The Library at Mount Char
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- Create Date：2021-04-18 13:55:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Scott Hawkins
- ISBN：0553418629
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Summary
A missing God。
A library with the secrets to the universe。
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away。
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her。 She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak。 She knows how to use a phone。 Clothes are a bit tricky， but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts。 After all， she was a normal American herself once。
That was a long time ago， of course。 Before her parents died。 Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father。 In the years since then， Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much。 Instead， she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs。 They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power。 And sometimes， they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God。 Now， Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded。 And with it， control over all of creation。
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come， fierce competitors for this prize align against her， all of them with powers that far exceed her own。 But Carolyn has accounted for this。 And Carolyn has a plan。 The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God， she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human。
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again， The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious， mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human， sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy。
From the Hardcover edition。
A library with the secrets to the universe。
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away。
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her。 She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak。 She knows how to use a phone。 Clothes are a bit tricky， but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts。 After all， she was a normal American herself once。
That was a long time ago， of course。 Before her parents died。 Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father。 In the years since then， Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much。 Instead， she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs。 They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power。 And sometimes， they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God。 Now， Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded。 And with it， control over all of creation。
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come， fierce competitors for this prize align against her， all of them with powers that far exceed her own。 But Carolyn has accounted for this。 And Carolyn has a plan。 The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God， she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human。
Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again， The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious， mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human， sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy。
From the Hardcover edition。
Reviews
Book Rix
，
You actually get to follow the whole story。。This is a must read！！！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Wysteria
，
3。5 rounded up。 This was weird and confusing。 I still don’t know what happened。
Kate Laws
，
I devoured this book！ Excellent contemporary fantasy。 Fast paced， immersive， engaging， but also thoughtful and deep。 I'm very impressed with how many things this book did incredibly well。 I'm off to read up on the author and see what else he's done because I am officially a fan。 I devoured this book！ Excellent contemporary fantasy。 Fast paced， immersive， engaging， but also thoughtful and deep。 I'm very impressed with how many things this book did incredibly well。 I'm off to read up on the author and see what else he's done because I am officially a fan。 。。。more
Laura
，
I read this book two weeks ago and I still can't stop thinking about it。 Its so wholly different than anything else I've ever read， and each subsequent chapter had this magic way of making you recontextualize everything that came before it。 There is so much humor and horror and straight up "WTF is happening？！" in this book， and it all completely worked for me。 I read this book two weeks ago and I still can't stop thinking about it。 Its so wholly different than anything else I've ever read， and each subsequent chapter had this magic way of making you recontextualize everything that came before it。 There is so much humor and horror and straight up "WTF is happening？！" in this book， and it all completely worked for me。 。。。more
Jenn
，
Rounded up to 3。5 stars because of the ending （no spoilers）I saw a list （maybe on Reddit r/books but not 100% sure） and it said if you liked Middlegame and The Space Between Worlds， it recommended reading The Library and Mount Char。 I loved Middlegame and The Space Between Worlds so seeing that made this jump to the top of my read list。 The fact is， maybe seeing it in that context made my expectations higher than it should have been。 By then end of this book I was enjoying it but I had trouble g Rounded up to 3。5 stars because of the ending （no spoilers）I saw a list （maybe on Reddit r/books but not 100% sure） and it said if you liked Middlegame and The Space Between Worlds， it recommended reading The Library and Mount Char。 I loved Middlegame and The Space Between Worlds so seeing that made this jump to the top of my read list。 The fact is， maybe seeing it in that context made my expectations higher than it should have been。 By then end of this book I was enjoying it but I had trouble getting engrossed in the first 2/3 or so。 Also a lot of the Steve and Erwin sections early on reminded me of Stephen King which might be a turn on to some people but I have a complicated relationship with Stephen King books （you can find some of my reviews to learn about it） and I found it off-putting a bit。 When the story finally came together around the last quarter I enjoyed where it went but didn't love the journey to get there。 I really wanted to love this book but in the end I only liked it enough。 。。。more
