Sometimes a book/series comes along that pushes all your buttons in just the right way. THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY by Genevieve Cogman is one of those. I’m so excited that the critics agree! I’m honestly struggling a bit here for an introduction that will do the work justice. It’s like, what do you say to the book that has everything? Hmm, maybe I just let the characters speak for themselves.
Genevieve has kindly provided us with a short dialogue between her main characters, just to give you a taste. (And read on for cover copy and fantastic quotes. The book is getting quote the buzz. Right now out in the UK and elsewhere, I’ll keep you updated on when it comes to the US.)
A peek behind the curtains…
IRENE: There have been some questions about what I actually have on my own bookshelves. I’m afraid that the answer is very prosaic. When I actually got lodgings in Vale’s world, I started assembling books that would be useful. Necessary, even. Dictionaries, grammars, atlases, encyclopedias, catalogues from rare book collections…
KAI: (emerging with an armful of books) Irene, you won’t believe this! Dumas actually completed The Knight of Saint-Hermine in this world! And there are sequels!
IRENE: (interested) Oh, excellent! (she remembers the interview) That is, as you can see, we’re also working on establishing what books are unique to this world, since even if the Library hasn’t requested them yet, they may be called for in the future. And of course, other Librarians like to fill their own collections. We do each other favours.
KAI: Is that why you were looking for the entire set of Hergé Tintin books?
IRENE: Exactly.
KAI: Why are they in your bedroom?
IRENE: I need to check them first. Anyhow, what I was going on to say is that since this world doesn’t have an internet –
KAI: Or cybernet, or Mesh, or whatever you call it –
IRENE: We have to resort to encyclopedias quite a lot when researching things. Authors, locations, history, whatever. That is one thing I do regret about living here – no convenient online mass communications.
KAI: Right. I still think there has to be some way we can capitalise on that, you know. Work out a way to handle the demonic possession, bring in mass communications, become incredibly wealthy –
IRENE: And incredibly public and obvious. No.
KAI: Shell companies and false identities, Irene. Everyone’s doing it. It’s the in thing.
IRENE: (forcibly changing the subject) What are the other books you’ve got there?
KAI: Mostly poetry, but I did find a catalogue for the upcoming auction at Lord Cymbris’ estate.
IRENE: Is the local À Rebours listed in it? The Huysmans? I’ve had a request for that.
KAI: Yes, but they haven’t listed a price, so it’s going to be expensive.
IRENE: (thoughtfully) We should probably attend, just to see who picks it up.
KAI: Right. So we’ll want maps of the estate, a full list of collectors attending the sale, check with Vale about whoever the purchaser was in case he’s got relevant information, and –
IRENE: Wait a moment. Let me check my calendar. That’s the same day as the jumble sale at the Starry Wisdom Cathedral at Ely. Damn. I knew there was something I should be remembering.
KAI: Let’s toss for it. I call heads.
IRENE: Let’s be practical about this. The auction’s the one with the book that we actually want, the jumble sale’s just speculative. It’s safer if we both attend the auction.
KAI: Safer for who, exactly?
IRENE: Naming no names, but would you or Vale know anything about the fire at the Southend Shelter last week, and the reports of sea monsters?
KAI: (pauses) That was my night off. We agreed not to ask questions about each others’ nights off.
IRENE: So we did. But we’re both going to be attending that auction.
KAI: Can I at least wear a decent suit?
IRENE: Of course.
KAI: And dance at the dinner afterwards?
IRENE: Don’t push your luck.
____________
Cover Copy:
Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently…
Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.
Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene’s new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.
Soon, she’s up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.
Quotes:
“Cogman conjures visuals that scream to be brought to life by ILM and brought to the masses who – for reasons unfathomable – bypass the book stores. Get in early and make sure you get on the I-read-the-book-before-it-was-a-movie side of the fence, you know how us readers like to be smug…” —GEEKChocolate
“The Invisible Library” is one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year.” —Upcoming 4.me
“The Invisible Library is great fun…a total geek-out for bibliophiles.”—PopVerse
“An involving, thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will bring the reader back for more.” —Sci-Fi Bulletin
“The Invisible Library is an interesting mix; Sapphire and Steel meets The Unseen University by way of The Parasol Protectorate, which makes it a thoroughly entertaining mis-match and great fantasy romp.” —Starburst Magazine
“THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY is everything I could ever want out of a book” —Fantasy Book Review
“The Invisible Library is a great start of the new series, inventive and highly addicted.” —Book Plank
“Holy WOW, this is quite possibly my favourite new book of the year! Seriously, it’s kicking off an an amazingly unique series, and I just well and truly loved it!” —Reality’s a Bore
“I loved The Invisible Library and the world Cogman has created in her debut. This book is just an amazingly fun read… With The Invisible Library Cogman has set the bar high for 2015 debuts, for pure fun, enjoyment and zest for life if nothing else.” —Fantastical Librarian
“Genevieve Cogman offers an addictive start to a new series…if you’re a fan of the likes of Doctor Who, Fringe or The Librarians, or in fact, just fun urban fantasy in general, you won’t want to miss this.” —The Fictional Hangout
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