Libriomancer (Magic Ex Libris, #1)

by Jim C. Hines

Hugo winner Jim C. Hines's hilarious and clever Magic ex Libris series, where books come alive and libriomancer Isaac Vainio combats magical threats that spring from the page

Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg.  Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror, he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.

With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic. . . .

• ISBN10: 0756407397
• ISBN13: 9780756407391
• Publish Date: 7 August 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Daw Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780756407391

Reviews

[malberto]

So, the premise of this book is probably the dream of every reader: To be able to reach in a book and take out whatever, I mean the possibilities are endless, but when I first started reading I couldn't concentrate and ended up dropping. So, I was looking for something to read this week and pick it up again and this time I liked, not the best book in the world, a lot of clichés, but you know 3 stars, solid C, pass with reservations, a chance to improve in the future.

Therefore I'll recommend this to anyone who's a fan of urban fantasy and doesn't have anything better to read, flip through, see what's what.

[wyvernfriend]

Libriomancer gets bonus points for being a very cool idea. More of a 3.5 than a 4 star read, in my estimation, but I found it interesting.

Isaac Vainio is a librarian, who adds information to books catalogued by him, things that only make sense to Libriomancers, he misses his days on the field, but now his life is more sedate, until some vampires come after him and he has to resurrect his rusty libriomancer skills and try to save the day.

I liked the concept, there were times when I felt a little lost by the story but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to more of this series.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I love the concepts in this book. Libromancers are able to conjure items that fit through the pages of books the fight the evil in this world. In the end, I just wasn't a fan of writing. Unlike Jim's Princess books, this one didn't flow as well. It felt rushed--almost like an ill-written first novel.

My favorite thing about the novel was it was very apparent that Jim loves books and that books have had a profound impact on his life. Which, as an avid reader myself, I can appreciate. I mean who wouldn't want to pull Dorothy's slipper from the pages of [b:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|236093|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)|L. Frank Baum|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327894516s/236093.jpg|1993810] or use Lucy's cordial from [b:The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe|100915|The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)|C.S. Lewis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336139107s/100915.jpg|4790821] on a loved one. It was this passion for books that kept me reading. I couldn't wait to see what item would materialize next.

“Every libromancer had a first book. Etched more sharply into my memory than my first kiss, this book had been my magical awakening.”

“Like any child raised on tales of magical worlds beyond paintings and mirrors and wardrobes, I had yearned to enter Middle Earth, to reach through.”