Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore was on my books about books list, and also I was curious about its author Robin Sloan. I’m so glad I’ve read this, it was so much fun, and it made me happy. You will also love both the author and the characters.
Robin Sloan worked in places like Current TV and Twitter, and his job was to predict the future of the media. Although he is currently only writing, he continues to make full use of technology.
Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is Sloan’s first book, and he based this on a short story he wrote. The story, which starts in a wonderful bookstore, extends to Google and reaches a secret community. Sloan explains books, typography, mystery, adventure, love, friendship, software and many more in a straightforward language.
The story is gripping and keeps curiosity alive. All the characters, especially Penumbra, are colourful and you’ll love them immediately. I can say that Robin Sloan has ingeniously used all the components that should be in a good book. It can be a great choice if you want to browse the young authors of our age. I will be reading his other books as well. I strongly recommend it to book lovers of all ages. Enjoy!
Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn’t take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor.
The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends (and a cute girl who works for Google) and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers’ behaviour. What they discover is an ancient secret that can only be solved by modern means, and a global-conspiracy guarded by Mr. Penumbra himself…who has mysteriously disappeared.
Robin Sloan
Robin Sloan’s first novel, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, was a New York Times Best Seller, translated into more than twenty languages. His latest novel, Sourdough, was published in 2017. With his partner Kathryn Tomajan, Robin produces California extra virgin olive oil under the label Fat Gold. He lives in Oakland and so works out of the Murray Street Media Lab in South Berkeley, down by the railroad tracks.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
