Mount Readmore Book Review, 2017 85/100
The Library of Lost Things By Matthew Bright
tor.com Edition
Finished on 10/13/2017
Description: Welcome to the Library of Lost Things, where the shelves are stuffed with books that have fallen through the cracks—from volumes of lovelorn teenage poetry to famous works of literature long destroyed or lost. They’re all here, pulled from history and watched over by the Librarian, curated by the Collectors, nibbled on by the rats. Filed away, never to be read. At least, until Thomas, the boy with the secret, comes to the Library.
Genres: Fantasy, Library, Short Story, Alternative History
The largest library on earth, but none of the books are ever read.
Spoiler-tastic review
I’ve decided to start reading some short fiction, so to start things off I’m going to be reading a short story off of tor.com. As always, this is a short review for a short story.
Thomas is an apprentice librarian at the Library of Lost Things, where all the forgotten texts on earth are stored by a mysterious librarian and his patchwork doll assistants. Thomas wants to read one book in particular, but the Librarian doesn’t let any of his books be read.
Plot: a bit mysterious until the very end. I liked it.
Characterization: pretty strong, but not super strong. I wanted more detail about Tom and the other characters. Who was he before coming to the library? That, among other questions, went unanswered.
Setting and Style: Top notch. The prose was rich without being purple, the style unique without being overbearing. If anything I wish that the author maintained the distinct style found at the beginning of the story throughout the entire thing. The library itself could have been a little more cool… but I’m just picky.
John Mendez- Book Reviews and More 