Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg. Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.
With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic. . . .
Libriomancer
by Jim C. Hines
Series:
Magic Ex Libris #1
Genre:
SciFi / Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Publisher:
DAW (Imprint of Penguin)
Publication Date:
August 7, 2012
Isaac is not your everyday librarian. He’s able to reach into books, mostly sci-fi and fantasy in his case, and pull out something useful. When something happens to anger the vampires, he must figure out who’s responsible and stop them before an all out war erupts.
My favorite thing about this book is that it brings to life many of my own favorites. A little Narnia, some Star Wars, and even Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, among a rather impressive list of other favorites and a couple of plausible, but made up books, make this extremely interesting to someone like me who devours books.
I also like Isaac’s character. He’s so relate-able as a book-loving, geeky type. And he’s clever in how he uses his favorite books like weapons, armor and safeguards. I love it. The love interest, Lena, is equally interesting. She has Isaac’s head spinning, but the relationship is complex from the start due to her origins and how Isaac is determined not to take advantage of them.
I guess the only thing I thought was cheesy was how the various vampire types are named, though it does make it easy to figure out who spawned them.
I loved this book for it’s unique magic system and geeky hero. Although there is a similarity to Inkheart, it’s nominal. I highly recommend this story to those who like sci-fi and fantasy and to those who’ve ever imagined tapping into their magic.
I bought my copy from an actual, physical bookstore on the recommendation of the fellow who worked there. He said this book was a lot of fun, and I agree with him.
The review copy of this book was purchased by the reviewer.
