Libriomancer

Magic ex Libris, Book 1

By: Jim C. Hines

Narrated by: David DeVries

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg. Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.

With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic....

©2012 Jim C. Hines (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This may be Jim Hines's best work. Libriomancer is smart, silly, and deadly serious, all at the same time. It's a book about loving books. This is the magic librarian and ass-kicking dryad adventure story we’ve all been waiting for." (Seanan McGuire, The New York Times best-selling author of Discount Armageddon)

"All writers believe in the magic of books; Jim Hines has created a system where that magic becomes real, usable, and very definitely not always safe." (Tanya Huff, best-selling author of the Blood Books)

"This funny and fast-paced series opener...will be sure to surprise and entertain urban fantasy fans.... Isaac is sure to be an instant fan favorite, and the secondary characters are vivid and multidimensional." ( Publishers Weekly)

fun read

great novel it really gave me Dresden files vibes. I can't wait to eat the next one

Great book, terrible narration

I love the book. Cool idea. Neat execution. Bad narration.
Whiny voice, annoying accents, and the strangest pronunciation of automaton I've ever heard. It is not "otto-mah-tun"
Still well worth getting if you can get past the narrator. Otherwise, buy the book.

Was looking for something Dresden Files-esk

This was not quite it. But it had its own just as worthy merits, which is an even better find! The main characters are likeable, the mood is lighter than the Dresden Files, which appeals to me as I'm not looking for anything disturbing. The magic system is unique and the premise is a great mix of secret societies, historical and recognizeable fictional figures, and mystery. Loved all the great book references!

Fabulous premise

Excellent book, very entertaining, original, different. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

Fantastic!

I loved your world of magic and the mundane that has characters we all read about in school. never in my wildest dreams considered a boring old guy that invented a giant stamp machine could be such a Gandalf in distress!

Imaginative and fun

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

Yes, it was a new spin on the genre

What other book might you compare Libriomancer to and why?

Shadow of Night

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

A fun and quirky edge to characters

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Adventurous fantasy fun

Not bad

...but not really good either. Excellent premise. Things went off the rails and got really goofy by the end, though. I'm betting these get better, so I'm willing to try book two.

UGH with the voice!!!!

What did you love best about Libriomancer?

I could tell from the words (although not remotely from the way the words were spoken), that this was a good solid book. Interesting premise (although I usually find stories about "authors" and other "books" a bit lazy in a 'write what you know" category, I could live with this one) and I would have loved to have been more into the characters if at times I could even tell who was talking to whom!

When the voice acting is all you can think about in a book and you have to listen so carefully just to figure out who and what is speaking at the time, then there is an issue. I KNOW the story is good... I can tell that I could really enjoy this book... but I cant get passed the voice, which reminds me of a really tired John Hodgman. The voice cadence and natural sleepy tonal quality and lilt take you away from any action and there are technical issues that actually change the loudness of the words in mid sentence at times. Not only that, but the constant odd pronunciations are also an incredible distraction.

The book starts off with some interesting characters and action that should have been riveting, but the voice killed the momentum. There is a lot of action and backstory that I am interested in and that really takes you into the main characters life without feeling like you are starting from scratch - he has a rich history and is quite fleshed out from the start, which is a nice change from so many books.

I LOVE the sci-fi and fantasy nods and references throughout the story. Call it the big geek in me that loves all the Dr Who and HGttG that slips in and out, but it really adds to the character of the book itself as much as the actual protagonist in the book.

Im not sure the plot in the book all ties together yet (as I could not help but write this review in advance since the voice acting HAD to be addressed before I lost my mind), but I will edit the review after I get to the end to let you guys know.

I am working my way through the book, but am really hoping that the next book in the series will have a different voice... otherwise Ill just get the paper version. Yes, it makes that much of a difference.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Smudge :)

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David DeVries?

Anyone! No, really... Im sorry, I hate to trash him, but it was not good.

How about the all incredible Jim Marsters or Bronson Pinchot... perhaps Oliver Wyman. Somebody who can do multiple voices and who doesn't use the same lilt in every single sentence.

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

Im sure i would have been more moved by many parts.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to actually reading the book so I can really get the full effect of it.

Love the concept...hate the narrator

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

I would recommend the book, but not the audiobook. The narration is just bad, particularly the voicing of the female characters.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David DeVries?

Luke Daniels or James Marsters.

Bibliophiles Rejoice!

I recommend this to booksellers, librarians and general lovers of fantastical fiction. Have you ever wished you could pull an object out of your favorite book? Words are more magical then you can even imagine!