The Invisible Library

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The Invisible Library

By: Genevieve Cogman

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

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About this listen

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

Genevieve CogmanKristin AthertonPanThe Invisible Library

Action & Adventure

Dragons & Mythical Creatures

Fantasy

Historical

Science Fiction

Emotionally Gripping

Action & Adventure Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy Historical Science Fiction Emotionally Gripping

Critic Reviews

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

Written in a similar vein to Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy ... Contemporary meets fairy-take in this novel

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

Surrender to the sheer volume of fun that appears on every page...thoroughly entertaining

Fantasy doesn't get much better ... If you're looking for a swift, clever and witty read, look no further

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

Highly entertaining ... It reminded me a lot of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series

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

Hits the spot straight from the opening page ... one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year

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

A book that was a sheer joy to spend time with ... solid prose alongside great pace

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

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

The Invisible Library is currently at the top of my list of favourite books read this year . . . so much fun

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

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

Most relevant

very much enjoyed both the story and the narration. very much hope Atherton will continue the ideas as a series — there’s so much potential here! only the ending was slightly confusing, but I hope that is hinting at a possible sequel… fingers crossed :)