Name: The Book That Broke the World
Author: Mark Lawrence

The Book That Broke The World is the second thrilling title in Mark Lawrence’s captivating fantasy adventure trilogy, The Library. Read my full review and top book quotes.

The Book That Broke the World Review, Mark Lawrence Library Trilogy

Publication: HarperCollins Australia, May 2024.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Thriller, Romance, Drama

The Book That Broke the World Publisher Synopsis

The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy, following THE BOOK THAT WOULDN’T BURN.

We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.

Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other’s reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she’s to return to her life. While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.

And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira’s old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.

Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.

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My Review

First things first…. The Book That Broke the World is not intended to be read as a standalone. If you have not read the first title in this epic Library trilogy, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, then I urge you to do so. You will not regret it. I rarely award 5 stars, but with that title author Mark Lawrence well and truly earned it.

So, what can I say about this second instalment without providing spoilers?

Lawrence’s characterisation is so deep and skilful that the events at the conclusion of Book 1 really tugged at our heartstrings… And, readers should be prepared for many more authentic and moving emotional journeys in The Book That Broke the World. But this time Book 1 leads Livira and Evar share the spotlight as we follow the plights of, and relationships amongst, characters that were once secondary along with some highly compelling new ones.

“The greater tragedy of our world is not the victims of cruelty, but that so many of those victims would, given the opportunity, stand in the shoes of their oppressors and wield the same whip with equal enthusiasm.”

In this novel we learn about new species and broaden our understanding of the machinations of the city, The Library and the overarching historical timeline.

“It turns out that the most important lesson that history teaches us is that history should not teach us. Lessons should be learned, not taught. Wisdom has to be earned, and no number of words can wrap the gift of knowledge sufficiently to keep it safe from misuse.

Diversity in all its forms

The Book That Broke the World is thematically diverse and the page-turning and often edge-of your-seat action-packed storyline manages to tread some deeply philosophical territory. Riding alongside unquestionably well-intentioned characters facing impossible heartwrenching decisions evocatively demonstrates how infrequently choices in life are as black-and-white as we might want to believe.

“People don’t like a host of options.” Kerrol held up two fingers. “No matter how nuanced debate might be at the start, if lots of people are involved then it ultimately condenses around two poles deemed to be irreconcilable. And then you have your war.

The Book That Broke the World is very much a story for adults. The once youthful characters are all grown-up and find themselves amid disturbing and distressing scenes vividly depicted. The mood turns to the great responsibility that comes with wisdom, the opportunities lost by judging books by their covers, and the lasting and far-reaching impact of classifying someone as our enemy. But, there is poignantly-timed banter to add levity where needed too.

“Wisdom is difficult to write down, harder to find amid the ocean of the unwise, and, when found, next to impossible to learn from a page. The wisdom to use knowledge must be earned rather than given. That takes time.”

Key though, is that beneath our characters’ weighty battle scars they still possess curious and questing spirits. That flame of passion, gutsiness and independent strength that struck such a chord with me in the first novel burns strong in The Book That Broke the World.