Magus of the Library, Vol. 2

Seriously though, visit your local library.

I was incredibly worried that volume two of this series that was such a delightful surprise to me wouldn't be as good as the first one. The art was so good, and the story was incredibly interesting, and it has libraries as the feature. Surely something had to give. It did not give, and volume two was just as engaging as the first.

Theo's on his way to take the test to be a Kafna and meets a fellow Kafna-hopeful along the way. He also acquires a pet, has a few flashbacks establishing his desire to be a Kafna and work in the library and not just a library, and arrives, whole and intact, in time to take his test. And what a test! The written portion, one of three, is three days long! I'm suddenly incredibly glad my Masters wasn't nearly as rigorous.

The art remains incredible. Lots of full-page spreads, including world-building snapshots at the beginning of each chapter highlighting a different aspect of the world. I also liked the thoughts about why one would even bother becoming a librarian–sorry, Kafna–when Theo could have just as easily worked at a local branch without credentials and with a lot less effort. An interesting thought, and one that has parallels in the actual library community.

Great series, can't wait for volume 3!