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

Current and Old

A very interesting adventure for those of us who love books. A mystery with a creative mixture of current technology and precious dusty old archives. An entertaining story with an anti-climatic ending, but still worth the journey.

only for some

a story for the computer obsessed who don't think real books are valid any longer.

Practically Perfect in Every Way

If you could sum up Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore in three words, what would they be?

awesome. perfect. amazing.

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

the google part. the part where clay snuck into the basement. the first time he met kat. ok. thats three.

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

clay. i found ari fliakos' voice fit the part of clay so perfectly.oh and mr. penumbra of course.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

i laughed a few times. but more often i just found myself smiling.

Any additional comments?

i think that this is a perfect book. i think there is something for everyone in this book. it's brainy but not pretentious, magical without magic, mysterious, thrilling...it's just great.

Widely entertaining and incredibly smart

I loved reading this book! It's definitely one of the most original and true statements about the resilient magic of books in light of advancing power of technology that only seems to threaten the survival of the centuries-old relationship between the reader and the written word, as well as among the fellowship of readers themselves.

Magical Journey into a World of Books

This book is great for the YA and Adult reader.

You follow Clay through this mystery into a literary society while learning some light lessons along the way. It’s a fun and light read that has a lot of the magic of books like Harry Potter.

While it is not a mind blowing read, it is a fun and quick read that is quite enjoyable for many ages.

Just the Right amount of Ridiculousness

There's just a little bit too much deification of Google in the novel, (the word "googler" is used much too much) but if you can bare past that, it's a hilarious and enjoyable read. The audio book delivery really makes the story. It's a ridiculously silly story with just the right amount of absurdity and plausibility that will keep you listening till the end. The story is based largely around the San Francisco area, and natives will enjoy all the funny references to the local area and general tech life culture.

Excellant

He took a bunch of loose associations and, in a moment of inspiration, was able to bring them together in his head. Great read

Magical

A wonderful book that reminds us all the magic of reading , small bookstores , and the keys to an adventure

Very enjoyable and current mystery for booklovers

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

,Mr Prenumbra's is a well written and engaging story with just enough of the right elements/

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

A memorable scene was when Clay enters the book store for the first time looking for a job.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when the Googlers and the book cult people were at Google campus trying to crack the code.

If you could rename Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, what would you call it?

I would rename it Dan Brown's should write this well.

Reality-based Magic

I think all books are a version of The Wizard of Oz. The answers we seek are no farther than our own back yard, but they can only be discovered through friendship and hard work. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is an engaging tale that I encourage you to take.