Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 DEBUT CATEGORY - KITCHIES PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDS

A New York Times bestseller, Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore is an entirely charming and lovable first novel of mysterious books and dusty bookshops; it is a witty and delightful love-letter to both the old book world and the new.

Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn't take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends (and a cute girl who works for Google) and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers' behaviour. What they discover is an ancient secret that can only be solved by modern means, and a global-conspiracy guarded by Mr. Penumbra himself... who has mysteriously disappeared.

Reviewed by MurderByDeath on

5 of 5 stars

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I loved this book! I was drawn to this book by the bookstore setting and the strange, secret behaviour of the customers. But what a great tale that unfolded! I really enjoyed this book and really appreciated that the author was able to write a compelling story with a really great message at the end without any angst, drama, or tear jerking. This feat is what got that 5th star out of me, as I really dislike books that rely on emotional manipulation to get their point across.

I love printed books but my career is in technology, so I particularly enjoyed the way bleeding edge tech and Old Books were blended in this story, and how the author managed to convey that each had it's place in our current and future world; one does not have to replace the other. He did a very credible job of writing the tech in such a way that I believe most anyone can not only understand it but appreciate the beauty of data manipulation.

The characters throughout the book are always held a bit at arms length, but it doesn't detract from knowing that the main players are likeable, sympathetic - people you'd like to know in your 'real' life. All in all there just wan't anything I didn't really, truly enjoy about this book and I read the whole thing in one go. This will be a book I re-read and enjoy all over again in the future.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 November, 2012: Finished reading
  • 26 November, 2012: Reviewed