With such an original premise, there's no way this story wouldn't appeal to readers. I mean, the power of reading being an actual paranormal mind-power? One that can change the world? Sold! Even being a translation, I was still sucked in at the beginning because it sounded promising. Alas, that passive translated tone and some lacklustre thriller elements started to drain my enjoyment of the book. By the end I wondered if I'd been manipulated at first into thinking this would be a good book. It's not terrible, but I guess I hoped it would be so much more.

Take that initial idea: there's an antiquarian bookshop in Copenhagen owned by an eccentric Italian. He dies in mysterious circumstances, and his estranged lawyer son Jon inherits the lot, not knowing that there's more to those books than meets the eye. His father was part of a big underground society of people who can harness the power of the written word, and the two factions within it are at each others' throats over his death. Initiated slowly by his father's friend Ivensen and assistant Katherina, Jon's soon in over his head.

A couple of things hobbled this for me: the pacing, the predictability, and the romance.

There's plenty of time for the world to develop, and it seems like a book with a naturally slow pace. It takes time to unravel centuries old mysteries. But between the unravelling came long conversations full of exposition. At first it made sense; Jon needed to know things and characters like Ivensen needed to tell him them. But gradually those conversations became more of a storytelling crutch to lean on, diluting the more tense investigation sequences. By the time we meet a conspiracy theorist, even I was rolling my eyes at his clunky explanations.

For such an original idea, it's a shame it rapidly became you average male-led thriller. There's no emotion, no heart, just a man (and his extra POV sidekick) pounding the streets looking for answers. The solution to the mystery and climax felt like it could have been anything else in the paranormal thriller genre, just with books instead of wizards/shifters/whatever

Spoiler

though it's pretty much bookish Illuminati

. It developed so quickly it felt at odds with the rest of the book's pace and felt almost Young Adult in it's predictable nature and silly "Shadow Organization" naming themes. The ending was so rushed, the wrap up an unsatisfying K THNX BYE.

And then there's the romance. Or not, because there is zero emotion. There are a couple of clunky references to the characters eyeballing each other, maybe taking it slowly and then WHAM.

Spoiler

Our leading lady Katherina decides it's naked time. Even though up until this point she's been quiet ad cautious, suddenly she's in love with Jon and wants to have many, many sexy tiemz with him after fulfilling a male shower fantasy. I really didn't like how she was just a prop for Jon - especially towards the end where her function was to remind him to not do bad stuff because subconsciously he remembers their eternal lurve.

It's very male it it's approach to character relationships, shall we say.

Maybe it is a part of when a book's translated it loses something. I often find they seem distant, sometimes using childish phrases that a native English speaker would shy away from. Maybe that's why this just didn't work for me. I was so hopeful at the beginning when the thriller aspect started to take shape, but in the end I felt disappointed.

The funny thing is, for a book about the power of reading, it seems more suited to a far more casual reader. If you're completely new to any kind of thriller, it might appeal more.

Jon Campelli is a lawyer in Copenhagen, ambitious and doing quite well. He lives in an inner city apartment, drives a Mercedes and has a very good life. This is turned completely on its head when Jon's estranged father, Luca, who owns a second-hand bookshop in the city, dies very suddenly and violently. Jon, as the only surviving relative, inherits the bookshop and the staff, and very quickly discovers that things are not as they seem at the bookshop or with the staff. The bookshop is the base for a very secretive society of bibliophiles who have certain powers - either to transmit or receive communications through the power of reading. It does sound rather bizarre and peculiar, but when it emerges that there is an enemy of the group determined to take over control of the bookshop and hence the powers it holds for nefarious purposes, things take on a very sinister turn, and we have a true blue thriller, race against time on our hands.

Interspersed with this of course, is the requisite love story, self-discovery and self-improvement, plus some suspension of reality, which makes for a great story and plenty of tension. It takes the concept of 'talking books' to a new and very imaginative level and could almost put this story into the fantasy genre, if it wasn't so well grounded in the modern urban world that we all live in.

As readers we all know the power that books can have over us - escapism, knowledge, entertainment, opinions. Reading takes us to places and ideas that we may never have been exposed to, and so enrich us and empower us. This story greatly develops the idea of books being all powerful, and like all powers, can be used for good and evil purposes.

I enjoyed the imagination the author has used in writing his story. It is a bit clunky at times; far too much dialogue and conversation for a time of crisis and suspense when the future of the world is at stake! But there is plenty of tension, interesting characters, and you never quite what is going to happen next.

Interessant concept, mindere uitvoering. Combinatie van Scandinavische thriller en fantasy boek. Ik vond het persoonlijk een beetje simpel geschreven. Gaat niet diep genoeg in op de interessante punten, maar beschrijft juist de duidelijke dingen te uitgebreid. Toch enkele keren gelukt een goede spanning op te bouwen. Was niet gecharmeerd van de romance die opeens ontstaat.

This book is a lot about books - or a lot about reading and the experience of reading. A kind of crime/thriller story that hooked me quite fast - just had to finish it :o)

https://lolantaczyta.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/the-library-of-shadows-mikkel-birkegaard/

It was an interesting book -- seemed a little bit like it was trying to be a Club Dumais-type book. At times it was hard to put down -- and other times, the premise just seemed a little far-fetched. The idea of persuasive reading/public speaking and persuasive listening was right up my alley, though, so I found it an enjoyable read.

What's worse than reading a mediocre book? Reading a mediocre book and half way through realising that I've read it before. What is even worse than that? To continue reading, because I could not remember how it ends. That's how memorable it was. I am a sucker for books about books, secrets and mysterious powers that can be drawn through the art of reading. But this... the central concept is thin and stretched, the characters and the collisions of their interests predictable, the story arch fits the cheap thriller genre so there are no surprises whatsoever if you know the general rules of the game. From the obligatory final confrontation the plot follows a quick and happy line to the end without the slightest twist. The writing is very average. I am posting this review mainly so I remember not to pick this book by mistake for the third time!

3,5