The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy, following The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.
Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other's reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she's to return to her life. While Evar's journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he's never seen, Livira's destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.
And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira's old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.
Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.
The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it's also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.
The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy, following The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.
Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other's reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she's to return to her life. While Evar's journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he's never seen, Livira's destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.
And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira's old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.
Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.
The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it's also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.
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The Library Trilogy
The Library Trilogy
5 books in catalog
Dark epic fantasy fiction gained a prominent modern foundation through The Broken Empire trilogy, a series known for its unyielding dark world-building and complex character focus. American-British author Mark Lawrence established his position in the genre with this trilogy, culminating in Emperor of Thorns, which won the David Gemmell Award for Fantasy for best novel in 2014. Beyond his initial trilogy, he expanded his fantasy bibliography with acclaimed sagas such as Red Sister and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, reaching audiences across subgenres ranging from dark fantasy to expansive library-centered epics.
In addition to his written works, Lawrence made an impact on the broader speculative fiction community by establishing the annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off in 2015. This initiative created a visible platform for independent authors, connecting self-published writers with fantasy reviewers and readers.
Mark Lawrence was born in 1966 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to British parents and moved to the United Kingdom at a young age. He earned a degree in physics and completed a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London before returning to the United States to conduct research. Outside of creative writing, he worked as a research scientist focused on complex computational problems in artificial intelligence, holding secret-level security clearances with both the United States and United Kingdom governments.
Lawrence is married and has four children, serving as the primary caregiver for a child with severe disabilities. Because of his caregiving responsibilities at home, he does not travel to conventions or conduct traditional book tours. He balances his writing career and scientific work with personal pursuits such as playing computer games, tending an allotment, and brewing beer.
Lawrence's writing style covers a broad range of speculative subgenres, from dark grimdark fantasy populated by morally ambiguous protagonists to intricate stories involving temporal and spatial mysteries. His academic background in mathematics and physical science influences his structured world-building and plot construction, while his character arcs center on survival, loyalty, and the consequences of hard choices.
Across distinct settings—including the Book of the Ancestor series featuring Red Sister and the Library Trilogy featuring The Book That Wouldn’t Burn and The Book That Broke the World—Lawrence explores recurring themes of preserved knowledge, ancient history, and individual resilience. His adaptability allows him to transition smoothly between dark military fantasy and expansive story arcs grounded in vast, secret-filled environments.
5 books in catalog
Dark epic fantasy fiction gained a prominent modern foundation through The Broken Empire trilogy, a series known for its unyielding dark world-building and complex character focus. American-British author Mark Lawrence established his position in the genre with this trilogy, culminating in Emperor of Thorns, which won the David Gemmell Award for Fantasy for best novel in 2014. Beyond his initial trilogy, he expanded his fantasy bibliography with acclaimed sagas such as Red Sister and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, reaching audiences across subgenres ranging from dark fantasy to expansive library-centered epics.
In addition to his written works, Lawrence made an impact on the broader speculative fiction community by establishing the annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off in 2015. This initiative created a visible platform for independent authors, connecting self-published writers with fantasy reviewers and readers.
Mark Lawrence was born in 1966 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to British parents and moved to the United Kingdom at a young age. He earned a degree in physics and completed a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London before returning to the United States to conduct research. Outside of creative writing, he worked as a research scientist focused on complex computational problems in artificial intelligence, holding secret-level security clearances with both the United States and United Kingdom governments.
Lawrence is married and has four children, serving as the primary caregiver for a child with severe disabilities. Because of his caregiving responsibilities at home, he does not travel to conventions or conduct traditional book tours. He balances his writing career and scientific work with personal pursuits such as playing computer games, tending an allotment, and brewing beer.
Lawrence's writing style covers a broad range of speculative subgenres, from dark grimdark fantasy populated by morally ambiguous protagonists to intricate stories involving temporal and spatial mysteries. His academic background in mathematics and physical science influences his structured world-building and plot construction, while his character arcs center on survival, loyalty, and the consequences of hard choices.
Across distinct settings—including the Book of the Ancestor series featuring Red Sister and the Library Trilogy featuring The Book That Wouldn’t Burn and The Book That Broke the World—Lawrence explores recurring themes of preserved knowledge, ancient history, and individual resilience. His adaptability allows him to transition smoothly between dark military fantasy and expansive story arcs grounded in vast, secret-filled environments.
