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The Library Trilogy #1.6
Returns
Two short stories associated with The Library Trilogy.
These are tangential and don't have to be fitted into the main narrative. You can read them at any time.
Returns (~8,000 words) - explores the journey of a book through many hands.
Characters featured from The Library Trilogy: Livira, Yute, Heeth Logaris, Wentworth
About Pain (~6,000 words) - explores a relationship with a book through the course of a life.
Characters featured from The Library Trilogy: Livira, Clovis, Volente
These are tangential and don't have to be fitted into the main narrative. You can read them at any time.
Returns (~8,000 words) - explores the journey of a book through many hands.
Characters featured from The Library Trilogy: Livira, Yute, Heeth Logaris, Wentworth
About Pain (~6,000 words) - explores a relationship with a book through the course of a life.
Characters featured from The Library Trilogy: Livira, Clovis, Volente
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2024
64 people are currently reading
4831 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lawrence
99 books56k followersMy books vary a LOT - so
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[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.
Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.
[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/marklawrencea...
Blog here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/
I'm on Youtube now! *excitement!*
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrB...
Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrence...
https://www.instagram.com/mark___lawr...
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@mark___lawrence
Blue Sky
https://bsky.app/profile/marklawrence...
Three-emails-a-year newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/cimnK1 #Prizes #FreeContent
I'm even on Tumblr!
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marklawre...
Pintrest!
https://uk.pinterest.com/princeofthor...
Plus I have free stuff on Wattpad!
https://www.wattpad.com/user/MarkLawr...
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.
Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
February 21, 2024
My complete review of Returns is posted at Before We Go Blog.
“You cannot read the same book twice. When you return to the first page it will be a different ‘you’, changed by the very experiences you are seeking to recapture.”
Mark Lawrence returns to the Library Trilogy with a pair of new short stories about the indelible impact of books on the lives of their readers. This companion volume, the aptly named Returns, brings us back to the infinitely large library of The Book that Wouldn’t Burn and its excellent cast of characters, including the deputy head librarian, Yute, and the precocious young librarian, Livira.
Returns also features our trio of beloved animal companions from The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, all of whom are depicted in Thomas Brown’s cover art. The oversized cat, Wentworth, is front and center, along with the ink-black dog, Volente, and the raven whose name I shall not reveal. All three animal friends are present in Returns, with Volente featuring prominently in both stories.
The title story of Returns concerns the search for a missing volume, The Book of Many Stories, that must be returned to the Library. The search cuts across space and time and may have implications for Yute’s missing daughter, who has been lost in the Library for over twenty years.
The second story, “About Pain,” is Mark Lawrence’s homage to J.D. Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye. The goodest of good boys, Volente, brings an unwanted copy of Catcher to the lead protagonist, Holden, who detested the book when he was forced to read it in school. Upon returning Catcher to the library, Livira instructs Holden to read it every ten years and come back to tell her about it. The story then follows Holden through the decades as his life experiences make him appreciate new aspects of Catcher that he hadn’t yet considered. In a nice touch, “About Pain” also features Clovis Eventari, Evar’s imposing redheaded sister from The Book that Wouldn’t Burn.
In my opinion, the Library Trilogy has now surpassed the Broken Empire in terms of its possibilities for short story adventures. Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire trilogy provided an outstanding setup for short stories featuring the dark wit and haunted brokenness of Jorg Ancrath, as well as those focused on side characters from his band of Road Brothers. However, since the Library spans all space and all time, the possibilities in the Library Trilogy are limitless.
The two stories in Returns serve as gentle and insightful ruminations on the universality of stories in our common humanity. In his previous Library short story, “Overdue,” Mark Lawrence focused on how books build connections between readers. In Returns, the focus is on the relationship between individual readers and the books themselves, i.e., the physical manifestations of these stories. When we return a book to the library, the book itself hasn’t changed, but we have changed irreversibly as a result of reading it.
If you enjoyed The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, be sure to add Returns to your reading list today. The Library Trilogy—and its accompanying short stories—will leave a permanent impact on you, from which there is no return.
“You cannot read the same book twice. When you return to the first page it will be a different ‘you’, changed by the very experiences you are seeking to recapture.”
Mark Lawrence returns to the Library Trilogy with a pair of new short stories about the indelible impact of books on the lives of their readers. This companion volume, the aptly named Returns, brings us back to the infinitely large library of The Book that Wouldn’t Burn and its excellent cast of characters, including the deputy head librarian, Yute, and the precocious young librarian, Livira.
