Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

A Novel

By: Robin Sloan

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life - mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore.

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the 21st century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious listener, no matter the time of day.

©2012 Robin Sloan (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Enjoyable nerdy book

The reading was wonderful. I'll listen to this narrator again. The book is fun. No regrets.

Typographical Fun and Adventure

Where does Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is very near the top of my "fun reads" list - right up there with Ready Player One.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how colorful and fun and different each of the charecters was. I liked how geeky humor was woven throughout the dialog. At one point, when the author points out an XKCD comic stuck on someone's 'fridge, I literally cheered out loud.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very much. The story was well paced and kept me wanting more. In fact, I would not be opposed to revisiting this world. That's not to say the author left this wide-open for a sequel... but anything is possible.

Any additional comments?

More Mr. Sloan, more!

Every book-lovers dream adventure!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very much so! Because the best books not only let our imagination fly and join the fun, but they give us gentle truths to take away when they are finished. This book does that in several chapters, and, of course, in the end. What a great mystery!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I stayed up waaaay too late listening. It was well worth the sleep loss. And I'm not telling "how"....you'll have to find out yourself!

What about Ari Fliakos’s performance did you like?

He captured just the right tone...a balance of of youth, skepticism, and belief. I can't imagine any Shakespearian actor doing it better.

Who was the most memorable character of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and why?

Mr. P. himself. Oh, that we could all meet someone like this once in our lives!

Any additional comments?

I look forward to the author's next book!

Completely Different

Where does Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For some odd reason, it would be near the top because I really enjoyed the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

This was completely different read for me and I enjoyed the diversion.

Amazing

So delightful- I couldn't put it down! The narration brings the characters, story and mystery to life.

Fabulous!

What made the experience of listening to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore the most enjoyable?

Ari Fliakos did a great job! I loved listening to him!

What does Ari Fliakos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved how he read this story and his voice helped me visual the characters. He really brought them to life for me!

If you could take any character from Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take Mr. Penumbra out to dinner so I could just listen to him tell me everything there is to know about life and how to live life it to the fulliest.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this book to all of my friends. It is such a wonderful read. And I tell them to subscribe to Audible.com just for Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore.

Very Entertaining

Unique characters were well drawn and described in a real life way by the narrator, Ari Fliakos. I felt as if I were right there.

Unexpected great story

A great contemporary story with I expected twists and turns. The story is original and ties in the story of books with today's MO that everything worth knowing is online.

Fun story

This was enjoyable and fun. Worth my time. It was a light break from some recent more heavy reads.

Delightful and so much fun!

I can't stop listening.. what on earth is going to happen next? This book is a delightful mix of mystery, sci-fi and bare-faced truth and I am laughing out loud in every chapter.