The Library at Mount Char

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Nothing wrong with that- we are all fans for a reason, and sometimes opening a high fantasy book with elves, dwarves and knights set in medieval europe with a farmboy for a main character is comforting; like eating a favourite meal. 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. Carolyn jerked her thumb at the couple behind her. "These are Peter and Alicia. They don't speak English. Not much anyway."

his reply was equally classic: "Imagine a quilt. If you turn it over, all you can see are a mess of colors that make no sense and go nowhere. But the top side is God's side. And there you can see a beautiful pattern. That's God's plan. We don't see its beauty, but it is there, guiding us." Let’s say you’ve experienced something weird that is difficult to articulate, but you really enjoyed it. So, you want to recommend it to people because you think they’ll dig it. But, the more you try to explain it and what you liked about it, the less likely they are to want to give it a shot, because it really is weird. And violent. And graphic. And mind-bendy. And kind of gross. And perplexing. And unusual. And sometimes a little bit funny. And sometimes a little bit dark. And sometimes a little confusing. And even a little non-sensical. And, so, when you describe it, people might be like, “Whoa, easy there, Tiger—I’m not into things that are simultaneously weird and violent and graphic and mind-bendy and gross and perplexing and unusual and a little bit funny and a little bit dark and a little confusing and a little non-sensical. I prefer cats, though whether they’re alive or dead, I don’t care.” 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

Reading the blurb I thought I was in for some sort of urban fantasy of the angels + demons, werewolves + vampires sort that often has a young woman in leathers on the cover showing an inch of midriff. An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences." ��� Boston Globe

So yes, a very imaginative, very well written, intriguing, exciting, brutal, funny book that you should definitely give a go.

All Scott Hawkins Reviews

Possibly due to growing up with Doctor Who, possibly due to just me being a fairly eclectic individual, I’ve never cared too much about genre boundaries. Oh, there are times I might fancy a change of setting, and might swap modern day horror for dystopia, or exchange some traditional space sf for a bit of high fantasy, but that is just another destination for my literary Tardis and sooner or later I know I’ll be setting the randomiser and be off somewhen else. Naturally, this also means that I have a distinct fondness for books which don’t fit easily into one category or another. 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. because the book takes some unexpected turns. so many, in fact, that i'm not really sure how to review it without treading into spoiler territory. Jesus," he said. "Was there an accident?" His voice was warm with concern—the real kind, not the predator's fake that the last man had tried. She heard this and knew the old man was seeing her as a father might see his daughter. She relaxed a little.