The Absolute Book

Author Elizabeth Knox
Narrator Anne-Marie Duff
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 18 March 2021
Run Time 18 hours and 21 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Adventure fiction, Contemporary fantasy, Crime and mystery fiction, Mythical and legendary beings, monsters and creatures, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Environmental issues, Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales, Urban fantasy.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Taryn Cornick believes her sister Bea was deliberately run down and killed. She believes it so hard she allows a man called the Muleskinner to exact the justice Bea was denied. An eye for an eye.

Which is when Taryn's problems really begin.

Because the police suspect Taryn's involvement in the death.

Worse, others have their eyes on Taryn - those in a faraway place who know what Taryn's family have been carefully hiding in their vast library. The Absolute Book.

They want it - and they want Taryn to help find it.

For the lives of those in more than one world depend upon it . . .

PRAISE FOR THE ABSOLUTE BOOK:

'MIND-BLOWING' LAINI TAYLOR

'ASTOUNDING' FRANCIS SPUFFORD

'Intricately plotted and gorgeously written, THE ABSOLUTE BOOK has something for everyone: the search for a mysterious book, talking ravens, police detectives and academics, gods and demons, a giant saltwater crocodile, the bucolic English countryside and magical gates to hidden worlds. Here is a cinematic tale that is by turns dark and dreamlike, yet ultimately hopeful' DEBORAH HARKNESS, author of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

'Gorgeous. The payoffs and reveals are mind-blowing' LAINI TAYLOR, author of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

'An angelic book, an apocalyptic book, an astounding book' FRANCIS SPUFFORD

© Elizabeth Knox 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

An INSTANT CLASSIC, a work to rank alongside other modern masterpieces of fantasy such as Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series or Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Everything fantasy should be: original, magical, well read, compelling

Guardian

Intricately plotted and gorgeously written, THE ABSOLUTE BOOK has something for everyone: the search for a mysterious book, talking ravens, police detectives and academics, gods and demons, a giant saltwater crocodile, the bucolic English countryside and magical gates to hidden worlds. Here is a cinematic tale that is by turns dark and dreamlike, yet ultimately hopeful

author of A Discovery of Witches

An angelic book, an apocalyptic book, an astounding book

Francis Spufford

Gripping and hugely ambitious, the broad narrative flood sweeps us on to an extraordinary conclusion

Daily Mail

Gorgeous. The payoffs and reveals are mind-blowing

author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone

A marvellous argument for stories. There are Norse gods, references to Merlin, a tour through purgatory and a strange parallel world where magic is real and humans are bit players in the clash of supernatural realms. Bewitching

The Times

A magical book; doors between worlds; talking birds, vicious fairies and a trip to Purgatory. Stuffed with literary allusion and mythic echoes from the Norse legends to Alan Garner, straddling dimensions and hopping genres with ease, this is a one-of-a-kind fantasy novel that’s worth getting lost in

Guardian, 50 Hottest Books

Epic, imaginative and exquisitely written, this is a feat of fantastical world-building

Daily Express

Reminded me of how I felt reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or His Dark Materials – this is a masterpiece

Slate

A triumph. Book where the best hearts meet the best minds meet the best imaginations are few and far between

Pip Adam

User Reviews

Book 3.0

Narration 5.0

3.0

5.0

I really enjoyed this book, although it was not entirely what I expected. To me it seemed that the author was trying to look at the importance of books, language and libraries but set in a world where there is a parallel universe of magical creatures which can be accessed through 'gates'.

There were some places where I got lost because the plot seemed to move ahead too quickly and I felt that I had missed some crucial information. Other than that I loved the story and found it unique and engaging. The narration was also wonderful.

Overall this book reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss, so if you're a fan of his work definitely give this a go!

elleninelle 20/07/2022

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