June | 2020 | My Haunted Library

When Claire, Hell’s librarian, pursues an escaped character from an unwritten novel, she inadvertently retrieves scraps of the Devil’s Bible and sparks a conflict that spans realms and realities.

The Library of the Unwritten – A.J. Hackwith, 2019. Rating: 5/5

Hell’s Unwritten Wing houses all the books that authors never finished. It is Claire Hadley’s job to keep the volumes asleep and in good repair. Occasionally, however, they awaken and escape back to earth to find their author or to strike out on their own. With the awkward demon Leto, and her assistant, the failed muse, Brevity, Claire sets out for Seattle to retrieve a dashing escapee. They collar Hero but run afoul of Ramiel, a fallen angel. Ramiel was a Watcher: His job protecting lost human souls led to his part in the Fall. Now, the fanatical angel Uriel offers him a chance to return to his former heavenly glory if he catches Claire and retrieves the Devil’s Bible. But Claire has no taste for politics. The Library is neutral. Her devotion is solely for her written charges—some of which are her own. Claire, Hero, Leto, Brevity, and the sly demon Andras, race against Heaven to prevent a second cataclysmic war.

Bibilophiles, storytellers—everyone who appreciates a great story will love this book. Fellow librarians will rejoice. Though admittedly, we rarely reject a book about books or heroic librarians, The Library of the Unwritten stands apart and above. The premise is fresh, yet centuries of literature, mythology, and history permeate its pages. The characters shine. Each reflects our own fragilities, regrets, and longings. Their realism makes the novel’s fantastical elements wholly believable—and enviable. The Library of the Unwritten is both fantasy and philosophical adventure. It is a self-reflective story about stories, about the act of writing and creation, but it also raises questions about reality and the construction of self. What makes something real? What makes us autonomous? During her journey, Claire faces one of her own characters, forcing her to acknowledge aspects of herself. As we follow the heroes and villains (though the lines between the two are muddied) from the West Coast to Valhalla, from Heaven to Hell, we share in their journey of self-understanding and forgiveness.

I rarely give a perfect rating. The Library of the Unwritten deserves it.

Called to the remote village of Sleath to investigate a mundane haunting, psychic researcher David Ash quickly discovers that the picturesque little town hides evil at its core—and darkness will have its day.

The Ghosts of Sleath—James Herbert, 1994. Rating 4.5/5

Ash is still reeling from a previous assignment, where a trio of malicious ghosts upended all of Ash’s beliefs. (Haunted—see my review here.) Now, investigating the ghostly appearance of a little drowned boy in Sleath seems like a comparative walk in the park. Although most of the villagers are…reserved…Ash forms an instant, emotional connection to Grace Lockwood, the vicar’s daughter. Meanwhile, disturbingly violent events, catalyzed by the sudden return of foul spirits, begin to plague Sleath. Villagers are tormented by things they—rightfully—feared By the time Ash discovers that Sleath is home to a cabal of very dark arts, the village inhabitants (dead and alive) reach a cataclysmic breaking point.

The Ghosts of Sleath is a crackerjack read. One reason this title pleases me so much is because Herbert is a wordsmith. He creates an eerie village setting juxtaposing moments of simple beauty (I paused to reread twice a vision that captured a breathtaking sense of normalcy caught out of time), with uniquely disturbing imagery. Herbert balances scenes of gore and violence with glimpses of things barely seen, teasing our imaginations one moment, then fulfilling them the next. Exceptional character development makes the horror hit home. Ash is a great flawed hero. He drowns his guilt with vodka and still tries to manage his psychic powers with self-delusion and skepticism. We empathize with him, as we do Grace: an intelligent, perceptive, kind woman whose love for her father hides a secret from herself. The Ghosts of Sleath satisfies on multiple levels: it is both a ripping good ghost story with remarkable visuals (it would be a stunner of a film), and an affecting character study. Highly recommended.