Hooked on Books: "The Library at Mount Char"

Do you ever think about our imagination?

Go ahead.

Think about it.

Think about how you can make yourself fly.

Or ride a whale into the sky. (Unintentional rhyme, I would like to point out.)

Give a woman a tail instead of legs.

Add a horn to a horse.

Appoint a cat as queen?

Nice try Scout.

Our imagination is truly an incredible thing. With 'incredible' being an understatement. Perhaps the most enormous understatement, because with our little minds (and yes they are little in comparison to the entire living universe) we can create worlds, upon worlds, upon galaxies of our own making. And that's part of what separates us from animals- that we can think up these amazing and otherworldly things and be able to share this enlightenment with our fellow man.

And that's why writing is magical.

I recently finished a novel that put my imagination in hyper drive. I was floored, confused, astounded- all in a matter of pages. And I laughed! During this complex fantasy novel- I actually giggled. And this is why I wish to share my findings with you all.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is a book I found while strolling around my local Barnes and Noble, and I was immediately intrigued by the cover, as well as the title. This thing is a beauty.

Now, we may say "Never judge a book by its cover", but do we ever really listen when we are considering actual books? No! Beautiful books are the ones we immediately pick up, and this love story was no different.

As I've said before- Every book has its time. So this book spent a few months on my bookshelf before my picking it up, yet when I did I could truly concentrate and appreciate what was being fed to my mind.

This is Scott Hawkins first novel, and it sure is a doozy, lemme see if I can even try to explain it-

The Library on Mount Char, although taking place in the modern age, and modern times, has elements of a hidden world right under our noses. Have you ever wondered where all the information covering this universe is held? Do plants speak another language? Are there beings, hidden, that control the things we take most for granted? The sun? The animals? Us?

Scott Hawkins delves into the fantasy surrounding our world, and provides us with an origin story for out beautiful planet.

Carolyn is one of 12 adopted siblings, living with a man they call Father, in a library on a hill. They are raised as librarians, yet not the librarians we picture- mousy, uptight, glasses perched on the tip of their noses- no! Perhaps they are librarians in the truest since.

Each of these 12 siblings are given a catalog, or area, of study. And they must stay in this area of study and research, or there are grave consequences. Carolyn is given languages, and among some of the other areas of study are- Death, Animals, Mathematics, The Future, The Past, The Present, and the Art of Killing. So they are brought up from children, to adulthood, surrounded by pages and pages of information about our natural world. And as they continue to learn, the outside world seems even stranger, and the man they know as Father begins looking more and more cruel.

So, when Father suddenly disappears, the 12 must now solve the mystery as to where he is, if he will ever come back, and if not- who will take his place?

When I first read the synopsis to this book, I wasn't sure what I was expecting nor what I was getting myself into. It was strange, far stranger than anything I've read (and I've read 'Dune'). Yet strange has always meant something different to me- interesting, intriguing, 'curious and curiouser'. The bad connotations toward the word are not what spring to mind. Unusual, in my mind, is the equivalent of good.

I truly enjoyed the characters development, as well as the plot development. It sneaks up on you, like when putting together a puzzle. You suddenly reach a point where everything starts making since, and being put into place, into order. And the same was found with this book. I was given all of the puzzle pieces, yet only when I reached the climax did I start making these connections.

I highly recommend this book for any die-hard fantasy lovers, or those of you ready to step outside of your reading box. The writing is spectacular, and almost effortlessly casual and humorous. Overall a very good read, and worth the time.

The issue of power, and whether certain people are capable of handling it, are discussed. As well as the issue of nature vs. nurture- essentially how do we become who we are? And is it possible to change?

As always, links to find the books discussed, can be found to the right. So don't be stingy, and feed your imagination!

So may we keep fighting!

Happy Reading.