Libyrinth

Libyrinth #1

by Pearl North

In her debut novel, Pearl North takes readers centuries into the future, to a forgotten colony of Earth where technology masquerades as magic and wars are fought over books.

Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a The books speak to her.

When the threat of the rival Eradicants drives her from her home, Haly learns that things are not all she thinks they are. Taken prisoner by the Eradicants, who believe the written word to be evil, she sees the world through their eyes and comes to understand that they are not the book-burning monsters that she has known her entire life.

The words of a young girl hiding in an attic—written hundreds of years before Haly's birth—will spark the interest of her captors and begin the change necessary to end the conflict between the Eradicants and Libyrarians. With the help of her loyal companion Nod, a creature of the Libyrinth, Haly must mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all. Haly's life—and the lives of everyone she knows—will never be the same.

A powerful adventure that unites the present and future, Libyrinth is a fresh, magical novel that will draw in young readers of all genres.


At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Books About Books, Adventure

Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2009

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First 1/2 of Book: 3 stars
Second 1/2 of Book: 3-1/2 stars

The book has an interesting premise... a giant library that you can get lost in. What lover of books wouldn't love to go to such a place?

For the first portion of this book, my attention waned and I kept forcing myself to read. The story starts right off with the action... there is no build-up to the action and no introduction to the characters involved besides the bare minimum. I really didn't care at all for their trials or survival throughout most of the book because I didn't feel like I knew them at all.

Around the middle of the book, we are introduced to the Eradicants. Again with the fairly minimal character descriptions (besides physically). However, I was fascinated with the Eradicants. I enjoyed learning about their culture - if not them individually. Whenever the plot switched back to Clauda in Ilysies, my interest would wane again.

I read the second half of the book in one sitting where the first half took me two days to slog through. The book quotes were very neat and added to the story in the beginning, but in the end they started getting a little tiresome. Perhaps this was to demonstrate what it is like for Haly on a constant basis...? The constant babble of the books? If that is what the author was aiming for, it worked.

Throughout this book, the character descriptions and motivations are scant. The characters are flat. I believe this book would have been much stronger if the author had spent some time at the beginning setting the stage for the plot and introducing the reader to the characters (Haly, Clauda, Selene). Get inside their individual heads a bit - who they are inside, what makes them tick, etc. Show the reader more of the relationships between the three, explain why Haly and Clauda are best friends.

As a side note, the Nod thing at the end was somewhat disturbing.

I seriously doubt that I will pick up the next book in this trilogy unless it gets glowing reviews.

[Nnedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dealt with issues of censorship, race and diversity, gender, and destiny. And it didn't follow the beaten path of the usual type of plot. It explored the meaning of music and the written word in a unique way, too. And it moved along nicely. Lately, I've been bored by every YA fantasy novel that I pick up. It was all the same 'ol same 'ol, blah blah, yawn yawn. This one was very very refreshing. It's good YA.

[Emily Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. No, I wanted to love this book. I mean, it's about people who live in a library so large that some people get lost in the stacks and never come out. Nothing about that is not cool. Unfortunately, the book never really lives up to the coolness of that premise.

Actually, half the book is decent. After about the third chapter, the narrative splits and follows two characters. The first is Haly, the girl on the cover, and her story is all right, as she's captured by her enemies, the book-burning Eradicants, who call themselves Singers and who think she's a long-prophesied redeemer. She herself isn't always terribly interesting--and I never really bought her reasons for not fighting the Eradicants more--but at least through her we get to see this new culture and learn about the conflict between the Singers and the Libyrarians.

But the second storyline is not even kind of interesting. Clauda, Haly's friend, goes to a nearby kingdom to enlist help in protecting the Libyrinth, but because of injuries, she spends all her time in bed, and occasionally lusting after other girls while they bathe (speaking of, call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days when young adult novels were geared more toward the young and less toward the adult). Meanwhile other, more interesting people do other, more interesting things around her, but we don't get details because Clauda's sitting around being boring. Even when she finally goes into battle, it's so dull that I ended up skimming those scenes.

The writing is pedestrian at best; at worst it's awkward and clumsy. Things are inconsistent across the book; at one point we're told that the Ayorites have a reputation for wearing very expensive, ornate clothing, and then later it says that everyone knows Ayorites are peasants. Events occur, full of portent and significance, but then are never mentioned again. The whole thing is vaguely anti-religion--painting the religious leaders as hypocrites who use religion to control the masses and increase their own power, and the believers as sheep who are too stupid to know any better--which is an opinion the author is certainly allowed to have, but I personally don't like it. Much more obvious is the strongly pro-feminism sentiment; I like feminism as much as the next woman, I suppose, but not when it's being shoved down my throat at every turn.

That's not to say it didn't have some good parts. The conflict between the Libyrarians and the Singers, when finally explained, is somewhat thought-provoking and applicable to the intellectual state of the world today, and both sides are shown as being both sympathetic and flawed. There's also a very cool use of lines from other books. Haly can hear books if she stands close to them, so throughout Haly's story a line from a book will occasionally penetrate her thoughts; they usually happens to serve as commentary on the current events of the book and can be very funny in that regard, and it's entertaining to try to figure out which book it came from. Most of all, you can tell the author loves books and believes deeply in their ability to change lives, and the way Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl affects the story is quite moving. Unfortunately that love of reading did not help the author create a cohesive book with good writing, well drawn characters or interesting action.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original post at The Little Bookworm

Haly is a clerk to Libyrarian Selene in the Libyrinth, a vast library containing just about every book ever written. Haly is unique though since she can hear the books talk, they read themselves to her. When she is taken by the Eradicants, an illiterate people who believe words are murdered once they are written down, she is thought to be their Redeemer, the one who can unite the Word and the Song. In their city, Haly realizes the truth of her world's history and must convince the Eradicants of it before they destroy her beloved Libyrinth.

