The Library at Mount Char: A Novel
“Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine
A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.
In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
But Carolyn has accounted for this.
And Carolyn has a plan.
The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.
Praise for The Library at Mount Char
“An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences.”—Boston Globe
“Vivid . . . the dialogue sings . . . you'll spend equal time shuddering and chortling.”—Dallas Morning News
“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine
A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.
In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
But Carolyn has accounted for this.
And Carolyn has a plan.
The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.
Praise for The Library at Mount Char
“An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences.”—Boston Globe
“Vivid . . . the dialogue sings . . . you'll spend equal time shuddering and chortling.”—Dallas Morning News
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Library at Mount Char* is a bizarre, imaginative blend of horror, fantasy, and apocalyptic murder mystery featuring complex, compelli...
Who is Scott Hawkins and where is his follow-up novel?!
The Library at Mount Char immediately captured my attention and was a welcome and pleasantly complex deviation from the real world.
Published in 2018, The Library at Mount Char presents readers with a murder-mystery, albeit, one of apocalyptic proportions. Debut novelist Scott Hawkins (also the author of technical computer and web manuals), stuffed his enigmatic book with compellingly odd characters, morbid settings, macabre humor, and visceral horror. Even many of the novel’s seemingly mundane scenes simmered with esoteric knowledge and dialogue.
To provide examples of all of these elements would ultimately risk spoiling a great detour (landslide?) into a wild and rewarding expanse of weirdness. Here’s to hoping that Scott Hawkins continues to showcase his versatility, writing tech manuals by day, but crafting genre-bending, mind-melting literature by night.
The Library at Mount Char immediately captured my attention and was a welcome and pleasantly complex deviation from the real world.
Published in 2018, The Library at Mount Char presents readers with a murder-mystery, albeit, one of apocalyptic proportions. Debut novelist Scott Hawkins (also the author of technical computer and web manuals), stuffed his enigmatic book with compellingly odd characters, morbid settings, macabre humor, and visceral horror. Even many of the novel’s seemingly mundane scenes simmered with esoteric knowledge and dialogue.
To provide examples of all of these elements would ultimately risk spoiling a great detour (landslide?) into a wild and rewarding expanse of weirdness. Here’s to hoping that Scott Hawkins continues to showcase his versatility, writing tech manuals by day, but crafting genre-bending, mind-melting literature by night.
I'm not sure how to summarize this book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'm not a big Fantasy/Sci-Fi reader, so this one was a bit of a stretch for me, but it sounded interesting.
The first chapter started out great. Vague and alluding, creepy and disturbing, it left me wanting more. Then Chapter 2 started, and I didn’t know what the heck was going on for the next 80 pages. Like disjointed images from a dream, it just didn’t make sense to me. Are they kids? Are they animals? Is Father supposed to be “God”? Is this hell? Is Father the devil, and the kids are demons? What is going on here?
One minute they are having a conversation, and then they just throw in a jaguar growling, or deer that seem human (or are the humans deer?), and a disgusting guy covered in blood wearing a tutu, digging up graves to raise the dead. What the heck is going here???
There is no disputing that the author is a gifted wordsmith. It isn’t his writing style that I had a problem with, but the storyline and content.
I almost gave up on this book by about 50 pages in. I was frustrated, because the author was quite obviously a masterful writer. However, it was like being inside of someone’s LSD trip. Just flashes of disjointed scenes that made little sense to me. Maybe this is typical fantasy, and fantasy just isn’t my cup of tea? But I had seen a review that said the first 100 pages didn’t make any sense, but then it turned around. So, I hung in there.
Sure enough, the first three chapters had me tripping. Then the fourth chapter began, and FINALLY some sanity! I could follow along at last!
The pieces began to fall together; the picture began to clear. Carolyn was a tricky character. There wasn't a clear liking or not liking of her. She was a very complex character, very well written. Glimmers of compassion and gentleness amid brilliant detachment and cruelty.
The characters of the other children are less well-developed. Carolyn is closest to Michael, who seems gentle and sweet and brave. David is sheer chaos and brutality. Jennifer is like a hippie shaman. Margaret is simply out of her mind.
Carolyn seeks out Steve for a job. Steve has made some bad choices in life, but he's been staying clean. He's a bit of a Taoist.
Carolyn brings him nothing but trouble, and tests his innate goodness.
There is a lot of religious symbolism in the book. Some of it may not be obvious to all, but would be to those more familiar with scripture.
Even when things were chaotic, confusing and insane, it was still a little genius. At one moment, there is a conversation about the ancient language of the Atul and a concept that essentially means “the moment when an innocent heart first contemplated the act of murder”. It said to the Atul “the crime itself was secondary to this initial corruption.” And another phrase which is “the moment when the last hope dies”. These concepts alone were brilliant!
My final word: I was initially nervous about my choice to read this book, but by chapter four it started to get under my skin. Little by little things came together, and I began to see the big picture. It became more engrossing as time went on, and I was really impressed with the writer's ability to captivate and draw me in. I'll still be hesitant to read fantasy and sci-fi, as I still think it is a shaky genre for me, but this author has definitely won me over!
Follow my reviews on https://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com (Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World)
broken thumb book 2:
post op binge read
pageturner the whole way through. i love some horror/fantasy and this totally hit.
the characters are really well developed and emotionally interesting. i was hoping for a more mushy gushy ending but at the same time i think im satisfied by how everything concluded. the first 70% of the book is amazing 10/10, the next chunk does sometimes miss a little with the dialogue/treating the characters a bit less realistically than the beginning of the book.
up there with secret history for books i’ve reallly enjoyed recently and haven’t wanted to put down.
post op binge read
pageturner the whole way through. i love some horror/fantasy and this totally hit.
the characters are really well developed and emotionally interesting. i was hoping for a more mushy gushy ending but at the same time i think im satisfied by how everything concluded. the first 70% of the book is amazing 10/10, the next chunk does sometimes miss a little with the dialogue/treating the characters a bit less realistically than the beginning of the book.
up there with secret history for books i’ve reallly enjoyed recently and haven’t wanted to put down.
Very well done. Unique plot. Enjoyable writing style. Graphic horror. Endearing characters. Existential angst. Highly philosophical.
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