--- product_id: 1372576 title: "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel" price: "$29.97" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1372576-mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-a-novel store_origin: EC region: Ecuador --- # Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel **Price:** $29.97 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** $29.97 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ec](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1372576-mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The New York Times Bestseller A Winner of the Alex Award, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Los Angeles Times , and San Francisco Chronicle The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything―instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave. Review: Beautiful - I found this via i09's list of best science fiction and fantasy books of 2012, which is funny, because it really isn't either. What it is, though, is a book for people who love science fiction and fantasy and books and technology. It reminds me of William Gibson's recent work, not because it's dystopian (it isn't, not even slightly), but because it's like science fiction set in the present. It's also beautifully written. I don't read "literary fiction". I'm a genre snob. But if this is literary fiction, then I like it. The metaphors and turns of phrase are wonderful. "Feeding hours like dry twigs into the fire," the author writes. He's conscious of language. "Moffat's prose is fine: clear and steady, with just enough sweeping statements about destiny and dragons to keep things well inflated," he says, describing the fictional fantasy novels which play such an important role in the plot, and it could almost be a description of his own writing. He also has semicolons, and he knows how to use them. There's humour that comes from an affectionate, almost loving, way of seeing the absurdity of the world, and from masterfully chosen, mostly technological juxtapositions. "The thinnest tendrils of dawn are creeping in from the east. People in New York are softly starting to tweet." Later, the protagonist's Googler girlfriend buys a New York Times "but couldn't figure out how to operate it". I only spotted a single typo ("left" instead of "loft"), and that level of professionalism is vanishingly rare. So: language, 5 stars. I wish every other book I've read recently was written more like this one. Plot, then. The plot is beautifully woven. Not a Chekhov's gun is left unfired. There are about 20 named characters, and virtually all of them, even most of the minor ones, get to participate in the great wrap-up of the epilogue. It's missing one element of the classic happy ending, but that feels absolutely right, and it's better than a happy ending: it's a beautiful ending. It's a rich, wonderful ending. I've often been disappointed by weak endings to books I've otherwise enjoyed, but this is one of my favourite endings of any book I can think of. Five stars for plot, even if the protagonist's ultimate triumph is built on an unlikely mistake earlier in the book, and even if a couple of the events are also unlikely (like Google allowing a relatively minor project to take all their server time for three seconds). And partway through it turns into a heist novel! I love heist novels. Characters. I liked the main character almost immediately. He's having a somewhat difficult time, but he has perspective and wry humour about it, and he doesn't whine. He's capable of admiring and respecting other people greatly, including intelligent, strong women: "I am really into the kind of girl you can impress with a prototype," he says. His love for his eccentric, elderly mentor is an important part of what drives the plot. The other characters are all quirky without being self-conscious about it, all (seen through the protagonist's eyes) people of skill and worth and, in general, goodwill. I loved every one of them. Five stars and at least three cheers for the characters. Finally, setting. The book takes place in some wonderfully bizarre places: a tall, narrow bookstore full of mysterious volumes, an underground cavern of cultish scholarship, a textile museum, a storage unit for museum artifacts in the dryness of Nevada where motorized shelves move constantly in a stately dance. That last was totally unlikely. Wouldn't you want to keep valuable, rare items still? And yet it the feel of it was just right, much more so than a more realistic, static building would have been. Even the protagonist's apartment gradually fills with his artist roommate's strange and wonderful miniature city. You could say that the setting is the real world, but you'd be wrong. Aldus Manutius existed, but his friend Gerritszoon didn't, and Gerritszoon's font isn't on every electronic device, because it doesn't exist either. Nor, presumably, does the cult of scholars known as the Unbroken Spine. I have no idea whether Google really works the way it's described, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that it doesn't. And there's one very minor mistake that I know is a mistake: what the main character calls "middleware" is not what middleware actually is. No, this setting isn't the real world. It's better. Apart from anything else, it has the epic fantasy novels of Moffat in it. Five stars for the setting as well, making it a perfect 20 for this book. Oh, there are things I've quibbled about, but none of them significantly diminished my enjoyment. I'll be looking for more of Robin Sloan's books. I hope they're like this one. Review: Unusual and fun - Nerds rule! Really! I just finished reading Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan and I have arrived at my opening statements as a result of reading this book. I loved this book. It was unlike anything else I have read which is unusual because I read a lot, and I did not want to stop reading it, which is one of the best criteria for choosing a great book. Of course Mr. Penumbra’s name, which refers to: 1. The partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object, or 2. The shadow cast by the earth or moon over an area experiencing a partial eclipse gives us a great big clue that we are about to explore something or somewhere mysterious. Clay Jannon is our guide to solving the enigma that consumes his life once he is hired to work the overnight shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. Clay has just lost his job which involved designing web ads for a shop called NewBagel whose mission was to bring New York City style bagels to San Francisco; a store which failed. He is operating in the current tough job market. His new job with Mr. Penumbra is saving his lifestyle. Clay’s roommate Mat is an artist who is gradually turning the common space in their apartment