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

A feel-good fun read!

Charming story with nice, slightly quirky phrasing ("...the little eccentric that could."). All in all a very good vacation read.

Excellent story!

great story and so easy to listen to. loved the narrator. listened to it in one day as I went about my chores and couldn't stop listening! highly recommended.

All around great!

This was a very fun read...OK, a fun listen. The narrator was perfect for the story. The story was entertaining, and quirky, and well paced.

I want to find a book store like this! I want to go on quests with these characters. I want to live in this world.

If you're looking for fun, read this book!!!

Delightful read

This book was a delight to read. A little long and convoluted; but entertaining and fun. Somewhat lightweight--which was actually a nice change of pace from murder and mayhem novels.

Interesting and entertaining

This isn't a book I would have probably chosen on my own, so I am glad it was recommended to me. I really enjoyed it. Different from what I usually read. It is very interesting. It's a fun read! I liked it.

This was precisely what I needed!

A thoroughly enjoyable production: narration, direction, production value, and the story. Definitely fun, thought provoking, adventurous, light, maybe a tiny dash of too-perfect-plot but I certainly haven't written a book, so why not just enjoy ? It was a perfect read for after the incredibly sad, "The Worst Hard Time."
meaningful (?) reads.
Today is Jan 24 so Happy National Readathon Day!

Entertaining. A page turner, A mystery, Quirky.

What made the experience of listening to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore the most enjoyable?
I liked his descriptions of people. He brought them to life. I liked the discussions of current technology. I'm an amateur tech person even though I'm nearer 80 than 70. Can Google really do all that stuff? AND driverless cars. It's a new world.

What did you like best about this story?
I was a journalism major a half century ago. I once worked in a newspaper with a flatbed press. I have hand set type. The author brings together the publishing world of the 16th century and the 21st century in a fun way,.

What about Ari Fliakos’s performance did you like?
There are different voices for different characters. Great fun.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were lots of moments that I just had to hear the next chapter.

Any additional comments?
I rarely listen to fiction-except very old classics. I bumbled into this one--it was probably one of those two for one sales, And I loved it. I have recommended it to several people, I was so taken in that I Googled the name of a company that turned out to be part of the author's fantasy. Apparently a lot of the readers did just what I did. The author drew me into his created world and convinced me it was real.

Very.... Googly

It was refreshingly up to date with modern technologies and it was pleasant that the author didn't try to obscure the involved companies. Lots of fun.

Can EVERY book be this book?

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

I have recommended it to many people already. It is charming and funny and so clever. I love all the little pop culture references and the pacing of the book. It's engaging and never boring and is so different and unique that you can't help but love it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's really difficult... of course I love Clay and Penumbra and Kat, but I have to say that I really loved Neel too. He's my favorite... probably.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene in the reading room when Clay is all alone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The amphitheater scene at Google. Heart. Broken.

Any additional comments?

Give this book a chance even if it sounds like it's not your thing. It's so smart and fun and different, it will charm you and win you over.

Fun, light-hearted; one of my favorites

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

I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. The plot is a bit fantastical but the passion and excitement in the storytelling and the enthusiasm of the characters involved overcomes any immersion issues.

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

I honestly don't have any other books to compare it to and that originality is one of the book's most redeeming values.

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

His vocal changes for each character were bright and clear. He added a level of tone and shading to the characters that I could never have hoped to by just reading the book. His voice for Mr. Penumbra was perfect.

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

I tend to listen to audiobooks as I commute to and from work and the sign of a good audiobook is one where I continue listening for 10-15 minutes after I arrive at my destination. That happened almost every time I listened to this book. So, if I had infinite time, I would have loved to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I'm a software developer by trade, so I have a pretty good handle on a lot of the technical details in this book. My best advice for anyone like me who understands the technology they talk about is to to just let go and try not to pick it apart. This story is a wonderful, optimistic look at the possibilities of the human race's technological advancement and if you spend too much time focusing on inaccuracies you'll miss the point and won't enjoy the story as much.