Penumbra.

I ordered Mr. Penumbra... almost as soon as I'd finished Sourdough. 
A slightly different read, this one but still. so. good.

  Specific elements I enjoyed:

— The combination of quest & tech. It being a bibliophile’s book with ancient texts, dedicated reading rooms, the plot-specific punches that brought the texts together.

Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means. It means: I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf. [143]

(Heck yes.)

But also technology, again, playing a part in throwing down obstacles; subverting...

Also:

— A superb ensemble of characters: Mat, Matcropolis; Mat and Ashley. Neel as patron; fully at home in ‘the nerdiest place in New York’ [159]. Edgar Deckle.

— Brotherhood, as a theme: Clay and Neel, lives linked from boyhood, the cohort of clerks, past & present: Clay, Oliver, Deckle ... Moffat.

‘.. we nod farewell like soldiers — like men who uniquely understand each other’s circumstances.’ [22]

— Googlers in the amphitheatre / the great uncoding.

— Clark Moffat: writer, clerk, scholar, code-maker; savant.

— Geritszoon. Historical (Manutius. Punchcutters.); Reimagined, ubiquitous, unlocking.

— Plot devices which just fit & solving obstacles: GrumbleGear 3000; Con-U’s curious storage; Tabitha Trudeau & Cal Knit. Hacking the Accession Table to track down artefacts.

— Clay’s commitment to, & eventual partnership with, Mr Penumbra. | Friendship: ‘the key to everything.’

. . . . .

A note on the character of Kat,

“It’s not good enough.” — “Don’t call that immorality.” [278]

I didn't love her... I understood the Cute factor, sure. The reason why Clay's really into her. But having come through the twists & turns of the plot alongside the others, to then abandon once the truth was explained & unpacked ... I didn't really get why our hero therefore needed her (nor wanted her, perhaps) back at all.

. . . . .

— This. 

Which made me laugh out loud. 

The build-up.

'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' 

Punctured.

Heh. 

Clay; hero.

You seem resourceful. That’s something I haven’t heard before. I think about the word. Resourceful: full of resources. .. But maybe Deckle is right. Everything I’ve done so far, I’ve done by calling in favors. I do know people with special skills and I know how to put their skills together. And come to think of it, I have just the resource for this. [242]

 

Sloan, Robin. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Atlantic Books: London, 2012

(Loveliness: https://readingmapofpenumbras24hourbookstore.wordpress.com/)