Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones [Dramatized Adaptation]

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians [Dramatized Adaptation] #2

by Brandon Sanderson, Terence Aselford (Reader), Steve Wannall (Reader)

In his second skirmish against the Evil Librarians who rule the world, Alcatraz and his ragtag crew of freedom fighters track Grandpa Smedry to the ancient and mysterious Library of Alexandria. Hushlanders?people who live in the Librarian-controlled lands of Canada, Europe, and the Americas?believe the Library was destroyed long ago. Free Kingdomers know the the Library of Alexandria is still around, and it's one of the most dangerous places on the planet. For it is the home of the scariest Librarians of them a secret sect of soul-stealing Scriveners. Can Alcatraz and his friends rescue Grandpa Smedry and make it out of there alive?

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Young Adult

1 pages, Audio CD

Published June 3, 2020

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Melenide · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[Tameekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Kristen Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one! They’re just so fun and the story of this one I liked even more than the first. The curators are my favorite 😂😂

[Wolfkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm definitely into the rhythm of this series. It's a fun little ditty. It's got sincere humor that I think would appeal to the target age group and yet doesn't feel cringe to the older age group. Honestly one of the more impressive aspects is that it's not afraid to lie to me. That's something I've always valued in a book. It's a weird thing to value but I like sometimes when a book doesn't just hide information from the reader but actively lies to them. Some of the lies are small and you can feel them out but some of them are big and it's genuinely interesting. It keeps what is ostensibly a children's book fresh.

I did this on the graphic audio and that was an interesting experience. Not sure if I prefer the original narrator solo or the whole cast with effects but I definitely see the appeal as a family time book. I would totally gather a bunch of kids and use the full cast version though honestly the solo narrator version isn't bad either. Just a talented voice cast all the way around.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones" was a fun read. The world-building was great, the undead librarians and their rules/regulations were interesting, and the characters were strange in a fun way. I can't wait to continue the series.

[Just Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story despite the repetitive nature of the narrator speaking directly to the reader 'breaking the fourth wall'.

This series was my introduction to Brandon Sanderson, and it was a fun place to start.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyable graphic audio, enjoyed all of the voices. enjoyed all of the characters, laughed more than I anticipated for this type of book. enjoyable all around and my kids have enjoyed listening with me

[Patrick Trent · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Alcatraz series. Very silly fantasy!

[Ashley Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so funny and so clever. I listened to the graphic audio version for book 2 and it was perfection.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lebih menikmati buku kedua nya. Lucu nya tetep ada dan lebih suka dialog-dialog nya, perkembangan hubungan Al dan tokoh-tokoh lainnya. Ngga sabar baca buku selanjutnya

[Derek Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun fun fun! Undead curators and a couple nice "tricks" at the end to fool the baddies!

[Karissa Blum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this!

[Karina Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book. I love the tricks the protagonist plays in the reader. This series is sooo fun!

[185 · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10
Better than the previous one.

[aly ࣪ ┊͙✧˖*°࿐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

listened to the graphic audio with my toddler and he had a blast!!