This is a fun story which has the nostalgic feel of a childhood who dunnit book. The mystery surrounding Mr Penumbras bookstore will become an obsession for his youngest employee who uses the latest technology and some smart friends at Google to try to unravel the mystery. The references to life at Google are realistically crafted and humorous. A great light read.

This book was a delight. I couldn't put it down and devoured it in one weekend. An intelligent lead character surrounded by a collection of eccentric characters. While this book will hugely appeal to geeks, it will also appeal to conspiracy theory aficionado, Indiana Joneses, light romance fans, history lovers...there is something for everyone in this book. A good, relaxing and fun read.

Robin Sloan's first novel is a cleverly written tale that will appeal to book geeks, technology geeks, Dungeons & Dragons geeks, puzzle geeks and design geeks. It deftly blends the imaginary with the real and humour with intrigue with a tongue-in-cheek style that's a pleasure to read.