The Library at Mount Char

A very weird book. I enjoyed it, but would probably not have rated it so high if it weren't for how original the world building is - I can honestly say I don't think I've read a book with a similar premise or similar fantasy world building before. And that's unusual!

Some thoughts:

- the tone shifts dramatically between chapters. This makes sense as they are told with different narrators, except it's not just the narrator's voice which changes but the whole tone of the story. Like from fantasy-drama to irreverent-humour-cop-show to comedy etc.

- this book is very gory and graphic, bordering on gross at times. I hadn't seen that mentioned in any reviews. It works, and adds the feeling that you are just being tumbled along in this crazy plot line where everything is kind of over the top, but if you don't like hearing about people's intestines being pulled out and people poking their fingers into open wounds and a guy who walks around covered in caked dried blood...you won't like this.

- the reading experience of this book is odd, partly because of the tone shifts and random charges in POV to a new character you've never heard of halfway through - you have to be willing to let it take you for a ride.

- I love the idea of a mythological entity named Barry O'Shea, especially amidst others with more typical magical sounding names. That's hilarious.

2.5/3