Reading: The Invisible Library

[white_hart]

It's possible that Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library suffered, for me, from being the book I picked up straight after such a complete knockout as Thus Was Adonis Murdered, because it seems to have a lot of glowing reviews, but I thought it was really only OK. It also wasn't quite what I was expecting; I thought there would be more about the Library and its Librarians, whereas in fact that only seemed to be the McGuffin for a fairly standard steampunk* romp. I also found the central character so utterly unmemorable that every time I picked the book up I was surprised to find that it was told in tight third person from her point of view and that her name was Irene, while the supporting characters didn't have a great deal of depth (possibly because they were all seem through the tight third person narrative of a character who appeared to be a really bad judge of other people's characters).

There were some entertaining nods to other books scattered throughout the story; I particularly liked the reference to Irene's Swiss boarding school which specialised in languages and prided itself on turning out young women who were ready for anything, though as there was no mention of spineless jellyfish maybe I was just imagining the reference there. The aristocratic detective, on the other hand, was such a blatant Holmes/Wimsey expy that it was lampshaded in the text. And my suspension of disbelief was well and truly shattered by a comment that it would be impossible to set a Library-based protection spell on the British Library, as it would be broken as soon as anyone took a book out...

Not a dreadful book, but not one I particularly enjoyed.

*I am starting to wonder if, however much I like the idea of steampunk, the truth is that I just don't enjoy reading it. It ought to be right up my street - Victoriana! Clockwork! Zeppelins! - but with the exception of Ankaret Wells' Firebrand I'm not sure I've ever read a steampunk novel that didn't leave me with an overwhelming sense of "meh".

Comments

[birdsflying]

I was greatly unimpressed by that book, for many of the same reasons, (and oh, how I laughed re: the British library. That well known closed stack reference only library....) so you are not alone.

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

I rather enjoyed it but I think it became some sort of Dr Who homage thing in my head - I became quite convinced the author was a big fan of River Song and Madam Vestra and Jenny, and it reminded me of something else too but I can't remember what now!

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

I was also looking at her author photo on Amazon and trying to work out if I'd run into her on Rav at some point - she looks familiar and I suspect I or the Boy know people who know her because she's a NE-based roleplayer and knitter about our age.

[white_hart]

I saw her at Nine Worlds this year and kept thinking she looked really familiar, but she might just have a familiar-looking face as to the best of my knowledge she isn't someone I've met online, either through LJ or Rav.

Steampunk Rec

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Have you read The Aeronaut's Windlass, by Jim Butcher? I'd ignored it, despite being a fan of Butcher's Harry Dresden series, until it was highly recommended by a friend.

Talking cats (which talk Cat), airships, magic, Victoriana, nautical battles... I liked it a lot.

It comes on as YA, but darkens as it goes. Highly recommended, and I devoured it in one night and was really disappointed that there are no more books in the series yet.

Re: Steampunk Rec

[white_hart]

Hmmm. I tried the first of the Dresden Files and really disliked it, so I'm not convinced that Butcher writing in a genre I tend to dislike anyway is going to be my kind of thing, but if I see it for cheap I might give it a try.

[glittertigger]

I enjoyed it - not a masterpiece but good light entertainment. Agree that it would have been good to see more of the Library.