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The Untold Story – Genevieve Cogman

Return to the world of the Invisible Library for Irene’s most perilous mission yet . . .

Librarian Spy Irene is heading into danger. Not for the first time, but could this be her last? She’s tasked with a terrifyingly dangerous solo mission to eliminate an old enemy, which must be kept secret at all costs. But even more troubling news emerges. Multiple worlds are disappearing – and the Library may have something to do with it.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the vanished worlds, Irene and her friends must descend into the unplumbed depths of the Library. And what they find will change everything they know. This may be Irene’s most dangerous assignment of her hazardous career.

My thanks to Black Crow PR for the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour and for providing a review copy ahead of publication.

The Untold Story, for fans of Genevieve Cogman’s wonderful series about The Invisible Library it is time for the biggest secret to be revealed – the story of the Library.

This is the culmination of events, the point where all the threads will be pulled together and what better way to to that than by having Librarian Irene and her companions seek out the story which began it all? The Library has been at the heart of everything through the previous seven books and Irene has shown she will do whatever it takes to complete the missions which the elders at the Library will set her. Of late, however, the book retrieval missions which Irene would traditionally undertake appear to have been reduced in number as diplomatic discussions are becoming more numerous – as is the case at the start of The Untold Story.

Irene is tasked with getting a treaty signed, she feels she is being kept out of the The Library but respects the task she has been assigned to complete and is preparing for a prolonged negotiation. She is alone as her dragon partner, Kai, has not been allowed to attend. Fate will not allow Irene to conduct a “normal” negotiation though and soon readers will enjoy another display of Irene’s resourcefulness and blind luck as she tries to wriggle out of a dangerous predicament. It’s a great opening to the story and allows Genevieve Cogman to bring readers back up to speed with recent events in Irene’s life while also getting the players in place for the next chapter in the story.

The Untold Story is the eighth book in the Invisible Library series so it’s not a jumping on point but there is still care taken by the author to ensure readers are aware of enough background information to get full enjoyment from the new story. There are characters returning from previous books who will play key roles but more importantly there are many familiar faces who will seek to aid (or hinder) Irene as she undertakes her most challenging mission to date.

Irene has discovered the truth about Alberich but she needs to keep that infomration to herself if she can. However, he remains the most dangerous enemy of The Library and he wants to meet as he is proposing a peace treaty. Irene, however, is doing her own investigation into Alberich as she tries to understand what made him turn against the Library in the first instance. To fully understand this she begins to dig deeper into the history of the Library and its creation – how did this astonishing force come into being?

The history of the Library is a well kept secret and someone or something does not want Irene to find out anything about its creation. Working on rumour and story Irene finds a storyteller who can fill in some of the gaps in her knowledge. Will the story she hears let her understand what has turned Alberich from faithful Library servant into a dangerous enemy who is hellbent on destroying the Library? If she can get to the truth then perhaps she may finally defeat Alberich and bring a new peace for the Library.

There are no spoilers in my review but I can tell you that this is a wonderful story which shocks, entertains and fully rewards readers as the secrets are revealed. There are some unexpected casualties along the way and I am not sure Irene’s life will be the same after The Untold Story ends. What I do know it that I have loved this sweeping saga of Librarians, Dragon and Fae – the cautious politics and the sneaky deceptions. The Untold Story is an essential acquisition for any fantasy reader and I do hope there may be more stories from the Library one day.

The Untold Story is published by Pan Macmillan and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-untold-story/genevieve-cogman/9781529000634

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February 8

The Invisible Library – Genevieve Cogman

Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently…

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene’s new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she’s up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.

Thanks to Tor books for my Netgalley copy for review.

I don’t know if Genevieve Cogman has plans to revisit The Invisible Library but I hope that she does! I loved the mysterious world that she has given us a glance into, a Library which spans space and dimensions and can open into any world to allow Librarians to collect rare and powerful books.

Anyone who has ever coveted a book will instantly connect with the concept of The Library. If you could step through a door to get an ARC of the first Harry Potter book, or visit Shakespeare and have your copy of Taming of the Shrew signed how could you resist?

Genevieve Cogman introduces Irene, an operative for the Library who is tasked with recovering specific titles from various dimensions and realities for the higher powers within the Library. Irene is resourceful, feisty and thoroughly delightful to accompany on an adventure. We first meet her at the conclusion of a mission and we get a glimpse of her skills and abilities as she escapes capture when her attempts to retrieve a rare volume do not go as smoothly as planned.

At the conclusion of her mission Irene returns to the Library and we first get a taste of this mysterious world. All too soon, however, a new mission is set and Irene travels to a version of London which is quite unlike our own world. Cogman does a fabulous job of merging the reality as we know it yet blending in Faery magic, vampires and Werewolves and also sets a new political power making the dynamics of the city we know so well appear in a very unnatural context.

Adding to the fun of the story is Irene’s partnership with her mysterious trainee, Kai. We have a nemesis for Irene too in the form of rival operative Brandamant – the scenes where they meet were high points in the story for me and the ‘catty’ tension was splendidly scripted. In addition to the personal nemesis was enemy of the Library: Alberich. His presence in the world Irene is operating is an unwelcome shock and adds a new element of danger. Alberich’s name is infamous within the Library and there is even doubt he actually exists – such is the extent of his nefarious reputation.

This is a fantastic fantasy story, and offers so much potential for further expansion. More books would be very welcome and (as I noted previously) I sincerely hope that Genevieve Cogman is going to revisit this world.

So in brief – great fun, humorous, frequently unexpected and leaves me wanting more. Definitely one for the lover of fantasy novels but a very strong 4/5 from this reviewer.

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