Okay, seriously, a young adult science fiction book about librarians, how was I not going to love it? It was really good. The chapters alternate between Haly and her friend, Clauda, one of the servents in the Libyrinth. In the end, it comes down to the two of them to save the Libyrinth and all the books contain therein. The world was really well built and I got excellent visuals from the descriptions. I was a little confused about the origins of Haly, but since, it turns out, this is a trilogy (of course it is! Everything is nowadays) I'm sure to get more background on her and on the world in general. I would definitely recommend this book and say give it a try. It's about librarians! Don't get put off by the science fiction aspect, though, if that's not your thing. It's not very sciencey, mostly it's just awesome.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book while looking for another book in the Just In section of the Young Adult shelves. The title and absolutely gorgeous cover caught my eye, and the summary sold because it sounded like the kind of story a friend of mine would write.

It has a bit of a rough start, and at first glance seems like a cliché censorship-is-evil story, but then it quickly opens up with twists and revelations until even the antagonist are truly sympathetic. I'd compare it to origami, with everything getting more complex as you go along, until the final product is revealed. First impressions are often wrong.

It was a quick read, with a compelling story that drew me along. The world is diverse, the cultures wonderfully varied and well presented, each with its own values and motives. I especially like how things just are, and aren't shoved into our faces as they would be in many books. This book has not one, but two strong heroines through which the story is told.

It blends the genres of sci-fi and fantasy, being set on another world in the far future where the technology is so advanced it's magic. In many ways it reminds me of the movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and I would definitely recommend this book to fans of that movie. This book is also peppered with quotes from other books, a treat for any book lover. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

[Beth]

I bought this book primarily because of the Maria Snyder endorsement--I found Maria's STUDY books to be so addicting that any endorsement by her was enough for me!

It did strike me as perfect, too, as I read and saw just how addicting North's work is. LIBYRINTH had that same unputdownable quality as POISON STUDY had--something unexplainably gripping that made me want to not put the book down until I finished.

North has built a new world here from the ground up--sort of. Clearly the world of LIBYRINTH is some sort of alternate/futuristic/dystopic world that spins from our own. There are things (most notably the books and character names) that come directly from our world. But this is not a world in the recognizable near future. This world often refers to the Ancients--but these Ancients are clearly people far more advanced than we are today.

Think of it cyclically--our world is superseded by a more technologically powerful one, which in turn falls, but from the remains, a new world emerges and, eventually, that is the world of LIBYRINTH.

But beyond the world, there's a truly unique plot as well. First of all, you have the characters interacting with the world which, in itself, would be fascinating. Their customs, religions, and ideas are all so uniquely presented. Take, for example, Illysies, where women rule over men (not in a cliched way, but in a very day-to-day way. Preference is given to women. A homely male characater worries about finding a woman who will marry him and allow him to give her daughters. All presented in a very clear, matter of fact way, that makes the world very realistic.)

Religion plays a hugely important role in the book, yet it never felt overtly preachy to me (which is quite an accomplishment). LIBYRINTH is a world where religion has shifted and changed and become something almost unrecognizable...almost. And although the religion in LIBYRINTH is entirely specific to the fictitious world (I don't really see, for example, a real world equivalent to the religions presented here; I don't think North was mocking or satirizing or even emulating a current world religion), it also made me think about, question, and affirm religion in the real world.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys unique, addicting story lines. This is even more highly recommended to people who just love books--and for people who like to think a bit while they read.

[PeeEyeBee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great Potential... Didn't Live Up To It

I can't tell you how excited I was in the beginning of the book: an enormous library that people can get lost in; a girl who can hear the mutterings of books, as though they are reading themselves to her; an ancient race who used music/song to activate their technology (ancient in terms of the time period in the story, but it's far in our future). They are the makings of a really interesting tale... but they just never took off.

There are some cool things that happen in the book, but the events that fill in the space between these cool happenings... well, that's all they seemed to me, filler. Somehow, things went from interesting and unusual to... mediocre, lukewarm. Blah.

Please, read it if you must, it's not a bad book, but it could've been a great book, and the fact that it made me expect the fulfillment of that divine literary destiny and then never quite get there... :(

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review originally posted on my livejournal account: http://intoyourlungs.livejournal.com/...)

I've never heard of Pearl North before, so when Libyrinth was selected as [info]calico_reaction's Dare for the month of October, I was intrigued, but I also had zero expectations; I had no idea what the book was about or even what genre it was (though from the cover, I had initially guessed Fantasy -- I was half right.) It really helped that this book was on sale at work for $7.99 for the hardcover, with a nice 30% discount on top of that. I could sate my curiosity while not feeling too guilty if I ended up not liking it.

I am happy to report however, that I *did* like this book. I liked it quite a lot actually.

The first thing that caught my attention with this book is introduced almost right off the bat: Haly's ability to hear books. She can touch their covers and hear their content, without actually having to crack it open and read it. THAT IS SO COOL. I loved that there was a section at the back of the book that told you where the quotes Haly hears randomly all come from.

The plot of the novel lives up to the potential of the premise itself, which is of course a huge relief. It's always a let-down when books have awesome premises, but the story itself can't deliver. This is definitely not the case here, as Haly and her kitchen-maid friend Clauda become embroiled in a crazy scheme that has huge ramifications. I was drawn into their stories, and they're both very strong and able heroines, making them very likable and thus easy to root for.

I think one of the areas where North really excelled in plot though was how she handled the animosity between the Singers and the Libyrarians. At the start of the novel, she paints a very stark picture of how the Singers are BAD because they BURN BOOKS GUYS. WHAT JERKS. And they torture Haly and Clauda pretty early on too. This so easily could have been a novel that had a very clear line between good and bad and for there to be no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But North takes a completely different directions and actually redeems the Singers, and takes away that initial vilification that was present at the beginning of the novel. She does this smoothly and the transition feels organic and never contrived.

The whole pitting of the Singers versus the Libyrarians was an interest choice, I found. The Singers obviously embrace oral tradition, even if they don't sing only fiction; they sing EVERYTHING they learn, and it's because it's in song that they're able to memorize it and learn it so well (I think.) Now, what I found interesting about all this is that, I'm an English Literature major, and when we learn about oral tradition, it's always taught in such a way that oral tradition is an obvious first step to eventually be able to read and write. Oral tradition and reading are very sympatico is what I'm trying to get at, so I thought it was kind of neat that North created a society that was divided this way and as such, pitted against each other.

