The Library at Mount Char

Written by Scott Hawkins

Narrated by Hillary Huber

Neil Gaiman meets Joe Hill in this astonishingly original, terrifying, and darkly funny contemporary fantasy.



Carolyn's not so different from the other human beings around her. She's sure of it. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. She even remembers what clothes are for.



After all, she was a normal American herself, once.



That was a long time ago, of course—before that time she calls "adoption day," when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call father.



Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.



In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.



Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.



Now, Father is missing. And if God is truly dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all creation.



As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.



But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at a n unacceptable price—because in becoming God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Jun 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781622317738

Scott Hawkins

Scott Hawkins lives in Atlanta with his wife and a large pack of foster dogs. When not writing he enjoys woodwork, cooking long and impractical recipes, and playing fetch with his dogs. He works as a computer programmer. The Library at Mount Char is his first novel.

Reviews for The Library at Mount Char

[Asia Spina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so unexpectedly weird. I didn't see some of the stuff coming because I am, apparently, not as weird as I thought I was. Definitely an enjoyable use of my time.

[Geoff Haney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the writing in this, the expressiveness of it, especially in the first half. The story meanders quiet a bit, though, and things that shouldn’t take so long (like some conversations) seem to take a while to get through, at least to me. Overall though it worked for me and I enjoyed the strangeness of the universe.

[D T · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is weird. But the fact that you never really knew where it was going was really great. Also kudos to the narrator. Excellent voice.

[Martin Uribe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book! I loved how everything came together at the end. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Michelle Simpler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've listened to this book 4 times and every time I do, I get carried away into their world and it's dark and terrifying, and I love it! The narrator fits the role flawlessly. You have to check this book out!

[Zachary Wilkinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honestly thrilling. Funny, brutal, dark, and it made me cry at the end. I highly recommend this book and will be buying my friends copies.

[Evan Luke Mentzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved everything about this book! From the characters, all of whom are super funny and wildly entertaining, to the premise, which is so original that it's like nothing else I've ever read, and finally, the fact that it's absolutely impossible to predict what is going to happen at any given note.

[Brian O'Brien · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The voice is distinct, geeky, and discursive. It feels like lots of the self-published apocalypse genre of the last ten years, but with good editing and character development.

The plot twisting and resolution don't make the most sense, but they are satisfying. All of the main characters add interest, feel developed, and are memorable.

The voice actor is good at creating recognizable voices and makes few mistakes wherein one character's vocal pattern bleeds into another's or into the narrative voice.

[jamey oneal · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook. What happened? There was a shred of a good idea here, but then it fell apart. It fell apart quickly though it took forever and in such a boring fashion. This was probably better as an audiobook instead of reading it because the narrator did her best, but even she sounded bored and like she couldn't give the characters any stability or properly convey their mood, and I blame that on the writing since the characters made no sense-in multiple ways. I understand the "children" were all raised outside of normal society and even outside of human society, but that came and went at will with them sometimes acting like regular modern people and other times being wildly ignorant of why they are so weird to others. Moreover, even that wasn't consistent as each character, raised by Father or normally, had wild swings in empathy, intellect, emotional intelligence, and even motivation. The story was...bad. The plot dragged on forever with lengthy side stories that added nothing, and I like a disconnected side story for flavor, but these always failed to be interesting or relevant. I was excited to see a female protagonist, but maybe would have enjoyed it more if the author had ever, idk, actually met any women? Or at least women he liked. Carolyn was not the least bit engaging or interesting and I wasnt invested in her failing or winning, even at the cost of earth, because it all just seemed like an unimportant test run for some disinterested gods. The violence was usually just kinda gross and excessive, and I suppose I should thank my lucky Davids (see what I did there?) there were only implied rape scenes-despite there being so, so many. There were a lot of animals in the story and as for the animal relationships...even the ones that were supposed to be sweet came across as a little creepy, with some being subtly sexualized, though most of them were also steeped in drawn out descriptions of violence and abuse. I get that we were supposed to like Steve and his saving grace was his love for animals...or Buddhism?...or his forgotten connection to Carolyn? Or that he was a just a nice guy if kind of dumb,,,except for when he was atypically astute...? Man, idk. On top of all that, it just went in forever and ever. This seems like it might have been a successful short story if there was about 80% less of all of it, because the premise, if not original, wasn't bad, but the writing and characterization...ouch. I looked to see if this author had written other books because I was hoping he's still working out the kinks as a new writer, and, apparently this is the only one, but there was a bio that said the author works as a computer programmer. I sincerely hope he doesn't quit his day job.

