From the Stacks: A fantasy adventure and love letter to books

In "The Library of the Unwritten" by A.J. Hackwith, Claire is the head librarian of the Unwritten Wing, which happens to be housed in Hell.

Her job is to repair and organize the books in her care, books that were never finished by their authors. Occasionally, a character from one of the books attempts to escape, and Claire has to retrieve the escapee.

Claire along with Brevity - previously a muse but now the assistant head librarian - and with Leto, a demon messenger, go to Earth to retrieve one of the escapees, "Hero," a character who has decided to persuade his author to finish her book.

What should be a straightforward task turns complicated when they run into Ramiel, an angel, who believes Claire and company possess a relic entitled The Devil's Bible.

Their adventurous journey takes them to Seattle, Valhalla, Mdina, Heaven, as well as other realms of the dead.

This is the best fantasy book I've read this year!

I found the characters to be deftly fleshed out, with well thought out back stories, most of whom show character growth in the novel. Relationships between characters evolve. Twists and turns in the narrative surprised me, yet looking back, hints and clues were sprinkled throughout, foreshadowing events to come.

The book is also a love letter to books and readers.

"The Library of the Unwritten" has its own unique take flavor, but at times I was reminded of authors Neil Gaiman ("American Gods" and "Good Omens"), Garth Nix ("Lirael") as well as TV's "The Good Place."

I highly recommend "The Library of the Unwritten."

Qhyrrae Michaelieu is the adult services manager at the Missouri River Regional Library.