Library at Mount Char

De: Scott Hawkins

Narrado por: Hillary Huber

Carolyn's not so different from the other human beings around her. She's sure of it. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. She even remembers what clothes are for. After all, she was a normal American herself once. That was a long time ago, of course - before the time she calls "adoption day", when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.

Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible. In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power. Sometimes they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God. Now Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library - and with it power over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her. But can Carolyn win? She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price - because in becoming a god, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.

©2015 Scott Hawkins. Recorded by arrangement with Crown, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Not Your Local Library

I bought this book before leaving for vacation. I had a six hour flight looming before me and I wanted something interesting to read/listen to and to help pass the time. This definitely held my interest and kept me reading/listening throughout the flight.

This is one of those books that you read and then continue to think about long after you have closed the book or shut off the audio. I am still thinking about it and still getting things straight in my head. I enjoyed the book but at the same time, I felt like the first half of the book was totally different from the second half of the book. It almost felt like two authors got together, decided on a concept, each wrote their half of the book and then put them together and called it a novel. The girl we meet at the beginning and then that same girl at the end of the book are light years apart. I must admit that threw me a little as it didn't show her growth and progression as much as just saying this is how it started and boom......here is reality now.

The idea behind the book was intriguing and I am still having internal conversations with myself over the meaning and possibilities that the story suggests. I would recommend this book but beware there are several squeamish inducing things along the way and death and dying is prevalent. If you like books that are not cookie-cutter, then this is a good place to start. I will follow this author to see if there are additional non-cookie-cutter books to make me think.

Still Thinking About This Book

If you could sum up Library at Mount Char in three words, what would they be?

Philosophical, fast-paced, horror.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Carolyn is my favorite, probably because most of the novel is told through her perspective. It's very interesting that so much is from her POV and yet there is still a lot about her that is a mystery to the reader. In some ways this book is a character study of a very disturbed person, that becomes weirdly relatable by the end of the novel. Steve was also a great character, as someone who is more grounded in normal reality, he provides a "way in" to parts of the story. Erwin is just the best. He provides some needed (dark) comic relief throughout the novel.

What about Hillary Huber’s performance did you like?

She did a good job differentiating character voices. She also did some very good subtle work with tone and inflection when reading the different character's thoughts.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I had a tough time putting this down and ended up listening to it over four nights.

Any additional comments?

The Library at Mount Char is a story that grows larger the deeper you get into it. As events speed up, bigger questions get asked. I really was engaged with this aspect of the book, that it started as sort of a microcosm of Carolyn's character, and ended up speculating on much grander themes. I think it's fair to say that The Library asks more questions than it seeks to answer. Certainly, I think the author's main goal was to entertain, and the novel does not take itself too seriously. I really enjoyed mulling over the various philosophical problems presented on my own terms, rather than being spoon-fed an agenda. I simply loved the plot of this story. I am firmly a fan of horror, action, and suspense. Make no mistake, this is a graphically violent book. If that's not your cup of tea, then perhaps leave this one alone. If thrilling action and intense horror sound like a good time to you, then by all means listen to this book. I found the narrative to be very fast-paced and engaging. There are plenty of outlandish sets and characters that keep everything moving very quickly! I would definitely read more from this author.

Hard to describe but really good

It isn't really science fiction, so I suppose it is fantasy. Except there aren't really any creatures ... well, maybe a couple but they are quite minor. I suppose I could say that it is an extraordinary story about ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Definitely an original take on the nature of reality. Hard to say much more without giving away too much. Really clever story and great narration too.

Weird but wow!

This is hands down the weirdest, goriest and most original book I've ever read.

When you think you understand where the story is going, the author completely subverts your expectations over and over.

includes conversations with lions, homicidal maniacs in tutus, musings on the nature of God, nuclear war, and timeless love.

takes some time to get into but it's worth hanging in there for the ending!

Great book. New ideas finally

I have over 600 audible books. I’m always looking for something different. Well, this is it. The world building was very detailed and the book thoroughly enjoyable.

Some reviews complain about the brutal nature of the book but it’s necessary to build the character. Other reviewers complain about the length of the book and the editing but everything is needed to obtain just the right tone for the main character. Nothing could have been taken out. It all fits together nicely.

This was one of the better books I’ve read lately. Give it a try. Have patience. All of the loose ends are tied neatly in the end

Impressively Original and Brilliantly Rendered

Would you listen to Library at Mount Char again? Why?

No because I want to listen to as many books as I can. But I will remember this one regardless and probably for a long time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Library at Mount Char?

This is one of the most outstandingly original novels I have read or listened to in years and I've read and listened to hundreds of books in a wide variety of (mostly fiction) genres. The breadth of creative narrative in this story is like discovering The Golden Compass or Slaughterhouse Five. And so there are enough unique, startling, non-derivitive and mind-boggling moments in this book to fill a library of books with one spectacular moment each. I guess it would just be too hard to say.

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

Hillary Huber is my new audiobook hero!!! This performance is flawless and her characters were among the most vivid I've ever experienced as a decades long listener. By that, I found that I could see more of her characters more vividly in my mind (most especially the males, interestingly enough) than I usually consciously do even during the finest audiobooks. I always get caught up in superb acting, insightful and nuanced dialogue, skilled description and action but the actual appearance of characters in my mind as I'm hearing them is a rare and delightful occurance, something that comes unbidden and is discovered only after the fact. And this was my first time listening to Ms. Huber. I believe it's the most riveting performance by a female narrator for me since Mare Winningham's reading of Stephen King's LISEY'S STORY. And that was a doozy!!

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

Yes. Oh yes. Aw, yes.It also made me think, wince, drive too slow, talk back to my dashboard, jaw drop and possibly, once, sneeze but that may have been a coincidence.

Any additional comments?

Well, I'll certainly forge ahead and look for more compelling novels narrated by HH. I'll also see what else this author has written and look forward to following him around. And I suspect I need to start listening to more female narrators even though I'm naturally drawn to male protagonists and male writers. But this reminded me of how limiting that is. And how eventually it would be like reading only half the books there are. So bravo.

Perhaps my favorite book ever.

I chances upon this book after reading another author's favorite books.

I was not prepared. The Library at Mount Char is the most bonkers, insane, and horrifically terrible yet greatest book I can remember reading in a long time.

It's a black comedy with perhaps the most original fantasy mythology I've ever read. I've never been hooked by page two of a book before. Normally, I know that I'll need to get a chapter or two in before the characters hook me, but that didn't happen with this book.

It's not going to be for everyone. The extreme violence will put off some. The talking animals will chase off others. And still more will be frustrated by a time line that jumps back and forth between past, present, and future. But I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something just a bit different.

Blood-soaked, brutal and brilliant

On the one hand, the violence led me to put the book down, but the inventive story led me to pick it up again to see what happened next. It is a brutal, vivid tale that takes you to multiple unexpected places. Clever and witty as it twists in on itself.

This is my all-time favorite book.

Amazing story with a hilarious voice. the reader did a good job as well. Scott Hawkins is a great writer.

Amazing writing, performance, story, character, MUST READ.

No synopsis could prepare you for this work; it would only do it a disservice to try and describe it. Must read, I'm going to have to read it again once I've thought it over. Truly one of a kind!