Libriomancer

Magic ex Libris, Book 1

By: Jim C. Hines

Narrated by: David DeVries

Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg. Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.

With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic....

©2012 Jim C. Hines (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This may be Jim Hines's best work. Libriomancer is smart, silly, and deadly serious, all at the same time. It's a book about loving books. This is the magic librarian and ass-kicking dryad adventure story we’ve all been waiting for." (Seanan McGuire, The New York Times best-selling author of Discount Armageddon)

"All writers believe in the magic of books; Jim Hines has created a system where that magic becomes real, usable, and very definitely not always safe." (Tanya Huff, best-selling author of the Blood Books)

"This funny and fast-paced series opener...will be sure to surprise and entertain urban fantasy fans.... Isaac is sure to be an instant fan favorite, and the secondary characters are vivid and multidimensional." ( Publishers Weekly)

narrator ruined story for me

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, I kept getting irritated with the narrator. I bought the Kindle version so I could read the story. I understood that this book was actually removed from the store and would be replaced later after some problems were taken care of. When I noticed the sequel was ready for pre-order I went back and checked out this one again. I checked the last part of the book where I had to stop reading and there was still the mispronunciation of automaton which is used extensively in the last half of the book. I'm not willing to listen to the whole thing again to see if anything at all has improved.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David DeVries?

anyone who could properly pronounce automaton!

A fun and funny surprise!

Libriomancer was recommended to me, but I was skeptical about heading into another variant on the paranormal-contemporary world theme. I quickly discovered that I couldn't stop listening and picked up the second volume minutes after finishing this one.

The heroes of this story, Isaac Vainio and Lena Greenwood, were refreshingly real and accessible while still being unique and multidimensional. If you're a fantasy & sci-fi geek or fanboy (or fangirl, for that matter) you can't help but like Isaac and want to be with him every step of the way.

Acting as a backdrop to the whole story is the tapestry of sci-fi and fantasy stories that so many of us have loved for so long, from the awful, guilty-pleasure pulps to the great works of speculative fiction. Hines manages to pay homage with a fine sense of humor that manages to make jokes without every allowing the story to become one, evoking nostalgic moments, eager anticipation, and shouts of delight as you see in your fanboy/fangirl heart exactly what's about to happen.

This was my first experience with David DeVries as a reader. I was immediately struck by his skillful rendition of character dialogue, but initially found his narration a bit stiff. That impression didn't last, however, as the story continued to be skillfully delivered.

This is a series I hope to see go far, and I doubt you'll be disappointed if you give it at try.

Libriomancer

Well written. Good characters and good plotting. Creative and love the use of my alma mater MSU! Reminiscent of Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne with a book twist. Not too many books begin in the MI UP. Fun!

Interesting idea, but lacks engaging characters

I love the idea behind the book, the storyline is unique and keep your surprised and engaged at every turn. Its basically a story about the love for and power of books, which makes it an fun book for avid readers.

I enjoyed the book, but in the end I didn't feel inclined to continue the series. What I mostly liked was the idea behind the book, and the storyline to some degree, but I didnt become very attached to the characters and cant say I care much what happens to them further on. I didn't like Lena at all, Isaac was alright, but like I said, I didn't get emotionally attached to them. (Smudge was my favorite character by far)

I'm not sure if I'll finish the series at some later point, but right now I don't have any plans of continuing.

Good but not what I was hoping for.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was so excited about the basic premise of this book - Libriomancers, people with the power to manifest magic from books. What a great idea! But I felt that at one moment the action was rushing by too quickly and at other moments the reflections of the main character were slowing things down. I think the author has great ability but it just didn't hit the mark for me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

There was a certain amount of the end that was very foreseeable, not surprising. But it was fairly excitingly written, enough that I wanted to finish. I was disappointed by the two main characters and their back and forth feelings that didn't entirely resolve at the end. Not everyone has to walk off into the sunset happily but sometimes, its best to let things be messy than to tie up loose ends disappointingly.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David DeVries?

While the reader was good at carrying emotion in his voice, his tone for the female voices was poor and, for me, it took away from the implied sexiness of those characters.

Awesome story to read

this was an amazing book! It was funny and lots of nerdy references. Highly recommend

Save yourself! Read the book instead!

Would you try another book from Jim C. Hines and/or David DeVries?

Yes, if read by a different narrator. He has a fun style, good sense of humor and good character development. The premise of this book was outstanding and lured me in. Why, oh why did I not listen to a sample, or read the reviews more carefully? Because I'm a sap, that's why. Bringing objects from books to life? How could it not be fascinating? Every book lovers dream, right? And in fact, the story is fascinating. If you can get past the horrible narration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The tree nymph. Great sense of humor, interesting premise.

Would you be willing to try another one of David DeVries’s performances?

Not only no, but by cracky, heck no. It was absolutely horrible. Nothing personal, David. Some people are just meant to be narrators, others are not. I hope you didn't quit your day job.

Could you see Libriomancer being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

That's a silly ass question.

Any additional comments?

I may very well get the Kindle edition of the sequel. I'd very much like to know what happens to these characters. I just couldn't stand to listen to it.

Interesting

I enjoyed this audiobook. David DeVries voice fits as a slightly 'nerdy' librarian thrust into an adventure. I liked the concept of this audiobook. I do complain that it gets a little confusing at times. I hope that the next books in the series are as good or better then book 1.

Original fantasy/sci-fi setting. Fun plot.

After this year's Dresden Files, I was ready for something less emotionally draining. The world of pulling magic from books and literary hooks made possible made this a story full of easter eggs! Character development was fluid and never felt forced. Drama, action, mystery, adventure, comedy and romance all had their place. Great book and can't wait to get to the next in the series.

A reasonable start

Having read this book before in written format and enjoying it, I looked forward to this new version as audiobooks add something else to the story. What I got was about the same that I felt about the original book, that the concept and setup was a good one that promises to continue to get more interesting as things continue and I certainly craved more, but at the same time there wasn't quite enough to the substance of this one to fully satisfy me, which isn't entirely a bad thing since I'll likely leap upon the next book when it comes out.

As for the narrator, while I didn't quite find him a perfect match (this is the second narrator not the original which I wonder if the other reviewers do not realize they might have) he wasn't awful. He does a serviceable job of voicing Issac, but I felt his voicing of the female characters in the story were not quite as differentiated as one might have hoped for. I would have perhaps suggested Luke Daniels as a better match since he has a good mastery of a variety of character voices and his work on Iron Druid has impressed me every time. He could still provide the youthful enthusiasm that Issac's character requires while having enough flexibility to handle the rest of the cast better. Still the narrator didn't ruin the book for me at all, just didn't give to the story quite what I would have hoped for.

Overall it's a reasonable start to what promises to be a fun series and I'm looking forward to more.