The Library at Mount Char: A Novel

Scott Hawkins

Jun 2015 · Sold by Crown

About this ebook

“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"

Ratings and reviews

This book throws down the most extraordinary, surreal concepts with a completely straight face. It's a world of fantasy populated by people you could actually know and it's built in detail. But there's no pedantic nailing-down of those details, just a slow, satisfying process of revelation, expansion and explanation. The otherness of the Librarians is occasionally hilarious up next to mundane aspects of the human world that they have no frame of reference for. And some of the "normal" humans have a capacity for godlike acts that shape the plot just as significantly as the Librarians, which is impressive considering they are the keepers of all the knowledge in our universe. This book was incredible and I loved it. I hope to see more like it in a genre that continues to be redefined by wildly creative authors.

The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins, is a fabulous fantasy/science fiction novel I didn't want to put down. Hawkins and I have similar backgrounds (grew up in South Carolina, currently living in Atlanta, roughly same generation), so I'm ridiculously jealous that he knocked it out of the park on his fiction debut. (Of course, my inability to write in anything other than legalese probably has something to do with my comparative lack of success.) I wish I could visit the world of Father's Library, with its twelve "catalogs" on every conceivable subject from cooking to murder, although I would not want to go through the training regimen imposed on his twelve apprentices. I particularly liked how Hawkins waited almost until the end of the book to tell us the true events of Adoption Day, as well as the way he conveyed that information through Carolyn's eyes; no boring exposition here! Hawkins's Goodreads author page indicates that he is currently working on a new novel, the Twitter description of which is "Mike Hammer (or some noir detective) investigates a school shooting that may have been perpetrated by Peter Pan." I'll be the first in line at the bookstore when it comes out. I received a free copy of The Library at Mount Char from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A most impressive work. I was left wanting to know so much more about the primary, secondary, and tertiary characters and their story arcs, both past and present. As large as this story was in scope, I also appreciated the author's restraint and respect for his reader's imagination as he built the characters who forged his story. I will actively seek out more works by him in the future and continue to hope that crumbs of the other librarians' backstories appear here and there.

About the author

SCOTT HAWKINS lives in Atlanta with his wife and a large pack of foster dogs.  When not writing he enjoys woodwork, cooking long and impractical recipes, and playing fetch with his dogs.  He works as a computer programmer.  The Library at Mount Char is his first novel.