into a simulated city (not computer simulated either). His other roommate is Ashley Ames. He is best friends with Neel Shah who has made himself rich with software that provides body parts, especially boobs to game designers (these are digital in nature). Through the bookstore he meets a few “normal” people including Kat Potente who works at everyone’s dream company, Google. He also meets a string of very eccentric and “original” people who are the actual clientele of the back shelves of this bookstore. It is this group of borrowers that Clay must especially keep track of. He accepts the book s/he has finished with its totally incomprehensible title and he provides her/him with another tome with an equally incomprehensible, but new, title, which often has to be retrieved via a ladder from far up near the very high ceiling of the back room of the bookstore. Clay also must write a detailed description of the borrower, his/her demeanor, attire and any exchanges that took place in the set of log books behind his desk. He is apparently free to read and use his computer when he is not busy with customers (which is almost always). Clay and his friends become interested in figuring out what is going on with these strange bookstore clients who do not buy books but simply borrow books. Why do the books look so old and plainly bound? Why do these, let’s call them interesting, characters act like they are involved in some kind of weighty research using books that are obviously written in some kind of code. What bunch of IT and art nerds would not be in nirvana with such a meaty mystery to submit to their computer algorithms for answers. Is the internet up to it? Can Google, google it? The collision between very old school books and computers reverberates like a gong through the lives of all the new and old people in Clay’s life. Fun, fun, fun and also makes you wonder if the whole book is a riddle or puzzle. If you solve it please let me know. I have some ideas but they would be spoilers so I will keep them to myself. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #112,558 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #20 in Booksellers & Bookselling #127 in Mashup Fiction #261 in Computers & Internet Humor | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 13,594 Reviews | ## Images ![Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ehEnDuFmL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful *by M***N on January 26, 2013* I found this via i09's list of best science fiction and fantasy books of 2012, which is funny, because it really isn't either. What it is, though, is a book for people who love science fiction and fantasy and books and technology. It reminds me of William Gibson's recent work, not because it's dystopian (it isn't, not even slightly), but because it's like science fiction set in the present. It's also beautifully written. I don't read "literary fiction". I'm a genre snob. But if this is literary fiction, then I like it. The metaphors and turns of phrase are wonderful. "Feeding hours like dry twigs into the fire," the author writes. He's conscious of language. "Moffat's prose is fine: clear and steady, with just enough sweeping statements about destiny and dragons to keep things well inflated," he says, describing the fictional fantasy novels which play such an important role in the plot, and it could almost be a description of his own writing. He also has semicolons, and he knows how to use them. There's humour that comes from an affectionate, almost loving, way of seeing the absurdity of the world, and from masterfully chosen, mostly technological juxtapositions. "The thinnest tendrils of dawn are creeping in from the east. People in New York are softly starting to tweet." Later, the protagonist's Googler girlfriend buys a New York Times "but couldn't figure out how to operate it". I only spotted a single typo ("left" instead of "loft"), and that level of professionalism is vanishingly rare. So: language, 5 stars. I wish every other book I've read recently was written more like this one. Plot, then. The plot is beautifully woven. Not a Chekhov's gun is left unfired. There are about 20 named characters, and virtually all of them, even most of the minor ones, get to participate in the great wrap-up of the epilogue. It's missing one element of the classic happy ending, but that feels absolutely right, and it's better than a happy ending: it's a beautiful ending. It's a rich, wonderful ending. I've often been disappointed by weak endings to books I've otherwise enjoyed, but this is one of my favourite endings of any book I can think of. Five stars for plot, even if the protagonist's ultimate triumph is built on an unlikely mistake earlier in the book, and even if a couple of the events are also unlikely (like Google allowing a relatively minor project to take all their server time for three seconds). And partway through it turns into a heist novel! I love heist novels. Characters. I liked the main character almost immediately. He's having a somewhat difficult time, but he has perspective and wry humour about it, and he doesn't whine. He's capable of admiring and respecting other people greatly, including intelligent, strong women: "I am really into the kind of girl you can impress with a prototype," he says. His love for his eccentric, elderly mentor is an important part of what drives the plot. The other characters are all quirky without being self-conscious about it, all (seen through the protagonist's eyes) people of skill and worth and, in general, goodwill. I loved every one of them. Five stars and at least three cheers for the characters. Finally, setting. The book takes place in some wonderfully bizarre places: a tall, narrow bookstore full of mysterious volumes, an underground cavern of cultish scholarship, a textile museum, a storage unit for museum artifacts in the dryness of Nevada where motorized shelves move constantly in a stately dance. That last was totally unlikely. Wouldn't you want to keep valuable, rare items still? And yet it the feel of it was just right, much more so than a more realistic, static building would have been. Even the protagonist's apartment gradually fills with his artist roommate's strange and wonderful miniature city. You could say that the setting is the real world, but you'd be wrong. Aldus Manutius existed, but his friend Gerritszoon didn't, and Gerritszoon's font isn't on every electronic device, because it doesn't exist either. Nor, presumably, does the cult of scholars known as the Unbroken Spine. I have no idea whether Google really works the way it's described, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that it doesn't. And there's one very minor mistake that I know is a mistake: what the main character calls "middleware" is not what middleware actually is. No, this setting isn't the real world. It's better. Apart from anything else, it has the epic fantasy novels of Moffat in it. Five stars for the setting as well, making it a perfect 20 for this book. Oh, there are things I've quibbled about, but none of them significantly diminished my enjoyment. I'll be looking for more of Robin Sloan's books. I hope they're like this one. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unusual and fun *by N***N on April 27, 2013* Nerds rule! Really! I just finished reading Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan and I have arrived at my opening statements as a result of reading this book. I loved this book. It was unlike anything else I have read which is unusual because I read a lot, and I did not want to stop reading it, which is one of the best criteria for choosing a great book. Of course Mr. Penumbra’s name, which refers to: 1. The partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object, or 2. The shadow cast by the earth or moon over an area experiencing a partial eclipse gives us a great big clue that we are about to explore something or somewhere mysterious. Clay Jannon is our guide to solving the enigma that consumes his life once he is hired to work the overnight shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. Clay has just lost his job which involved designing web ads for a shop called NewBagel whose mission was to bring New York City style bagels to San Francisco; a store which failed. He is operating in the current tough job market. His new job with Mr. Penumbra is saving his lifestyle. Clay’s roommate Mat is an artist who is gradually turning the common space in their apartment into a simulated city (not computer simulated either). His other roommate is Ashley Ames. He is best friends with Neel Shah who has made himself rich with software that provides body parts, especially boobs to game designers (these are digital in nature). Through the bookstore he meets a few “normal” people including Kat Potente who works at everyone’s dream company, Google. He also meets a string of very eccentric and “original” people who are the actual clientele of the back shelves of this bookstore. It is this group of borrowers that Clay must especially keep track of. He accepts the book s/he has finished with its totally incomprehensible title and he provides her/him with another tome with an equally incomprehensible, but new, title, which often has to be retrieved via a ladder from far up near the very high ceiling of the back room of the bookstore. Clay also must write a detailed description of the borrower, his/her demeanor, attire and any exchanges that took place in the set of log books behind his desk. He is apparently free to read and use his computer when he is not busy with customers (which is almost always). Clay and his friends become interested in figuring out what is going on with these strange bookstore clients who do not buy books but simply borrow books. Why do the books look so old and plainly bound? Why do these, let’s call them interesting, characters act like they are involved in some kind of weighty research using books that are obviously written in some kind of code. What bunch of IT and art nerds would not be in nirvana with such a meaty mystery to submit to their computer algorithms for answers. Is the internet up to it? Can Google, google it? The collision between very old school books and computers reverberates like a gong through the lives of all the new and old people in Clay’s life. Fun, fun, fun and also makes you wonder if the whole book is a riddle or puzzle. If you solve it please let me know. I have some ideas but they would be spoilers so I will keep them to myself. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A rollicking, literary-loving adventure you'll want to join... *by L***R on October 20, 2012* "The books I love most are like open cities, with all sorts of ways to wander in." So says Clay Jannon, the narrator of Robin Sloan's marvelously magical book, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Honestly, any novel that combines a celebration of a lifetime in the literary world, a lifetime of reading, along with a rollicking, mysterious adventure, is one I could imagine myself living inside of. The economic recession has hit Clay Jannon hard, causing him to lose his job as a web designer and marketer for a profitable bagel company in San Francisco. Finding himself doing everything but looking for a job, one afternoon walking around the city, he comes upon Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and after proving his ability to quickly climb a ladder to fetch books from high shelves, he finds himself employed, working the late night shift. But the more time he spends in the bookstore, the more he realizes it's not your average establishment. The inventory is random at best--there is very little rhyme or reason to what books the store carries. Very few customers come to the store while Clay is working, and those who do come in repeatedly and don't actually buy anything, but instead borrow mysterious books written in an indecipherable language from strange corners of the store. And then there's the matter of the logbook which Mr. Penumbra requires Clay write in after every customer leaves, and record every aspect of the transaction, down to the customers' moods, even what they're wearing. Clay knows something strange must be going on, and to fill his late night hours, begins investigating. He enlists his girlfriend, Google employee Kat, his childhood best friend Neel (now owner of a successful tech company), and his artist roommate Mat in trying to figure out what mysteries lie within the books, the store, and Mr. Penumbra himself. And what they find takes them all on a rollicking adventure which touches on data visualization, literary and graphic history, the choice of hewing to tradition vs. embracing change, and, most importantly, a love of books. This is a magical, compelling, well-written book I absolutely loved. I'm a big fan of books that take you on an adventure, and even if I wasn't always completely sure what was going on, this book hooked me from start to finish. Robin Sloan has created a tremendously fascinating, complex, and exciting world, and the characters are multidimensional and very appealing. If you like your stories with a side of adventure, or if you like books that don't follow a traditional plot or story flow, definitely pick up Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. You'll find yourself utterly captivated and wishing you could find his bookstore and be part of the adventure. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1372576-mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/1372576-mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ecuador* *Store origin: EC* *Last updated: 2026-10-10*