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

fantastic surprise

Any additional comments?

This book was a pleasant surprise. It was a slow start, in which I was wondering why I bought this book to begin with, but then really hooked me. The story is believable yet still somewhat slightly bizarre. I found my self rooting for the main characters and after finishing went searching for other books written by the author.

Very enjoyable

A fun mystery that unravels with excellent pacing. Each step building upon the previous. Great performance by the Narrator.

Enjoyable Easy Listen; I like this Narrator.

I chose this based on the narrator (after listening to The Nix). Glad it turned out to be an enjoyable listen! It's nothing too heavy, but worthwhile nonetheless. Set primarily in San Francisco, it discusses books and computing trends in equal measure, with a plot that brings people of different generations and different interests together. I live near the location where Penumbra's shop is supposedly located and maybe I liked it more than others for that reason. In real life, my 18-year old son studying computer science is friends with an 80-something gem of an artist neighbor who loaned him books when he was young and discusses philosophy with him, among other things. So that part rings true, in case others doubt it!

Could quibble with some plot details, but why would one do that for a light read? Overall recommend.

Surprisingly Wonderful Read

Any additional comments?

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot and characters were interesting and the narrator did a really great job!

A Book That's Fun To (Read), Listen To!

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

It is a light easy read, with a great storyline character development, and leaves you wishing you had the next book ready to delve into. The only thing wrong with this author is that she isn't writing fast enough. Come one girl, get out the next book! We are waiting.

What other book might you compare Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore to and why?

The Prequel was also great. There is nothing I have read that quite compares to these books. She has a style of her own!

Which character – as performed by Ari Fliakos – was your favorite?

Good narration. No Favorites

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Adventure Among the Tomes!

Any additional comments?

I have about 300 audible books and this is the first I felt I had to write a review for! I loved this book and hated to have it end.

A light, satisfying listen!

I am 63. This story is able to weave together lively characters ranging from oldsters like me to dungeon and dragon, Google Twitter, kale juice/arugula salad modern types into a common cause solving a mystery. It will capture your interest and make you want to sit in your car just to keep listening. Satisfying ending. A GOOD listen.

Unexpectedly Delightful.

What did you love best about Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore?

After slogging through several non-fiction books dealing with war, torture, and the like, I was relieved to find this light-hearted book that combines a mystery/puzzler sort of book that combines history, computers, friendship and, of course, books.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore?

The solving of the puzzle, of course.

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

A credible job doing the numerous voices.

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

I listened to this book over three days, including stretches on the treadmill and during lunch at my desk.

Great read

loved it. great for listening. performer was awesome. really brought the character to life. so much inflection.

There's more to this book than at first look

This book definitely offers more than I thought it would. It's a cute, light read with a somewhat cheesy message. I could forgive some of it's more cliche moments, though because it was so fun to read.

If I had to do it over, I would read the actual paper book, not listen to it. The narrator was awful. He kept reading it as if it was written in all caps or with exclamation marks.

But if you can get past the narrator's insistent voice, it's a great little story with a lot more than meets the eye.
(Just like Penumbra's bookstore....)

A Book full of Wonder; Narrator is Excellent

This story brings those who love books and those inspired by technology together in a creative mystery that will remind the reader that our world is, and has always been, full of interesting and beautiful things - and the interesting, beautiful people who create them.