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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
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Summary
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 21st 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 listener, no matter the time of day.
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What listeners say about Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 06-04-16
didnt fulfill its promise
for the first few dozen chapters I was caught by the mysterious bookstore, puzzling goings on, likeable characters. but then it fizzled out. cant exactlt say why - lack of excitement, too much google love....
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DaveD
- 18-03-20
Delightfully Different 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
You know how you feel when you are looking for your next read / listen and, as if by magic , you stumble on a gem of a book. Well, Robin Sloan’s “Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” and narrator Ari Fliakos gave me exactly what I was looking for. Characters abound in a clever, funny story that had me hooked on every printed word.
Read it and enjoy: listen to it and feel the fun and joy of a modern day winner.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JoF
- 02-10-17
A definite favourite
Loved loved LOVED this book. Will certainly revisit to enjoy again. An excellent story, entertainingly read
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- William 7
- 27-09-17
Good listen
The audio book was great, both entertaining and informing...even though it lacked a decent ending to tie-up the tone that was set in the first half of the book (personal opinion)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lulu
- 23-02-21
Fantastic performances
The voices are amazing, very strong, original and individual - each person has their own space. I found the story gripping and listened to the story at every opportunity. Very highly recommended onto the next book by Robin Sloan
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nichiless
- 08-05-16
A magical journey
A gentle and unique take. Wonderful, my boy, simply wonderful. As Mr Penumbra may say.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lilylilydora
- 17-12-16
Very enjoyable mix of cultures
A great read blending Silicon Valley with centuries old bibliophilia by way of a secret cult. A fast ride of mystery and technology. Loved it!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 22-01-15
gentle nerd wish fulfilment fantasy
This is one of those books that suddenly seemed to be evey where I looked. The title appealed and what's not to like about a mystery in a bookstore, so I downloaded it.
It is a unique book: a quirky, slightly dizzying, overlaying of Google-led West Coast Techie culture; a centuries old, secretive bibliophile sect with a mission and a real-life analog of a traditional Dungeons and Dragons questing party.
It is told with a light touch, lots of pop culture references, and a self-deprecating charm that make it an easy read.
This is a only a "thriller" if you don't get out much. No body-count. No supernatural beings. Not even car chases and gun fights. The height of excitement is a trip to an old New York basement and a visit to a massive automated warehouse and yet I was happy to keep reading.
This is a book with a message. A fairly anodyne message but one that is passionately told. I won't tell you what it is because that is about the only real surprise in the book.
Whether you enjoy this book may depend on whether you find the central character endearing and resourceful or just naive and lost. "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" made me smile but it was so gentle and so slight that it didn't make a lasting impression. I assume that the ubiquity of the book is attributable to the fact that it has a clever title, is easy to read and envisions a MacBook-wielding, nerdy, website designer as heroic.
Reading "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" was a fine way to pass a couple of idle afternoons but if I'd bought a physical copy rather than an audiobook, it would be on its way to the second-hand bookstore by now.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Andy
- 19-01-15
As curious as it sounds
Where does Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Took a while to get in to the story, but the longer I listened, the more intriguing it got.
If you’ve listened to books by Robin Sloan before, how does this one compare?
No
What does Ari Fliakos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Depth to the characters
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Do I have your attention...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AMG, London
- 11-09-19
A whimsical jewel
Just reread this again - third time of reading - and loved it as much as the first time. Defies categorisation, a perfectly crafted and funny story of a young man getting a job in a mysterious bookstore. From this simple beginning the story twists and turns, weaving together themes from history, technology, crafts and typography. A great adventure with great, likeable characters.
Also a perfect reader for the material, adding another dimension to the enjoyment and brilliant character voices.
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