[Dani Guillot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the detail and writing in this book. I am so confused though. Like, I don’t know what I read, but I know I liked it.

[misty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’m not to sure about this book. I had know idea what was going on and I really didn’t get the story. The ending does explain a lot. The story is pretty far out there. It does have a lot of triggers for people so I would be careful with that. Violence, abuse, rape, torture etc. The book does come with a lot of good reviews so I stuck it out. I think it’s about angels how worlds are created and destroyed. Making people bend to your will with torture and abuse. Making and destroying Gods. Iam impressed with the Authors imagination and dreaming up this crazy story. I’m not saying not to read it

[Jason Doerr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dark, dark, dark. I loved it. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy novels that are willing to go to the darker parts of the human mind.

[Genevieve · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wholeheartedly loved this book. The story is just fantastic and the characters- oh my god - love love love! What a trip - I have not loved a book quite as much as I’ve loved this in a long ass time. I hope this author keeps at it - I feel honored to be able to read such an excellent book.

[nic5za · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wild and imaginative. I was like wtf, then ok, then omg. Highly recommend if you're looking for something that will stick in your mind for a while.

[aryth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book I've read in a while. I loved that the main female character was strong, not fragile or helpless. Amazingly written. I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Mathias · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the words of the author “f*** amazing” Most entertaining book I read/heard in a while

[candi0parshall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a ride!! Loved this. Dark, snark, genius, and hilarious!

[tom sklar-blake · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Great, three-dimensional characters, an original fantasy world, and a compelling story! I'm recommending this book to friends!

[Donna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have not yet read the book but I'm required to rate it so why ruin it?
QUESTION: Is this novel the basis of the Netflix (?) series that follows the identical plot line as contained in the book's description? Anyone?

[James · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Strange but interesting enough to keep me reading for the entire length of the book. It's not for the impatient, that's for sure.

[anthony · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Weird as all hell. But a really good read. Comes together toward the end.

[Jessica Logan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loooooved it. Was such a different take on sci fi/fantasy.

Someone said that it was for the patient, but I was intrigued from the start.

The summary doesn’t really do it justice. I feel like it makes it sound like a basic white girl who goes and does intriguing things. No.

[Shannon Blanchard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great storytelling!!! It’s wondrous what the mind can come up with, so glad that people are capable of putting pen to paper for me to enjoy!!

[William DeVito · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was perfect. It was mysterious. It was hilarious. It was profound.

[Samuel Saker Kunkel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fable, not for the faint of heart. A slow-burn adventure-mystery of deep myth and personal relationships. Complex and curious, defies comparison.

[Jopa20q8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lot of "literary biases" or the conditions for a work to become "canonical" made me hesitate to give the highest rating to a "horror fantasy" book, which might be the best story I’ve read this year. A mix of Stephen King, Lee Child, and others I can't quite identify makes Scott Hawkins a surprise (and moreover, if one looks at the other books he has written: Linux manuals, Apache, and other computer and internet area topics, and no other fiction) leads me to wonder if he made some "demonic pact" to write this novel. But if we get to what is "canonical" in itself, one of the conditions for fulfilling this canon is "Originality," which shines in this book like the sun. And it does so with simplicity, even with such well-known themes dealt with by the aforementioned authors. A marvel of simple and dark action. RECOMMENDED. (Translated from Spanish)