The Library of the Unwritten - Early Book Review

The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell's Library #1)
by A.J. Hackwith

What is it about:
In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.

What did I think of it:
Imagine a library with all the books that haven't been written (yet). And them being restless and coming to life as one of their characters. You bet I was super excited to get this Advance Reader Copy.

And this is a really cool story!

Claire, Brevity and Leto go after a book that materialized into its hero and scampered off to earth. Once there they and the hero they're chasing get caught up in a race to get hold of the Devil's Bible.

The story is told in multiple viewpoints: Claire, Brevity, Leto, Ramiel, and I think that's it, but don't hold it against me if I missed someone. And with these multiple viewpoints comes the one small thing that didn't work for me. The way especially Leto (and Brevity in lesser extend) thought about Claire, made that when I read Claire's viewpoint she felt off. Leto's thought about her are so GRANT that she felt larger than life, and her own thoughts full of doubts and worries felt unbelievable because of it. But that might be just me.

Otherwise this story so enjoyable to read. I especially loved Brevity, and the escaped hero, named... Hero. As our mismatched company searches for the Devil's Bible and tries to outwit Ramiel, (who is totally awesome, btw!) they travel earth, hell's library, Valhalla, and more. I very much enjoyed Hackwith's view of the afterlife, and if it did remind me of several other books and comics, I didn't care, because I was having fun.

All in all this is a very entertaining read, and I will keep my eye out for the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool bookish adventure!


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