The world-building in general was fantastic. I loved that each culture within the novel was very distinct in all kinds of different ways, from religion, to gender roles, and class hierarchies. Despite all being very different however, they had all had a unified feel to them; they all tied into each other well and felt like different parts to the same whole. I'm not sure how much sense I'm making, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that despite these cultures all being very different, they worked harmoniously together and didn't feel like disparate parts that North just clumped together.

I think one of the coolest things about this book, next to the world-building, was the genre (which ties into the world-building actually.) Like I mentioned above, when I first saw the cover for this book, I pegged it right away as a fantasy. For the first couple of chapters, I *still* pegged it as a fantasy, despite the presence of books from OUR world kicking around. It took me a bit to realize that this book is actually set in the faarrrr future, on another planet. There's also some crazy advanced technology kicking around, though it's fairly scarce. It still feels and reads like a fantasy though. I love blending those two genres together, because when it works, it works WELL and creates something that feels fresh and different (even though Science Fantasy fiction is not unheard of.)

Final Verdict: This is a really solid fantasy/science fiction (and yes, I did mean to put those two together, because this novel really does encompass both genres and makes them work harmoniously together.) It's a great plot, supported by equally great characters, which is further supported by a great premise (someone who can *hear* books). The world-building is phenomenal by presenting three very distinct cultures, and while one is painted to be the obvious villain at the start of the novel, it becomes more and more clear as the novel goes on that that really isn't the case. The organic development of the characters' relationship with the two other cultures they're not a part of was awesome to read, and the world-building itself felt equally organic -- very little (if any) info-dumping is to be found in this book. I highly recommend this book to fans of YA who like genre novels, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel The Boy From Ilysies.

[Flora Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting idea about three different societies living at odds in the far future on a different planet. The Libyrarians and the Singers are at odds with each other with the Librarians embracing the written word and the Singers only following the oral traditions with religious zeal. Based on the premises of Fahrenheit 451 with the burning of books and the belief that written words corrupt the people, the Singers (also known as Eradicants by the Libyrarians) go about burning books to liberate the murdered word. Haly is a clerk with a unique ability to hear books without ever opening them. Fearing ridicule and persecution she keeps her ability hidden, but in her quest with her friends Selene and Clauda this ability is discovered and she is named Redeemer.

While its true that the characters are somewhat two dimensional, the story is woven in such a way that this isn't a distraction. I love the way the three different societies are so different but you can see how they are at the same time connected. Ilysies is a matriarchial society that is very political and supports the Librynth. The Singers are the opposite being a male dominated society and while they embrace learning and support the peasant population they spurn the written word. Its very obvious that if there was a little less distrust and a little more working together that all societies would benefit, but isn't this usually the cases in our own societies. So often religious differences and mistrust causes us to miss many opportunities for advancement in many areas.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is not only makes a case for non-censorship but it also shows the importance of religious tolerance and respect for other societies and all of it woven together in a wonderful tale.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Haly is a convincing and compelling character, and her talent to hear books is really fantastic. Great worldbuilding, very satisfying read.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review Link

Libyrinth is the story of a clerk named Haly, who has a singular skill that she hides from everyone. While she like all of those in the Libyrinth can read and write, the written word speaks to her and only she can hear it. Afraid she will be seen as a witch or punished for this ability, Haly tells no one except her best friend Clauda, a kitchen servant of the Libyrinth. But Haly’s gift has a higher purpose and will not remain buried forever; when Haly’s assigned Libyrarian, Selene, shares that she has discovered a map to the most important book on their world, The Book of the Night, together Haly, Selene and Clauda ride out to find it. They are intercepted, though, by the Eradicants, the book burning people of the neighboring realm. Selene and Clauda manage to get away and ride hard for Ilysies to beg for help, but Haly is taken prisoner as a witch when her secret ability to hear written words is discovered by the Eradicant guards. Soon though, Haly’s circumstances change radically, for her ability to hear holds an important place in the Eradicant religion. Hally is The Redeemer and through her the Eradicants plan on liberating – that is, burning – the dead words of the Libyrinth forever. It is up to the efforts of Clauda, Selene and Haly to stop the destruction, and find another way for the Redemption to occur.

Libyrinth is a futuristic, dystopian-ish science fiction novel in a similar tradition to Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 with a touch of the colony world feel of Patrick Ness’s The Knife of Never Letting Go. In many ways, Libyrinth is a book about books. A deep love of literature is imbued in each page of this remarkable novel, as Haly’s snatched verses from books color the story – from the beginning with E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web to the closing poignancy of The Diary of Anne Frank.

That said, Libyrinth is a hit and miss book – for all that it has some fabulous ideas and impressively creates a future dystopian world, it fails in its execution of the overall story.

In this future colony of a long forgotten Earth, three different Greek city-state like societies are locked in battle. Thesia has just been conquered by the Eradicants and as their name suggests they are in the business of eradication, namely the burning of books. The Libyrinth, a massive labyrinthine library is fearful of the Eradicants for good reason as every year they demand a payment of burned books. Thesia and the city-state of Ilysies have stood to protect the Libyrinth from destruction by the Eradicants, but when Thesia falls and The Book of the Night is discovered, the Libyrinth’s existence is in jeopardy. This is where Ms. North is at her best, with this detailed look at completely different societies and the complex scope of her new world. The brilliance of this world building in Libyrinth is that none of these societies are purely good or bad. While the Eradicants are warlike people, demand a tithe of books burned from the Libyrinth every year, and detest the written word, this is not because they abhor knowledge or are evil bigots. Rather, their religion and history is rooted in the belief that words once written “die” and serve to create an unforgivable rift between those who would hoard knowledge from the poorer who cannot read – and thus by burning, they liberate the dead words from their dusty graves. Haly learns that the Eradicants are not the monsters she and those of the Libyrinth have believed them to be and she learns of their love for words and their deep-seated belief in Singing (as the Eradicants are, understandably, an oral culture). There are the Ilysians too, a matriarchal society in sharp contrast to the male-only priesthood of the Eradicants, who have their own beliefs and plans for The Book of the Night, led by their strong willed Queen.

