Irene must be top of her game or she'll be off the case. Permanently ... Irene is a dimension-hopping 'book spy' for the secretive Library. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, they're posted to an alternative London to retrieve a dangerous book. But some will kill to retain it.
Stealing a book is standard, if required, but nothing has prepared them for the dangers in store. This world is chaos-infested, so the usual laws of nature have been bent to allow werewolves, fae and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is hiding a few secrets of his own. And when they arrive, the book they seek has already been lifted - by a notorious lady cat-burglar. Plus London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the death to get 'her book'.
Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in thieves, murderers, secret societies, the fae and giant mechanical centipedes. Good thing Irene can call on the aid of a deer-stalker wearing detective (who bears more than a passing similarity to a certain fictional sleuth) for assistance.
And when things get tough, Irene is more than ready to do whatever it takes. For this assignment could endanger The Library and the nature of reality itself.
Industry Reviews
I absolutely loved this ... flavoured with truly unique mythology and a dash of the eldritch. Such clever, creepy, elaborate worldbuilding and snarky, sexy-smart characters! N. K. Jemisin A dazzling bibliophilic debut Charles Stross It's a breath of fresh air ... with a companionable heroine in Irene, and a satisfyingly complex plot, The Invisible Library - the first of a series - is a book in which to wallow Guardian Written in a similar vein to Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy ... Contemporary meets fairy-tale in this novel Big Issue Surrender to the sheer volume of fun that appears on every page...thoroughly entertaining Starburst Magazine Fantasy doesn't get much better ... If you're looking for a swift, clever and witty read, look no further Fantasy-Faction.com This witty and spirited adventure sets up a potential gold mine of lore for the writer to plunder in future sequels ... a fun and original page-turner SciFiNow.co.uk Highly entertaining ... It reminded me a lot of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series TheBookPlank blog The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book ... a stunning work of art that has me absolutely begging for more FantasyBookReview.co.uk Hits the spot straight from the opening page ... one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year Upcoming4.me An adventure story to delight the heart ... The characters of Irene, her companion and those they encounter are vividly drawn, and the story moves along at breakneck speed to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion ScifiBulletin.com A book that was a sheer joy to spend time with ... solid prose alongside great pace FalcataTimes blog Cogman's dialogue is clever and funny, and her characters delightfully flawed. With this book she has crafted an exciting, fast-paced introduction to a world you will yearn to revisit ... Books such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games series are paving the way for stories like this Geekchocolate.co.uk A mix of Doctor Who, Fringe and The Librarians ... Genevieve Cogman has crafted a well-paced, smart and fun novel that will certainly be a quick read for most people TheFictionalHangout blog Cogman's debut is a tremendously fun, rip-roaring adventure with protagonists that are easy to love and a setting that couldn't have suited my tastes better ... I can't wait for the second instalment AFantasticalLibrarian.com The Invisible Library is currently at the top of my list of favourite books read this year ... so much fun Fantasybookcafe.com I've seen it compared to Doctor Who, I'm sure it'll be compared to Harry Potter, and it'll probably get compared to every Anglophile novel full of vim and fun that's ever been written. These comparisons will all be well-earned BastianBalthasarbooks.co.uk I absolutely loved this ... flavored with truly unique mythology and a dash of the eldritch. Such clever, creepy, elaborate worldbuilding and snarky, sexy-smart characters N.K. Jemisin A dazzling bibliophilic debut Charles Stross It's a breath of fresh air ... with a companionable heroine in Irene, and a satisfyingly complex plot, The Invisible Library - the first of a series - is a book in which to wallow Guardian Written in a similar vein to Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy ... Contemporary meets fairy-take in this novel Big Issue Surrender to the sheer volume of fun that appears on every page...thoroughly entertaining Starburst Magazine Fantasy doesn't get much better ... If you're looking for a swift, clever and witty read, look no further Fantasy-Faction.com This witty and spirited adventure sets up a potential gold mine of lore for the writer to plunder in future sequels ... a fun and original page-turner SciFiNow.co.uk Highly entertaining ... It reminded me a lot of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series TheBookPlank blog The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book ... a stunning work of art that has me absolutely begging for more FantasyBookReview.co.uk Hits the spot straight from the opening page ... one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year Upcoming4.me An adventure story to delight the heart ... The characters of Irene, her companion and those they encounter are vividly drawn, and the story moves along at breakneck speed to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion ScifiBulletin.com A book that was a sheer joy to spend time with ... solid prose alongside great pace FalcataTimes blog Cogman's dialogue is clever and funny, and her characters delightfully flawed. With this book she has crafted an exciting, fast-paced introduction to a world you will yearn to revisit ... Books such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games series are paving the way for stories like this Geekchocolate.co.uk A mix of Doctor Who, Fringe and The Librarians ... Genevieve Cogman has crafted a well-paced, smart and fun novel that will certainly be a quick read for most people TheFictionalHangout blog Cogman's debut is a tremendously fun, rip-roaring adventure with protagonists that are easy to love and a setting that couldn't have suited my tastes better ... I can't wait for the second instalment AFantasticalLibrarian.com The Invisible Library is currently at the top of my list of favourite books read this year ... so much fun Fantasybookcafe.com I've seen it compared to Doctor Who, I'm sure it'll be compared to Harry Potter, and it'll probably get compared to every Anglophile novel full of vim and fun that's ever been written. These comparisons will all be well-earned BastianBalthasarbooks.co.uk
