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

great

absolutely amazing but I ask this question should we listen to a book about books

Clever story

What a clever story. A quick novel of fantasy. This book could have been stretched to separate books because you reach 3 small climaxes, but instead it is woven together quickly and brilliantly!

Disappointed listen after reading other reviews!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe it is me but I am an avid reader and audio listener and didn't really find this story compelling or interesting. Most of the stories I choose to read,I really enjoy. Not this time. I like to complete what I begin but was not looking forward to listening to this story in the least. The narrator was fine. It was really the substance of the book!

Have you listened to any of Ari Fliakos’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Never heard him before.

Was Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore worth the listening time?

No.

"My boy, how original."

Inside you'll find a plethora of interesting characters. It will move you from feelings of uneasiness to many enjoyable moments. This is what most of us are looking for; a good story told by a good narrator.

Really fun

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

A great yarn

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

The scanning of the codex vitae

What about Ari Fliakos’s performance did you like?

He voices nicely

If you could take any character from Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Hmm...

Any additional comments?

Not that I can think of. I liked it so much tht I sent a copy to my wierd brother-in-law

Wandering Adventure

Enjoyed the journey. Thank you. Dan Brown without the Catholic bashing meets National
Treasure meets Google in a coffee shop.

Enchantingly diverse

Would you consider the audio edition of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore to be better than the print version?

Good narration always enhances a story. And this was good!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was so intrigued by the story telling. The mystery was gravy.

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

The "fuzzy knit cap". Stay tuned, you'll see.

Who was the most memorable character of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and why?

They were all cool, from the secret society to the googling techies.

Any additional comments?

A line from the book:
“I've never listened to an audiobook before, and I have to say it's a totally different experience. When you read a book, the story definitely takes place in your head. When you listen, it seems to happen in a little cloud all around it, like a fuzzy knit cap pulled down over your eyes”

Thank you, Mr. Sloan, for giving me that description. Now every time I listen to a book I will be pulling down that fuzzy knit cap.

I really enjoyed this book. It was kind of a mystery, kind of a quest. There were interesting colorful characters mixed with average stereotypical contemporary clichés. There were really old mysterious tomes on dusty shelves in the same room with internet code and 3D rendering. The language was rich with the love and description of books, and casual and flippant with internet/computer references.

“He has the strangest expression on his face- the emotional equivalent of 404 PAGE NOT FOUND.”

The story takes place in the Google-infused city of San Francisco, but is predominantly set in the mysterious 24 hour book store, complete with tinkling bell on the entry door, bookshelves so high up you need a ladder to get to them, and hardly any customers.
There are conversations regarding 15th century printing and typeface mixed with which font comes standard on a Mac.

I found these references intriguing enough to google them, and they were relatively close to historically accurate (Names were slightly changed). The ironic fact that I googled while reading this book was not lost on me.
The word "googlers" was in this book so many times I lost count (with one character pronouncing it "goo-ga-lers"). They were a contemporary, forward thinking group dedicated to internet development, contrasted by the tome worshipping, "cave" dwelling, black robe wearing cult.

Overall this was really fun to read. It was full of hints of fantasy, secret societies, mysterious characters, secret codes and numerous techno-one-liners.

“I sit up straight and do the first thing a person is supposed to do in an emergency, which is send a text message.”

“Kat bought a New York Times but couldn’t figure out how to operate it, so now she’s fiddling with her phone.

Fun. Recommended.

A Book-lovers's Book For Sure

Would you consider the audio edition of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version but certainly will and I am sure I will love it as much as the audio-book version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator is so charming, so committed to real books, real people, real mysteries (both with a capital M and otherwise) and the value of real friends that I find him utterly compelling.

Have you listened to any of Ari Fliakos’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never heard Mr. Fliakos but will certainly put him on my list of favorite readers. He has a very natural delivery and is extremely easy to listen to. He is also very good at becoming other characters without being gimmicky in doing so.

Who was the most memorable character of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and why?

Mr. Penumbra certainly but his bookstore is a character in and of itself. I can close my eyes and see it so clearly. It has a life of its own as do the characters who inhabit it. It is so integral to the story that it is indeed a character.

Any additional comments?

This book was on my wish list for over a year. I am so glad I moved it from there to my library. This is a book for people who love books of every type - ebooks, real paper books, audio books and whatever will be coming in the future of the written word. Don't wait a minute to get this book and prepare to be charmed, mesmerized, perplexed and in the end warmed by the true message in The Codex. I won't tell you what that is because I know you will love the unveiling of the answer because you are indeed a lover of books.

couldn't wait to hear the next part

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

The performance was great. The characters were well enough developed to give them depth, but not so well developed to prevent imagination.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr. Penumbra. He was an innocent who had dreams. They did not always work out, but he kept dreaming.

Which scene was your favorite?

When clay was hiding in the reading room.

Who was the most memorable character of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and why?

Corvina - He was not really a villian although that was his role. He cared for Penumbre as much as for the Society

Any additional comments?

The book started out slow, but soon became something I couldn't wait to get back to.

Pure Delight

I wanted to be part of this story with it's quirky characters and oddly charming blend of mysticism and computer technology. It was almost believable but the fantasy of it was charming.