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A review by sarahgb
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
5.0
**SPOILERS**
It's always a pleasure to pick up on a new series that you've somehow missed, and The Great Library is exactly one of those. It's a trilogy but I've yet to read books 2 & 3. Ink and Bone is the first in the series. Can I also point out how beautiful and how much I love the covers! I digress :)
The author has changed history and the book is set in the future, the world has a dystopian feel and England and Wales are at War, and the Welsh are winning. AND The Great Library of Alexandria has not been destroyed, in fact it is the centre of the libraryverse where books and knowledge are passed down to a library in every city, a daughter library. Librarians train in Alexandria.
The building of this world and the characterisation of all players is outstanding. I loved it. We follow the main character Jess who becomes a postulant (trainee librarian) thanks to his father buying him a place. He still has to pass all the training and tests though. His father wants him to be a spy in the Library as the family business is book smuggling, stealing original rare books and trading them. Jess and other postulants become embroiled in a dangerous mission to Oxford where they need to rescue a recently discovered cache of original texts. A mission which uncovers secrets, relationships and truth of where loyalties lie.
I also loved the printing press references, where so many would be scholars want to change the Library, modernise it by having automatic printing and inking machines which would revolutionise ownership of books, which at the moment is banned. All original books are held by the Libaries. Needless to say all plans to use print presses of any description are banned. Even Gutenberg was captured and imprisoned.
Lots of adventure, pain, books, automated codex, librarians, automaton lions and a Wales/England war, and unrest in the Great Library, so much to love. Highly recommended.
It's always a pleasure to pick up on a new series that you've somehow missed, and The Great Library is exactly one of those. It's a trilogy but I've yet to read books 2 & 3. Ink and Bone is the first in the series. Can I also point out how beautiful and how much I love the covers! I digress :)
The author has changed history and the book is set in the future, the world has a dystopian feel and England and Wales are at War, and the Welsh are winning. AND The Great Library of Alexandria has not been destroyed, in fact it is the centre of the libraryverse where books and knowledge are passed down to a library in every city, a daughter library. Librarians train in Alexandria.
The building of this world and the characterisation of all players is outstanding. I loved it. We follow the main character Jess who becomes a postulant (trainee librarian) thanks to his father buying him a place. He still has to pass all the training and tests though. His father wants him to be a spy in the Library as the family business is book smuggling, stealing original rare books and trading them. Jess and other postulants become embroiled in a dangerous mission to Oxford where they need to rescue a recently discovered cache of original texts. A mission which uncovers secrets, relationships and truth of where loyalties lie.
I also loved the printing press references, where so many would be scholars want to change the Library, modernise it by having automatic printing and inking machines which would revolutionise ownership of books, which at the moment is banned. All original books are held by the Libaries. Needless to say all plans to use print presses of any description are banned. Even Gutenberg was captured and imprisoned.
Lots of adventure, pain, books, automated codex, librarians, automaton lions and a Wales/England war, and unrest in the Great Library, so much to love. Highly recommended.