Returns also features our trio of beloved animal companions from The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, all of whom are depicted in Thomas Brown’s cover art. The oversized cat, Wentworth, is front and center, along with the ink-black dog, Volente, and the raven whose name I shall not reveal. All three animal friends are present in Returns, with Volente featuring prominently in both stories.
The title story of Returns concerns the search for a missing volume, The Book of Many Stories, that must be returned to the Library. The search cuts across space and time and may have implications for Yute’s missing daughter, who has been lost in the Library for over twenty years.
The second story, “About Pain,” is Mark Lawrence’s homage to J.D. Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye. The goodest of good boys, Volente, brings an unwanted copy of Catcher to the lead protagonist, Holden, who detested the book when he was forced to read it in school. Upon returning Catcher to the library, Livira instructs Holden to read it every ten years and come back to tell her about it. The story then follows Holden through the decades as his life experiences make him appreciate new aspects of Catcher that he hadn’t yet considered. In a nice touch, “About Pain” also features Clovis Eventari, Evar’s imposing redheaded sister from The Book that Wouldn’t Burn.
In my opinion, the Library Trilogy has now surpassed the Broken Empire in terms of its possibilities for short story adventures. Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire trilogy provided an outstanding setup for short stories featuring the dark wit and haunted brokenness of Jorg Ancrath, as well as those focused on side characters from his band of Road Brothers. However, since the Library spans all space and all time, the possibilities in the Library Trilogy are limitless.
The two stories in Returns serve as gentle and insightful ruminations on the universality of stories in our common humanity. In his previous Library short story, “Overdue,” Mark Lawrence focused on how books build connections between readers. In Returns, the focus is on the relationship between individual readers and the books themselves, i.e., the physical manifestations of these stories. When we return a book to the library, the book itself hasn’t changed, but we have changed irreversibly as a result of reading it.
If you enjoyed The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, be sure to add Returns to your reading list today. The Library Trilogy—and its accompanying short stories—will leave a permanent impact on you, from which there is no return.
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February 7, 2024This is a collection of two short stories to augment The Library Trilogy.
You can get them here for UK readers:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CTYNQGBX
Here for US readers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTYNQGBX
And on all the other Amazons too!
I hope you enjoy them.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
.
You can get them here for UK readers:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CTYNQGBX
Here for US readers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTYNQGBX
And on all the other Amazons too!
I hope you enjoy them.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
.
June 6, 2024
You cannot read the same book twice. When you return to the first page it will be a different “you”, changed by the very experiences you are seeking to recapture.
This novella is part of the library trilogies of books. The first story comes in a time before the first book ends, while Livira is probably 20 since she is accompanied by the “black dog” Volente (FYI which is Latin for: God willing, if nothing prevents it). Livira is tasked with returning a book to the shelf in the Library, a journey because this part of the library is at least a day’s journey from the entrance. Though Livira knows multiple languages, she cannot read this book she is to return, but when she finally reaches the correct shelf, she finds a cypher code carved into the shelf that allows her to start at the back of the book and read it and she finds a story within a story within still another story.
that one hundred and thirty-seven years was a long time to wait for a book and that the person who had requested it might sensibly expect the library staff to take some action on their behalf.
If like me you are in awe at how the first book ended these two stories have much of the same degree of a story turned back onto itself that The Book That Wouldn’t Burn had. Though this can be read as a stand alone, the characters (Livira, Volente, Yute, Wentworth, Clovis) will not have the deeper meaning afforded by reading the The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
The second story finds Livira as a librarian in modern day London.
“You always get something out of reading a book. It’s a reward in and of itself.” She turned away and began going through a pile of returns. Books she had allowed to be given back.”
These are stories about the love of libraries and the love of books. They are a delight and highly recommended for anyone with a love for reading and especially those persons reading the Library Trilogy of books.
This novella is part of the library trilogies of books. The first story comes in a time before the first book ends, while Livira is probably 20 since she is accompanied by the “black dog” Volente (FYI which is Latin for: God willing, if nothing prevents it). Livira is tasked with returning a book to the shelf in the Library, a journey because this part of the library is at least a day’s journey from the entrance. Though Livira knows multiple languages, she cannot read this book she is to return, but when she finally reaches the correct shelf, she finds a cypher code carved into the shelf that allows her to start at the back of the book and read it and she finds a story within a story within still another story.
that one hundred and thirty-seven years was a long time to wait for a book and that the person who had requested it might sensibly expect the library staff to take some action on their behalf.
