First impressions reviews: The Library of the Unwritten, By A.J. Hackwith
I have a soft spot for stories about magical libraries and also am a total sucker for demons that are nicer or more helpful than one would expect. So how could I resist this blurb?:
“Many years ago, Claire was named head librarian of the Unwritten Wing – a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside…When a hero escapes from his book and goes in search of its author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and the nervous and sweet demon Leto. But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong…”
This book definitely delivers on the first point – the library and librarian shenanigans are delightful – but not so much on the latter. The book wasn’t actually trying to do that trope, though, so it isn’t exactly a fault. I’m not sure how much I can explain without spoilers, but I’ll give it a shot…
Essentially, all the books that could exist but don’t (either not yet or because they were a half-formed idea that their authors never got a chance to write down) are housed in the Library of the Unwritten. But these are, by nature, frustrated stories, especially those whose time to actually be written is running out, and they sometimes escape in the form of a character from the book. Leto brings Claire a message about one such escape, and he ends up getting roped into going after the book. I rather liked Leto as a demon – there are some fun touches like the fact that, besides having pointy ears, he sweats acid – but it is fairly quickly revealed that he isn’t technically a demon at all. That was a bit disappointing initially but turns out to be important for his character development.
I quite like Claire. She’s a no-nonsense to the point of abrasiveness but, considering the type of madness that a library in hell can generate, she’s a good fit for the job. Also, how can I disagree with this sentiment?: “Claire lived by the firm moral philosophy that one could never have too many pockets, too many books, or too much tea.” She’s dead, technically, and an “unwritten author” herself. Her assistant Brevity is a teal-haired ray of sunshine…at least when she’s in the position to try to inspire someone else. Hero is surprising, even to Claire: “Hero was doing remarkably well...In Claire’s experience, heroes of unwritten stories were often the most fragile … Nothing folded like a hero without a story. Even damsels were sturdier1.” Of course, that’s because he isn’t quite what he initially seems. There are a few other key players, including Andras (a demon who runs the Arcane Wing of the library), and Ramiel, a fallen angel (a category distinct from “demon”) who has been kinda-sorta promised a place back in heaven by Uriel if he can secure the Devil’s Bible. However, Claire and company are concerned that if the angels try to seize the book, it will lead to a war that will destroy the library, earth, or both.
1. The other reason a character might run is if they aren’t treated very well by their own story. One such category is the damsel, a character of any gender – but usually female – who is basically there just to be rescued or tragically murdered. When they escape, Claire lets them stay in the “damsel wing” of the library, provided their authors are already dead so their book will never be written anyway.
There are a few oddities that pop up here and there in the characterization. Because of a line about having been buried in “some frippery that was dour even for her time, all buttons and layers” plus her “strict nanny” vibe, I formed an impression that Claire must have lived in the Victorian era. I was hoping to find out more about her life as a British black woman in that time, and so was very confused to later find a reference to her being “recently dead” in the 1980s. So now I don’t know why she would have been buried in an outfit like that if it wasn’t what she liked to wear. More importantly, there’s some stuff revealed about her mentor and an unwritten book that is a little hard to square with the Claire we know. It theoretically works, I just was having trouble feeling it. This backstory also leads to the reveal of Claire being pansexual. I rather wish her actions and backstory had been allowed to speak for themselves – as was the case for multiple other characters who, say, flirt with more than one gender2 – rather than having a discussion with Leto about the modern terminology; Since it isn’t a conflict at all, that just felt a tiny bit heavy-handed. The final reveal about who Leto was before hell didn’t quite land, for me. Again, it isn’t bad, it just didn’t seem necessary, since Claire has already basically adopted him. Still, possibly some of these things will turn out to be explained or important in the next two books of the series!
2. For example, this exchange in Valhalla regarding Claire and Hero: “Sommat a Freyja-touched in that one. Good thing the naked babe they called a champion had her to mind ‘em,” another said, bringing another rather telling round of speculation about the fighter’s looks… “Puts a man in mind o’ what stories a teller like that could tell…Mark my words – lass like her’s got spirit. I’d love to get her in the ring.” “Or in bed, eh, Holfad?” And both warriors devolved into an entirely inappropriate exchange about the relative bed-warming merits of both the librarian and her champion.
Overall recommendation: If you, like me, are a fan of magical libraries, and of the Pratchett/Gaiman approach to heaven and hell (eg. ‘Good Omens’, ‘Sandman’), you will probably like this book! Just don’t expect a Crowley, or you will be disappointed.
