Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Book That Broke The World by Mark Lawrence Narrator: Jessica Whittaker
Series: The Library Trilogy #2
Published by Ace, Penguin Audio on April 9, 2024
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 576
Length: 15 hours, 28 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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The Library spans worlds and times. It touches and joins distant places. It is memory and future. And amid its vastness Evar Eventari both found, and lost, Livira Page.
Evar has been forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover the book she wrote—one which is the only true threat to the library’s existence—if she's to return to her life.
While Evar's journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he's never seen, Livira's path will taker her deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.
The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.
Now the Library trilogy continues. In the first book, Livira and Evar meet and get to know each other. They find that although their species are at war, they can love each other. They are separated at the end, Livira amd Malar end up as assistants and goes back in time to help Evar and his now adopted siblings as they grow up in the library chamber after the attack on their parents.
Mark Lawrence does a nice job of starting with a recap. His characters and world are complex. I would read the books in order. The Library crosses time and spaces. After being assistants for 200 years, Livira and Malar are killed by skeer. Evar thinks Livira is dead but they are actually ghosts now. They follow Evar as for the first time in 200 years Evar and his siblings are able to go to the chamber and then outside. There they find Arpix and other friends of Livira who escaped the library during the fire, when Livira and Malar became ghosts, and live in the rocky mountain caves nearby.
In each time and each world there are different species who end up fighting and burning down the world. We have already learned about the skeer, humans and the canith. The history of the library is in one story created by two brothers. One who created it and wants to have it keep educating the species so that they might become peaceful and live together in learning. The other brother wants to destroy it. Yute, a master librarian, who mentored Livira wants a compromise where the people learn to live together.
The Book That Broke The World brings us the story of another species, the ganar. They come from another planet. But in the current world, the human and canith live together and the ganar are the slaves. Two of these slaves end up at the library for there are doors which only open to each species. Hellet plans revenge on the human and canith, with the help of his sister, Celcha. Celcha is the source of the automatons.
Livira as a ghost, learns about her book and how she might get back to Evar. We follow the battles between the species as Livira and Evar want only to get back to each other, and live together. Mistakes are made. People get hurt and die. But there are also strong friendships struck between Livira’s friends and Evar’s adopted family. Everyone though seems to be manipulated by the brothers of the library. Will the destroyers win or those who love and preserve knowledge?
Narration:
As the second book, I am familiar with the narrator. She is Livira to me. I recognized her voices for the characters and was comfortable with them. The narration added to my enjoyment of the book. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence was born in Champagne-Urbana, Illinois, to British parents but moved to the UK at the age of one. He went back to the US after taking a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College to work on a variety of research projects including the ‘Star Wars’ missile defence programme. Returning to the UK, he has worked mainly on image processing and decision/reasoning theory. He says he never had any ambition to be a writer so was very surprised when a half-hearted attempt to find an agent turned into a global publishing deal overnight.
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say ‘this isn’t rocket science … oh wait, it actually is’.
Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I still need to read the first book but I do have a copy. Now it’s just a matter of finding time. I’m glad the second book was also good😁
They are complex and interesting. Sometimes I feel I am not smart enough for these stories. But the emotional and moral aspects are captivating.
I heard the world building in this series is extraordinary!
yes, complex and fascinating.
What an interesting concept!!!! I’m intrigued!
It’s complex and detailed with lots of characters and species.
Sounds complex with those various worlds like parallel universes and so many doors into the library. I like that about his books.
yes, multiple worlds multiple species. It’s complex with a love story for the spine.
I am planning to listen to this from the library. This year I am listening to more books and not reviewing them on the blog. LOL
Well that’s awesome. I find it freeing to read library books and ones I don’t have to review.
Oh… I remember the first book now that you review this one. It does sound so interesting!
It is really interesting and complex. Many species, many times, and a bit of a romance.
It’s helpful when there’s a nice recap if it’s a complicated plot like this one. Sounds like a unique story!
yes this author does many complex stories with different threads in them.
I only recently added the first book to my TBR and am really looking forward to it. I am glad this one was good too.
yes they are very good, complex. I sometimes wonder if I am smart enough to read them.
I love the cover! This sounds like an interesting series. I need to get the first book.
yes the covers on this series are gorgeous.
Love the title and cover. Sounds like a really good series. Glad you’re enjoying it!
It’s a complex and layered story with multiple times and places.