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

An amazing adventure!

(Warning: Don't read this book if you have an aversion to gore...there is a healthy dose throughout.)
Wow...this book was captivating! It's one that I will think of often for the rest of my life.
The ending left open the possibility of a sequel, and I would love to see maybe a series of shorter length adventures (as opposed to something of the same magnitude as this one) involving the trio of characters from the end of the book (and maybe reviving some of the others).
Hillary Huber did an outstanding job with the range of character's voices...I could always tell who was speaking. And she nailed everyone's personalities, too.
Kudos and thank you, Scott Hawkins!

Fantastic read. Inventive, Dark, and Snarky

What did you love best about Library at Mount Char?

Hawkins creates a universe paralleling our own that is full of interesting characters and powers that allow the story to veer in and out of normative reality subtly and not so subtly.

What other book might you compare Library at Mount Char to and why?

This is a hard book to compare as it is pretty original. Maybe Neal Stephenson meets Stephen King

What about Hillary Huber’s performance did you like?

Hillary was spot on in accents, timing, and appropriate affectations

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

Absolutely

Any additional comments?

This is a title worth giving a try

The weirdest book I've ever listened to

The title says it all. This was a super strange story, not at ALL what I was expecting based on the synopsis. There were pacing issues, and the disjointed nature of the story made it feel strange. However, I enjoyed it in the end - I think. I'm still pondering it, a week later. I'm not a fan of the rushed ending, but overall, 4 stars.

Worth a second listen.

This book requires your full attention to detail to get the mist out of it, I listened to it a second time and enjoyed it more catching details I'd missed.

The top 1% can make a difference

I don't know what to say so it is obvious that this review is real. I don't write many reviews. I have 100's of Audio Books in my library. I have listened to 1/2-2/3 of them, mostly with casual interest and minimal impact. This book really defies the genres. It is classified as horror, but I did not find it horrific. There is a purpose for the gore in the development of the characters. In that development, personalities and relationships are explored in a thought-provoking manner. All of this accentuated against an extraordinary setting. All of it is stimulating. This book is the 1 out of 100 which matters to me. Fantastical.