The City of Dreaming Books

By Walter Moers

More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Sep 2, 2008
• ISBN: 9781590203682

Reviews for The City of Dreaming Books

[rodemail · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vlot leesbaar en een verhaal dat de aandacht blijvend weet te trekken. Dit fantasy verhaal gebouwd rond boeken is in feite dikwijls voorspellend en langgerekt. Toch worden veel aspecten van schrijven en lezen, kortom het boek, erin verwerkt..

[the_literary_jedi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A translated edition from the original German; this is book number 4 in the series.I couldn't get into this story easily and it's probably because I've never read this series before and didn't understand what was going on or what the character was about. There's a lot of wordplay in this with names and places which I think makes much more sense in the original language.**All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[milliehennessy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It'd been a while since I read this, so I picked it up again, and, as it was my third time reading it, decided to annotate it. This was a fun one, especially because of the illustrations. I colored some of them!Yes, if you didn't know, this is a book for adults, with illustrations! Moers is a fantastic illustrator and his drawings really bring life to his work. If you like books about books, fantastical settings, crazy (and sometimes scary) creatures and books that just plain feel magical when you read them, I can't recommend this book enough! It's set in a city that's absolutely devoted to books! I can't fathom why someone who loves books wouldn't want to read it, if only to daydream about visiting such a city. I'll never shut up about how underrated this book is. Please, give it a shot! It's quirky and funny and sad and magical and inspiring and I just love it, ok!?

[polarbear123_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some nice ideas here but not as good as the first two books. Maybe having it set in one place was the key difference.

[ar_bookbird · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just fantastic!

[tatze13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher ist einfach ein ganze besonderes Buch aus Walter Moers Zamonien-Welt und deswegen lege ich es jedem nahe es zu lesen. Meiner Meinung nach eine Pflicht an jeden der Bücher liebt.. Schon die Einleitung entführt den Leser in einer andere Welt, Es ist kein typischer Bestseller sondern eine Liebeserklärung an die Welt der Bücher in Form eines Buches! Denn Bücher können nicht nur spannend, lustig oder aufregend sein sondern auch einen in den Wahnsinn treiben oder töten. "Nur wer bereit ist, derartige Risiken in Kauf zu nehmen, möge dem Autor folgen. Allen anderen wünschen wir ein gesundes, aber todlangweiliges Leben!"

[gsmattingly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book took me a really long time to finish. It doesn't help that my eyes, as I age, seem to be giving me more and more problems reading books for an extended period of time. Anyway, I enjoyed this book. It was possibly a little slow here and there but still entertaining.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won't deny it, this book was inventive and unique, but..... not my cuppa tea. As a bibliophile I appreciated everything this book was about, it's ingenious and clever, but again, not my cuppa tea.This story follows Optimus Yarnspinner, a dinosaur from Lindworm castle who ventures to Bookholm to find the author of a manuscript. Once there, things go horribly wrong and he ends up poisoned and in the deep dangerous depths of the catacombs that run deep beneath the city. He fends off bookhunters, booklings, and other horrifying creatures as he tries to make his way back up to the surface. Book lovers and bibliophiles will appreciate the beautiful imagery and book lore, but it might be a bore for others. This story is full of adventure, high fantasy, and bibliophilia but it's not for everyone. Wonderfully written and crafted but I just wasn't feeling it.

[diovival · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely fell in love with this book....and I fell hard! It was amazing. A book lovers book.

[russell7alynn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think Walter Moers is probably one of the most creative authors I've ever read. After reading 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear, I knew that I had to get my hands on more of his works. The Zamonia series isn't something you have to read in order, so I picked up the fourth one because the premise sounded interesting--what bibliophile wouldn't want to read about a city of books!

While it had it's funny moments, quirky characters, and comical illustrations, I just didn't like this book nearly as much as the first in the series. When the main character, Optimus Yarnspinner, gets stuck in the ancient catacombs filled with books it seems like Moers really drags the story out. I think the book probably could have been 100 pages shorter. I know I say that about several books, and that's because it seems like some authors think that by adding a few chapters to a book to give it some bulk, that somehow, that makes it a better book; this isn't true.

[magus_manders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was really great. Moers's world is richly built, and his prose flows with a generally light touch. He captures both humor and tension to create a thoroughly enjoyable read. In addition, his charming illustrations become critical parts of the narrative, creating a wonderful piece of characterful booksplotation.

[gkarlives · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

To anyone thinking of reading this book, don't let the illustrations deceive you into thinking it is a childrens book. One, you will give your children nightmares and two, you will miss out on a very satisfying read. The story is told from the point of view of a Lindworm (dinosaur/dragon) making his first journey to the City of Dreaming Books or Bookholm. Given the that the main character is somewhat cartoonish in nature, one would expect light reading; however, the content is not only mature, but at times disturbing in the sense of very morally defunct evil characters and a less than freindly world. If you can hang on through what, at times, may be a long slog, you will be rewarded by a very touching ending.

[amandrake_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I worked in, ran, or owned a bookstore for 15 years. When you do that, you see a lot of the same thing. You start to long for things that are not only good, but have a sort of quirky je ne sais quoi. So for those like me, HERE is a book worth reading!People seem to love to compare Moers to all kinds of writers, but to me he falls into the rather slim category with *The Phantom Tollbooth* and the Moomintroll books - though I'm not sure what to call that category. "Young adult, somewhat conceptual, occasionally metaphysical, with illustrations in a cartoon-like style and an occasionally bizarre sense of humor?"

