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In the Stacks
Life is always complicated for students of magic at the High University of Hazar, but the fifth-year exam is a particular Each student must return one library book. Of course, they must return it to the Living Library, a haunted collection of ten million magical tomes, a collection where the rules of time, space, weather, and reality itself are subject to sudden change. Escorted by armored battle-librarians, a group of four students must face mysteries and monsters in a fight to get their books back on the shelves in this brisk, darkly whimsical sword and sorcery tale. Originally published in 2010, the Author's Enhanced Edition of "In the Stacks" is newly revised and expanded, featuring new dialogue, new scenes, and a new introduction from the author, internationally best-selling fantasist Scott Lynch, creator of Locke Lamora and the Gentleman Bastard Sequence.
49 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2010
About the author
Scott Lynch
62 books25.4k followersI was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 2, 1978, the first of three brothers. I've lived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area my entire life; currently, just across the border in Wisconsin, about half an hour east of the Twin Cities.
The Lies of Locke Lamora, my first novel, was bought by Simon Spanton at Orion Books in August, 2004. Prior to that I had just about every job you usually see in this sort of author bio-- dishwasher, busboy, waiter, web designer, office manager, prep cook, and freelance writer. I trained in basic firefighting at Anoka Technical College in 2005, and became a volunteer firefighter in June of that year.
In 2007 The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist.
In 2008 I received the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award from the British Fantasy Society.
In 2010, I lost a marriage but gained a cat, a charming ball of ego and fuzz known as Muse (Musicus Maximus Butthead Rex I).
My partner, the lovely and critically acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, lives in Massachusetts.
The Lies of Locke Lamora, my first novel, was bought by Simon Spanton at Orion Books in August, 2004. Prior to that I had just about every job you usually see in this sort of author bio-- dishwasher, busboy, waiter, web designer, office manager, prep cook, and freelance writer. I trained in basic firefighting at Anoka Technical College in 2005, and became a volunteer firefighter in June of that year.
In 2007 The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist.
In 2008 I received the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award from the British Fantasy Society.
In 2010, I lost a marriage but gained a cat, a charming ball of ego and fuzz known as Muse (Musicus Maximus Butthead Rex I).
My partner, the lovely and critically acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, lives in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
September 5, 2018
So I must have had this drop into my lap from The Great Library, because the Enhanced Edition contains only one scene, I think, from what I read before. And indeed, it felt slightly trimmer in the beginning, with more dialogue and less setting.
The concept is fabulous, surely created out of one of those random, funny ideas--what if returning a book to the library was a dangerous adventure--but the execution feels off to me. Too much description in some places (the word-eaters), not enough in others (I surely would have liked to hear more from our intrepid female adventurer), so that the pacing didn't feel quite right. There's a twist--there's always a twist--but it wasn't particularly astonishing and lacked the emotional build to make the denouement truly shocking.
There's a balance of characters, with two experienced mages and four young ones, one a lizard-like race and one a female. The library setting seems dramatic and elaborate; I pictured a cavern with towering books. Writing has a few bits that made me smile, particularly, "The inherent magic of all undergraduates— the magic of the last minute. The power to embrace any solution, no matter how insane or desperate." Oh, and the gramophones: I think Jasper Fforde did them first.
Ultimately, feels like it could have been work-shopped a bit more, or like he needed to go to novella form. Given the length of his Locke Lamora works, I suspect he's more far more comfortable with more words.
The concept is fabulous, surely created out of one of those random, funny ideas--what if returning a book to the library was a dangerous adventure--but the execution feels off to me. Too much description in some places (the word-eaters), not enough in others (I surely would have liked to hear more from our intrepid female adventurer), so that the pacing didn't feel quite right. There's a twist--there's always a twist--but it wasn't particularly astonishing and lacked the emotional build to make the denouement truly shocking.
There's a balance of characters, with two experienced mages and four young ones, one a lizard-like race and one a female. The library setting seems dramatic and elaborate; I pictured a cavern with towering books. Writing has a few bits that made me smile, particularly, "The inherent magic of all undergraduates— the magic of the last minute. The power to embrace any solution, no matter how insane or desperate." Oh, and the gramophones: I think Jasper Fforde did them first.
