as a newly created God.

12 people found this helpful

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Jess

Please come back and write more

Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2023

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I hope he comes back and writes more to this story because the world and tone and everything is so weird and cool and lovely. I really really really loved this books, I loved the pieces converging together to make and ending that is equal parts woah and what. Reminds me of Neil Gaiman, except I liked this more !!

LiviaLuna

This book is amazing

Reviewed in Italy on August 24, 2020

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Seriously,

the best book I have read in a while. It is dark and twisted, but it has humor.

Worth a reading, knowing it is WEIRD

Sevm

Mixed feelings

Reviewed in Spain on August 6, 2019

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This book is good, it slowly captivated me. After having read the first few chapters I was about to stop reading because the crude violence depicted was so gratuitous that it made me very uncomfortable. It eventually makes sense (at a literary level) that what is so heartbreakingly unexplainable to us is a triviality for the powers that be, just a move in their master plan.

booksy

An absolutely Char-ming novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017

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It's these types of books that remind me why reading is so great. You can get a run of so-so books that you force yourself to plod through then, bam, an absolute gem lands in your hands.

I'm not a hardcore fantasy fan - like another reviewer on here, I enjoy novels that have one foot in reality. Just a little something that tethers them to the world we know. And The Library at Mount Char does just that. The plot is amazing - it moves on at a gripping pace, and it's populated with wonderful and engaging characters. For me, the novel really started to hit its stride once Steve came on the scene. Oh, and then the lions. It's a great mix of my favourite genres - a little bit of gore and horror, a fair bit of humour, a sprinkling of magic. I haven't enjoyed a novel like this since Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy. And I hope that Scott Hawkins will return to the Library, as I feel there are so many other stories bubbling under the surface.

I won't re-hash the plot here: only say that it involves a group of Librarians with special powers (adopted as kids by a man known only as Father, they are educated in specific catalogues, such as war, languages, speaking with animals, reincarnation and suchlike (but woe betide anyone who tries to dabble in another person's catalogue). It features an ex con who's now going straight and experimenting with Buddhism (not easy when you suddenly get caught up with a group whose sole aim seems to be death and destruction); there's an enigmatic, ballsy and highly intelligent heroine; an ex military superstar; a tutu-wearing maniac; a girl who likes speaking to severed heads; an ensemble of living dead suburbanites, and a couple of influential lions (oh how I want a lion for a sidekick now!)

All in all, this book is great fun. It delivers thrills, chills and laughs - and it makes you think too. It really needs to be turned into a movie. The writing is slick, and the story will stay with me for a long time. I absolutely can't wait to see what this author's going to come up with next.

10 people found this helpful

カステラ文庫

前知識は無しで読んでください

Reviewed in Japan on September 11, 2017

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クライブバーカーを思わせるグロテスクな世界観は読む人を選ぶかもしれませんが、間違いなくここ数年でファンタジー界で五本の指に入る傑作です

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