21439 Followers
79 Following
markarayner

Dilettante

A cursory and curious listing of books and literatrivia. 

The Infinite Library

The Infinite Library - Kane X. Faucher Don't let the story blurb fool you - this is not an easy-to-read thriller - this is a deep book that will bend your skullcap back, scoop out the brains, and rearrange them on the wall in front of you. And that is a good thing.Borges has already been mentioned in the other reviews, but it's worth pointing out that the seed idea for this book comes from his short story, the Library of Babel. In it, every book that could be written has been written, and for a select few hyper-librarians, these books can be checked in catalogues, touched and on occasions when things go awry, read. Such is the world Gimalidi is introduced to by the antagonist in the story, Castellemare.Umberto Eco's name has also been raised in other reviews, and I would like to echo this idea in my own paltry thoughts on The Infinite Library. I felt the book was like a mash up of Eco, Borges, and a little bit of Carlos Castenda too, because like Castenda's work, the book took me to some strange mental places.Filled with bibliographia and philosophy, conspiracy theories and the marginalia of library history, the story is not one for a quick go, but intense, appreciative readings. There are stories within stories, some of which I'm still thinking about.I should be transparent in my review and note the author is a colleague and a friend, and he gave me a copy to read, but if you enjoy the idea of the book -- and thinking -- this is a novel you should check out.