Ultimately, feels like it could have been work-shopped a bit more, or like he needed to go to novella form. Given the length of his Locke Lamora works, I suspect he's more far more comfortable with more words.
July 23, 2019
The motto of the Librarians: RETRIEVE. RETURN. SURVIVE.
3.5 stars. I love library-based fantasy, so I couldn't resist this Scott Lynch (author of The Lies of Locke Lamora) novella about a group of students at a magic school taking their final exam for their fifth year. The exam consists solely of returning a magical book to the proper shelf in the school's library. That's it. Of course, it's a particularly dangerous library. Apparently that's what happens when you store vast numbers of magic-infused grimoires in one place.
It's a bit of a one-joke novella, but the adventure is interesting, and Scott Lynch throws out some humorous lines that will ring true to book lovers.
A book without a spine or covers is like an unquiet spirit without mortal form. Whatever's left of it holds itself together out of sheer resentment, roaming without purpose, lashing out at whatever crosses its path.
"Some books get ideas every now and then," said Master Molnar. "Twenty or thirty years in the remedial reserve usually restores their spirit of cooperation. We're not so foolish as to expect our books to be well-behaved when they're at home. All we require is that they come and go from the proper shelf with a bit of dignity."
3.5 stars. I love library-based fantasy, so I couldn't resist this Scott Lynch (author of The Lies of Locke Lamora) novella about a group of students at a magic school taking their final exam for their fifth year. The exam consists solely of returning a magical book to the proper shelf in the school's library. That's it. Of course, it's a particularly dangerous library. Apparently that's what happens when you store vast numbers of magic-infused grimoires in one place.
"This place was orderly once. Pure, sane geometries. But after the collection was installed the change began. By the time the old librarians tried to do something, it was too late. Individual books are happy to come and go, but when they tried to remove large numbers at once, the library got angry."So Casimir, his roommate Laszlo, Yvette, and Lev (a large lizard mage student) are escorted by a couple of librarians through the library to return four books to their shelves, and try not to get killed by magical books and creatures living in the stacks. There's a reason librarians wear armor.
"What happened?" said Casimir.
"Suffice it to say that in the thousand years since, it has been our strictest policy to never, ever make the library angry again."
It's a bit of a one-joke novella, but the adventure is interesting, and Scott Lynch throws out some humorous lines that will ring true to book lovers.
A book without a spine or covers is like an unquiet spirit without mortal form. Whatever's left of it holds itself together out of sheer resentment, roaming without purpose, lashing out at whatever crosses its path.
"Some books get ideas every now and then," said Master Molnar. "Twenty or thirty years in the remedial reserve usually restores their spirit of cooperation. We're not so foolish as to expect our books to be well-behaved when they're at home. All we require is that they come and go from the proper shelf with a bit of dignity."
July 29, 2018
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
I have never read any of the Gentleman Bastard books but the blurp to this short story sounded very interesting - after all, there is a living library so how could I have resisted?!
The full cast audio tells the story of a few prospects trying to pass their exam to become full-blown magicians or maybe even librarians at the afore-mentioned living library. Naturally, all these grimoires make it a dangerous place.
What you get in this story:
- artistic tardiness
- a living library
- sorcerers
- hilarious paperwork in the event of tragic deaths due to stupidity / a lack of talent
- an exam incl. quirky professors and librarians
- unbound books
- an unhealthy amount of ambition
...
The story is fast-paced and short, but still manages to conjure an enchanting world, cozy and yet dangerous, dark and yet alluring, full of books and magic. Lies and deceit, riddles and quests and LOTS of weird magical creatures. Moreover, it has very funny undertones that make the story neither too serious nor too silly.
Really well done!
I have never read any of the Gentleman Bastard books but the blurp to this short story sounded very interesting - after all, there is a living library so how could I have resisted?!