While the world-building and overall story is impressive, the execution of the book is unfortunately lackluster. The characters are fine enough, but nothing really special or engaging. Haly as the tentative heroine who struggles to find a balance between the knowledge of the Libyrinth and the song of the Eradicants is a decent leading lady, if lacking any read depth. Clauda, her friend, is a far more compelling character with her struggle to control her failing limbs and her busybody spying on the court of Ilysia; and Selene, in her strained relationship with her mother the Queen of Ilysia is another decent character that outshines Haly in this story. But even though these three characters are all well and fine enough, I couldn’t really find myself caring about any of them.

In this sense, Libyrinth fails to truly engage, dragging with lengthy unnecessary scenes and a slow moving plot, especially in the first half of the novel. Even as I write this review now, the story seems like it should be any bibliophile’s dream – a book rife with literary allusions, set in a far future world where books are revered and simultaneously reviled. But I could not focus on this book, as I’d get bored after a few pages and find my mind wandering.

Though there are sufficient twists at the end of the book and a dramatic conclusion that leaves room for the next installment in the trilogy, Libyrinth didn’t really do anything for me. It’s the same sort of feeling I had after reading Stephen Hunt’s The Court of the Air. Both books have grand ideas and an impressive depth of themes and issues…but they lack the spark that makes them truly good reads. Still, I recommend Libyrinth for its impressive world-building alone and will tune in for the sequel. There’s a lot of potential here, and perhaps this will be tapped in future books.

Rating: 6 – Good, Recommended

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a lousy synopsis this book has! It leaves out half of the plot and one half of the character action (there are two main characters in this book, not just one). But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Everything about this book is shoddy. If I wanted to read a grammar-abusing first draft with tons of plot holes, I'd go find some online fan fiction.

First, let me say that the basic premise of the plot (see synopsis) is really not that bad; it's what kept me reading through more than 300 pages of ridiculous prose. It did fall short for me in a few areas, though. I wanted to know more. How did these people (presumably descendants of... well, us) get onto this far-away planet? Why did they take so many books with them? Wouldn't it have been easier to use e-books rather than use the fuel to transport paper copies halfway across the galaxy? When did this exodus take place? (I think there was some reference to the story taking place a few thousand years in the future, but that brings up even more questions than it answers. Based on the books available in the Libyrinth, this planetary colonization must've happened around now, in the early 21st century; there weren't any newer books quoted. For that matter, Harry Potter and Twilight weren't even quoted. Guess they didn't make the cut.) And once they got this new planet, what made these people devolve into brutal, slave-holding, superstitious morons who created new deities and religions as quickly as they could imagine them?

Aside from those questions, the writing and editing of this book made for an almost excruciating read (well, it probably would've been excruciating if I wasn't almost laughing). In the first chapter or so, the author abuses the semicolon until it's nearly dead. Then that nonsense stops... and we're treated to the complete absence of an editor. I don't think I've ever seen so many missing words and extra words in a traditionally published book in my life! "She regarded at her" makes no sense; "she looked at her" and "she regarded her" are probably the choices the author was debating. Unfortunately, you can't combine the two. Even worse, in one instance, the spelling of a character's name actually changed! Also, suddenly, in the last 50 or so pages, we're treated to two instances of "s***" and one of "f***", which was pretty jarring. The characters also spoke just like we do (aside from the religious references) in 21st-century English... which makes no sense, since this is so far in the future and surely language would've evolved somewhat. The characters also all sounded the same, so you often couldn't figure out who was speaking, and the author didn't always tell you. There was even one place where the person listening to the speaker changed... so I guess even the author couldn't keep track of who was taking part in the conversations!

Add in the forced romance (extremely forced... I don't think I've ever seen anything so unnatural) and the token homosexuality that had nothing to do with the story and the total let-down of an ending... and you have yourself one very lousy book. There are two more books in the trilogy? Ha! If the author and editors can't even be bothered to make a good impression with the first book, why would they expect me to keep reading?

http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...

[Nafiza · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is fantastic. In fact, when I fully comprehended the protagonist’s power, I swooned. In envy, with lust – just, how amazing would it be to have books speaking to you? To have the knowledge, the words, the ideas flow out of the book into you. To hear the voices of books, the actual voices and not just the ones you dream up in your head.

Pretty amazing, huh? I think so too. Haly has that power. Or should I say, the ability to hear books speaking. In actual voices. Oh my. Okay, fine, I’ll pull myself together for the sake of this review.

The world in which the story occurs is divided into two factions: the Literates and the Illiterates. Well, they are not called Illiterates but that’s the gist of it. The Libyrinth is paradise a very big building with an enormous amount of books and the Libyrarians who live there and care for the books do so peacefully by paying a tithe to the Eradicants (the Illiterates). The tithe comes in the form of books which are burnt – a necessary sacrifice if peace is to be kept. I cringe in horror at the idea but let’s keep moving on.

The Eradicants can’t read and, in fact, most of them have never even seen books. They think that to set eyes on a book would mean immediate blindness and that the words in a book are dead words, killed as soon as they are written down. Which is why, they believe, that burning the books frees the words.

I don’t know why I wrote all of that. I just wanted to. Anyway, the idea, the plot is innovative and original. It will certainly appeal to the bibliophiles. The book deals with the issue of hoarding knowledge and the fact that not all knowledge comes from books. The Eradicants may not know how to read but they do have the Song which is powerful and educating in its own rights. The writing flows well enough and the relationships between characters is believable. I liked the book but I just couldn’t connect with the characters in a way that matters. Let me explain why.

