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The Book That Wouldn't Burn  By  cover art

The Book That Wouldn't Burn

By: Mark Lawrence
Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker
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Publisher's summary

Two strangers find themselves connected by a vast and mysterious library containing many wonders and still more secrets, in this powerfully moving first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of Red Sister and Prince of Thorns.

The boy has lived his whole life trapped within a book-choked chamber older than empires and larger than cities.

The girl has been plucked from the outskirts of civilization to be trained as a librarian, studying the mysteries of the great library at the heart of her kingdom.

They were never supposed to meet. But in the library, they did.

Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned.

©2023 Mark Lawrence (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This tale of knowledge and its cost flies by thanks to the gripping mystery and beautiful worldbuilding...Readers will be desperate for more.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A fantastic setting, a feisty heroine, and hints of a deeper mystery that calls to mind the depths of Frank Herbert's Dune and its intertwined cultural and religious issues."–Library Journal

"Lush and intricately plotted, this dense fantasy tale of an aspiring librarian from a village in a backwater known as the Dust and a boy who's lived his whole life trapped in a massive and ancient library is full of surprising twists and turns. With a plot that encompasses everything from romance and political intrigue to time travel and philosophy, this first installment in Mark Lawrence's new Library Trilogy is an often devastating story of the price we pay for knowledge."–Paste Magazine

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What listeners say about The Book That Wouldn't Burn

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Intricate and imaginative

Really loved this book. The author wove an complex and interweaving story that spans time and space. That being said, it was occasionally hard to follow all of the threads and paint the whole picture. Might have to listen to it again. So many twists and turns and subverting expectations.

I LOVE the narration. She’s perfect.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I want to listen to it again

This is such a great story, as all are of Mark Lawrence's. I think this will surpass all the rest, but as amazing as the audio version is, I will probably read the next, cause it's a complex storyline to follow, and I think I need to stop and ponder now and then. Jessica Whittaker does a wonderful job and I strongly recommend the audio to all.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting and complex

No words for this. Just thoughts. Deeply complex and exceptionally written and narrated. Alternating chapters between characters and time.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mark Lawrence just keeps getting better

From his character building to his endless ideas for new worlds and society Mark continues to keep me saying "no way, i didnt see that coming". most of the time there is cursing when that happens but its all because hes just so good!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Even better as an audiobook!

Jessica Whittaker does an incredible job of reading this. I listened at 1.7 speed and it was still great. (My attention span is less for spoken word than the written word.)

Also, Wow, this story is great.
In addition to being a compelling story, this is of course, a love letter to books, stories,and everything that can be captured in between the cover of a book as well as for everything that escapes (see what I did there?) the confines of text and paper and lives on in our minds for as long as the stories are passed on.

Brilliant writing. Threads interwoven, overlapped, and reconnected make this story feel so tied together at the end .


Its a bit of a meditation on the insurmountable force of family, friendships, and love, as well as inherent human tendencies to corruption and skin deep blindness to what is the truth actually is

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very good

The book is interesting in how it weaves a story through time and civilizations. But for me it was not a “wow” book. Good narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really really great

This book was fantastic. I was invested/riveted from the very beginning. I read the broken empire trilogy and enjoyed it, but this book is much better (tho w/the same feeling of immense time-scales as it relates to reality, which was one of my fav things about that series). Can’t wait for the next installment!

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  • cp
  • 01-31-24

Mark Lawrence delivers another fascinating story.

Great world building and story. The narrator is excellent. I can’t wait for the next one to come out.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Engaging and confusing

I wanted to like this book. There were parts of the story that soared. But much of it was confusing. The narrator was very good and kept me engaged.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Mark does it again!

Another win for Mark Lawrence. I've read (almost) all of his work so far and they've all been enjoyable. Some more than others, but I can't wait for the next entry in the Library Trilogy.

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