The Library at Mount Char

The Library at Mount Char is I guess what you would call dark fantasy, and while it doesn't hold completely together, it certainly earns points for originality. Author Scott Hawkins has written one of those "us mortals don't know just who controls our lives," a bit like The Matrix, only it's not machines, but a mysterious god-like figure known as Father.

The opening sentence is a grabber: "Carolyn, blood-drenched and barefoot, walked alone down the two-lane stretch of blacktop that the Americans called Highway 78." Carolyn was once an American, but when her parents were killed she was "adopted" by the man (?) called Father, and she became a "librarian," that is an expert in her catalogue, which was languages. Other librarians were responsible for other catalogues, such as David, who was an expert on fighting and war, Michael, on animals, and Jennifer, on medicine. She was important, as Father's punishments for transgressions often involved killing, most severely by putting them in a bull-shaped barbecue and cooking them to a crisp.

Father has enemies, and is missing. That part is confusing, and I think purposely so--what Father is is sort of left to the imagination. Carolyn and her cohort have tremendous powers, sometimes excessively so. David, armed with just a spear, can wreak havoc, but can he really get into the White House and kill the president? Later, David will be killed, and rather easily, so this doesn't jibe.

The main plot thread is Carolyn involving an "American" named Steve in some sort of plan she has, which isn't laid out until the end of the book. There is also a Homeland Security agent, Erwin, who is a great character. Steve, who has a tie to Carolyn he doesn't remember, goes through great lengths to help her, even though he doesn't understand why. The most vivid is when he goes to Garrison Oaks, the Virginia suburb which is basically command central for the librarians. He is beset by every dog in the neighborhood, but saved by a couple of lions. Yes, this book is original.

The ending takes the book into metaphysics, with multiple universes and the library itself, which is incredibly large but invisible to humans. There is also the matter of the sun going out and being replaced by a dark sun, which provides heat but not light, which is a problem since plants grow on photosynthesis, so there are riots for food. At this point I shouldered on to the end, which seems to be set up for a sequel, not wholly satisfied but not angry either.

For fantasy and horror enthusiasts, The Library at Mount Char might provide a bigger bang. For me it was a minor explosion.