If like me you are in awe at how the first book ended these two stories have much of the same degree of a story turned back onto itself that The Book That Wouldn’t Burn had. Though this can be read as a stand alone, the characters (Livira, Volente, Yute, Wentworth, Clovis) will not have the deeper meaning afforded by reading the The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
The second story finds Livira as a librarian in modern day London.
“You always get something out of reading a book. It’s a reward in and of itself.” She turned away and began going through a pile of returns. Books she had allowed to be given back.”
These are stories about the love of libraries and the love of books. They are a delight and highly recommended for anyone with a love for reading and especially those persons reading the Library Trilogy of books.
April 2, 2024
There is something about this multiverse that touches my soul: stories about magic books, readers as characters, time travels like no others encountered before. They are not vital in understanding the main series, but it would be a pity not to read them – they are such an enchantment!
February 7, 2024
5.0 stars—-
Everything I’ve read in The Library Trilogy world has been a 5 star read for me. If you haven’t read “The Book That Wouldn’t Burn” yet, I recommend bumping it up on your tbr list.
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn- 5.0 stars
Overdue- 5.0 stars
Returns- 5.0 stars
About Pain- 5.0 stars
Returns consists of 2 short stories (Returns & About Pain), both are under 30 pages individually and both pack a punch for their length if you’ve enjoyed the main novel. It’s not necessary to read first, any of these can be enjoyed individually, but the depth of the characters and their motivations expressed in the novel helped me enjoy it more.
Everything I’ve read in The Library Trilogy world has been a 5 star read for me. If you haven’t read “The Book That Wouldn’t Burn” yet, I recommend bumping it up on your tbr list.
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn- 5.0 stars
Overdue- 5.0 stars
Returns- 5.0 stars
About Pain- 5.0 stars
Returns consists of 2 short stories (Returns & About Pain), both are under 30 pages individually and both pack a punch for their length if you’ve enjoyed the main novel. It’s not necessary to read first, any of these can be enjoyed individually, but the depth of the characters and their motivations expressed in the novel helped me enjoy it more.
March 2, 2024
Oh my! Every time I read about these characters, particularly Livira, I do so with a smile on my face and a lump in my throat ready to cry. The love that Livira and Yute have for stories and books is everything. These two little stories are just so wonderful and I cannot wait for the The Book that broke the World. I have a feeling that these books will be my favourites of all time.
February 29, 2024
It's always hard for me to give 5 stars for short story collections because I feel like they usually just don't do enough. This was very close to a 5/5 for me though. This collection has 2 stories set in the world of the Mark Lawrence's Library Trilogy. There's no real continuity with the first book, but it uses characters and worldbuilding from it so you should read The Book That Wouldn't Burn first. With that out of the way these were two wonderful stories offering a couple of different and unique perspectives on how books and the reading experience change based on who is reading them and when. The book can change you after reading it and if you read a book multiple times you change as well and bring a different perspective the second or third time around. Lawrence explores those ideas in his incredibly unique setting that just draws me in. And the prose here is S tier. If you love great writing don't sleep on these Library series books. I can't wait to re-read The Book That Wouldn't Burn and new release The Book That Broke The World soon after.
May 14, 2024
"But there's a power in brevity. A short tale can weigh more heavily on the heart than the longest epic. And sometimes a single phrase will echo through eternity."
April 9, 2024
Two short stories which makes up a small novelette. One of the stories is about how re-reading a favorite book can speak to you differently over the decades. Mark Lawrence is one of my favorite authors and the Library Trilogy series is one of his best works so far.
February 5, 2024
Two bittersweet explorations of the nature of stories, how they impact our lives and how our lives impact them (or at least how we perceive them).
Featuring the goodest of boys and the most majestic of oversized felines to ever grace the aisles of the Library.
Featuring the goodest of boys and the most majestic of oversized felines to ever grace the aisles of the Library.
February 22, 2024
These were both great stories; but now that I've finished them it means I have to wait for the other two books in the library trilogy! I loved reading about Yute and learning more about him and how the Exchange works in "Returns," but I really enjoyed the concept of "About Pain." That every person experiences life and books and pain differently, and that our experiences change as we mature and change. That we are all characters in someone's stories...
