From the home of literature, the DUBLIN Literary Award is proudly sponsored by Dublin City Council & administered by Dublin City Libraries
DUBLIN Literary Award
DUBLIN Literary Award
           
Facebook Twitter Pinterest linkedin Telegram
DUBLIN Literary Award
  • Home
  • The Books
  • The Judges
  • The Libraries
  • FAQs
  • The Archive
  • News
Menu
DUBLIN Literary Award
Sold out
HomeBooks2014 Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
Previous product
NW
Back to products
Next product
Umbrella

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Author: Robin Sloan

2014 Longlist

A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life – mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore.

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone – and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Robin Sloan grew up in Michigan and now splits his time between San Francisco and the Internet.

Librarians’ Comments

Offering literary fiction combined with fairy-tale charm, this tale of mystical adventure is a very appealing read. It does a fabulous job of intertwining history with modern times. It is a fun, intelligent book and wildly appealing to book lovers. Sloan leaves you wanting more.

This upbeat tale provides a puzzling blend of old and new that technophiles and bibliophiles will find equally engaging.

A literary adventure story that evokes both fairy-tale charm and a sparkling intelligence. Filled with quirky characters, secret societies and mysteries, this novel is both delightful and thought-provoking.

  • Additional information
  • Libraries Ireland - Find This Book
Additional information
Author

Robin Sloan

Country

US

Nominating Library

Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, USA

Publisher

Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Libraries Ireland - Find This Book

Libraries Ireland Encore System

Search for this book in the Dublin City Library Encore system and arrange a suitable location for loaning it.

Search Encore for Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

This search result is offered as a helping hand to find books in the Library Ireland Encore System. Some results may not be accurate where book titles have common words with similar titles. 

Category: 2014
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest linkedin Telegram
ABOUT DUBLIN CITY LIBRARY & ARCHIVE

Dublin City Libraries, a service of Dublin City Council, is Ireland’s largest library service, with responsibility for the delivery of high quality, effective public library, information and archive services to a resident population of over half a million people.

Designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2010, Dublin City Libraries aims to maximise opportunity for all – individuals and communities – through guided access to ideas, learning, literature, information and heritage resources supported by cultural programming.

Cookie Information

This website uses Cookies. Continued use of the site will be deemed as your acceptance of this necessity.

Connect with us
           
Quick Links
  • Home
  • The Books
  • The Judges
  • The Libraries
  • FAQs
  • The Archive
  • News
DUBLIN Literary Award. Dublin City Library & Archive. 138 - 144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Ireland. Email: literaryaward@dublincity.ie. Tel +353 1 6744802. Copyright © 2019 Dublin City Libraries.
Website by JET Design
close
Start typing to see products you are looking for.
  • Home
  • The Judges
  • The Books
  • The Libraries
  • FAQs
  • The Archive
  • News
Scroll To Top