The God of Lost Words

By: A. J. Hackwith

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

"Hackwith's poignant, imaginative series sends readers on an amazing journey, with profound prose that will capture hearts and minds."*

To save the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, former librarian Claire and her allies may have to destroy it first.

Claire, rakish Hero, angel Rami, and muse-turned-librarian Brevity have accomplished the impossible by discovering the true nature of unwritten books. But now that the secret is out, in its quest for power Hell will be coming for every wing of the Library.

To protect the Unwritten Wing and stave off the insidious reach of Malphas, one of Hell’s most bloodthirsty generals, Claire and her friends will have to decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice to keep their vulnerable corner of the afterlife. Succeeding would mean rewriting the nature of the Library, but losing would mean obliteration. Their only chance at survival lies in outwitting Hell and writing a new chapter for the Library. Luckily, Claire and her friends know how the right story, told well, can start a revolution.

*Library Journal (starred review)

Critic reviews

"The plot of this final volume has its exciting twists, but the real payoff is Hackwith’s complex characters...The character development throughout the series, the polyamory and queer representation, and convincing fears and desires all combine to make characters that feel real, and that will earn readers’ full investment."--Booklist

"Hackwith suffuses this story with love in many forms, deep thoughts on reading, and variations on reality...It’s the perfect finish to this inventive saga."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for A.J. Hackwith and the Novels from Hells Library series

"Hackwith literally brings books to life with her layered prose, emotional scenes, slow burns, and powerful connections among found family members."--Library Journal (starred review)

“This book pulls apart what a book is, what a book could be, and gets to the soul of what it means to tell a story, all while delivering queer chemistry and intricate worldbuilding.”—Booklist (starred review)

"Powerhouse fantasy...Writing in stirring prose, Hackwith imbues her high-concept, metafictional tale with color, action, and high-flying emotion."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"It's like The Good Place meets Law & Order: Bibliophile Crime Unit. Highly recommended. This book is so much fun, and you should be reading it. Trust me. Stories about story are some of my favorite kinds. This book definitely makes the list. I am so glad I read this."—Seanan McGuire, author of In an Absent Dream

“Clever, charming, full of intricate worldbuilding and delightful characters, The Library of the Unwritten is the first book in your new favorite series.”—Christina Henry, author of The Girl in Red

"A delightful romp through heaven, hell, and everything in between which reveals itself in layers."—Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead

Genius & challenging & heartwarming

AJ Hackwith is a rare find. She’s brilliant and manages to cover multitudes or multiverse-ish concepts, as well as philosophical & theological concepts without ever losing my interest or being preachy or soapboxy or talking down to her audience. Oh, and she manages to create and detail multiple character psyches along the way, creating flawed, loveable people (or beings) we can root for or against.
Lovely.
And Bahni Turpin was thankfully narrating again, so the continuity remained, as well as the fact that she is a flawless and gifted performer.

As I said. Lovely. Now where did I set my tea?

One of the best endings I have ever listened to. My new heaven

Got used to the narrator by this book, I mean it was just really lovely beginning to end

The story The story of the library

This third book in the series kept me on the edge of my seat and had me falling in love with the story all over again. Definitely worth every moment of the series. Don’t wait. Jump in and enjoy the story.

A Brilliant series to read and reread!

I’ve loved this series from start to finish. It’s brilliantly written, poetic, adventurous, heartfelt, and epic in scope and nature. Any reader, writer and/or librarian will immerse completely in these pages.

The characters are diverse with a wonderful rendition of anti-heroes and heroes alike. No contemporary topic is shied away from in a divine tale good - evil - good. I can’t recommend it enough!

A series I will read and listen to (thanks to Lisa Flanagan and Bahni Turpin) again and again. Five stars!!!

Thank goodness this is better than book2

I almost didn’t read this book after the disappointment of the whining in book2. This one has too much yammering about feelings and some leaps of logic, but it is soooo mich better than the last book. I still enjoyed book1 the best but this one ties up the series well.