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

Ari Fliakos, where have you been all my life?

The key to a good audiobook is not only must the story be good, but the narrator must make you want to keep listening. A bad narrator can destroy a good book, and a good narrator can do wonders for a mediocre book. In this case, we have the rare combination of a pretty good book and an incredibly good narrator. I probably would have liked the book okay if I read it, but not as much as I enjoyed having Ari F. read it to me. The plot of the book was relatively intriguing, and the characters interesting, but it really was the narration that brought it to life. All in all, this was one of the best audiobooks I've listened to so far this year (and I listen to a lot).

Feed Your Inner Child

Like Ready Player One before it, this novel for grown-ups (presumably) reads like YA. This is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the Open Source coterie, with Google standing in for Hogwart's. A fun and enjoyable audiobook.

A wonderful, heartwarming story

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

The wonderful cast of interesting characters and the splendidly modern (and geeky) story. Also, Ari Flakos was fantastic. The characters that he brings to life are just brilliant.

What did you like best about this story?

I was really really sad when the story ended as I felt like I was leaving a group of friends behind.

Fabulous!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Interesting, intriguing and so creative - well done Robin Sloan! Ari Fliakos' performance was incredible - just the right touch - really added to the experience - thank you.

Great unique story.

It's hard to explain this story. The plot itself is a puzzle as the characters try to solve a complex puzzle. Great characters and the voice the story is told in really works. The narrator does a nice job differentiating the voices.

One of the most enjoyable listens I've had!

This is a really quirky novel, and very enjoyable. The narration was excellent, the characters charming, and the details delightful.

Inventive!

What an inventive author! It had mysteries and puzzles, a litte romance, a quest, and fascinating perspectives on old people who love books and the Google generation. I thoroughly enjoyed this slim novel and will read more of Sloan's books.

Excellent Story, Well Told

This story is very interesting to listen to. The narrator does an excellent job of capturing most of the characters. The story itself is well written and the pacing is good.

If you're interested in technology, then this story will speak to you directly. If not, the mystery itself may interest you.

The only weakness to this tale is the very end. I don't want to give anything away, but it feels like the author is in a bit too much of a rush to wrap everything up. Even so, the ending is still satisfying.

Personally, I group this book with Ready Player One. That isn't because they are exactly the same, but the mystery and focus on technology means if you like one you will probably like the other. Plus Ready Player One is narrated by Wil Wheaton. What's not to like?

Engaging story with great narrator

This is a surprisingly good story, written well with superb narration. I particularly enjoyed how contemporary Google is brought into the storyline of a 500 year old book cult.

Great Book!

This is a book that keeps you guessing until the end. The narration is just the right speed and with great characterization.

I will definitely look for more books by this author and this narrator.