Varsini C P
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This is that type of book which you think you have a grasp on but then it slips away and takes you for a bizarrely interesting ride。
S。M。M。 Lindström
，
Carolyn and her adopted siblings have been locked out of their home。 This might sound more frustrating than life-changing， but it's bound to be the latter when your home is the Library。 Eldritch forces are closing in on them for every second the Library stands empty。 They need to find Father。 Not that he's a much cozier option， but at least he's not interested in ending the world。 It's a race against time but also a race against thoughts。 You see， Carolyn is excellent at keeping secrets， even fr Carolyn and her adopted siblings have been locked out of their home。 This might sound more frustrating than life-changing， but it's bound to be the latter when your home is the Library。 Eldritch forces are closing in on them for every second the Library stands empty。 They need to find Father。 Not that he's a much cozier option， but at least he's not interested in ending the world。 It's a race against time but also a race against thoughts。 You see， Carolyn is excellent at keeping secrets， even from herself。The mood in this book reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series。 I do mean the mood only。 This story is very much its own thing， plot- and character-wise。 I just got the same "this is dark and horrific in a lot of places but also strangely whimsical and downright hopeful at times"-vibes as I remember from that series， which is a reading experience I don't often get。I had a really good time reading this！ The mystery intrigued me， the characters were interesting （some of them I loved， some of them I loved to hate） and the emotional journey the characters go on felt as much part of the plot as the "who dunnit"-questions。One small thing did bring me out of the story from time to time: Carolyn's legs。 I'm not sure how drunk you'd get if you took a shot each time someone noticed them or admired them， seeing as there is plenty of page space between those moments， but it came up enough times for me to get a good chuckle out of it。 Are Carolyn's legs just supernaturally appealing to look at？ I mean， I can definitely appreciate a good-looking pair of legs， but they're not my main focus when I admire someone I'm attracted to。 Maybe that's just me？Legs aside， this book grabbed me and didn't let go until I reached its end。 I had a moment of doubt over where the story was headed （（view spoiler）[I worried we'd get another story about how a super powerful woman goes 'mad' and must be killed by the man she loves 'for her own good' （hide spoiler）]） but instead we got pretty much the opposite of what I feared， which was great！I recommend this book to you if you're looking for a story where cosmic horror smashes into urban fantasy and new weird with a heavy dose of mystery。 Though be prepared for all manner of heavy themes being both implied and explicit; child abuse， sexual assault， torture， the list goes on。 。。。more
Jenny Baker
，
I loved the characters， the world， and the story。 It's solid entertainment， especially the audiobook narration。 The ending made me wonder， What's her plan？ Tell me！ Highly recommended。 I loved the characters， the world， and the story。 It's solid entertainment， especially the audiobook narration。 The ending made me wonder， What's her plan？ Tell me！ Highly recommended。 。。。more
Cheng Cheng
，
4。25Even though it didn’t get in my favorite shelf。 it still left me speechless。
douglas conrad
，
As I get older I find a lot of books not catching my attention or fizzling out midway through。 This is not one of those books。 Horror with some really excellent story telling。 I liked this book so much I bought the audible book to listen to after reading the print version。
Marie
，
The first 75 was full five stars。。 Unique， fun and twists that were ridiculous but worked。 What just didnt work for me was the end。 It was a little too much for me。 Otherwise an awesome book with interesting character's and storyline。 The first 75 was full five stars。。 Unique， fun and twists that were ridiculous but worked。 What just didnt work for me was the end。 It was a little too much for me。 Otherwise an awesome book with interesting character's and storyline。 。。。more
Ali
，
What a wonderful， weird， fascinating book！ Go in as blind as you can， and enjoy the ride。 Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart。
Stephanie
，
A fun fantasy that reminds me of The Umbrella Academy。
Colleen
，
In all fairness， I didn't finish this book。 To me the characters are unlikable and the "family" is super dysfunctional， which would be ok but you have to have at least one character you like or at least sympathize with。 It was just no fun spending time with this seriously screwed-up bunch of characters。 I'd rather be anywhere else！ In all fairness， I didn't finish this book。 To me the characters are unlikable and the "family" is super dysfunctional， which would be ok but you have to have at least one character you like or at least sympathize with。 It was just no fun spending time with this seriously screwed-up bunch of characters。 I'd rather be anywhere else！ 。。。more
mandy
，
I don't normally read fantasy， so this was a stretch for me。 Early on I thought about giving up， but I'm glad I stuck with it。 I don't normally read fantasy， so this was a stretch for me。 Early on I thought about giving up， but I'm glad I stuck with it。 。。。more
Drew
，
