The Masked City (Invisible Library Series #2)

by Genevieve Cogman

Overview

Librarian-spy Irene and her apprentice Kai are back in the second in this “dazzling”* book-filled fantasy series from the author of The Invisible Library.
 
The written word is mightier than the sword—most of the time...
 
Working in an alternate version of Victorian London, Librarian-spy Irene has settled into a routine, collecting important fiction for the mysterious Library and blending in nicely with the local culture. But when her apprentice, Kai—a dragon of royal descent—is kidnapped by the Fae, her carefully crafted undercover operation begins to crumble.
 
Kai’s abduction could incite a conflict between the forces of chaos and order that would devastate all worlds and all dimensions. To keep humanity from getting caught in the crossfire, Irene will have to team up with a local Fae leader to travel deep into a version of Venice filled with dark magic, strange coincidences, and a perpetual celebration of Carnival—and save her friend before he becomes the first casualty of a catastrophic war.
 
But navigating the tumultuous landscape of Fae politics will take more than Irene’s book-smarts and fast-talking—to ward off Armageddon, she might have to sacrifice everything she holds dear....

INCLUDES AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101988664
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Series:	Invisible Library Series , #2
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	46,019
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author who has written for several role-playing game companies. She currently works for the National Health Service in England as a clinical classifications specialist. She is the author of the Invisible Library series, including The Mortal Word, The Lost Plot, The Burning Page, The Masked City, and The Invisible Library.

Read an Excerpt

The London air was full of smog and filth. Kai’s senses were better than those of a human, though he tried not to be too smug about it. But even he couldn’t see down a dark alley any better than the average Londoner. And even native Londoners walked carefully in the narrow streets behind King’s Cross Station.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Masked City"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Genevieve Cogman.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

09/12/2016
The second installment of Cogman's whimsical fantasy series (after The Invisible Library) follows the career of Irene, a spy for the international organization called the Library, and her dragon protégé, Kai. Irene has grown complacent in an alternate Victorian London, but her world is disrupted when Kai is kidnapped. She must retrieve him before a war erupts between the dragons and the Fae. Irene's quest takes her to opulent Italy, rendered in rich, alluring detail. Cogman keeps up with the voice and pacing established in the first installment as she delves deeper into the nuances of Fae politics and power. The inclusion of the Student Librarian's Handbook, however, overlaps with information revealed during the course of the novel, at times feeling redundant. Irene and Kai are faced with new challenges as the plot moves forward, buoyed by Cogman's fabulous imagined Europe. This installment lacks some of the verve of the first book, but it's still intelligent, inventive fantasy that anyone familiar with or new to the genre will enjoy. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Invisible Library Novels

“Clever dialogue, time hopping through fun locales, plenty of action, and hints of fresh plotting will have readers looking forward to further Library missions.”—Library Journal

“A dazzling bibliophilic debut.”—*Charles Stross, Hugo Award–winning author of the Laundry Files

“Clever, creepy, elaborate world building and snarky, sexy-smart characters!”—N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season

“A book in which to wallow.”—The Guardian (UK)

“Witty fantasy...a thrilling and deliciously atmospheric adventure.”—Locus

“Ms. Cogman has opened a new pathway into our vast heritage of imagined wonderlands. And yet, as her story reminds us, we yearn for still more.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Funny, exciting, and oh-so-inspiring, this is the kind of fantasy novel that will have female readers everywhere gearing up for their own adventure.”—Bustle

From the Publisher

09/15/2016
Librarian-in-residence Irene should be happily settling into her role in the slightly magical Victorian world to which she has been assigned, with her dragon assistant Kai. When Kai is kidnapped and taken deep into the magical realms of the fae, Irene will do anything to get him back. Her ties to the Library will protect her to some extent from the fae's powers, but their chaotic environment is poison to Kai. Getting drawn into a power play among fae nobles will require Irene to use all the talents at her disposal. From her introduction in The Invisible Library as a secret Library agent tasked with rescuing obscure novels from alternate versions of Earth, Irene has proven to be a charming, resourceful heroine. VERDICT Fans of this series and its mix of adventure and wit will be pleased that Book 3, The Burning Page, is due in January 2017, with Cogman signed to pen at least two more. [See Eric Norton's SF/Fantasy Genre Spotlight, "Imagined Multiverses," LJ 8/16.—Ed.]—MM

Library Journal

2016-07-04
In the second installment of her Invisible Library series, Cogman (The Invisible Library, 2016) chronicles the exploits of Irene Winters, an interdimensional Librarian seeking rare books across alternate worlds.Irene (she named herself after Irene Adler) is Librarian-in-Residence in a Victorian London not quite our own, as it boasts a Fae Embassy and werewolf gangs. Here, Irene and her apprentice, a dragon named Kai, acquire rare volumes for the mysterious Library—with the aid of Peregrine Vale, a Sherlock Holmes analogue. When Kai is kidnapped, the potential retribution from his family must be averted. Irene and Vale discover the abduction to be the work of the Fae—the dragons' ancient foes—and Irene must bargain with the scheming Lord Silver in order to track Kai to a Fae-ruled alternate Venice, leaving Vale behind. Irene must assert her own will against the Fae-dominated reality of Carnival Venice and the machinations of Kai's kidnappers. She is helped by the surprising reappearance of Vale (surprising only to Irene; one would expect a Holmes-loving Librarian to be more genre savvy!) and her own power of "Language," an ill-defined magical system by which Irene can change reality through words alone. (Language has few limits; using it is exhausting, but conveniently, Irene never becomes tired enough for this to actually impact the plot.) An epic prison break and a final showdown on an archetypal train add memorable visuals to the story...but these visuals have more impact than the characters themselves. Irene is competent, adventurous, and—that's about it; Kai fares little better than eye candy. While it seems like there should be something for everyone in this mashup of dragons, faeries, librarians, Holmes, and masked mystery, the end result is more a stew of “wouldn't it be cool...” than a tightly plotted tale.

Kirkus Reviews