The full cast audio tells the story of a few prospects trying to pass their exam to become full-blown magicians or maybe even librarians at the afore-mentioned living library. Naturally, all these grimoires make it a dangerous place.
What you get in this story:
- artistic tardiness
- a living library
- sorcerers
- hilarious paperwork in the event of tragic deaths due to stupidity / a lack of talent
- an exam incl. quirky professors and librarians
- unbound books
- an unhealthy amount of ambition
...
The story is fast-paced and short, but still manages to conjure an enchanting world, cozy and yet dangerous, dark and yet alluring, full of books and magic. Lies and deceit, riddles and quests and LOTS of weird magical creatures. Moreover, it has very funny undertones that make the story neither too serious nor too silly.
Really well done!
July 29, 2018
Fun and short schooltime hack-n-slash fantasy with an always delightful twist of... a library dungeon with horrible nasties that aren't always just the books. :)
This is a revamped story from '09 turned into a full cast podcast with the link on the book page. :)
What makes this special is the humor and the delightful characters as they fulfill their final exam at their magic school by RETURNING A LIBRARY BOOK.
Delightful, scary, funny, and with as much fantastic action as you can squeeze into a little less than two hours? Hell, yes. With surprising twists, great dialogue, and beasties that learn new words. *gasp*
The best part is... this is Scott Lynch, ya'll. Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch. :)
Happy eating! :)
This is a revamped story from '09 turned into a full cast podcast with the link on the book page. :)
What makes this special is the humor and the delightful characters as they fulfill their final exam at their magic school by RETURNING A LIBRARY BOOK.
Delightful, scary, funny, and with as much fantastic action as you can squeeze into a little less than two hours? Hell, yes. With surprising twists, great dialogue, and beasties that learn new words. *gasp*
The best part is... this is Scott Lynch, ya'll. Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch. :)
Happy eating! :)
September 21, 2018
"A collection of thamaturgical knowledge so vast and so deep,"said Molnar, "is far, far too useful a thing to give up merely because it has become a magical disaster area perfectly capable of killing anyone who enters it unprepared!"
Into the Stacks is short, but builds a complete world. It's funny, suspenseful, inventive, and imaginative; a fantastic piece of short storytelling. This is a world of vocabuvores, books dreaming of their childhood as trees, a race of lizards who like to have their children reflect thoughtfully on their character flaws...the list goes on, but I'm not about to spoil something which would be so much better discovered yourself!
I haven't yet read anything else of his, which is clearly going to have to change - this was one of my favourite things I've read all year.
Into the Stacks is short, but builds a complete world. It's funny, suspenseful, inventive, and imaginative; a fantastic piece of short storytelling. This is a world of vocabuvores, books dreaming of their childhood as trees, a race of lizards who like to have their children reflect thoughtfully on their character flaws...the list goes on, but I'm not about to spoil something which would be so much better discovered yourself!
I haven't yet read anything else of his, which is clearly going to have to change - this was one of my favourite things I've read all year.
August 23, 2018
4.5 / 5 stars
How I've missed Scott Lynch!
In the Stacks: Author Enhanced Edition is an expanded version of the original story with its intended unabridged length.
This story is about a few mages of varying arcanic strength who needs must pass a test to graduate from the fifth year of their university. What is the test? Simply, to return a library book.
But this isn't an average library; this library is alive . It is a giant, floating, onxy cube in the sky, reachable only by teleportation, and houses over 10 million tomes: mostly scrolls and grimoires. But since there are so many magical items in one place, the magic has started to evolve over the centuries, and have started to become an intelligent force of its own...
I don't want to go any further into exploring the plot, but if you're a fan of Lynch's work, you'll be happy to know that his signature style of humorous dialogue, detailed settingsd, and shocking violence are once again on display.
This book is also a wonderful love letter to books and libraries and librarians, whom we should never, ever take for granted.
How I've missed Scott Lynch!
In the Stacks: Author Enhanced Edition is an expanded version of the original story with its intended unabridged length.