As I have said before, the premise of the novel is rich, complex and layered. For it to be developed enough that a reader can submerge herself in the world, the pace needs to be necessarily slow. There needs to be development. I felt that the pace was way too fast. This could easily have been a trilogy and it would have made a wonderful series. There are three main characters in the novel and all of them are interesting. However, we don’t get to explore any of them in any detail. It’s like watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy in an hour. You fast forward so many important places, so much character development that even if the end result is one that you like, you still can’t help feeling that there’s so much missing. I know that this has a sequel but the characters in the sequel are different, the protagonists are different and I feel that it’s a shame that the wonderful characters we were introduced to in the first book were not given much time to grow.

I also don’t see the need for the violence towards Haly. It’s quite explicit but it wasn’t discussed at all. The woman who helps Haly in the dungeon was forgotten and actually, a lot of the plot lines that should have been picked up and explored were left unaddressed.

This is in no way discouraging you from trying out the book. I just mourn the fact that I feel cheated out of what could have been so much more.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl North is the pseudonym of another author, but this is apparently her first young adult novel. Thought I'd make that distinction since on Amazon it claims its from a debut author, technically true, but not really.

For a book nut like myself Libyrinth was a really fun read--the book has dozens of quotes from all sorts of famous literary works (The Diary of Anne Frank, Tale of Two Cities, Life of Pi) and technical manuals (Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual). For the most part the quotes correspond almost perfectly with the current situation in fact, making me look at the quotes I could recognize easily with a different perspective. More than that though, North gives each book a distinct personality. Theselaides for instance is a bully and Anne Frank has a softer, gentler voice. Some are loud, some are high pitched, and some have a dark feeling to them.

I suppose its every book-lover's dream to live in a cavernous dwelling with so many books and shelves that one could literally become lost forever. The Libyrinth as a place sounded so perfectly suited to me that like Haly I found myself utterly hating the Eradicants (Singers) on principle alone. I can't begin to fathom a mentality that believes to liberate a book you have to burn it, but on the other hand I can't believe that as a people they wouldn't want to share their knowledge.

Haly was undoubtably my favorite character, but I grew to find Nod a really funny character. A revealation closer to the end made me want to go 'ew ew ew', but it made sense within the characterization of Nod and his attitude. I found myself tense and irritated by her friend Clauda, who seemed to be more interested in bungling around then forming a plan for much of the book. Impulsive is probably how best to describe Clauda until a major setback forces her to think long and hard. Selene by comparison ran hot and cold with me, depending on how she was acting in a situation. She was kind of contradictory--on the one hand not wishing to be Queen and on the other disliking her mother for not spending more time with her and extreme in her judgements.

The book begins with Haly, Clauda and Selene together before they venture out and then branches off to follow either Haly's adventures with the Eridicants or a combination of Selene and Clauda's adventures in Selene's homeland. The stories then separate farther as Clauda and Selene separate, but finally converge at the climax. The big Redemption the Eradicants believe in.

Its hard to put down, I won't lie. I read it during my Otakon trip and repeatedly found myself wanting to carry it with me even though it wasn't feasible with my plans. I wanted to snatch moments whenever I could to find out what mysteries Clauda uncovers or debates of religion Haly engages in. The end is satisfying and appropriate--in the beginning I wouldn't have thought it possible, but after everything Haly learns and experiences (as well as everyone else) I felt it was the only viable option left to save their civilization.

[Marthese Formosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such an exquisite read! It's for Bibliophiles and very realistic.

It contains a lot of quotes that are very timely and make you want to read the other books- of which there is a list at the end.

It was interesting to read a bout the various cultures- they are so different but also complimentary. There are the people of the Libyrinth with value the written word and are equal in treatment of women and men. There is the Singers who value the song and are mostly patriarchal. And there are the people of Ilysies which like books but are also warriors and like the good life and are mainly matriarchal. Anthropologically this book is appealing. Even ebing so different, they had some things the same and this shows that the environmental context does affect culture.

It was interesting to see these cultures and that people look different. There is an Earth-culture element combined with new. It was also nice to see how there is no concrete bad vs. concrete good. Everyone and every group was not perfect, they all made mistakes. It was interesting to see how they all came together and in the end did not base their existence solely on old knowledge but strived to make up new knowledge by working together. It was also good that they admitted their mistakes and saw how things got twisted along the way.

There was the element of how both practice and theory are needed and this is something that reminds me of ancient Greeks. There was also the element of one-ness which reminds me of Hindu philosophy.

I felt that things mentioned, like vaccines and eggs were not mentioned for nothing but were later tied in the story. Although then some things remain a mystery such as what happened to Scio- maybe this is brought up in the second book.

It was interesting to see that Haly, Selene (who was my favourite) and Clauda all did not want to lead or be seen - although Clauda and Haly were happy to have their value noticed- but they all do what they must and there was a lot of creative thinking to do this.

It was also interesting to see how the various sexualities- mainly of Haly and Clauda were treated. Although I am still curious about Selene and Clauda!

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those unfortunate cases where I had to give a book two stars because it was so poorly executed, but I was sad to because it held so much promise.

This was a young adult science fiction set in the far future, long after humans have left Earth. Humanity has evolved so much that its most recent history is far more relevant to these cultures' identities than our own modern-day Earth history. These cultures' predecessors, the Ancients, seem to be descendants of modern-day Earth whose technology is so far advanced that it reads like magic to the reader, but also to the characters living in this world since so much knowledge has been lost to them. All of which is, you know, really freaking cool.

The book portrayed racism, sexism, and religious zealotry in thought-provoking ways. It also portrayed the power of knowledge and those who might seize it to control others. It touched on sexuality (one of the main characters is lesbian, though her sexuality is not explored at length or in depth). The book also spends considerable time reflecting on the power of stories to immortalize, guide, and inspire. All of which is *even freaking cooler*.

Unfortunately, I'd be hard pressed to identify a single character trait for any of the characters in this book. The plot was a sequence of totally unbelievable and way-too-convenient events. At times, we sped through these events at breakneck speed and at others we slowed down to what felt like in-real-time. The ending was a poorly set up deus-ex-machina situation.

