Review of Libyrinth

Review of Libyrinth

         Libyrinth is the tale of two religious orders, the Libyrarians and the Singers, who are war with each other.  The Singers are illiterate and believe the word in a book is murder.  Libyrarians are priestesses that live in the largest library temple on their planet.  Haly, a clerk to the Priestess Selene, has the ability to hear the books and anything written down. She over hears a plot that the Singers want the infamous The Book of the Night to destroy the Libyrinth.    Haly, Selene, and Haly’s friend a kitchen servant named Clauda embark on a journey to retrieve the book, and bring it to Selene’s home country of the Ilysies.   Haly is captured by Singers, while Clauda and Selene escape with The Book of the Night.  The Singers realize Haly can “hear” the books, meaning she is the Redeemer.  In her frustration, she tries to reason with the Singers and teach them how to read.  Meanwhile, Selene and Clauda speak with Selene’s mother, and they try to find a way to defeat the Singers and save Haly.

         Those who love books and singing will enjoy this story as it speaks so passionately about those artistic subjects.  It is quite a fun story, but because it is only the first book in a trilogy I feel the characters aren’t developed enough.  The reader only scratches the service and gets hints of who these people are.  The writing style was good, but a little slow at times.  The chapters varied from short to long and some parts weren’t as interesting as others.  It teaches how wrong it is to judge, through the story of these two groups of people.  You have the Libyrarians who see themselves as superior, because they are literate.  You also have the Singers, who are illiterate, and also see themselves as better, because they value “the song”.  The novel teaches you how you should never judge someone else’s beliefs or the reasons behind them.  There is a little romance hinted at, but it is not a prominent part of the story.  This is a unique science fiction and fantasy story that is very entertaining.  I would rate it a B-.