This story is about a few mages of varying arcanic strength who needs must pass a test to graduate from the fifth year of their university. What is the test? Simply, to return a library book.
But this isn't an average library; this library is alive . It is a giant, floating, onxy cube in the sky, reachable only by teleportation, and houses over 10 million tomes: mostly scrolls and grimoires. But since there are so many magical items in one place, the magic has started to evolve over the centuries, and have started to become an intelligent force of its own...
I don't want to go any further into exploring the plot, but if you're a fan of Lynch's work, you'll be happy to know that his signature style of humorous dialogue, detailed settingsd, and shocking violence are once again on display.
This book is also a wonderful love letter to books and libraries and librarians, whom we should never, ever take for granted.
June 12, 2022
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August 31, 2016
Really fun audiobook (short) about the coolest library in the world.
Its wears its DnD influences on it's sleeve and really shines for it.
Scott Lynch's tight prose and humourous characters are once again present and accounted for.
This was a full cast production (meaning everyone including the narrator got a separate voice actor) and whilst it was a little amateurish it actually fit the tone and spirit of the piece perfectly.
I found out about podcastle a while ago, but since I mainly listen to sci-fi and read fantasy I haven't got around to it, however, if this is the quality one can expect I think I'll be listening sooner rather than later.
This particular story is a ways back in the archives so you'll have to dig for it, but when you find it you'll surely have unearthed a gem.
Treat yourself and sit back and relax for 90 minutes whilst listening to a fantastic tale of adventure suitable for teenagers and adults alike.
Its wears its DnD influences on it's sleeve and really shines for it.
Scott Lynch's tight prose and humourous characters are once again present and accounted for.
This was a full cast production (meaning everyone including the narrator got a separate voice actor) and whilst it was a little amateurish it actually fit the tone and spirit of the piece perfectly.
I found out about podcastle a while ago, but since I mainly listen to sci-fi and read fantasy I haven't got around to it, however, if this is the quality one can expect I think I'll be listening sooner rather than later.
This particular story is a ways back in the archives so you'll have to dig for it, but when you find it you'll surely have unearthed a gem.
Treat yourself and sit back and relax for 90 minutes whilst listening to a fantastic tale of adventure suitable for teenagers and adults alike.
February 7, 2021
A nice little short story in which the magical students' exam test is returning one book to the Living Library. The tone is light and at times absolutely ridiculous, but it works!
It's pretty fun, and works perfectly as a short story. It's not something I'd want more of, so this makes it a great format for this.
It's pretty fun, and works perfectly as a short story. It's not something I'd want more of, so this makes it a great format for this.
August 29, 2018
There aren't many people that could pack that much world-building and characterization in a 77 page story.
October 7, 2021
Scott Lynch is a very smart writer. This is a fun fantasy fiasco.
April 3, 2021
3.5 out of 5 stars
September 4, 2019
I read this as part of the anthology Magic City: Recent Spells
This story reminded me of Harry Potter except it seemed they were more college age. It was very easy to figure out who had an ulterior motive. 3 stars.
This story reminded me of Harry Potter except it seemed they were more college age. It was very easy to figure out who had an ulterior motive. 3 stars.
April 17, 2019
Libraries and Lynch are a good combination.
This is a rollicking novella with all the bizarre antics and humour of a game of D&D amongst friends.
Laszlo is a student of magecraft at the university and after five years of papers and book work he must complete a task prior to continuing his studies. That task is to return a book to the great library. It is significantly more easily said than done...
An excellent novella to sit down with and read in one wild half hour.
This is a rollicking novella with all the bizarre antics and humour of a game of D&D amongst friends.
Laszlo is a student of magecraft at the university and after five years of papers and book work he must complete a task prior to continuing his studies. That task is to return a book to the great library. It is significantly more easily said than done...
An excellent novella to sit down with and read in one wild half hour.
September 2, 2018
It was great to read Scott Lynch again, and this story is perfect for library folk. I love Lynch’s imagination, and he really let it run wild in this story. I especially liked the librarians who led the aspirants into the Living Library.
