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

Cute story and loved the narrator!

Really enjoyed this quirky little story and even have my teenagers reading it now. It's witty and informative and even nostalgic. It has so many elements in it- and something for everyone. The narrator really made it worthwhile for me- his voice has just the right tone for each different character he presents. And I Iike the author's epilogue at the end, which sums up the answers to "what next?"

Three out of five stars.

This book gets a solid three stars- which is a great review from me, because I have to really love a book to give it 5, which means that most of the books I really like receive 4 stars, and everything else is 3. Unless it's real bad.

The story was unique, although a few things seemed unbelievable, such as the fact that the narrator's job in the 24-hr Bookstore required him to work the night shift EVERY night of the week....Who does that, willingly?

Anyway, the characters were interesting and quirky, and I enjoyed the performance.

Good read.

Clever and engaging story that brings together old and new. Likeable, eccentric characters; set in SF and Silicon Valley; lots of twists and turns. Good fun.

Funny and endearing narrator

Both the story's fictional narrator and the actual audio narrator are what make this story so enjoyable for me. Clay's life observations of a tech nerd's jobless experience in the uber successful tech mecca of San Francisco were laugh aloud funny as presented by the Ari Fliakos. His dry comedic beats are perfect. He is funny because he is not trying to be.

The mysterious story...I did not enjoy quite as much. It's interesting enough, but I felt plot points consistently arrived rather late. I may not have finished if I hadn't liked the main characters observations so much.

I really, really, liked this book!

This book is a treat! I found it highly entertaining, and I must say I was surprised at the ending.

What a fun read!

Would you listen to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore again? Why?

Yes I would. It was such fun listening to it because the characters were interesting. The Juxtaposition of the 500 year old puzzle with current puzzle solving abilities was a very interesting way to intrigue me. The current dilemma between books and technology remains unsolced..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clay Jannon is my favorite character because he is constantly seeking out answers some of which are the current battle between digitized material or physical books. In order to get answers he gathers a team around him who each has specific skills to help him find answers. It's funny and thought provoking at the same time.

Which scene was your favorite?

The trips around the Google campus were wonderful. The Templar reading room way down beneath NYC was awesome. Hard to say which is my favorite.

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

Without giving a spoiler the relationship between Clay and Kat clearly depicts the friendship and love and relationship intricacies.

Any additional comments?

I had to keep reading and reading due to the suspenseful and fast paced dialogue.

For book lovers and story lovers.

Highly recommended book!!!! For those of you that like a great story with great narration, this is your book. A book about a mystery set in a bookstore and in a book.

Fun surprise

Great listen for anyone who lives in the Bay Area and enjoys mysteries with humor

Great book. Even better narrator!

Other people have described the book and I'll add my own two cents in a bit, but first: This is definitely an Audible gem. Ari Fliakos' narration really makes the characters come alive and brings out plot in a way I just didn't get from the printed word (which I read immediately afterwards). Ironically, a character in the book describes his own interaction with a (fictional) audiobook in similar words!

The novel itself is a delightful mystery/adventure about the intersection of books, people, technology, typography, the quest for immortality and much more. What really stands out to me, however, is that this entertaining, thought-provoking novel doesn't use violence or cruelty (or even cynicism) to advance its plot. It's like a breath of fresh air. Can you think of another book you've read that qualifies? So here's to "cruelty-free" fiction. Listen to it and enjoy!

Very good book, uncertain print or audio

What made the experience of listening to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore the most enjoyable?

Very good story. Very good narration voice.

Any additional comments?

Several areas of the audio book were not in the actual printed book. I was following along in my Kindle App and suddenly the audio version is yet reading but the read text was not in my Kindle book? At least 2 occasions. Likely more, as I listened without reading more than doing both.