Other than a significant reworking of the characters and plot, what I would have loved to have seen in this book was more references to fictional texts written after humans left Earth. I loved the relatability of hearing about Charlotte's Web, and I totally understood the parallels with Anne Frank, but I felt if these references had been mentioned alongside fictional futuristic texts it would have added an extra touch of believability to the world.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books may speak to you sometimes but likely not in the same way they speak to Haly, the protagonist of Libyrinth. In this far future Earth, Haly hears books speaking their stories to her.

Haly works as a Libyrarian clerk in the Libyrinth, a fortress dedicated to preserving books. The books must be preserved against the Eradicants, a powerful group who fear books, forbid their followers from learning to read, and seek to destroy all books save The Book of the Night (a book rumored to hold all of the wisdom of the ancients, including the secret of creating Eggs, a chief power source).

When Haly hears the Eradicants plotting to locate The Book of the Night (which consequently would lead to their destruction of all other books once they possessed this one), she knows she must set out to find the book first. Along with Clauda, her friend from the kitchen and, Selene, her Libyrarian employer, Haly sets off to find The Book of the Night. By story's end, they learn a great deal about each other, about themselves, and about the history of the schism between the Libyrarians and the Eradicants.

Readers must be willing to engage fully in a alternate, unfamiliar reality in order not to be completely discombobulated within the world that North has built. Libyrinth's a highly intertextual book, including lines from numerous classics that Haly hears speaking to her (a helpful guide to which lines come from which books is provided at the end). Those who are willing to engage will find much food for thought within Libyrinth--about religion, about stereotypes, about reading, and more.

In Libryinth, the idea of reading as a right, a privilege, and a road to understanding self, others, and the world is reinforced. Libyrinth is a paean to the power of the written word--to move, to change, and to inspire those who are brave enough to read.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left me so conflicted I almost have no idea what to do with myself.

I personally am in library school, working toward pa my masters degree in order to become a librarian so the Libyrinth was a beautiful and wonderful place for me. The thought of burning those books, that knowledge, was heartbreaking. I hated the Eradicants until the story became more about them, their knowledge and beliefs and I was torn with who to side with. The Singers (Eradicants) who wish to put knowledge into song so everyone can share in it or the Libyrarians who believe in the knowledge of books and the books are not merely dead words.

I think it was fantastic the the illiterate Singers were the ones with technology while the literate Libyrarians were in "savage" conditions. Historically, those with more knowledge or the literate usually were the better off group. I also love how religious the Singers were in their quest to unite everyone in the Song but politics still came into play when it comes to the Maker of Eggs. Beliefs like looking at words will make you blind seem ridiculous but the faith of the Singers is so strong.

This book was written from two perspectives, Haly, the Libyrarian clerk who was named Redeemer op by the Singers because of her gift of books literally speaking to her, and Clauda the kitchen servant and Haly's friend. At first you don't even realize the book is written from two perspectives because the girls are together, but once they get separated we start hearing both of their stories unfold.

I loved this book! Lots of food for thought here.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was so very much to love about a book that celebrated the power of the written and spoken word. It was also a frightening look into a future where books burned and knowledge is fractured. The opening chapter was as terrifying to me as Farenheit 451.

The idea of having the ability to hear books without opening them as well as being able to read them is all kinds of awesome, and I enjoyed how various quotes from different books were interspersed throughout the narrative. I especially loved the fact that the world of Libyrinth was a multicultural one, with a lead heroine of colour and guess what folks? The sky didn't fall. I loved the strong female friendships and loyalty between Haly, Clauda and Selene. It was also nice to have a GLBTQ character as well.

And yet it suffered from that typically sexist and annoying trope of throwing in a romance between the heroine and the hawt boy/enemy du jour.

WHY. DO. AUTHORS. DO. THIS? WHY???

Is there some rule in Publishlandia that demands every YA book with a female protagonist has to have a romance element? It's not always necessary, and more often than not, it's just tossed in. Haly would've been just fine without it, though thankfully the romance element doesn't dominate the narrative.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I don't know if it was that my expectations were higher then what the book delivered or if it just was that this wasn't what I was expecting.

The story and plot line is great for people who love books and it's fairly easy to follow. However I thought there were a few issues that really prevented me from enjoying it. First, the little nod thing was a little ..... odd. Another odd and completely out there item was the massage segements those were just too long and a little out there, not really conductive to the plot and a downfall in my opinion. Second, while the use of quotes was nice it started to get over used in the end. The quoting of the books seemed to disrupte the flow of the book. The last thing that was odd was the timing of the plot, it seemed that the amount of time wasn't relative to what really happened. So when I found out that it was a month, it really felt like a week. That just made it feel off.

I will probably check out the second book when it's published because it wasn't totally bad it just seemed off in some parts. But I wouldn't readily recommend the book to someone.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: In a distant future where Libyrarians preserve and protect the ancient books that are housed in the fortress-like Libyrinth, Haly is imprisoned by Eradicants, who believe that the written word is evil, and she must try to mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all.

Although this is marketed as a teen book, it seems it was really written to entice teen librarians to purchase it. The initial idea held some merit - what reader can resist the idea of actually hearing our books talk to us? However, it just didn't hold up in the long run. I should have put the book down fifty pages in, but I was just sure it would get better. It didn't. It was slow and kinda boring and by the end I didn't even really care what happened to the characters as long as the story would just end! I will admit that I loved the odd little character of Nob and it was nice to see a YA book where one of the characters is a lesbian but this isn't her defining characteristic. However, I don't think I will be recommending this book to many teens.

[Eskana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many of the reviews below will mention similar problems with this book. At first blush, this book appears to be very promising: a young girl, living in a labyrnthine library, has the ability to hear the words of books, instead of reading them. People, including her parents, have gotten lost in the stacks and never seen again. How big is this library? We may never know. What a cool adventure, to explore a library like this!