What fun! Everyone needs to buy it and read it.
What fun! Everyone needs to buy it and read it.
July 17, 2022
This was great & kindof whimsical :D will definitely drop the library of Hazar as a side quest location in a dnd campaign if I have a time to run one lol
August 14, 2018
Schon auf Seite drei wusste ich wieder, warum ich seit Ewigkeiten sehnsüchtig auf Band vier von Locke Lamora warte und inständig hoffe, dass Bastards and the Knives vielleicht doch noch irgendwann tatsächlich erscheint: Welten schaffen kann Lynch wie kaum ein zweier. Da sind die Schwächen dieser Story gern verziehen.
April 6, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5 or 3.75 or a 4? You know what, it doesn't matter.
I've always had a problem with ratings as I'm quite the unreliable reviewer myself. But regardless of the star rating, what I'm here to tell you is that this novella is great!
In The Stacks tells the story of a group of students taking their exam. What's the exam? They must return their books to the library. But it's not as easy as one simply shelving their book but instead, they must trek through a living and breathing library which has its own magical ecosystem designed to kill anyone who disturbs it. Sounds fun, right?
This novella is my first dance with Scott Lynch and he is every bit of the master storyteller I hoped he would be! His writing style has an archaic quality to it but still very modern. It's so fun to read. His dialogues effortlessly bounce off the characters and they show charm, wit and a delightful dry sense of humor. Even the author's note preceding the short story displayed so much personality.
In addition to the exquisite prose, this novella also serves as a love letter for book lovers everywhere. A short read but held quite a punch.
I'm now even more excited to dive into Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards series. I've suspected for quite some time that I will love this series, but after reading this short story, I'm now sure I really will.
I've always had a problem with ratings as I'm quite the unreliable reviewer myself. But regardless of the star rating, what I'm here to tell you is that this novella is great!
In The Stacks tells the story of a group of students taking their exam. What's the exam? They must return their books to the library. But it's not as easy as one simply shelving their book but instead, they must trek through a living and breathing library which has its own magical ecosystem designed to kill anyone who disturbs it. Sounds fun, right?
This novella is my first dance with Scott Lynch and he is every bit of the master storyteller I hoped he would be! His writing style has an archaic quality to it but still very modern. It's so fun to read. His dialogues effortlessly bounce off the characters and they show charm, wit and a delightful dry sense of humor. Even the author's note preceding the short story displayed so much personality.
In addition to the exquisite prose, this novella also serves as a love letter for book lovers everywhere. A short read but held quite a punch.
I'm now even more excited to dive into Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards series. I've suspected for quite some time that I will love this series, but after reading this short story, I'm now sure I really will.
September 23, 2019
In the Stacks is high-concept fantasy novella let down by merely average execution. At the magical University of Hazar, the 5th year exam in returning a library book. What makes this challenging is that it's a magical library, a magical space full of monsters and traps, and librarians are more like D&D adventurers than bibliophiles and emergency social workers.
Conan the Librarian from Weird Al's UHF
There are some good ideas: the premise and the vocabovore goblins foremost among them, but a story like this lives on character, action, and above all, mood. Laz never struck me as someone with a particular ambition to be a wizard, the swords and sorcery is nothing unusual to someone who's played a lot of D&D, and the mood of an oppressive, eldritch library just didn't come through for me at all.
A delightful amusement, which I'd like to round up to 4 stars, but the best that I can say is that In the Stacks doesn't outstay its welcome, which is faint praise indeed.
Conan the Librarian from Weird Al's UHF
There are some good ideas: the premise and the vocabovore goblins foremost among them, but a story like this lives on character, action, and above all, mood. Laz never struck me as someone with a particular ambition to be a wizard, the swords and sorcery is nothing unusual to someone who's played a lot of D&D, and the mood of an oppressive, eldritch library just didn't come through for me at all.
A delightful amusement, which I'd like to round up to 4 stars, but the best that I can say is that In the Stacks doesn't outstay its welcome, which is faint praise indeed.
