The Invisible Library Series - The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman

Please note there may be some mild spoilers in this summary as I look at an ongoing series

I do note that readers who read a lot tend to love books about books. We love how tales explore these strange worlds of the imagination and as we all know a book is a portal to another world. So how about I show you an ongoing series that takes this to a whole new level?

In 2015 Genevieve Cogman started the Invisible Library series with appropriately The Invisible Library and there have now been six instalments in the series. This follows Irene Winters (not her real name) who is a Librarian for The Library – please note the capitals. The Library is …yes, a place with books in it …but here books from all over the multiverse. The conceit is that there are worlds of high order and high chaos; worlds of technology and worlds of magic and ones in between. And in each world; there are books and variations of books and books that where never written in our world. The Librarians of the Library take those books and by doing so help prevent worlds getting too chaotic by establishing a connection from that world to the Library and its network but also the Library gets the books!

Into this we meet the young Librarian Irene who gets caught up in events that as the books develop reflect the wider battles between Order and Chaos going on. Irene is brilliant and funny and if I was trying to describe her imagine Thursday Next mixed with the Doctor and this series predates Jodie Whittaker by a few years. She is ultimately a spy able to adopt disguises and infiltrate worlds; so can lie like an angel; scheme like a mastermind and often shows a ruthless pragmatic side but at the same time Irene slightly differs from the Library in that she actually tries to be a bit more caring to those on the worlds plus she would just love to actually read a book from time to time. While very resourceful Irene also has the ability that all Librarians have which is to utter The Language and change reality. Think of it as a verbal sonic screwdriver that allows doors to open; electronics to stop and can often be used inventively (and happily her enemies often find ways to stop her uttering it). As the series develops Irene is effectively becoming a powerful figure in her own right and that sometimes scares her to know she is now in the various power’s sights; it’s getting harder to blend into the background but on the plus side often she is now able to influence major events herself and accordingly the threats she encounters have higher stakes too.

To aid here are two companions - her Librarian apprentice is Kai. Very handsome; a little cocky; good fighter and has a few secrets himself. Kai and Irene create sparks as they work together on missions. Whereas on the world that Irene begins to see as her base; a glorious steampunk Victorian mash up England with added magic and technology, she has the aid and trust of the foremost private detective Vale (and yes he is very similar to you know who). Vale is all about the logic and deduction and as Irene finds various mysteries often Vale proves to be a useful ally even occasionally moving off his own world as he now knows the truth of the Library. On both sides of the team we have the other two major powers in the multi-verse – The Fae are for Chaos. Magical beings who at the same time love to follow dramatic tropes e.g. the reprobate; the schemer, the assassin etc and contact with them means you often end up in a plot from a story you’ll know. While in apparent opposition we have the Dragons – here able to turn into humanoid figures; control the elements and massive schemers who feel all other races are beneath them while they seek more Order in the universe. Irene finds herself often between these two powers and stopping either side cause trouble that could eventually lead to war. The Library is felt to be neutral but maybe has its own agenda…

Each book is a standalone adventure and when firing on all cylinders can be fun; exciting and beautifully smart plus the first book has clockwork alligators! The first three books in the series are very much setting up a first cycle of tales introducing us to the characters and principally about how Irene battles a rogue and truly evil Librarian known as Alberich; but the beauty of the universe Cogman has invented is there is so much more to explore. The most recent three books have focused attention on the fae and the dragons and have gone in a direction I would never have seen coming – it can be both a loving tribute to a genre trope and point out the genre’s weaknesses e.g. depiction of roles for women in them. But looking closely at the world it’s a modern universe – there are dragons who are trans; same sex couples and Irene is the leader because she is an extremely competent at her job and is respected by people for doing that. The weakness of a series is when the world can fossilise but Cogman is cleverly letting it evolve and change and I’m intrigued to see where it will go in the future and many more secrets are being hinted at. If you’re looking for fun filled adventure, then this is a great series to catch up on in 2020.

So, lets catch up on the latest instalment!

I would like to thank Jamie Lee Nardone and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Pan Macmillan

Published – Out Now

Price - £8.99 paperback

NB there will now definitely be some spoilers for the previous books!!

For a Librarian spy books are a dangerous business

As Irene tries to manage a fraught Fae-dragon truce and her overbearing parents, she’s given a hot new mission. The world where she grew up is in danger and only one book can save it.

This is held by Mr Nemo, secretive Fae villain and antiques dealer, so Irene and Kai travel to his Caribbean retreat to strike a deal. But in return for the book, they must steal a painting from twenty-first century Vienna. They’ll join a team of dragons, Fae gamblers and thieves – so their greatest challenge may be one another. And some will kill to protect this painting, which hides an extraordinary secret from a past age.

I do admit I love a heist and a con. I love shows like Leverage and Oceans 11 where a complex magic trick is being pulled on an unsuspecting but often deserving person by disguise, technology and often the best lies. In this instalment Cogman merges a heist with a spy thriller and gets to play with the conventions of both that makes it a nimble; fun and joyful read that also teases future direction for the series.

Irene when we meet her is now seeing her good work in the previous novels pay off the Fae and the Dragons have agreed a truce with eh neutral support of the Library. But her stepparents have finally decided to visit; and Irene would love to know more about who she is when it unfortunately becomes apparent that The Library has a new mission for her. A world needs a book to be found to prevent it falling into Chaos; the world where Irene went to school and learned that being a fine liar; plotter and scheme is all very good but having a conscience is better. So, her Dragon companion Kai and her are sent to meet the mysterious Mr Nemo (yes think about your bond movies) who has a lovely secret Caribbean island base (got it yet?) who owns the book but wants to trade for a painting. He has assembled a fae heist team alongside a rogue dragon tech specialist and wants Irene to lead them into a theft on a high technology world. But there are other dragons there and if they find out about Irene the whole truce can be shattered.

What I loved about this instalment was the nimbleness. Cogman does not slavishly make it all about the tropes of a genre. Sometimes when novelists attempt to do this they just basically to take a single plot and try and put jokes into it (Yes I am looking at you Bored of the Rings) this is much more like Cogman taking various spy adventures and editing them into a seamless story and the Library lot is important here so everything serves that story rather than to say here is scene a from the film; this is from book b etc. By blending it all we get a lot more interesting, so we move from classic bond villain hideout to a more modern world of high-tech surveillance and ultimately an art heist but now with added magical abilities. This has lots of action and spectacle which I really enjoyed watching unfurl. There is also a definite feel of the team of fae professional being people Irene can like but cannot entirely trust and that adds an edge of who exactly is on her side.

At the same time, we are getting increasing pay offs for the wider plot threads in the series. There had been a tendency to see the Dragons as haughty but good. This book suggests there is a lot more going on with their approach to owning worlds and that the Dragons’ leadership is hiding secrets. The Fae who initially were always seen as the bad guys in the stories are more ambivalent and we are reminded that they themselves get caught up int heir trope’s clichés but they can be more than the villain – but of course they do enjoy a bit of villainy! Most interesting is this is a chance for Irene to see how far she has come since the first book. Her parents are in awe of her; the Dragons and Fae all respect her and now she is thinking about ways to stop the universe falling into chaos. She’d hate to admit it, but we see Irene is now a player herself at the same time there are hints that her childhood has further secrets to uncover.

I love the banter and the way the book throws challenges and curveballs at the team that Irene and Kai must figure ways out of and often with a humorous take on things. This was a lovely enjoyable read and one to comfortably sit back and go with the flow.I think new entrants would be a little confused, but this is a series you can gobble up and come back here soon for more adventures in the future!