At least, that was my thought. Not the author's, though! Instead, the MC leaves the library almost right away (just like Sabriel! Just STAY in the library!) and we're dropped into the middle of a conflict between the Librarians and the Eradicants (aka, the Singers) who believe that books are "murdered words" and only spoken and sung words are "pure." They all want the "Book of the Night," a book that records the knowledge of the Ancients, specifically, how to create their power source. The book is found within the first three chapters, when our MC Halcyon (known by the mundane Haly,) the Librarian and former princess Selene, and the cook-and-best-friend Clauda easily discover the location, which has been lost for hundreds of years. We realize that, since the book is in an unknown language, only Haly can decipher its secrets, but when Haly is captured by the Singers and the other two go to garner help from Selene's mother, we have the key separated from the lock for the majority of the book.

Plot Review: This is a fairly basic plot. A lot of it revolves around the difference between the three main civilizations in the book, none of which have very deep foundations. They also seem to have multiple contradictions, which I'm not sure were purposeful. The basic civilizations have positions of "reading bad" and "reading good" but are given little nuance, except for the fact that for some reason (classism?) the Librarians do not teach peasants or poor people to read, although anyone who joins the Libyrinth can learn, while the Singers share their knowledge through song (they sing everything, even medical procedures and metallurgical processes). But the Librarians are supposed to be the good guys, mostly? Although apparently they hoard potentially life-saving knowledge? And yet, they are also the poorest people, at least compared to the two other civilizations we see. Not sure what was going on here. Meanwhile, the Singers are actually pretty good... except for their use of torture and extreme censorship, justified by religious belief. And the third group, Selene's kingdom, is in-between. They seem to be doing fine without outlawing reading OR hoarding it. But they surpress men, for some reason. Okay, sure.
And the plot resolves in a pretty typical "us against them" battle, while the heroes are desparately trying to prove "we're not so different!" And good prevails, thanks to an almost literal deus-ex-machina... or at least, "redeemer" ex machina.

Characters: The characters are pretty flat. We barely get to know them when they are separated from the Haly, the alleged MC, who seems less like the MC and more like a collection of dischordant hero types. She has a secret power but keeps her book-hearing a secret... why is never really explained (At the beginning, they mention that "people wouldn't believe her," but in a place where it could be easily proved, I'm not sure why. And it is easily proved, whenever she needs to.) She cares about her people... so much that she will give away secrets that will kill them to save those in immediate danger or to save herself from pain. Realistic? Maybe, but also she's not that much of a hero overall. She is captured, briefly imprisoned, and then treated as a savior by the Singers, who seem like mostly nice, reasonable people, except they torture, maim, kill, or scar anyone who knows how to write or read. But they are also not super firm in their beliefs, since Haly is pretty easily able to convince them to change their position on reading when, surprise-surprise, it doesn't actually blind you. Wow, revolutionary.
Clauda fills in the role of the MC and gets about equal amount of "screentime" while she spends her time in Selene's mother's kingdom. However, she is frequently ill and confined to bed, but when she's not she's being shown around the palace to extremely convenient spying locations or stumbling on extremely important conversations by happenstance. What are the chances. Anyway, that seems to be her main role: overhear information and then pass it on. Oh, and talk a lot about how naked people are in this kingdom. Like, why?

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. There's nothing particularly unique about it, and its most promising feature is ignored. It may be explored in further installments, but I'd have to be interested in these characters, and I'm just not. The plot and characters were both very basic and didn't manage to catch my interest at all. Also- and this may be just personal taste- while I am all for descriptions, they should have some reason. That means don't just arbitrarily swap out a word for its synonym but actually do it to describe something. Don't just tell me about horses "steadfastly denuding the shrub with their mobile lips and yellow, slablike teeth" as if horses are some alien creature. Have a purpose when you describe things; don't just do it to show off that you too can use a thesaurus.
For some reason (perhaps the female character with special abilities, trying to gain knowledge from various other cultures to combine them, and broadening her horizons at the same time), it gave me "Singer of all Songs" vibes, so I recommend that in this place!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A future library set in an enormous Labyrinth (Libyrinth), run by libyrarians? It was screaming to be read. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to finish it. The story was bogged down by too many weird names and situations that I had a hard time wrapping my head around. There were parts throughout the story where I thought things were picking up but then they'd slow right down again. And it's going to be a trilogy? Thanks but I think this is where I'll get off.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literate vs illiterate. Reading vs Memorizing. How vs Why. This book seemed to drag in spots, but I can't think of anything that "could" have been cut out...

[Bobbi Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libyrinth is book #1 of three, by Pearl North who also has written a number of science fiction novels for adults, under another name that I wish I knew. This series was intended for teen readers. However I don't consider age when I read, I mainly consider the content and how well it portrays an entertaining story and even better if it leaves the reader with memories and lessons that will never be forgotten. This fast paced book is most certainly one of those filled with such powerful messages. I will be reading the complete trilogy...#2 'The Boy From ILYSIES' is coming up next!
The setting for this book is on a far away world and very far into... possibly even beyond our future. We have become the ancients! The book doesn't out and out tell you but we (Earthlings) had to of inhabited this planet and with us came our complete library of all of our literature which influenced the native inhabitants for all time, but without deep understanding, being untaught and therefore illiterate with a primitive civilization leaning towards superstition and magic that divided the people into two waring countries centered around (in their eyes) sacred books both good and evil and in their own kind of religious beliefs, causing the separation of the people because of their undying convictions. One of the young girls who had no family to claim her and without anyone willing to care for her, Was raised in one of the differing religions as a worker. She was still different from either side, because she had a distinct talent that none of the others could believe was actually true, nor could they understand why she insisted she was telling the truth. That she could hear the books words without reading or even touching them, the books talked to her. These books sprinkled words, sentences and even paragraphs from our well known books through out this story, that only Haly could hear.
At the end of the book there is 'A Guide to the Quotations' 'Where To Find What The Books Said'
There is also a unique pronunciation of names and places which can be tricky but very interesting. I am so happy that I bought the entire set and I will be able to read it all.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anytime I hear about a book that has librarians in it, or one where books are very prominent in some way, I can't help but want to read it. Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a slog for me - the only reason I finished it well before my ILL due date was because I wasn't allowing myself to start reading Moribito until I finished this.

