The Invisible Library

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What to expect

One spy. One dangerous book. One deadly mission. Discover the first book in this gripping fantasy mystery series – The Invisible Library is the astounding debut from bestselling author Genevieve Cogman.

Perfect for fans of Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.

'I absolutely loved this' – N.K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, whose staff are sent to different realities to harvest dangerous and mystical fiction.

Irene has been posted to an alternative steampunk London along with her enigmatic new assistant, Kai. Their mission: to retrieve a dangerous edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales. But it has already been stolen.

In London's underground, the laws of nature have been bent – supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic stalk the land. The city is home to vampires, werewolves – factions that are all prepared to fight to the death for this book.

Irene must face a web of deadly danger, deception and secret societies. Her new assistant is hiding secrets of his own. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake . . .

Continue the journey with the adventurous second title in the Invisible Library series, The Masked City.

Praise for the series:

'I absolutely loved this' – N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season

'Irene is a great heroine: fiery, resourceful and no one's fool' – The Guardian

'Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series!' – Charles Stross, author of the Merchant Princes series

Critics Review

I absolutely loved this ... flavored with truly unique mythology and a dash of the eldritch. Such clever, creepy, elaborate worldbuilding and snarky, sexy-smart characters
N.K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series, including The Fifth Season
A dazzling bibliophilic debut
Charles Stross, author of the Laundry Files, including The Atrocity Archives
It's a breath of fresh air ... with a companionable heroine in Irene, and a satisfyingly complex plot, The Invisible Library - the first of a series - is a book in which to wallow
Guardian
Written in a similar vein to Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy ... Contemporary meets fairy-take in this novel
Big Issue
Cogman writes with a vivacity and wittiness that breathes new life into the genre . . . Reminiscent of the works of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman, Cogman's novel is a true treat to read
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Surrender to the sheer volume of fun that appears on every page...thoroughly entertaining
Starburst Magazine
Fantasy doesn't get much better ... If you're looking for a swift, clever and witty read, look no further
Fantasy-Faction.com
This witty and spirited adventure sets up a potential gold mine of lore for the writer to plunder in future sequels ... a fun and original page-turner
SciFiNow.co.uk
Highly entertaining ... It reminded me a lot of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series
TheBookPlank blog
The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book . . . a stunning work of art that has me absolutely begging for more
FantasyBookReview.co.uk
Hits the spot straight from the opening page ... one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year
Upcoming4.me
An adventure story to delight the heart . . . The characters of Irene, her companion and those they encounter are vividly drawn, and the story moves along at breakneck speed to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion
ScifiBulletin.com
A book that was a sheer joy to spend time with ... solid prose alongside great pace
FalcataTimes blog
Cogman's dialogue is clever and funny, and her characters delightfully flawed. With this book she has crafted an exciting, fast-paced introduction to a world you will yearn to revisit ... Books such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games series are paving the way for stories like this
Geekchocolate.co.uk
A mix of Doctor Who, Fringe and The Librarians . . . Genevieve Cogman has crafted a well-paced, smart and fun novel that will certainly be a quick read for most people
TheFictionalHangout blog
The Invisible Library is currently at the top of my list of favourite books read this year . . . so much fun
Fantasybookcafe.com
Cogman's debut is a tremendously fun, rip-roaring adventure with protagonists that are easy to love and a setting that couldn't have suited my tastes better ... I can't wait for the second instalment
AFantasticalLibrarian.com
I've seen it compared to Doctor Who, I'm sure it'll be compared to Harry Potter, and it'll probably get compared to every Anglophile novel full of vim and fun that's ever been written. These comparisons will all be well-earned
BastianBalthasarbooks.co.uk

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