The Book That Wouldn't Burn (The Book That Wouldn't Burn #1)[May 15, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence starting May 15, 2023.

[Beena]

Yay! Thank you! :D

[Chris]

In

[Laura Tenfingers]

Maybe in? I've been so disappointed by his nuns book and the girl/stars was ho hum... I get that he wants to branch out and all that but his grimdark was the shit!

I haven't tried One Word Kill yet. Have you?

[Siobhan]

Laura Tenfingers wrote: "Maybe in? I've been so disappointed by his nuns book and the girl/stars was ho hum... I get that he wants to branch out and all that but his grimdark was the shit!

I haven't tried [book:One Word K..."

Hahah yes I loved his grimdark too!

One Word Kill series was great, short and fun :) Very different to the others.

[Beena]

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean Laura. You know I struggled with Red Sister too, and yet to read The Girl and the Stars.

I have read One Word Kill; I enjoyed his writing more than I did the story- I liked it, but I didn't feel a need to pick the next book up anytime soon, I'll eventually get there I suppose but it doesn't feel like a high priority.

Funnily enough, I am really looking forward to this one, even though I sense the tone of it is not gonna be grimdark. The whole vast library thing really has me intrigued. So fingers crossed!

[Mei ☽︎]

I'm excited to join in on this! I just found this book today and was very glad a BR was already set up for it, haha! 😊

[Mei ☽︎]

For anyone wanting the Broken Binding SE (signed + solid edges) of this, general sale for this one starts tomorrow! (pics): https://twitter.com/binding_broken/st...

"A reminder that our special edition copies of The Book That Wouldnt Burn by @Mark__Lawrencewill go on general sale tomorrow 🥳Stock will show in our Dragons Hoard Collection at 12pm BST - "https://thebrokenbindingsub.com/colle...

[Tonari no Emily]

Man, I so want that, but I sadly do not have the extra money for that this/next month 😭

[Nirkatze]

I just splurged on it. >.<

[MillaTortellini]

I try to join! :)

[Jessica]

Excited for this one!

[Beena]

Welcome Milla and Jessica, looking forward to this too! :)

[Charlie]

I love stories about books! Excited for this!

[Chris]

Started....Read the first three chapters, and I'm liking it

[Rob]

Going to hop in on this.

[Beena]

Starting today, excited! :D

[Tammie]

I'll be getting to it soon. I'm really looking forward to it!

[Rob]

i'm thru chapter 14/about 22% of the way in. Still very much in a "what the heck is going on in this novel" stage :)

[MillaTortellini]

Rob wrote: "i'm thru chapter 14/about 22% of the way in. Still very much in a "what the heck is going on in this novel" stage :)"

I'm at chapter 16 and I'm still in the same stage :D But I'm enjoying it, I want to find out how the characters are all connected and... (view spoiler)[ if the people in the library are the same as the people around Livira? Maybe Livira is the girl from within the library? Or are we just supposed to believe it? (hide spoiler)] We will see :)

[Rob]

I think (view spoiler)[Livira is in the past and speaking to Evar in the future through the book he obtained (hide spoiler)]

[MillaTortellini]

Yeah that would also be possible!

[Nirkatze]

Hopefully be along early next week--eyebooks running slow.

[Chris]

I've kinda stalled out after 4 or 5 chapters...Nothing wrong with the story..

It's me...and there are two reasons.

1. I've been obsessed with The Last Kingdom and watching episodes whenever I get "me" time.

2. I've decided that I have an issue with reading ebooks on my tablet.

My eyes aren't what they used to be, and I had surgery a year ago to correct a detached retina. The glare is killing me and I either get sleepy or blah reading more than a few pages on the tablet...

Since I was able to fly through paper books recently, I think it's the tablet more than it's me and my eyes. So I'm looking into maybe getting a Kindle Paperwhite and seeing if that helps...

[Tammie]

I read the first 4 chapters last night. So far I like it.

[Tammie]

Chris wrote: "I've kinda stalled out after 4 or 5 chapters...Nothing wrong with the story..

It's me...and there are two reasons.

1. I've been obsessed with The Last Kingdom and watching episodes whenever I get..."

I hope the reading gets better for you.

[Rob]

I almost stalled out on the book too, but sticking with it for now. Loved the last Kingdom, but wasn't so keen on the movie. I felt like they changed the story too much and cut off too many characters from the books in that one. Looking forward to the adaptation of the Warlord/King Arthur this summer. (the trilogy is on my tbr, might have to move it up).s

[Tammie]

In chapter 6. This book isn't exactly what I was expecting. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with this library. I'm liking it, but it hasn't completely pulled me in yet. So far, I'm more interested in Livira's parts than Evar's. (view spoiler)[I really don't like the way Clovis is treating Evar. (hide spoiler)]

[Jessica]

Finished it today on audio. Absolutely loved it! Twists, action, layers, and a really fun ending. Excited for the next for sure. Really starts to pick up towards the end!
Exited to hear what others think!!

[Jessica]

*towards the end.

[Rob]

Jessica wrote: "Finished it today on audio. Absolutely loved it! Twists, action, layers, and a really fun ending. Excited for the next for sure. Really starts to pick up towards the end!
Exited to hear what other..."

Cool. Sticking with it. I'm about 1/3 in. Feels like things are happening now, but not sure what :)

[Beena]

I'm a few chapters in, up to Chapter 5, same as Tammie, it hasn't reeled me in yet...

[Jessica]

It took a while to draw me in as well.. but was worth pushing through!

[Beena]

I'm still plodding along at the moment, nothing I dislike, just still hasn't captivated me.

I do wonder what he is trying to achieve through the epigraphs, they're all so random and vastly different. Are they supposed to be excerpts of books from this library?

Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[ That momentary change in the soldier was intriguing, I wonder if him and the assistant are some form of AI, but not quite...

And was Mayland's favourite origin story The Bible? The last time I read/learned stuff about it was in school, so it's all a bit vague, but it seemed like Lawrence has taken the story of creation and melded it with his own story? (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Beena wrote: "I'm still plodding along at the moment, nothing I dislike, just still hasn't captivated me.

I do wonder what he is trying to achieve through the epigraphs, they're all so random and vastly differe..."

I'm in chapter 19 and I have all the same thoughts as you. I think the epigraphs are taken from the books in the library. Also (view spoiler)[the first thing that popped into my head was that the Soldier and assistant were AI. And that origin story is very similar to the Bible. (hide spoiler)] This book still hasn't really pulled me into the story, and although it isn't bad, it is beginning to feel like a chore to read.

[MillaTortellini]

I also think (view spoiler)[ that these are books from the library and that the soldier and assistant are some form of AI. (hide spoiler)]
I'm currently in the second half of the book and I understand the feeling of reading it being a chore, even if it feels bad admitting it. At the same time I find this book very fascinating and I want to finish it. Maybe it's the writing that doesn't quite work for me. I love the setting, I like the characters and the exploring that Livira does, also the (view spoiler)[ animal companions, which are one of my favorite themes (hide spoiler)] but still there were chapters that were dragging for me. Once in a while I thought it was on me and maybe I don't get it.
(view spoiler)[ Also I find it a bit strange that every time Livira has a plan or she wants to invastigate something, suddenly extreme interesting events occur and she always gets extremly rare and powerful instruments for further invastigation - seamingly at random . We never get to see normal day to day life at the library which I would have loved. (I hope this is understandable, english is not my first language ;) ) (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

MillaTortellini wrote: "I also think [spoilers removed]
I'm currently in the second half of the book and I understand the feeling of reading it being a chore, even if it feels bad admitting it. At the same time I find thi..."

I've thought that maybe I'm just not getting it as well.

[Beena]

Well, glad I'm not the only one who's finding it hard.

I'm trying not to judge too early, cos Lawrence is one of my faves, but the prose seems to be lacking a bit of his usual flare. -His wordplay and humour (when present) is normally what drives me on, even when I'm not into the story as much.

[Chris]

I got my Kindle and have been able to read much more easily. That fixed my ebook issue, I think...

Now I just have a time issue lol. I'm on Chapter 19.

[Nirkatze]

My Broken Binding copy came! Finally starting... enjoying it so far, just in the first few chapters. Wondering if this is in the same world as his other books--although I think they're ALL in a shared universe... but where and when? (view spoiler)[The sabber reminds me of the ... Hugin? the extra-large & hairy of the four magic-blood races in Book of the Ancestor and Book of the Ice. I wonder if this is in the time between the Red Queen/Thorns and the Ice planet? Pre-exodus or pre-icepocalypse?

And the opening with Livira getting enslaved right away seems like a theme... both Book of Ancestor and Book of Ice practically started with female MCs either enslaved or sacrificed... (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

until chapter 28. It's a very slow book, very different from Mark Lawrence other series. And I agree that Liviras POV chapters are mote engaging.

(view spoiler)[Some epigraphs are good and some are not, though the latest I have read was a quite from Prince of Fools by Mark lawerence and I was laughing. That means the library is like the middle of the universes. The clearing with the ponds or doorways (depending on who sees that) is the in between and the library is like the centre. So Evars people could be from one of those wolds who discovered the library and there was some catastrophe and they went through (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

Beena (view spoiler)[Yeah, the assistant and the soldier seems like they are sentinent beings and maybe after all the time in the library they forgot their memories or maybe Evars people dis something to them

Could be. I haven't learn much about the bible but that story is important since its been repeated (hide spoiler)]

Milla(view spoiler)[I agree that the concept is fascinating but it's not as interesting as I thought it would be. It's a shame, as you said, that we don't get to see daily life of being a librarian, only snippets of what she does from time to time. I love to be in a school setting and i thought the library would be like that too. Don't worry, english isn't my first language either, but your English is great (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

Nirkatze (view spoiler)[ I think I reas somewhere that this book hasn't ties with any of his other works

Good point with the theme of getting enslaved or sacrificed, though my memory is very fuzzy with the details. I don't remember the Hugin you mentioned so maybe it's time for a reread (hide spoiler)]

[MillaTortellini]

Nirkatze, as far as I know its a completely new universe. That's why I was a little confused when (view spoiler)[ there were epigraphs from Prince of Fools. But the library has aaaall the books, so.... It has them too!! ;D I'm at the last 100 pages and I still don't know what the assistents and soldiers are. But I'm sure there were a lot of hints that I missed :D (hide spoiler)]
Paula (view spoiler)[ I think the whole book might be setup for the real story to come in the next book. That's what I tell myself :D It gets a lot more engaging later in this book, so I believe it's going to be worth it in the end. But I also wanted more school setting ;D (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Paula wrote: "until chapter 28. It's a very slow book, very different from Mark Lawrence other series. And I agree that Liviras POV chapters are mote engaging.

[spoilers removed]"

I'm in chapter 26 now. It did take a long time to get interesting for me. I finally got interested in either chapter 24 or 25, (view spoiler)[after Livira and her classmates went to find the book. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

@Milla & Paula--y'know, now that you mention it, I remember that being in the description when the book was announced, that it's "a new universe"... I'm gonna take that with a grain of salt though. There's too many similarities even just in the first few chapters.... even little things like chapter 3, (view spoiler)[when Livira mentioned the "Tapwood" I was like "hah!" Too close to "Taproot," the character who is in ALL the series... if the books aren't connected somehow (and though I've not read his Impossible Times books, I've heard they are also connected... if you look for the clues), then I see Lawrence playing with us clue-hunters... or maybe just leaving us easter egg nods. Or maybe I'm seeing what I want to see. ^^; (hide spoiler)]

Up to chapter 5.... (view spoiler)[Interesting setup. If this is the same library that just got mentioned then it seems like we're in two different timelines... I wonder if Evar entered the Mechanism during Livira's time, or if Livira might even be in the Mechanism? Does the Mechanism only deliver things/people across time in one direction? Kinda too early for me to be making theories though, gotta gather more data.

But that prologue, with the "The arrow hit the girl."--and then that line being at the end of chapter 2... sounds like maybe Evar is reading a book Livira wrote? Maybe a book he disappeared into the Mechanism with, and ate his memories? Interesting connections. (hide spoiler)]

[Beena]

I finally got interested in either chapter 24 or 25,

Ah man, got a while to go then! Better get a move on, got other BRs after this, I didn't anticipate that I'd be reading this so slowly...

[Tammie]

Beena wrote: "I finally got interested in either chapter 24 or 25,

Ah man, got a while to go then! Better get a move on, got other BRs after this, I didn't anticipate that I'd be reading this so slowly..."

I didn't either! I thought I'd be done in less than a week.

[MillaTortellini]

Nirkatze I only read the Ancestor's trilogy and that's a while back, so I can't make many connections :D
It's cool to see what you are assuming about timelines and the mechanism and so on. Of course I won't spoiler anything, I just like seeing what other people predict and of course I had my own predictions :D
Beena & Tammie I also think it reads very slowly.
I'm still not entirely certain what I think about this book so far. I definetely like the themes and the characters and I find it gripping enough to keep going. And I still have a few chapters to go, so... We'll see :D

[Nirkatze]

I'm about up to Chapter 14 and calling it a night. I'm agreeing with everyone--(view spoiler)[epigraphs must be books from the library and that the origin story is the Bible. Enoch was the son of Cain, Irad was his son... I'm not sure about the library story, but everything else is Bible.

Also, the first chapter epigraph was from "The Book of Irad"--I wonder if that might be apocrypha? Or if it's a made-up book. I've tried googling some of the books and authors, but so far none of them are showing up real.

I have noticed some connections to the epigraph and the chapters, but nothing too solid. Just the normal "oh, this epigraph is on this theme" and then the chapter deals with that theme. Some more than others, and I could just be seeing what I want to see.

There's a lot about this book that feels typical Mark Lawrence. I've read everything except Impossible Times and the last book in the Ice series. The names all sound similar to his other books, the circumstances and world on brink of collapse, the different races in conflict, the possibility of a prophecy, mechanical movers behind the scenes... well, don't anyone say he doesn't have a type for stories. I'm enjoying everything still, enjoying the mystery... but what I loved most about Lawrences books was his wonderfully complex grey characters and those seem to be missing in his latest books.

I'm starting to wonder where this book is going to pause. Since we have a trilogy, right? Which questions will be solved, and which will be left for later? I'm hoping the Evar/Livira connection will be the big "solve" for this book, considering the emphasis on that scrap line of text, but I don't think we'll get the whole picture....

I did love how Livira's "test" turned out not to be of her. I loved her reaction to the cat.

And I'm sort of getting a feeling from Elvar & his siblings that like... the siblings are books, with their personhoods already written by the Mechanism, but Elvar is a reader, able to grow and change... they need him to be whole... and an interesting contrast with Livira's memory talents... (hide spoiler)]