I really like all the book quotes sprinkled throughout the text. The author seemed to have quotes available for all kinds of situations, and, joy of joys, the selection of books quoted from was extremely varied. These quotes didn't just come from classics (as in, the books your high school English teacher made you read because the stuff you really wanted to read was considered crap) - there's stuff from books I've read and enjoyed (Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, etc.), stuff from books I've never read but now think I should hunt down (P.G. Wodehouse's Right Ho, Jeeves, Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc.), and random non-fiction. Even better, the author doesn't force you to figure out where all these quotes come from (although this may be more for legal reasons than anything else). If you want, you can puzzle out all the quotes as you read, but there are several pages at the end of the book that list all the quotes and their citations. Sadly, there are no page numbers for where they can be found in North's book, only chapter numbers, and none of the citations include page numbers. It's still better than nothing, though.

Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough stuff I liked in addition to the quotes. Most of the characters didn't interest me, or I actively disliked them. The Eradicants were the main ones I hated - while I could understand and appreciate their feelings that knowledge was meant to be shared, their belief that books, knowledge that could not automatically be shared by all, should be burned turned me off. Since I find it hard to believe that every one of the Eradicants throughout their whole history would be so blind as to not realize that at least some of the books they were burning held knowledge that they didn't have, it ends up looking like what they actually believe is that if everyone can't have certain knowledge then no one should be able to have it. At least the Libyrarians were only guilty of not making their knowledge more widely available, either by setting up literacy programs available to anyone interested (although it seemed like something like that was available, maybe...) or by doing public readings of their books.

There were snippets of romance, but North didn't do enough with them for my tastes. Haly and a young Singer end up together - not a huge surprise. I was wondering what North would do with the revelation, relatively early in the book, that Clauda is a lesbian, and the answer was, "nothing." Clauda blushes over a few nude or semi-clothed ladies in Ilysies (the people at the Libyrinth apparently have more hangups about nudity than the people in Ilysies), and I kind of wondered whether a few bits with Clauda and Selene and Selene talking about Clauda were going to morph into an end-of-the-book relationship between the two of them. Nope. I guess the whole thing was just a throwaway detail. As far as I can tell, none of the other characters in the book even find out about Clauda's secret. Maybe North or her publishers were hoping that parents would find out about "the lesbian character" and make a big fuss, thereby boosting the book's sales?

One thing I think is kind of interesting, since e-books are on my mind, is that the future North writes about in this book can't exist without print books and can't include e-books. Eggs power the machines of the Ancients - even if the people in this book could find an e-book reader that was still working and load some e-books into it, I don't know that they'd necessarily want to waste their few remaining eggs on it. Heck, they have problems keeping the Libyrinth powered up, and it wasn't until the very end of the book that they got enough power to be able to activate a feature of the Libyrinth that would allow Libyrarians to actually find specific books. Print books can believably be around in Haly's world, because we have actual examples of books that have survived for hundreds of years and can survive for longer. E-books in Haly's world would stretch the boundaries of believability a bit too far. Although...is it really possible that so many 21st century books would survive to be housed in the Libyrinth? Apparently even acid-free paper is only supposed to last two or three hundred years. That's still longer than I imagine an e-book would last, but maybe not long enough for the world of Libyrinth to be possible.

By the way, in case you haven't read a post of mine that's mentioned it, I'm definitely a print book kind of person. I have a feeling North might be, too.

Anyway, with my TBR pile threatening to take over my apartment, I'm starting to think I need to quit requesting books via ILL that I only think I might like. I didn't hate this book and don't feel like I wasted a few hours of my life reading it, but finishing the book doesn't clear up a little more of my bookshelf and apartment space the same way reading one of the books I own would. If I had liked this book more, that wouldn't be as much of an issue. However, I didn't really like the book's pacing, and North couldn't seem to decide whether she wanted this book to be science fiction or fantasy, which is something that has annoyed me with other things (Sharon Shinn's Samaria books and Scrapped Princess, to name a few examples). I don't mind soft science fiction - in fact, I tend to prefer it to hard science fiction - but I like books to be clear about what it is they are. Haly's ability to hear books automatically put this book in the realm of fantasy for me, and the confusing bit near the end about Haly being not quite human, an attempt, I'm guessing, to make Haly's abilities less fantasy and more science fiction, was too little, too late.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had so many problems with this book. A lot of the sci-fi concepts were very interesting, but the writing was incredibly weak. The plot was incoherent and the main characters lack distinct personalities and depth - also, the author feels the need to add a truckload of background characters with generic fantasy names and no descriptions who randomly get mentioned all the time. Every chapter from Clauda’s point of view (so probably a third of the book) could have been completely cut out and it would barely have affected the story. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention, but the battles at the end of the book made no sense to me, most likely because the motives of the main characters and their armies were so unclear. Also, Haly’s backstory was revealed in the most random and bizarre way and then never brought up again?? I still have questions…

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This is the first book in the series. Haly lives and works in the Libyrinth, a repository of books from the Ancients. They are under pressure from the Eradicants, who believe that the written word needs to be burned to release its voice, believing in an oral history through song. Haly is different from the others in the Libyrinth in that she can hear books. A quest to find aid, leads Haly to encounter the Eradicants and be captured. She must use her gift to try to mitigate the conflict. In her quest, she is aided by a book, the diary of a girl trapped by forces outside her control (Anne Frank) Haly and her friends must use all of their gifts and wits to find a way to save their world.

[Samantha Tennant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and different. I loved the idea of the giant monastary/library, and echoed the horror of the Libyrarians at the idea of destroying all their books. It's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember details, but the fact that I smile every time I see it on my shelf reminds me that it was a great read.

[Justine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t care for this book. I found it hard to read and. I didn’t like how it is supposed to be in the future but reads like the past. There’s too many characters to try and keep track of. There were some weird storylines happening. I dont know I wasn’t a fan at all.