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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS

Alaya Johnson

A breathtaking and thought-provoking new novel from Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author Alaya Dawn Johnson.
A girl and a god, alone in communion...

In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried - and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a Disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives - if he doesn't destroy her first.

A book that feels like a dream, beautiful and surreal, THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS is a kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within stories, and narrative has the power to heal - or to burn everything in its path.

Alaya Dawn Johnson is a star on the rise. She is one of five authors who collaborated with Janelle Monáe on her New York Times bestselling collection of short fiction, The Memory Librarian, writing the title story that Publishers Weekly praised as one of the "standouts...[an ode] to queer Afrofuturism, illuminating the importance of love, community, and human connection in the darkest of times." Her most recent novel, Trouble the Saints, won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. N.K. Jemisin said of the book: "Juju assassins, alternate history, a gritty New York crime story...in a word: Awesome" and Kirkus called it "A sad, lovely, blood-soaked song of a book" in its starred review.
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Book

Published 2023-06-06 by Scholastic

Book

Published 2023-06-06 by Scholastic

Comments

THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS is an ambitious, multilayered, multidimensional exploration of power, selfhood, freedom, and love. Alaya Dawn Johnson writes with fluidity and precision about mind-bending ideas and gorgeously imagined worlds, but also with tactile specificity about food and ritual. This novel rewired my brain.

Shortlisted for the Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction Read more...

Author's Essay: The Study of Reality: On Trauma, Quantum Mechanics, and Writing Science Fiction Read more...

Alaya put together this video for Scholastic in which she talks about the book. Read more...

One of the most haunting and lovely tales I've ever read. Modern epic poetry. Wow.

Mysterious, sweeping, wholly original, and anchored by an extraordinary heroine as wily as she is vulnerable. Johnson has crafted a story so immersive it will leave you drunk with visions of strange worlds and new gods, so compelling you'll be happy to drown in this dizzying, bloody brew of technology, lore, and world-shaking conflict.

Rich storytelling that ranges from the practical (every food detail is a delight) to the explosive... [THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS] is a feast, artful, imaginative, and unmatched. Read more...

UK: Voyager UK