The Lost Plot is full of life and wit from the start. The reader is thrown into the thick of things with the trials or escaping a vampires nest. From that point there’s hardly a moment to come up for air. A pacy to breakneck speed adventure through prohibition America, The Lost Plot is a hi-gin-ks read.
I’ll admit when my copy first crossed my path I was disappointed. Who wants to join a series in book four after all? I’ve tried to pick up the first in the series The Invisible Library from, of all places, the library for some time. Unfortunately everyone else wanted it too. However, The Lost Plot is billed as much part of the series as it is a standalone. So I was able to discover Irene Winters and her assistant Kai, after their previous adventures. At no point did I feel as though I’d missed some important part, nor did I find (or the pace allow for) exposition to bring new readers up to speed. Cogman’s approach to her world gives only what the reader needs, trusting in them to fill out the alternative 1920’s world Irene is tasked to visit.
With the Library in peril of being dragged from neutrality, in what starts out as one problem rapidly becomes many, (relax, the plot is not connected to vampires) her search for a rare book leads through speak-easys, shoot-outs and bolt holes across America.
The Blurb
In a 1920s-esque America, Prohibition is in force, fedoras, flapper dresses and tommy guns are in fashion, and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon vs dragon contest. It seems a young librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can’t extricate him there could be serious political repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.
Irene and Kai find themselves trapped in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They’ll face gangsters, blackmail and fiendish security systems. And if this doesn’t end well, it could have dire consequences for Irene’s job. And, incidentally, for her life . . .
Irene and Kai hit all the stereotypes associated with the role of librarians, from the need to pack a read ‘for the journey’ to the utter horror at the destruction of books. They also prove that librarians aren’t boring if they’re allowed to do their job and able to use the Language. Irene’s balanced intellect and awareness of her limits is what makes this Librarian such a capable one.
The presence of dragons is nothing like the overdone-roast-everything-that-moves Western sorts so often found in Fantasy. Cogman’s treatment of Dragon lore and how this was woven into Kai and his home social structure was an added depth.
I do wonder if there isn’t anything that Irene cannot resolve or overcome, but that’s the joy of fiction isn’t it? The ending does fit into an unpopular trope but judging on how, in one book Cogman has dealt with those of over used vampires, dragons, hired thugs, and gun toting (fae) gangsters, I can’t help but hope for wonder what’s waiting in book five. Until then, there are three other books to the series.
This book goes beyond being suitable for Fantasy fans. Know a book-lover with a spare weekend? I highly recommend opening the door to this Library.
© Shellie Horst – SFFWorld.com Jan 2018
Publisher: Pan Books/ PanMacmillan
Published: December 2017
Availability Ebook, Audio and Paperback.
Author Site: http://www.grcogman.com
Review copy courtesy of publisher.
