I am back and that means Reading Reviews is back too! Hopefully, you enjoyed my first two reviews of Babel by R.F Kuang and Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. This week, I will be reviewing a book I bought randomly at one of my favorite bookstores in Denton, TX, Recycled, because an employee's little notecard description sounded amazing. This week, I'm reviewing The Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
Summary
The Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is the story of Carolyn and her return to "home". Carolyn lost her parents when she was young at the same time as a bunch of other young children in a tragic accident. Carolyn and the other children were adopted by a man they call Father. Carolyn and her new siblings are raised by Father but in his own unique way. He has ancient customs and methods that he sticks to when raising and teaching the children and certain powers and magic that he allots to them for them to learn and grow with. Eventually, Carolyn runs away and escapes so she can be a "normal American". However, that is where the story starts because Father, the all-powerful God-like being that he is, has gone missing. None of the children, now grown, knows what happened. Carolyn returns to help and find out what happened to Father. The biggest fear, however? Father's library which he has guarded and protected for years and allowed no one else but himself in was unprotected and unguarded. The story takes you on twists and turns and dives into mythology, magic, and rituals that all need to be connected to answer the question: Where is Father?
Literary Information
I was struggling to find the best way to describe this book but came across a Reddit post in my research and saw that someone described it as "a grittier Neil Gaiman". Now, one could argue that Neil Gaiman can be fairly gritty depending on the story, but I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. The Library on Mount Char is a gritty Neil Gaiman-esque story. The Reddit poster who made this comparison then said that, for that reason, he did not enjoy the book. That is perfectly understandable and I think is a good concept to consider when deciding if you should read this book or not. If you like the grittier, dark fantasy stories that are in line with the likes of A Song of Ice and Fire, Gideon the Ninth, The Poppy War, or The Blade Itself then this world that Scott Hawkins builds fits right in your wheelhouse. It isn't the fantasy style of Brandon Sanderson, Harry Potter, or T.J. Klune. It gets dirty and it gets rough.
As for the Neil Gaiman-esque story style, I don't know how else to describe it besides that. If you enjoy Neil Gaiman's work like American Gods, Coraline, Neverwhere, or The Ocean at the End of the Lane then this book is right up your alley. It is a completely out-of-the-ordinary world filled with magic and creatures that is blended with the real world we live in today, rather than creating this whole other universe for the characters to live in. You are expected to read about this world, accept it as reality, and go with it rather than slowly being introduced to this new fantastical world. The humanity of each character is on full display and, despite a very interesting concept, is driven by these characters. You end up having the same feelings and sympathies towards these characters, despite how depraved some may have become, as you do to victims of an abused home or a cult that were able to escape.
Overall, The Library on Mount Char is an interesting concept with a very interesting story, but mainly driven by the complex characters that pull us back and forth on how we should feel about them. If you like the darker, edgier side of fantasy, if you enjoy Neil Gaiman and his "accepted reality" style of stories, or if you enjoy both of those then I do think this is a good book to start with. If you are a new reader who is looking to get into fantasy, maybe work your way into this one with lighter concepts.
Personal Opinions
Personally, the story of how I got this book is one of my favorites. I was with family around Christmas time and we went to one of my favorite bookstores called Recycled in Denton, TX. They have books, movies, records, everything! It is one of those stores where the shelves were built by the owners and they continue to add on to the building to fit all their books. It is amazing! I was just walking around and found a shelf with books set up and small notecards with a quick summary. Never heard of The Library on Mount Char before, never heard of Scott Hawkins before, but the summary sounded awesome and I bought it. It was not until summer vacation in Mexico later that year that I sat down and read it and I flew through it in about two or three days.
Needless to say, I loved the book. This was really before I got into Neil Gaiman's work so it was very fresh and very new to me. My favorite part of it was the humanity in the book that was not lost through all the fantastical elements. I have found that some of my favorite fantasy reads are ones that, despite all the magic in the world, highlight the humanity in the characters and the world.
Rating
Now for the rating.....the rating I give to The Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is.......(drumroll)......
S-Tier
Yes, another S-Tier to go along with Babel. What set it apart from a bunch of other books I've read is, and what is a deciding factor for a lot of people probably, the ending. The concept of The Library on Mount Char is unique and interesting, but very difficult. I had no idea how the book would end and how it ended was still a surprise to me, but it worked so well. Add that to everything I've talked about above and it, in my opinion, deserves an S-Tier ranking.