August 13, 2024
Two novellas about the #library series by @mark___lawrence. They were quite sweet and can be read before, after, during, or independently from the other library books! 5/5 for these books which let us get to know Yute and his cat Wentworth a bit better.
February 23, 2024
As always, more absolute pleasure in reading something of "The Library Trilogy". While it's stated as "not necessary" to have read first The Book that Wouldn't Burn, doing so added such depth of understanding & meaning for me. But then, as the second story suggests, reading these again, after you read the first book, will change everything. Once again, done SO well, Mark Lawrence! ... Leaves me even more anxious for April 9th!
September 21, 2024
Returns - a return to the library!
Wow. I can’t get enough of the incredible world and the cleverly crafted intertwining storylines that Mark Lawrence has created. The next book can’t come soon enough!
Wow. I can’t get enough of the incredible world and the cleverly crafted intertwining storylines that Mark Lawrence has created. The next book can’t come soon enough!
February 17, 2024
Fun little story with Yute and Heeth, and a meta mind warp in the second story...though if you've read TBTWB you'll be used to that sort of thing. Both with messages about perceptions and lives, and importantly about understanding ourselves.
Potentially minor point, we find out Clovis's surname. I don't know if I just missed that in TBTWB (and I haven't read book 2 yet, but these short stories are meant to be read at any point), or if it's a sort of intentional new fact for the reader.
Potentially minor point, we find out Clovis's surname. I don't know if I just missed that in TBTWB (and I haven't read book 2 yet, but these short stories are meant to be read at any point), or if it's a sort of intentional new fact for the reader.
March 5, 2024
It's good!
Both Overdue and the stories in this collection take the library aesthetic of The Book that Wouldn't Burn, but move away from the fantasy focus to a more cozy, magical realism that is pretty appealing.
Both Overdue and the stories in this collection take the library aesthetic of The Book that Wouldn't Burn, but move away from the fantasy focus to a more cozy, magical realism that is pretty appealing.
March 22, 2024
I didn’t even know this was released until I finished a different book and it was recommended. I LOVED these short stories. They were deep and thought provoking in a way I can’t fully describe. I can’t recommend it enough.
April 10, 2024
Great themes and quotes to make you think in these short stories.
February 6, 2024
Perfect stories for reading after the book that wouldnt burn
March 13, 2024
I think i might have even teared up a little
February 7, 2024
2 short stories including Wentworth and Volente
2 short stories set in the library, including Livira, Wentworth and Volente.
Returns is a story with in a story. Livira is tasked with returning a book in the library, but its one she wishes to read and can't, as she doesn't understand the language.
About Pain is about a young man who had to read a book for English at school, but didn't enjoy it. However, his dog has brought him a copy which he tries to return to the library. There he meets Livira, who suggests he tries again and to come back in 10 years, when she will be waiting, and tell her about the book.
Both of these short stories explore time and how it moves differently for different people. They both contain Wentworth and Volente and give a little more insight into the library and what we may see in books 2 and 3 of the library trilogy.
2 quick reads, but I expect to be thinking about the tales for a few days yet. As always with Mark Lawrence books, there are undertones which need to be thought about.
Merged review:
2 short stories set in the library, including Livira, Wentworth and Volente.
Returns is a story with in a story. Livira is tasked with returning a book in the library, but its one she wishes to read and can't, as she doesn't understand the language.
About Pain is about a young man who had to read a book for English at school, but didn't enjoy it. However, his dog has brought him a copy which he tries to return to the library. There he meets Livira, who suggests he tries to read the book again and to come back in 10 years, when she will be waiting, and tell her about the book.
Both of these short stories explore time and how it moves differently for different people. They both contain Wentworth and Volente and give a little more insight into the library and what we may see in books 2 and 3 of the library trilogy.
2 quick reads, but I expect to be thinking about the tales for a few days yet. As always with Mark Lawrence books, there are undertones which need to be thought about
2 short stories set in the library, including Livira, Wentworth and Volente.
Returns is a story with in a story. Livira is tasked with returning a book in the library, but its one she wishes to read and can't, as she doesn't understand the language.
About Pain is about a young man who had to read a book for English at school, but didn't enjoy it. However, his dog has brought him a copy which he tries to return to the library. There he meets Livira, who suggests he tries again and to come back in 10 years, when she will be waiting, and tell her about the book.
Both of these short stories explore time and how it moves differently for different people. They both contain Wentworth and Volente and give a little more insight into the library and what we may see in books 2 and 3 of the library trilogy.
2 quick reads, but I expect to be thinking about the tales for a few days yet. As always with Mark Lawrence books, there are undertones which need to be thought about.
Merged review:
2 short stories set in the library, including Livira, Wentworth and Volente.
Returns is a story with in a story. Livira is tasked with returning a book in the library, but its one she wishes to read and can't, as she doesn't understand the language.
About Pain is about a young man who had to read a book for English at school, but didn't enjoy it. However, his dog has brought him a copy which he tries to return to the library. There he meets Livira, who suggests he tries to read the book again and to come back in 10 years, when she will be waiting, and tell her about the book.
Both of these short stories explore time and how it moves differently for different people. They both contain Wentworth and Volente and give a little more insight into the library and what we may see in books 2 and 3 of the library trilogy.
2 quick reads, but I expect to be thinking about the tales for a few days yet. As always with Mark Lawrence books, there are undertones which need to be thought about
March 3, 2024
Smart and thoughtful
This is a pair of stories that have a deeper level than just a tale. They also look to the importance of literature and so imagination.
This is a pair of stories that have a deeper level than just a tale. They also look to the importance of literature and so imagination.
February 17, 2024
Just can’t get enough of The Library Trilogy. I’m counting down to the release of The Book That Broke the World.
This collection of short stories definitely helped fill the void.
This collection of short stories definitely helped fill the void.
March 26, 2025
The first part was cool -- just what you love about these books
The second part though! Holden caulfield! It took an embarrassingly long time for it all to click together. Books within books. The mechanisms ---
I never finished the catcher in rye Maybe I'll try again...
The second part though! Holden caulfield! It took an embarrassingly long time for it all to click together. Books within books. The mechanisms ---
I never finished the catcher in rye Maybe I'll try again...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
Two lovely short stories about stories, what’s not to love.
Both stories have great quotable lines as always with a Mark Lawrence book. It’s nice to see the characters of the main trilogy going about what I imagine is their daily lives working at the library. And, of course, who doesn’t love a story that has a giant cat, book retrieving dog and a cameo of a raven in them?
Both stories have great quotable lines as always with a Mark Lawrence book. It’s nice to see the characters of the main trilogy going about what I imagine is their daily lives working at the library. And, of course, who doesn’t love a story that has a giant cat, book retrieving dog and a cameo of a raven in them?
March 23, 2025
Ich glaube, diese Kurzgeschichtensammlung ist mein liebster Teil der Serie bisher. Vor allem die zweite Geschichte hat es mir sehr angetan. Hier kommt die Liebe zum Buch und zum Lesen in beiden Titeln richtig schön zur Geltung. Es geht darum, wie wir lesen und wie sich Bücher mit uns entwickeln. Nie lesen wir zweimal dasselbe Buch. Genau so ist es mir auch ergangen, wenn ich Bücher erneut gelesen habe. Jedes Mal war es ein anderes Buch und eine andere Geschichte.
Die zweite Kurzgeschichte lässt sich lesen, ohne grosses Vorwissen über die Library-Trilogie, aber es macht mehr Spass und zieht mehr rein, wenn wir die Hintergründe und Figuren kennen. Die erste Geschichte ist wahrscheinlich zu konfus, ohne die Mechanismen hinter der Welt Lawrences zu verstehen. Fans lege ich diesen Titel wärmstens ans Herz.
Die zweite Kurzgeschichte lässt sich lesen, ohne grosses Vorwissen über die Library-Trilogie, aber es macht mehr Spass und zieht mehr rein, wenn wir die Hintergründe und Figuren kennen. Die erste Geschichte ist wahrscheinlich zu konfus, ohne die Mechanismen hinter der Welt Lawrences zu verstehen. Fans lege ich diesen Titel wärmstens ans Herz.
March 29, 2024
An intriguing taster and stepping stone while I wait none too patiently for The Book The Broke the World.
March 9, 2024
I always love the more nebulous ideas and themes Mark Lawrence is able to explore in his short stories.
If you have an afternoon free and want to read some damn well-written prose then I couldn't recommend this more.
If you have an afternoon free and want to read some damn well-written prose then I couldn't recommend this more.
April 9, 2024
It's like Inception but with books. Mark Lawrence continues to impress. The ability to blow minds in 53 pages is crazy to me but he pulled it off with Returns.
May 25, 2024
Really smart, unique and original. The 'power' of books and stories. Really like it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews