A book about the power of storytelling and the nature of stories both told and untold, A.J. Hackwith’s fantasy novel The Library of the Unwritten reveals a wonderful world of demons, angels, librarians, heroes and villains. Every story left untold resides in the Unwritten Wing of Hell’s library (it’s a tenant, more than an actual part of Hell), protected and guarded against by the head librarian, Claire, and her assistant Brevity. Venturing to Earth in search of a runaway hero before he can do too much damage to his author, Claire and Brevity – along with jittery demon Leto – find themselves unwitting players in a plot which threatens the library’s impartiality and risks inciting a new war between angels and demons.
This is one of those stories with a perfect combination of elements – a cleverly-constructed world of magical realism drawing upon themes and ideas that just feel right together; relatable, flawed characters who jump off the page right from the start before following appropriate, satisfying arcs; and a neat, pacy, action-packed plot which ties everything together. The inter-dimensional library idea isn’t new but it is deeply appealing to those of us who really love books, and Hackwith builds a tantalising world out of mythology and religious imagery through the ages alongside the expected clever literary allusions. Along with weaponised words and a thought-provoking dynamic between potential authors and their creations there’s also a fallen angel desperate to find a way back into God’s good books, damsels learning to overcome their written-in boundaries, a variety of cruel and unusual afterlives, and an institution in the Library – technically neutral and sitting apart from the Heaven and Hell rivalry – which is practically built of grey areas.
It’s a rich backdrop upon which to hang characters and narrative, exploring the sneaky politics of Heaven versus Hell and the realities of life for all involved. Main protagonist Claire is wonderfully no-nonsense, resourceful and determined in ways which at times seem worryingly bleak, but her somewhat chilly demeanour is balanced by a gradually-revealed undercurrent of compassion and a deeply satisfying seam of irreverence, as she regularly bursts into colourful curses of considerable variety. If some of the supporting cast have arcs which are a little bit telegraphed, it really doesn’t matter because they’re still really well drawn, and just so enjoyable to read about. Former muse Brevity gets plenty of time to shine, a green-haired froth of excitement, enthusiasm and anxiety, as does dour Watcher Ramiel, but permanently-bewildered teenage demon Leto steals the show with some of the most unexpectedly (for a demon) human, relatable moments in the story.
Hackwith writes beautifully, elegantly balancing her world building with character development and the gradual reveal of the plot, along the way exploring ideas of purpose, compassion and judgement (often self-imposed) as choices, regrets and difficult memories are brought to life. It’s effortlessly readable, rotating through character viewpoints and cleverly introducing each chapter with snippets from the Library’s log, teasing what’s to come and adding veracity to the weight of history for these characters and their world. All told it’s a killer concept that’s executed really well, a deeply satisfying story which challenges the usual status quo – it’s hard not to root for Hell, given the behaviour of these angels – and clearly sets things up for a series still to come. An absolute joy to read from start to finish, if you like your fantasy smart, bookish, irreverent and darkly funny then this is one to watch out for.
Many thanks to Titan Books and A.J. Hackwith for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
Click this link to buy The Library of the Unwritten (or this one for the audiobook).