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 Book About the Importance of Books

Actual score 3.5. I couldn't help but be charmed by the character of Mr. Penumbra and his tall, tall bookstore, but the technology angle wasn't my favorite. Although, I did appreciate the idea that the "old" and the "new" should co-exist and do, ultimately, complement each other.

Thinks it's deeper than it is

This is actually a pretty standard story. It *is* interesting, but it falls flat a lot. It sort of feels like Dan Brown, where the fantasy isn't really, which was heartily disappointing. You do always want to know what happens next, so that's good. the narrator is mostly good, nothing to write home about, nothing to complain about. One last quibble with the book is I really couldn't get behind the romantic subplot.

Forgettable

I enjoyed the premise of this book . . . bookstores and mysteries and hapless characters bending the rules and discovering secrets . . . all good stuff. But it read like juvenalia to me: the characters and their concerns and what they said to one another didn't rise to the level of the surrounding premise. Too little, it seemed, was at stake, and the children solving the mystery and challenging the old order seemed to have nothing to offer in exchange of similar import . . .

Old timey bookstore filled with mystery w/o Blood

I loved this story, historic, fun, whimsical with an old timey bookstore without many patrons run throughout the night. The story leads our hero back and forth from the world of ancient book clubs trying to decipher immortality to Googlers basically trying for the same outcome. There's no bodies but plenty of non-violent thrills. A pleasure to hear.

A Fun and Unique Listen!

I always find it hard to write a review for a book I really loved because I can't find the right words to describe my listening experience, but suffice it to say I really enjoyed this book and I have already suggested it to a friend.
Some of the reviews warned that this book was a little too "tech-y" but I didn't think it was beyond anyone's comprehension. When it came down to things like that I didn't try to understand every little piece but instead simply let myself be amazed by what we can do with technology now.
At heart, this is a fun novel about an adventure to uncover the secrets of an ages-old underground society. This was definitely the fastest I ever listened to an audiobook because I couldn't wait to hear how it ended. I was pleasantly surprised by Ari Fliakos. I didn't think I was going to like his narration that much, but I think his range of voices was fantastic and I would never hesitate to buy a book narrated by him.

Fun Escape

First off, I simply love books about books - and this is one of the best I've read in a while. The characters are quirky enough to be interesting without being unbelievable or off-putting.The story propelled me towards the end, which I was reluctant to reach - always a good sign, in my opinion. It's not a difficult listen - you can get distracted in the middle of chapter three and still know what's going on. Mostly, it was fun. I even downloaded it for my nine-year-old son - also the sign of a good book.

Good-ish

This book was cute, funny even. But it lacked a soul and a reason to really empathize with the protagonist's mission. The narration was excellent, however.

Really fun and unexpected

Any additional comments?

It's not often that I pick up a book and have no idea where the story is going. It ended up in my library based on a sale and high praise from some reviewers that I follow, but it was not at all what I expected (and that was a good thing).

I had gone in expecting some sort of sword-and-sorcery or Merlin-in-Manhattan thing. If it had been, it would probably have been entertaining. The author could have easily gone there with very little work. However, it turned out to be something different and very intriguing. You'll find yourself looking at those little mom-and-pop bookshops in an entirely different light after reading this.

I won't post any spoilers or specifics, but I will say that the story is entirely plausible, well constructed, highly engaging and (to the best of my knowledge) unlike any other. It reads like a good mystery/adventure and hints at sci-fi/fantasy without actually crossing over.

I didn't initially take to Ari Fliakos's performance. It just seemed unremarkable. However, by the second or third chapter, I was sold. Of course, I was just coming off a Wil Wheaton narration, so it just may have been the contrast in styles that put me off.

Good book

Not my normal type of genre but based on reviews and when it was in an audible sale I decided to purchase it. I have had it in my library for quite sometime. It was very entertaining. I really liked the narrator. The narrator I think made the book much more enjoyable. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first but it really was a good listen. Great cast of characters. Interesting view of new technology and OK that is old knowledge.

review

excellent writing, but too much Google worship. with a listen, it's sort but very fun