Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is unabashedly geeky in the best way possible. It reminded me of some of my favorite code-breaking, mystery-solving books from childhood (I’m thinking The Calder Game vibes) with a modern-day twist.
It satisfied a need for a good mystery that I didn’t know I had, and I was hanging on the edge of my seat up until the very end!
There was a really interesting contrast in the book between a secret society centered around ancient books, and shiny new Google with its machines and hacks.
The characters are nerdy in a way the every book lover can secretly relate to. The protagonist’s tendency to make everything into a reference from his favorite childhood book series is remarkably similar to how I tend to discreetly relate everything to Harry Potter in my mind (exposing myself here).
I loved watching this adventure unfold, and the quirky, mysterious characters added to the effect. Mr. Penumbra is someone I’d definitely like to sit down for a cup of coffee with- there’s so much we didn’t learn about him. Wish I could read his codex vitae (if you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about!).
I also learned a lot about fonts and publishing from this book, way more than I knew before! Such a cool real-world takeaway from an extraordinary story.
Rating: 4/5 missing printing blocks
xx, Lauren
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