Read Number Two: it gets the fifth star， baby。Despite the beginning still being some （purposefully） tough sledding as a reader tries to figure out just what the fuck is going on， the same spot had me noticing that I was totally immersed: the first mention of Q-33 North and the Duke and Barry O'Shea。 Hawkins' imagination is a delight to be a part of and the book is a non-stop joyride （even when it gets brutally dark）。 Sure I have my quibbles here and there still， but the book only grew in my esti Read Number Two: it gets the fifth star， baby。Despite the beginning still being some （purposefully） tough sledding as a reader tries to figure out just what the fuck is going on， the same spot had me noticing that I was totally immersed: the first mention of Q-33 North and the Duke and Barry O'Shea。 Hawkins' imagination is a delight to be a part of and the book is a non-stop joyride （even when it gets brutally dark）。 Sure I have my quibbles here and there still， but the book only grew in my estimation upon second read。 A true modern classic of genre。 。。。more
Orazioluca
，
Absolutely brilliant。 Arguably the weirdest and most whimsical story I've come across。 Deliciously outlandish metaphors interwoven into a plot that lends itself to an infinite regression of possible meanings。 Absolutely brilliant。 Arguably the weirdest and most whimsical story I've come across。 Deliciously outlandish metaphors interwoven into a plot that lends itself to an infinite regression of possible meanings。 。。。more
Sarah
，
4。5 stars。 Normally to consider a book >4 stars， it needs to have made me cry at least once。 BUT this one was just weird， and awesome， and interesting， and even slightly touching。 I dug it。
Hayley
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was well written。 It was also brutal and full of horrific tortures。 I needed to quit reading it but like a train wreck I somehow found myself continuing to the end。 I kept expecting the characters to redeem themselves， in my viewpoint they didn’t。 Trigger warnings for torture， child abuse， violence， murder， and psychological torture。
Shirin
，
That was some weird shit。 But I could not put it down， and when I finished it I had a smile on my face。
Jersy
，
I really liked the interludes and most of the last 50 pages or so。 The rest of the book felt for me like the most boring thing you could have done with this premise。I'm not saying it's badly done， it just didn't appeal to me at all。 If the focus was more on the messed up children of the library - the lore， how they grew up， their interactions - I might have loved it， but by seeing them through Steve's eyes mostly， the characters stayed shallow and the story felt like wasted potential。I still lik I really liked the interludes and most of the last 50 pages or so。 The rest of the book felt for me like the most boring thing you could have done with this premise。I'm not saying it's badly done， it just didn't appeal to me at all。 If the focus was more on the messed up children of the library - the lore， how they grew up， their interactions - I might have loved it， but by seeing them through Steve's eyes mostly， the characters stayed shallow and the story felt like wasted potential。I still liked the weirdness and was intrigued enough due to the bits we got from the children's past for quite a bit of it when Steve's whacky lion adventures just couldn't cut it anymore。 The things that fascinated me where VERY intriguing but there was just too much I didn't care for and even the conversations of the characters I wanted to read about were missing a certain flavor because I didn't really get to know them well。 。。。more
Katie
，
This one gut punches you， hard， and you。。。 like it？ I'm not sure what I read: an exposition of psychological torture techniques is probably close enough。This one was good - in a weird way。 I am feeling the need for something less violent。 A little less shock factor， please。 This one gut punches you， hard， and you。。。 like it？ I'm not sure what I read: an exposition of psychological torture techniques is probably close enough。This one was good - in a weird way。 I am feeling the need for something less violent。 A little less shock factor， please。 。。。more
Ellis Cahill
，
The best part of this book for me was the great and dazzling sense of accomplishment I felt upon finishing it。 Big respect to the without for crafting such a creative， never-been-done-before， never-could-be-replicated story。 There were some “huff through the nose like a bull” humour moments。 There were some deeply disturbing moments。 There were some “this book could’ve ended one hundred pages ago” moments。 It’s a strange book。 （It was recommended to me in a “strangest books I’ve ever read” video The best part of this book for me was the great and dazzling sense of accomplishment I felt upon finishing it。 Big respect to the without for crafting such a creative， never-been-done-before， never-could-be-replicated story。 There were some “huff through the nose like a bull” humour moments。 There were some deeply disturbing moments。 There were some “this book could’ve ended one hundred pages ago” moments。 It’s a strange book。 （It was recommended to me in a “strangest books I’ve ever read” video， so I did get fair warning。） And I really do love strange。 This book is just a very particular brand of strange that was so not up my alley。 But it’s such a precise style and world that if it’s up /your/ particular alley， it’ll be very very much so up your alley， you know？ 。。。more
Lorenzo
，
Super weird in a way that I almost liked。 I ended up thinking it was just okay。
Josh Yeatts
，
Incredibly unique and unpredictable。 I had no idea where this story was going， but it was a delight to follow along。
Danielle
，
A bizarre but welcome distraction featuring some awful yet somehow truly endearing characters， great world building， and some messed up but highly readable plot lines。 Somehow it all came together。 Bonus points for the lions。
Amy
，
Let me preface that I don’t read a ton of fantasy。 I loved the parts that finally put an end to my constant “what the heck is going on？” mind。 Some parts just seemed a little over the top at times。
Heidi
，
Twisted but totally unique！
Kim Long
，
Jesus this book is amazing， takes some imagination to get into but it is really worth it。 Wow， I feel like I need a support group
Alice Lowy
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