The Library of the Unwritten

A Novel from Hell's Library, Book 1

De: A. J. Hackwith

Narrado por: Lisa Flanagan

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing - a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell...and Earth.

©2019 A. J. Hackwith (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

“The Library of the Unwritten is a tiered dark chocolate cake of a book. The read is rich and robust, the prose has layers upon layers, and the characters melt like ganache upon the tongue.” (Meg Elison, Philip K. Dick Award Winner)

Awesome fantasy!

The characters are well developed. It does leave me wanting the next in the series

I can’t quite put my finger on it…

I should have loved this book. The concept is awesome. I love the unwritten books and how their characters can escape from their pages. I love that the protagonist is a librarian. I love books about the war between heaven and hell. The writing wasn’t awful. It wasn’t repetitive, and the author had a good vocabulary. And yet this book was an incredible disappointment to me. I can’t just tell you one reason why. It’s a mix of things. For one this book feels very childish, while the subject is very dark. It’s the way it’s written. It feels a bit like an after school special, but with curse words and blood. The target audience should be 8-10 year olds. It has that ‘peppiness’. There’s some really interesting ideas in this book, but most of them were ‘show’ instead of ‘tell’. I found myself zoning out on a regular basis. The whole book lacked a serious note. I can understand how some may like this. It’s not a terrible book. I think that’s why I’m so saddened by it. It doesn’t live up to the potential it has. It feels all over the place and the characters are too silly for me. And this unabridged version was too long. It just went on and on

Wonderful world building and characters

This is a delightful and well written fantasy in a beautifully envisioned world.
Hell’s Librarian, Claire, and her assistant muse, Brevity, take on escaped unwritten characters, dangerous magical texts, demons, fallen angels —and worse, angels— and betrayal as they visit alternate realms of the afterlife in their quest.
Authors, you don’t want to meet your unwritten characters — write faster.
The audible production is great.

Absolutely Fabulous Story & Narration!

So very glad I gave this author & novel a chance. A wonderfully woven tale & a unique take (& original vantage point) on the realms of the afterlife. But of chief importance? Outstanding characters & their stories. So glad this is a series & equally happy that it did’nt end with a major cliffhanger.
Lisa Flanagan did a magnificent job with the narration & I will absolutely look for her work in the future!

Soooo good!

It totally reminded me of the show/ book- Good Omen but with its own flavor. I know I will be re listening to it in the future! Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for an adventure story.

Charming and different

I listen to a LOT of audio books, and more of those than not are in the sci-fi/fantasy genres. I occasionally wonder if all the original ideas have all been done as all of the books start to feel familiar.

This book is one of those rare, refreshing finds that is such a welcome change. I would say it is at the head of the pack, but it isn’t in the pack at all; it is entirely off in open land blazing it’s own trail. Characters were charming and likable - none more than the curmudgeonly protagonist - and the plot was wonderfully unpredictable. I feel like I’m cheating it by only giving it five stars.

Refreshingly different

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book. It seemed kind of boring in the beginning. By the middle of the book, I was hooked. The story concept is interesting to me. I would recommend this to people who like The Nevers, or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Surprisingly intriguing

I wasn't very anticipatory of a gem in hiding, but this story sucked me in. It's such a novel world the author created that you just can't help falling under its spell.

A love letter to language and literature

Between the beautiful prose and wonderful reading, this was the first audio book to bring tears to my eyes as it swept me among the shelves of the library.

Wonderfully clever!

The concept alone was enough to intrigue me. Now add clever writing, entertaining characters, and a fast paced story with heart? I'm in! This book was so smart and fun (and the final realm was so perfectly done).