[jennacz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I. Loved. This. Book. It was so fun, creative, imaginative and absorbing! Walter Moers has a great imagination and created a fantastic adventure in a city built on books. Thumbs up!

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A tale of a young reptilian author who sets off on an adventure and quest to Bookholm, a city filled with publishing houses, bookshops, authors, critics and everything else literary. He soon meets with danger, as all adventurers should.It isn't easy to define my reactions to this book. At times it felt like Dante's Inferno, others it resembled Victor Hugo. What suspense and action there was, soon devolved into endless description or narrative. Clever description and narrative, but not compelling. That being said, I still enjoyed all the allusions and poking fun at literary devises, publishers, writers, readers and reviewers. I don't think there is much in the world of writing that Walter Moers didn't touch on.

[jovemako · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this one. It was the perfect adventure for a book-a-holic.

[ontoursecretly · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Moers makes the common fantasy author's mistake of getting too carried away with his own creation, and his story becomes a dark, tiresome, cumbersome labyrinth resembling the world it describes. It amounts to not much more than a stack of descriptions of dozens of nightmarish creatures with too few or too many legs, a list of horrible ways to die, and an encyclopedia of psychotic conditions with not much story in between. Although technically laden with plenty of "action," it's of the never-ending-hence-never-occurring-climax variety. Add to this monotony the constant use of the phrase "dear reader" (occasionally "faithful reader") by a narrator who takes the form of an egotistic, slow-witted dinosaur, and you have a thoroughly boring book about books.

[vpfluke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't have time to write a proper review, but I wan to add to previous reviews. The journey of Optimus Yarnspinner (the aurian narrator) has mythic qualities to it in the subterranean Bookholm. Part of his journey on an underground train has aspects of steampunk to it. The ending is Nordic with a bookish 'Ragnarok'.

[blondebibliophile · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Coolest. Book. Ever.

[patrickdjoyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without a doubt the most bizarre story I've ever read; however, as utterly alien as I found the lizard-like protagonist and his book-obsessed world (a fantasy milieu of shady, desperate, vengeful and mysterious nonhumans that I suspect might be more recognizable to readers better acquainted with the Earthly publishing business than I), it held me fast, and with every further descent below the surface of its eponymous city, drew me deeper - and served well as a palliative across many sleepless nights during a stressful time. As in The Name of the Rose and Shadow of the Wind, the author subsumes its mysteries under the grand allegory of a labyrinthine library, which seems to stand for both inner mind and outer world.

[taramatchi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was like riding a roller coaster for me. Some parts were slow and almost dragged on, especially the beginning, then I would read parts that were almost genius. Overall, it was a fantasy story that I felt mirrored what it must be like for aspiring authors. Although, a fantasy world, it brought to life the cut throat world of publishing a story. Would the young writer, a lindworm dinosaur be able to write his first book after his amazing adventure in the catacombs, or would he be slaughtered before he could find his inspiration. I think that question is what kept me reading even through the slower parts of the book. The ending was far superior than the beginning, but my favorite part was his time with the cute little booklings who devoted their lives to reading and memorizing their favorite authors.

[melydia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the tradition of Jansson's Moomintrolls and Juster's Phantom Tollbooth, here we have a story told by Optimus Yarnspinner, a dinosaurish creature whose entire life revolves around books. As our tale opens, Yarnspinner's authorial godfather, Dancelot Wordwright, is on his deathbed. He gives Yarnspinner a short story that is so good that it caused him to stop writing. Yarnspinner then journeys to Bookholm, a city entirely devoted to writing and bookselling, to track down this amazing writer. This book is a real treat for bibliophiles. The illustrations are darling and the literary references are fun to spot. Not a book I probably would have picked up on my own; I'm glad I gave it a try.

[laurenbdavis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book. Beautiful language. Original. Not only is it a work of astounding imagination and sparkling whimsy, but it's also a scathing satire on all things literary. Full of the darkest sort of humor, no one is spared -- not writers, critics, editors, agents, booksellers, or readers. As a writer myself, I found it hilarious, poignant, uplifting and humbling, all at once. It's also a rollicking good tale!

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't often read fantasy -- and I'm not really sure what made me pick up this cross between Lord of the Rings and Shrek. But, I'm glad I did. This is the story of Optimus Yarnspinner, born to be an author, but unable to find the inspiration to actually write anything. He goes off in search of an unknown author who has written a perfect manuscript. And, that's where the adventure begins, full of quests (heroic and otherwise), fascinating, and imaginative creatures (one-eyed booklings who memorize texts as nourishment; animatomes or living books, bookhunters and more). It's a universe where all things revolve around books.Great story, wildly imaginative, intriguing use of language.

[omphalos02 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Moers returns with his third book to be translated into English. Endlessly inventive, Moers directs this tale at a more adult audience. Although I had some trouble with the literary devices that he unashamedly employs (he even makes The Shadow King joke about this), I still had fun and found myself rather involved in this book - albeit after a slow start. (In fact, if I had not read other Moers books, I would most likely have abandoned this work.) Quite fun overall.

[drneutron_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fantastic book! I absolutely loved it.