Praise for
The Library of the Unwritten
“This book is so much fun, and you should be reading it. Trust me. Stories about story are some of my favorite kinds. This book definitely makes the list. I am so glad I read this.”
—Seanan McGuire, author of The Unkindest Tide
“A muse, an undead librarian, a demon, and a ghost walk into Valhalla. . . . What follows is a delightful and poignant fantasy adventure that delivers a metric ton of found-family feels and reminds us that the hardest stories to face can be the ones we tell about ourselves.”
—New York Times bestselling author Kit Rocha
“The Library of the Unwritten is a tiered dark chocolate cake of a book. The read is rich and robust, the prose has layers upon layers, and the characters melt like ganache upon the tongue. A saturated, decadent treat. An unforgettable, crave-worthy experience. A baroquely imagined and totally unexpected original take on such well-worn topics as Hell, libraries, and the difference between what never was and what never will be.”
—Philip K. Dick Award–winning author Meg Elison
“The Library of the Unwritten is a story about stories: ones we tell ourselves, the ones we tell others, and the ones buried so deep we hope no one ever finds them. Hackwith has artfully penned a love letter to books and readers alike and filled it with lush, gorgeous prose; delightfully real characters; a nonstop, twisty, and heart-wrenching plot; and an explosive ending that gave me chills.”
—K. A. Doore, author of The Perfect Assassin
“A delightful romp through Heaven, Hell, and everything in between, which reveals itself in layers: an exploration of the nuances of belief, a demonstration of the power of the bonds that connect us, and a love letter to everybody who has ever heard the call of their own story.”
—Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead
“The Library of the Unwritten is like Good Omens meets Jim Hines’s Ex Libris series, a must-read for any book lover. Hackwith has penned a tale filled with unforgettable characters fighting with the power of creativity against a stunning array of foes from across the multiverse. The Library of the Unwritten rocks!”
—Michael R. Underwood, author of the Stabby Award finalist Genrenauts series
“The only book I’ve ever read that made the writing process look like fun. A delight for readers and writers alike!”
—Hugo Award winner Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
“A wry, high-flying, heartfelt fantasy, told with sublime prose and sheer joy even at its darkest moments (and there are many). I want this entire series on my shelf yesterday.”
—Tyler Hayes, author of The Imaginary Corpse
“Elaborate world building, poignant and smart characters, and a layered plot make this first in a fantasy series from Hackwith . . . an ode to books, writing, and found families.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Hackwith builds her world and characters with loving detail, creating a delightful addition to the corpus of library-based and heaven-vs.-hell fantasies. This novel and its promised sequels will find a wide audience.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
BOOKS BY A. J. HACKWITH
Novels from Hell’s Library
The Library of the Unwritten
The Archive of the Forgotten
ACE
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2020 by A. J. Hackwith
Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
ACE is a registered trademark and the A colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hackwith, A. J., author.
Title: The archive of the forgotten / A. J. Hackwith.
Description: First edition. | New York : Ace, 2020. | Series: A novel from hell’s library ; 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2020002015 (print) | LCCN 2020002016 (ebook) | ISBN 9781984806390 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781984806406 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Fantasy fiction. | Adventure fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3608.A254 A89 2020 (print) | LCC PS3608.A254 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020002015
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020002016
First Edition: October 2020
Cover images by Shutterstock
Cover design by Faceout Studio/Jeff Miller
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
pid_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0
Contents
Cover
Praise for The Library of the Unwritten
Books by A. J. Hackwith
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Acknowledgments
About the Author
To the families we make
1
CLAIRE
This is my last entry in the Librarian’s Log. I don’t know why Brevity insists; I never wrote in here as often as I should have. I did, at first, and I have reviewed the entries from my apprenticeship to confirm how rotten they were. I was. I can’t believe this damned book even kept them. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. I’ll be glad to be rid of this log: the nattering of the dead.
That’s not true. I suppose I should aim for the truth, now that there is so very little worth hiding. Let us try again.
I am Claire Juniper Hadley, librarian of the Unwritten Wing. Like any proper storyteller, I have lied. I have plotted and hurt and lied, so many lies I can’t even recall. And with those plots, lies, and little hurts, I tried to do right by the Library. However, the performance of my duties has been found wanting, so I hereby resign my post to my highly
