Claire is a tough, no-nonsense woman who takes her job very seriously. She's had the job for a number of decades and the position is essentially penance for her soul for the things she did while alive on Earth. Fortunately, Claire loves all things books, being a former writer herself.
Although she also repairs damaged books, one of the most important aspects of Claire's job is retrieving unwritten books who get restless. Sometimes, their characters take human form and decide to go on an adventure, thinking themselves human. One such mission comes to her in the form of a junior demon courier named Leto who informs her she must head to Seattle with her assistant, Brevity, a former failed muse, and retrieve a handsome character who calls himself Hero, as he searches for his author, who is still living. Naturally, everything goes to, well Hell, if you will, when they are attacked by the angel Ramiel, who is in search of the Devil's Bible and thinks Claire has it.
Before long, Claire realizes that she must track down the Devil's Bible so that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. After all, a powerful book written by Lucifer himself surely belongs in Hell's Library, and she requests help from old friend and mentor, Andras, a demon who was once a powerful member of Hell's Court, but who fell from power years before. Claire has a scrap of the Devil's Bible, snagged from Ramiel during their Seattle tussle, and it helps a bit in locating the book, but she needs more specific information.
Her travels will take her, Brevity, Leto, Hero and Andras to the legendary realm of Valhalla, the quaint town of Mdina in Malta, and even a long-forgotten realm whose gods died out eons before with their worshippers. Throughout their journey, Claire will meet old friends, foes and former loves, while Leto will explore his own weird history, and Hero will get a chance to prove himself to Claire as something more than just a book trying to escape. Brevity will finally get the opportunity to go beyond just being Claire's assistant and getting her tea. In fact, she'll find herself at odds with the Horrors of Hell itself in service to the Library. The group will face Uriel AKA The Face of God, a terrifying angel Hell-bent (or is that Heaven-bent?) on getting control of the Devil's Bible as a powerful leg-up in the war between Heaven and Hell. And if Earth is destroyed in the process? Well, Uriel has a singular focus and let's just say Earth is not it. Ramiel, on the other hand, is a little more reasonable, but both angels are still powerful foes searching for the same dangerous tome as Claire. How it shakes out could have serious ramifications for Heaven, Hell, and everything in between.
While I enjoyed the characters and storyline of The Library of the Unwritten, I must confess that I wasn't glued to the book like I can be at times with a book I am really enjoying. Hackwith's writing is clever, but I found that I wouldn't really remember what I had read the day before and had to remind myself. The concept of unwritten books in a library in Hell is novel and unique, but personally I didn't necessarily connect with the characters and I just didn't find myself in love with the book. If you find the premise interesting, read an excerpt on Amazon and see if it grabs you.
