Customer Comments

Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore reads like a choose-your-own adventure novel--one dimensional and pure fantasy. BUT, the themes are timely and significant to those who reflect on where modern society is headed. Not only is the conflict between books and computers laid out, but also the fate of works of art created throughout history, and, most importantly, the significance of friendship. When I finished reading this, I felt like I had been reading a graphic novel. The story moves frame by frame through a series of caricature-like images ( the tall, narrow bookstore, the climbing walls, the reading room in NYC, the CalKnit Museum). Even the costumes are cartoon like (the black robes in the Reading Room, Kat's eternal red t-shirt, Mat's Salvador Dali boxer shorts).

A terrific ending to a great series. The literary style and unusual characters lifted this and Larsson's two earlier adventures to a level higher than the typical genre-driven detective novel. I wish there could be more!