August 31, 2018
Fun novella from Scott Lynch. A variant on the magical university, librarians-as-warriors subgenre. University students face a terrifying challenge - returning a library book.
Felt a bit YA, though not in a bad way. Scott Lynch revised this juvenilia, acknowledging it's not the book he'd have written now.
Of course, it's not very realistic. University librarians are depicted as fearsome warriors and powerful sorcerers, facing terrible monsters in the supernatural library. But they don't have the disintegrator pistols we usually carry, or the pet dragon that every academic librarian has.
Felt a bit YA, though not in a bad way. Scott Lynch revised this juvenilia, acknowledging it's not the book he'd have written now.
Of course, it's not very realistic. University librarians are depicted as fearsome warriors and powerful sorcerers, facing terrible monsters in the supernatural library. But they don't have the disintegrator pistols we usually carry, or the pet dragon that every academic librarian has.
August 20, 2019
Scott Lunch delivers. He is a master of succinct imagery. You don't see words when you read his stories, you watch it unfold in your mind. He knows that "brevity is the soul of wit", and has a unique mind. Every book or story has tropes of one kind or another, and he knows how to own them and make them his own.
My only complaint is that I thought there would be more to certain scenes. Perhaps it's that I long for this to be a full fledged novel.
I highly recommend his Gentleman Bastard series. Give him your money!!!
My only complaint is that I thought there would be more to certain scenes. Perhaps it's that I long for this to be a full fledged novel.
I highly recommend his Gentleman Bastard series. Give him your money!!!
August 29, 2018
Interesting...
This could be a five star story. I think I have a short attention span, because besides REH Conan, it's hard for me to relate enough with ANY short story to grant it 5 stars. Now that that's cleared up (lol), it was great reading something by Lynch even if it's not literally "new". He's an amazing author who i hope isn't done with his creation of awesome works!
This could be a five star story. I think I have a short attention span, because besides REH Conan, it's hard for me to relate enough with ANY short story to grant it 5 stars. Now that that's cleared up (lol), it was great reading something by Lynch even if it's not literally "new". He's an amazing author who i hope isn't done with his creation of awesome works!
September 18, 2018
A fun, quick read. As a former librarian, it's not often I get to read about the heroics of my former profession in fantasy literature. I will say that a certain twist in it is a little blatant, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the tale.
November 5, 2018
This is a light-hearted, adventurous look at a very dangerous library. I’d read so much more set in the universe contained within this library, and I wanted much more of this book than was here. But I did enjoy what there was.
July 16, 2019
This is a fantastic take about a library and the overworked caretakers. Absolutely adored everything about this start to finish.
August 29, 2019
This was a fun read. Lynch provided a short, sharp, witty adventure with inventive worldbuilding, well-visualized characters, and an enjoyable sarcastic romp through a dangerous magical library.
The only other thing I could ask for would be more of it. I would gladly read more stories in the Library, hell, if Lynch would expand on the world I would read the hell out of it.
Although, a nice short story is well worth it too.
The only other thing I could ask for would be more of it. I would gladly read more stories in the Library, hell, if Lynch would expand on the world I would read the hell out of it.
Although, a nice short story is well worth it too.
September 9, 2018
VOCABUVORES!! And some other cleverness in a short magic school / magic library romp.
January 28, 2019
3 1/2 stars.
October 11, 2021
Brilliant
Another brilliant work and a must read for fans of Scott Lynch! In the Stacks was incredibly creative, adventurous and written in the style I’ve come to love!
Merged review:
Brilliant
Another brilliant work and a must read for fans of Scott Lynch! In the Stacks was incredibly creative, adventurous and written in the style I’ve come to love!
Another brilliant work and a must read for fans of Scott Lynch! In the Stacks was incredibly creative, adventurous and written in the style I’ve come to love!
Merged review:
Brilliant
Another brilliant work and a must read for fans of Scott Lynch! In the Stacks was incredibly creative, adventurous and written in the style I’ve come to love!
September 8, 2018
3.5. Entertaining, but brief and accordingly lacking in depth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews