Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is a 2012 novel by American writer Robin Sloan. It was chosen as one of the best 100 books of 2012 by the San Francisco Chronicle,[1] was a New York Times Editor's Choice,[2] and was on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller list[3] as well as the NPR Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List.[4] The US book cover, which glows in the dark, was done by Rodrigo Corral and chosen as one of the 25 best book covers for 2012 by BookPage.[5][6][7]
Author | Robin Sloan |
---|---|
Cover artist | Rodrigo Corral |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Novel |
Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | 2012 |
Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
Pages | 288 pp (US hardcover) |
ISBN | 978-0374214913 |
OCLC | 778422009 |
813/.6 | |
LC Class | PS3619.L6278 M7 2012 |
Preceded by | Ajax Penumbra 1969 |
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore combines elements of fantasy, mystery, friendship and adventure as a way of looking at the modern conflict and transition between new technology (electronic) and old (print books). The protagonist is a laid-off Silicon Valley tech worker who begins working at a dusty bookstore with very few customers, only to start discovering one secret after another. The mysterious old books, along with the store's owner, lead to a 500-year-old secret society.[8]
A prequel novelette, Ajax Penumbra 1969, was published in 2012.
He was inspired to write the story after a friend misread a sign claiming the existence of a "24 hour bookshop".[9]