SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

It's the 15th and that means we finally get to talk spoilers. What did you guys think?

"The Buddha teaches respect for all life."
"Oh." She considered this. "Are you a Buddhist?"
"No. I'm an asshole. But I keep trying." (p. 216)

This part made me laugh out loud, and read it out loud to my boyfriend, and then kept giggling. It sums up how I feel about this book. It was highly irreverent about life and killing, but it didn't really matter because no one had to stay dead, no matter how long they've been dead, or how many times. There was a sweetness about that. Carolyn was a great character. The unraveling of the story kept me guessing, and there were a lot of questions and mysteries up front like a Gordian knot slowly tugged loose through the course of the story.

I loved the poetic justice of the freeing of the lions, and their role in the story. Didn't so much love the dogs being the bad guys. I hate it when animals are hurt and killed, even in fiction.

I was kinda sad that all of the others had to die. It seemed like Carolyn had a special bond with Michael, and somewhat with Jennifer. I would have liked to see some of them stick around.

Jen wrote: "I was kinda sad that all of the others had to die. It seemed like Carolyn had a special bond with Michael, and somewhat with Jennifer. I would have liked to see some of them stick around. "

Yes, I feel the same. It was the price Carolyn had to pay to make sure that her coup succeeded. However, now that she and Ablakha have made their peace, she could probably resurrect some of the others.

One thing I loved was the special perspective that the readers had. We knew how different and powerful the librarians were before the ordinary humans met them. We knew how ordinary humans would react and that they were way out of their depth. The situation reminded me of the TV shows The Addams Family and The Munsters. When someone new would come over to the house, they would be creeped out by the weirdness that we had already come to accept as normal.

I appreciated the different ways we could evaluate Ablakha's reign. Carolyn's idea at the start of the book — that Ablakha enjoyed suffering — makes him seem monstrous. Then we find out that things could be much, much worse. War and famine are horrible, but nothing so bad as the sun going out. Even with good intentions, Carolyn finds that it's not easy to run the universe. Not to mention what her rivals like the Duke and Barry O'Shea would do with the place. Is the glass half-empty or half-full? At the end, we learn that Ablakha had been grooming Carolyn as his successor, and that he had had time to try countless different scenarios.

Jen wrote: ""The Buddha teaches respect for all life."
"Oh." She considered this. "Are you a Buddhist?"
"No. I'm an asshole. But I keep trying." (p. 216)"

I was particularity fond of this quote too. Often comedy is all in the timing (as they say) and it was well placed. I fell into the dark comedy more and more as the book progressed.

I thought the book was going to end after Carolyn won the battle with David, but it continued. And that didn't make the ending bad.

I had a hard time visualizing some of the librarians. I found this picture on-line which I feel honors the story quite well.

I finished last night with mixed feelings. It was clearly wildly creative and quirky, and way off any beaten track.

What was most off-putting for me was how the violence and torture were incorporated in such an off-handed way. The blasé use of it by the Librarians and their “Father”, for purification, education, punishment, revenge, pleasure, or whatever, was too much. I suppose there was some message in there about them being immortal “gods” without the moral “flaws” imposed on us mere mortals, but it felt like a real disconnect for me.

I was also a little frustrated by the “death” in this book. Are you dead, or not? You can never really tell.

There were some interesting bits, but overall all I thought it was dull. The elements that felt like they were intended to be a major plot twist, I saw coming. In the end, I was just happy it was over.

Ty Edwin. I've been on the fence about reading this, after checking out the first few pp., and because of your comment I know it's not for me and I can move it off the pile.

I thought , it was a fun read with some laugh out loud moments. I suppose it had a moral element when Carolyn changes from revenge to good at the end. However, and I know this sounds stupid coming from a fantasy reader, it was just a bit too far fetched in places. A tale of kid turns god and changes the sun and the tides. Hmmm.

I thought the book was sort of an action movie or buttered popcorn - entertaining, but not substantive.

How do gods become omniscient? They read, of course. My favorite concept out of this book.

Data wrote: "How do gods become omniscient? They read, of course. My favorite concept out of this book."

omg! I missed that! : D

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "I thought the book was sort of an action movie or buttered popcorn - entertaining, but not substantive."

Ditto. Nail on the head. For me it was an enjoyable romp. A great summer read, but nothing deeper than a puddle. I quite like Hawkins style. He kept my interest.

Data wrote: "How do gods become omniscient? They read, of course. My favorite concept out of this book."

Yep!!!

The gross out factor was such that I almost put it down about a third of the way through, but the concept of the Library kept me going. It was well written in that sense--I had to find out how it ended, but I found myself skimming past the violence (and that amounts to a good bit!).

The characters were interesting yet not engaging. And the way they kept dying then coming back became annoying. I think someone said the book was about as deep as a puddle, and that nails it.

I really need to start reading blurbs or at least look at the genre listings before starting a book. I thought I was going to read about a fantastical library full of magic and whimsy, but I was dropped into a pit of boiling gore. I'm sure this book is technically worth more than two stars, but I just don't love reading about torture, rape, killing and suffering.

edit: I think I had this mixed up with another book on my TBR, The Library of Shadows. That sounds more like what I thought this was going to be. That's what can happen when you don't want to spoil books by reading blurbs right before reading.

I don't know what to say about this book. I liked it but at the same time it was somehow annoying. Maybe the story was too mixed up to be convincing. It was clever but out of its place. I can clearly say I liked it but I can't recommend this book to someone else. I can't seem to guess if others would like it.

I realise this is a necrothread, but I felt like commenting when I saw this on the reread list.

Roland: "it was just a bit too far fetched in places."

That just about sums it up for me. It was good as a one-shot, but I can't imagine this book being part of a series. The term speculative fantasy comes to mind. It introduced some concepts that are interesting but require their own books to explore. (a glacier as a villain, the world trying to survive with a sun that gives heat but no light, etc).

Now I really want to read a book where an intelligent glacier is the villain.

I finished it recently, it reminded me of asking Tarantino to film Greek/Biblical myths, lots of gore and blood but if you pass it, an interesting and gripping story. And even if violence there is justified to show otherness of librarians, it is still gross

Anna wrote: "...I thought I was going to read about a fantastical library full of magic and whimsy, but I was dropped into a pit of boiling gore..."

I'm still "First Impressions" in Chapter 3, but so far ^^ that's about right.

I'm sorry someone else was unexpectedly dropped into this pit! Hope you make it out!

I loved this book. It was so much freaking fun!!

A word processor, a dark mood and some LSD, what could happen?

Too much violence, blood, child and animal abuse, torture and murder for me.