Thoughts on Libriomancer

 For this week’s blog post I thought I’d write about a book I read last week called Libriomancer by Jim Hines. I’ll start off by saying it’s a pleasant read and if you have any interest at all in speculative fiction, or even just a pacing fancy, it’s worth the $7.99. Here are a couple of reasons why you should get a copy:

First off, the concept is brilliant. The magicians, or as Hines refers to them in the novel, porters, get their power from the cumulative belief of readers. Allowing porters to draw their weapons from novels. For example, if I was a porter and had to defend myself against some vampires a might have Excalibur in one hand and a ray gun in another. Pretty neat, and Hines did an excellent job at making his magic system feel believable.

Libriomancer has a fun story. It’s part urban fantasy, part noir detective story, and an all around homage to geeky fantasy literature.  I say fun and not great because I felt the character development was a little lacking but that didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment of the novel. It’s funny, well written and imaginative, but don’t go into this novel expecting to find some deeper meaning. Jim C Hines puts everything right there on the surface for us.

            As I mentioned a moment ago, my only real complaint about the novel is the character development seemed lacking. The main character was your run-of-the-mill magician with his collar slightly out of place and his witty one-liners.  But that’s okay, clearly the concept was more important than the forgettable cast. Although that’s what makes this novel not as great as some other fantasy novels I have in my arsenal.

            To the books credit, the book is a great detective story. It thought I had it solved halfway through but was constantly being surprised up until the very end. It does a great job of taking that detective story and fusing it with urban fantasy.

            If you’re looking for a book that will give you unadulterated geeky joy than this book is for you. It’s pure, shallow fun and a wonderful time. Its literary references are smartly placed. I give this book an 8 out of 10.