The Bookshop Book

The Library Trilogy

by Mark Lawrence

An epic fantasy adventure through cosy, cluttered bookshops, set in the world of Sunday Times bestseller Mark Lawrence's groundbreaking The Library Trilogy.

Bookshops have always been places where worlds collide. Places where ideas make war, where cultures meet and mate.

Frederick 'Red' Archer is hanging on at the edge of society, in the care of the state, when he wanders into the bookshop that will change his life.

Rose Penrose is watching the world from the other side of the page, exiled by an act of awful violence, and is now fleeing from story to story whilst searching for her own.

The Great Smith has had a hand in both their pasts and an eye on their future. They are tools that he has fashioned for a greater purpose. Tools to be used up and discarded.

All that is certain is that a story has them all in its jaws. And that it is about to bite.

Genres: Fantasy, Books About Books, Science Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

My books vary a LOT - so here's a handy guide.

[My new book Daughter of Crows is out in March 2026!]

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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.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

STOP PRESS
While stocks last, The Locked Library special edition is open to the general (non-US and non-Canadian) public for pre-order!
https://www.thelockedlibrary.com/prod...
a low stock warning has just been issued on this


But wait, there's more! :o

A standalone novel with loose association to The Library Trilogy, but definitely not one that requires any previous reading to enjoy.



Now with another magnificent cover from Tom Roberts.




Coming October 2026.

The Bookshop Book: A Library Novel

Bookshops have always been places where worlds collide. Places where ideas make war, where cultures meet and mate.

Frederick 'Red' Archer is hanging on at the edge of society, in the care of the state, when he wanders into the bookshop that will change his life.

Rose Penrose is watching the world from the other side of the page, exiled by an act of awful violence, and is now fleeing from story to story whilst searching for her own.

The Great Smith has had a hand in both their pasts and an eye on their future. They are tools that he has fashioned for a greater purpose. Tools to be used up and discarded.

All that is certain is that a story has them all in its jaws. And that it is about to bite.



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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes

.....

[Mitriel Faywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two reasons why you should read this book:
1. It’s really very good
2. If you loved the Library trilogy this is a must and I so want to tell you why, but that would be a huge spoiler. So just trust me! ;)

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

"The Bookshop Book" is a story about Red and Rose. Two young people, who don't know each other and have no idea how their lives are connected. It's a kind of story within a story, where you're not sure how to distinguish fiction from reality or written characters from the once made from flesh and blood. For sure it is a great read for anyone who loves books about reading. It does have a lot of references to other popular works of art, whereas the world building is a mix of urban fantasy vibes and fantasy/sci-fi where characters can visit different stories.

I haven't yet read The Library Trilogy, however, I do have it on my TBR, so I decided to start with something a bit shorter. It is a novella, which allows reader to immerse in this tangled world of reading. I wasn't that much connected to the characters itself, but the world building intrigued me a lot. I believe it to be the strongest part of this book and I cannot wait to sink into this world once again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Morwen]

If a Mark Lawrence book pops up on NetGalley, I request it. Easy as that!

[Hilary Treat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cool tie-in to The Library Trilogy but set in our “world.” I was able to read this through Mark’s Patreon. I will definitely be re-reading once it is published!

[Bonnie among the pages and chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A childlike adventure through The Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, and Alice in Wonderland. Somehow both wonderfully coherent and held together by whatever dream logic governs this magical world. ★★★★☆

I picked this up having never read Mark Lawrence, despite being very intrigued by The Library Trilogy. As a book nerd, the idea of having an adventure in an impossibly vast library is very much chef's kiss, but committing to a trilogy felt like a bigger undertaking than I was in the mood for. A standalone, on the other hand, fit the bill perfectly.

If this was supposed to tell me whether I'm ready to commit to The Library Trilogy, it absolutely did.

The story follows Frederick "Red" Archer after he accidentally stumbles into a mysterious bookshop and, as these things tend to go, immediately becomes tangled up in something far bigger than himself. Hidden within one of its books is Rose Penrose, a girl being hunted by those who would very much like to get their hands on her. From there, the novel becomes part adventure, part celebration of literature, and part reminder that stories are often far more powerful than we give them credit for.

What surprised me most was Lawrence's prose. It's witty, concise, and quietly clever. He isn't afraid of using wonderfully obscure words, but never in a way that feels like he's trying to impress the reader. Instead, it reminded me of the way children reach for the biggest words they know because the feelings they're trying to describe are simply too big for ordinary ones. It captures that same sense of boundless imagination without ever becoming pretentious.

The youthful cast also gave me unexpected Anne with an E vibes. There's that same wholehearted belief that stories matter, that imagination is worth protecting, and that curiosity isn't something to grow out of.

I also appreciated that the literary references weren't simply there so readers could point and say, "Hey, I know that one!" Rose's journey through The Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, and Alice in Wonderland makes those stories part of the plot rather than just nostalgic nods. It never felt like nostalgia bait. It felt like a genuine celebration of literature.

One thread I found particularly interesting was the tension between imagination and practicality. At its heart, this is a story about the power of stories versus those who seek to control, exploit, or weaponise them. I also found myself wondering if there was some subtle gendered symbolism at play. The antagonists are largely "smiths," associated with industry, control, and shaping the world to their will, while many of the women, often mothers, muses or witches, become protectors of creativity and imagination. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it was an interesting lens through which to experience the story.

My only real criticism is that I think the standalone format worked slightly against it. The dreamlike quality is absolutely part of the novel's charm, but it also meant I never became quite as emotionally attached to Red, Rose, or the stakes as I wanted to. It reminded me a little of Piranesi in that regard. Not because the stories are particularly similar, but because both embrace a surreal, almost dreamlike reality. The difference is that Piranesi eventually anchored me emotionally, whereas The Bookshop Book remained content to feel like a beautiful dream right until the last page.

Ironically, that's less of a criticism than it is a compliment. The book didn't leave me wishing it were shorter. It left me wishing I had another few hundred pages to spend wandering this world.

And perhaps most importantly... it convinced me to immediately buy The Library Trilogy.

PS: I got to read this so early that the acknowledgements were still just the placeholder "TK." 🙂‍↕️💅 Is that a brag? It probably shouldn't be, but I'm absolutely choosing to take it as one. Request it on Netgalley while you can to benefit from these bragging rights while this lasts 😌📚

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure time: I have not read the Library trilogy. It is on my TBR, and reading this novella definitely intrigues me to the trilogy.

You will start confused. It's OK. It all comes together as you read along. We follow Red and Rose. Red is a 14 year old boy who lives in a home with his sister while their mother is in a psychiatric hospital. His sister is missing, and he is working to find her throughout the novella. Rose is a girl who is running from something, trapped in worlds that are suspiciously familiar to the reader; if they are widely read that is. The feeling of being chased is visceral for much of the novel, both in terms of Rose escaping her "villain" and Red chasing leads to his sister. This propulsion of plot and actions of both characters is really what kept me reading, to see how it all turns out.

The worldbuilding is intriguing. The idea of jumping into novels or stories is not new, but the fact that one can jump from story to story with some abstract rules (existing but not really explained well) is a good take. I do wonder if I would appreciate the worldbuilding a little more if I had read the Library trilogy first...I guess I'll have to find out later. The Library is definitely intriguing as a place, and I do want to know more.

The prose felt a little off to the characters. If I didn't know that Red was 14, I would expect him to be much older, even with the explanation that he is a reader and likes ten-dollar words. There are some lovely, impactful sentences about the stories of our lives woven in, and I do appreciate that the author does not shy away from those ten dollar words - just don't point it out to me! Red's actions at times feel like a young teen's actions, but his inner monologue felt much older. I'm sure this can be the result of his life to this point, but I still felt disjointed.

This is definitely not the grimdark experiences of Lawrence's other series. This will be fun for readers that like books within books, the impact of story, and is OK with being a little lost at the beginning. May have a bigger impact with those that have already read the trilogy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ace for the chance to read this eARC.

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wished your local bookshop had a hidden doorway leading to another world, The Bookshop Book is exactly the kind of story you'll want to pick up. I'll admit I'm probably a little biased because I loved the Library Trilogy, and at this point I don't think I've read a Mark Lawrence book I haven't enjoyed.

The premise alone had me hooked. Lawrence takes a magical bookshop with seemingly endless shelves, then sends his characters hopping through stories where the line between fiction and reality becomes wonderfully blurred. As someone who loves fantasy—and especially books about books—I was completely on board from the start. Every new world brought something unexpected, and it's obvious Lawrence had a lot of fun playing with the idea that stories are living places that can shape the people who enter them.

I also really enjoyed following Red and Rose. Their friendship grows naturally over the course of the adventure, giving the story an emotional center even as everything around them gets stranger and stranger. The pacing rarely lets up, mixing mystery, danger, humor, and plenty of imaginative moments that kept me turning the pages.

My only real complaint is that I wanted more. Because the story visits so many different worlds, some of them feel like brief stopovers instead of places you really get to settle into. There were several settings I would have happily spent another hundred pages exploring before moving on. That's probably a testament to how creative they were, but I still found myself wishing the book had slowed down every now and then.

Overall, I had a great time with The Bookshop Book. It's lighter and more playful than some of Lawrence's darker fantasy, but it still has the clever worldbuilding, memorable characters, and sense of adventure I've come to expect from him. If you love portal fantasy, metafiction, or stories that celebrate the magic of reading, this one is well worth checking out.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bookshop Book is a wonderfully inventive fantasy that feels like stepping into a maze of cluttered shelves where every book hums with possibility. It’s cosy in atmosphere yet sweeping in scope, blending the charm of quiet bookshops with the thrill of worlds colliding just beyond the page.

Red’s story begins in the most unassuming way—an aimless wander into a bookshop—and from there the novel opens up into something far stranger and more magical. His journey has a gentle, almost accidental heroism to it, and watching him stumble into a destiny he never asked for is part of the book’s quiet delight.

Rose’s perspective adds a beautiful contrast. Her exile from her own story gives the narrative a dreamy, slightly surreal quality, as she slips between tales searching for a place to belong. The interplay between Red’s grounded struggle and Rose’s drifting, page‑bound existence creates a rhythm that’s both tender and intriguing.

The Great Smith’s looming influence gives the book its darker edge. There’s a sense of inevitability woven through the narrative—a reminder that stories can nurture, but they can also consume. The idea that Red and Rose are tools shaped for a purpose larger than themselves adds tension without overwhelming the gentle wonder of the world.

What makes the book shine is its love of storytelling itself. Bookshops become battlegrounds, sanctuaries, crossroads. Ideas clash, narratives bite, and the familiar comfort of a dusty shelf becomes the gateway to something vast and unpredictable.

A cosy yet epic adventure that celebrates the magic of stories and the strange, beautiful ways they shape us. Perfect for readers who love fantasy with heart, imagination, and a touch of chaos.

With thanks to Mark Lawrence, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bookshop Book is such a rare thing in the Mark Lawrence 'bookverse' - a book that unapologetically ties to another of his books, in this case the Library Trilogy, without the reader having to scurry around, trying to find the connection (oh yes - almost all of his books have some connection, however frugally withheld aside from for those who know to look for them).

It's also somewhat rare in being set in the 'here and now' and reads 'quick' as well as being very engaging. Although those who plough through books be aware, this book will bite eventually, and you will have to stop and ask yourself what you've just read - it's a quick read, but each word is important - as are the words in the books themselves - do not devour them too freely.

There is much that could be said about the connections, about the relief of, despite this being set in the 'here and now', finally moving to something readers will know from the Library Trilogy, but that way lies spoilers, and I think knowing the connection exists is enough of a spoiler.

There were points when I was genuinely quite baffled, and others where I could sense the events building in such a way that they had to resolve in a way I thought they might, and I really couldn't stop reading once I'd started.

For those who've never read Mark Lawrence before, this is probably quite an 'easy in' to the way his stories work. For those who've been there from the beginning, this is a book where you can never relax, but you can certainly enjoy the events as they unfold, while thinking 'ah, well that 'almost' explains that then.'

I'm super proud of myself for reading this book so quickly, but that is because it hooks you right in and won't let go.

[Dima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A standalone novel set in the Library universe. The protagonists are Rose, a young girl apparently written into existence by her mother, and Red, a fourteen-year-old boy in the care of the state who stumbles into a bookshop in a small English town and is introduced to the world of the Library. Rose is trying to win her freedom and independence by escaping the Great Smith, while Red gradually discovers that he has a critical role to play.

As is usually the case with this author, the book is a rollercoaster of creativity and adventure. Beyond the overarching narrative about the Library and the tension between order and creativity, the novel is also a love letter to children's literature. Rose finds herself weaving in and out of classics such as The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and even Great Expectations.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but it felt somewhat less complete than the author's other works that I have read. Perhaps there was simply too much packed into a relatively short novel. At times, it almost felt as though the book had been written primarily as a celebration of other works of literature, with the Library narrative woven in afterwards rather than serving as its natural foundation.

Even so, it remains imaginative, entertaining, and overflowing with the author's characteristic inventiveness. 4.5 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Trischia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 ⭐️, 0🌶

I received an advance copy of this book at no charge. This is my honest, voluntary review.

✨ A magical adventure filled with books, knowledge, and the power of family. ✨

Mark Lawrence has done a fantastic job with this one. While this book is connected to his Library trilogy, I want to be very clear that I went into it having never read the trilogy before. And honestly? I think that made this experience even more exciting because this book completely convinced me that the trilogy needs to move to the top of my TBR.

One of the things I loved most about this story was its focus on familial love and relationships. Both main characters are faced with challenges involving their families, and while their paths become intertwined, they each have their own meaningful and believable character arcs. Watching them navigate those struggles added so much emotional depth to the story.

But the true standout for me was the world building. Lawrence has a unique ability to make books, libraries, and knowledge feel truly magical. I loved discovering how all the pieces of this world fit together, and the little references to other famous literary works sprinkled throughout the story were such a fun addition for any book lover.

Overall, this was a wonderful adventure and another reminder of why I enjoy Mark Lawrence’s writing so much. I’m excited to dive into the Library trilogy soon and discover how everything connects. 📚✨

[Rebekah W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that icebreaker question, who would you like to eat dinner with dead or alive, famous or not? Mark Lawrence is on my list. In full transparency, I haven’t read The Library Trilogy yet, but that didn’t stop me from loving Red & Rose’s story. And maybe that’s actually a good thing, because while I know there are some reveals and tie-ins, it didn’t hinder my experience with this novel. This felt like Stranger Things meets Alice in Wonderland in a love letter to stories. I am not going to go into the major plot beats of this story because I don’t want to ruin anything for you.

BUT one thing I’ve grown to love about Lawrence’s stories is how I may be confused for 75-80% of the story but I trust him to bring it all together in a mind blowing moment (with a ton of hilarious jokes along the way). The Library Trilogy is now so so so high on my TBR. Read The Bookshop Book if you love trippy stories about purpose and predestination and have wanted to find yourself falling through the looking glass.

[Heike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!
Highly recommended!