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Enki
A highly experimental novella, this work is related entirely in dialogue. There is no narration and no stage direction, only a story told in the characters' own words.
It focuses on an ancient library guarded by science and magic, its mysteries sought by the greats of history. For some it is a place of myth, no more real than Utopia. For others it is a tireless quest, offering transcendent knowledge to those capable enough to reach the tomes inside. It's keeper tells the tales of his tribulations in keeping ultimate knowledge from a world not yet ready for it.
It focuses on an ancient library guarded by science and magic, its mysteries sought by the greats of history. For some it is a place of myth, no more real than Utopia. For others it is a tireless quest, offering transcendent knowledge to those capable enough to reach the tomes inside. It's keeper tells the tales of his tribulations in keeping ultimate knowledge from a world not yet ready for it.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2012
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 19, 2012
I really appreciate this kind of story. It takes a bit of daring to buck traditional story telling "rules" and a special talent to pull it off well. Gabriel does this with obviously passionate flare that compels the reader to continue. You get an encapsulated peep into the POV character's history in a taut conversational style. It begs the questions: Who is he speaking to? How is this going to resolve? And wham! A neat twist that is quite satisfactory if a bit sudden and odd. This is far from mainstream, but that's what I love about it. Bravo, Mr. Fitzpatrick for bravely penning this unique work.
September 21, 2018
There is a Librarian, defending (to the death) the books in the Library. It's a very science-fiction library, with all kinds of implied high tech. Lara Croft would feel at home--for a short while.
When we come in, the Librarian is explaining to his newest visitor why the visitor is not going to get his book. It starts as a monologue, in chirpy modern style. It's funny. It's funny despite the fact that the Librarian is cruel, horrible, mean, despotic and makes your hair stand on end. A petty tyrant wielding his powers like a mini-God. He's every little kid's nightmare of a librarian, and has every little kid's dream of super powers if they were a librarian. He's Calvin in tyrannosaurus mode in the sandbox, with real people to crush and rend, except that he's a lot lot older than Calvin, and ought to know better. He's weird.
I kept hoping the latest visitor would somehow escape the terror, and couldn't quite see how that was going to happen. No, I'm not telling you. You can read it for yourself.
As one of the readers who reviewed this said on Amazon, Gabriel, could you try to write it all in first person from the Librarian's point of view?
Anyway: TL;DR: This story grabs you like a flashflood and flows away with you. I liked it. I must be weird, too.
[Reviewed in 2012; uploading here now]
When we come in, the Librarian is explaining to his newest visitor why the visitor is not going to get his book. It starts as a monologue, in chirpy modern style. It's funny. It's funny despite the fact that the Librarian is cruel, horrible, mean, despotic and makes your hair stand on end. A petty tyrant wielding his powers like a mini-God. He's every little kid's nightmare of a librarian, and has every little kid's dream of super powers if they were a librarian. He's Calvin in tyrannosaurus mode in the sandbox, with real people to crush and rend, except that he's a lot lot older than Calvin, and ought to know better. He's weird.
I kept hoping the latest visitor would somehow escape the terror, and couldn't quite see how that was going to happen. No, I'm not telling you. You can read it for yourself.
As one of the readers who reviewed this said on Amazon, Gabriel, could you try to write it all in first person from the Librarian's point of view?
Anyway: TL;DR: This story grabs you like a flashflood and flows away with you. I liked it. I must be weird, too.
[Reviewed in 2012; uploading here now]
September 16, 2012
There’s one thing missing from the genre tags for this story, humour, very, very dark humour; I actually laughed out loud at one point. Basically this is a monologue with reported interjections. Our speaker is a Librarian, yes I said, Librarian and he’s talking to his latest victim, again, you heard right, this is no ordinary librarian. The reason I mention the humour is it is what engaged me in the story and kept me reading. Our librarian is arrogant, cruel, likes the sound of his own voice (I’m saying him, but I’d actually have to go back and check if his gender is ever determined, but I assumed him) and is one hundred percent a monster and without the humour, I probably wouldn’t have finished reading.
The initial paragraphs are well written and drew me into the story, quickly establishing the perversity of the situation, in which there lay the black humour. I soon had the scene in my head, a grand library, lots of books and one bitch-slapper of a librarian who didn’t want to loan out any of those tomes and rather enjoyed hurting those who tried to take one. Alone for most of the millennia he has guarded the books, the librarian takes the opportunity of a hapless visitor to have a chat, recollecting old victories like a Vogon enjoys disseminating his poetry, although the torture that goes along with the conversation is all too real. To be honest, though, the best bit of the whole monologue for me was the Librarian’s asides to his victim that interjected his old battle stories. They were the gems in this piece.
I wanted to finish this short story not , I have to say, to find out what happened in all the Librarian’s stories, because they all mostly had obvious conclusions, but to find out what happened to his victim. The book grants me that wish and I’m not going to say what happens, but I will say, I wanted more of it. The ending was far too quick. Also, on the experimental note in which Gabriel wrote this, I would challenge him to actually write the ending as part of the monologue, i.e. from the librarian’s point of view, so that we only hear what the victim has to say, like we do through the rest of the piece, in the librarian’s own words. I think that would be more satisfying.
The too short an ending, the occasional typo and one or two sentences that made me go ‘huh’ are the reason I have given this book 4 not 5 stars. It’s an interesting read, well formed and engaging. I’d read it again, especially if that ending was reworked.
The initial paragraphs are well written and drew me into the story, quickly establishing the perversity of the situation, in which there lay the black humour. I soon had the scene in my head, a grand library, lots of books and one bitch-slapper of a librarian who didn’t want to loan out any of those tomes and rather enjoyed hurting those who tried to take one. Alone for most of the millennia he has guarded the books, the librarian takes the opportunity of a hapless visitor to have a chat, recollecting old victories like a Vogon enjoys disseminating his poetry, although the torture that goes along with the conversation is all too real. To be honest, though, the best bit of the whole monologue for me was the Librarian’s asides to his victim that interjected his old battle stories. They were the gems in this piece.
I wanted to finish this short story not , I have to say, to find out what happened in all the Librarian’s stories, because they all mostly had obvious conclusions, but to find out what happened to his victim. The book grants me that wish and I’m not going to say what happens, but I will say, I wanted more of it. The ending was far too quick. Also, on the experimental note in which Gabriel wrote this, I would challenge him to actually write the ending as part of the monologue, i.e. from the librarian’s point of view, so that we only hear what the victim has to say, like we do through the rest of the piece, in the librarian’s own words. I think that would be more satisfying.
The too short an ending, the occasional typo and one or two sentences that made me go ‘huh’ are the reason I have given this book 4 not 5 stars. It’s an interesting read, well formed and engaging. I’d read it again, especially if that ending was reworked.
February 3, 2013
This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.
A hidden jewel, to be read in an evening.
This is a story of a Librarian, given the mission of defending a hidden library. He believes it is to protect the books, from all who wish to take them. It is a dark, mysterious story, told by the Librarian him/her self. It is as much about preventing those who wish to read from doing so as it is entertaining.
The story grabs the reader immediately. As you read, you begin to question what the narrator is actually doing. Then you realize, he is talking to someone else in the room. While the story is somewhat dark and at times, horrendous, I have to say I also laughed at times while reading this book. It will not be so for everyone, the humor is dark and hidden.
I found this book very entertaining. It is quite short, which makes it great for an evening. Many will read it within an hour or so. It is provocative, stirring a number of emotions from the reader. At times, I was quite disgusted with the librarian, at other times, I laughed at his descriptions. For me, this book could have had a longer, more explained ending, but at the same time, I understood the ending as written.
I would recommend this book to those who want a short story, and read science fiction. I will be reading more by Gabriel Fitzpatrick, because I did enjoy the style of writing and the surprise ending.
A hidden jewel, to be read in an evening.
This is a story of a Librarian, given the mission of defending a hidden library. He believes it is to protect the books, from all who wish to take them. It is a dark, mysterious story, told by the Librarian him/her self. It is as much about preventing those who wish to read from doing so as it is entertaining.
The story grabs the reader immediately. As you read, you begin to question what the narrator is actually doing. Then you realize, he is talking to someone else in the room. While the story is somewhat dark and at times, horrendous, I have to say I also laughed at times while reading this book. It will not be so for everyone, the humor is dark and hidden.
I found this book very entertaining. It is quite short, which makes it great for an evening. Many will read it within an hour or so. It is provocative, stirring a number of emotions from the reader. At times, I was quite disgusted with the librarian, at other times, I laughed at his descriptions. For me, this book could have had a longer, more explained ending, but at the same time, I understood the ending as written.
I would recommend this book to those who want a short story, and read science fiction. I will be reading more by Gabriel Fitzpatrick, because I did enjoy the style of writing and the surprise ending.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews