The Book That Wouldn't Burn

The Book That Wouldn't Burn

2023 • 416 pages

Ratings81

Average rating4

15

That... was very different.
So basically we have a huge library. One so big it contains the cumulative knowledge of multiple millennia, different cultures. Different species. The whole thing runs on magic and a select group of librarians trying to discover the endless secrets of it.
And that's pretty much about as much as I can say without spoiling it. Why? Because this thing does incredible stuff with time travel, with how we think about knowledge and history.

The central characters are Livira and Evar, a girl and a boy who are destined to meet each other. They share the library and yet they have never talked to each other and they shouldn't, because something about them sets off events that are going to break time and space and essentially, everything.
And man, did the story go in ways I didn't see. It expertly plays with the idea that you can interpret certain things in contradicting ways and so the twists are some of the best I have ever seen. They are not just shocking; they completely change how you see previous events.
You know how clever authors are needed to write clever characters? Mark Lawrence does that perfectly; his concepts are stellar and unique and his prose is fantastic. No, it's not the flowery stuff that has no meat. He carefully picked his words to support the story perfectly. It's not bullshit (I'm looking at you, Rothfuss).

A warning; I am convinced this series will end in a tragic way. The story is just too big, the ideas are not for this to have a clear, happy ending. But so far this is 100% worth a read.

February 28, 2024Report this review