Number 31- The Book That Wouldn't Burn- Mark Lawrence

 

I was sent this book as a review copy last month, signed by the author. Volume two of the trilogy was released a couple of weeks ago and, on the strength of this one, I’ve already gone out and bought it.

In the grand tradition of fantasy epics like Gene Wolfe’s New Sun and King’s Dark Tower, this is set in a world based on ours, but in a possible far distant future or another path on the beam (to borrow a King-ism). This book is easily a worthy companion to both of those series. Not having read many of Lawrence’s books, I might well be missing links to his other trilogies.

Livira has lived her short life in the dust, a huge desert that surrounds the city of Crath, home to an enormous library. When Sabbers, a race of doglike warriors, destroy the settlement she lives in, killing all the adults and taking the children hostage, she starts on a perilous journey. The Sabber raiding party is ambushed by human soldiers and Livira and her friends are taken to the city where she is taken as an apprentice by a senior member of the Library staff.

Evar has lived his entire life in a sealed chamber of the Library. His only company are his two 'brothers' and one 'sister' and a pair of mechanoids which provide food, assistance and protection. He and his 3 “siblings” have never known another place. He’s desperate to escape.

Eventually of course, their paths cross and there will be consequences for almost everyone.

Every chapter is headed with an epigraph from a selection of real and fictional books, including amusingly amended quotes from real works (with amusingly changed author's names)  and a pair of cheeky entries from one Mark Lawrence and Jorg (the title character of Lawrence’s Thorns trilogy). Quite what Enid Blyton (or Enanand Byton) has done to upset the author is unknown, but there are a few wickedly funny jabs at her body of work.

The gradual reveal of the nature of the Library is masterfully handled. The storyline grows from personal to epic in scale and contains one of the best hidden-in-plain-sight reveals I’ve seen in years. A week further on and I’m still kicking myself for not seeing it. The Library spans many realities and times but Lawrence handles the rules of moving between them seamlessly, without causing any gaps in logic.

If I was to pick any fault, I would say that the story of Evar’s and his “siblings’” past and how they came to be stranded together in the chamber is repeated a little too often in the opening chapters. However, that’s a minor niggle and the book is totally absorbing, exciting, enthralling, with flashes of humour, deeply rooted satire, and some important thoughts on the cyclical nature of history and why we should learn and break the cycles.

The first thing I did when I finished this was to rush out and buy book 2. This is easily one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Go out and buy it. Then buy the sequel.