The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

Hardback, 2007, 494 pages. Library copy.

German author translated this book from the Zamonian author Optimus Yarnspinner, who tells about his adventures in Bookholm and its catacombs. In search of the author of a magnificent manuscript passed down to him by his authorial godfather, he comes into contact with hypnotizing music, book lovers of all kinds, terrifying Bookhunters, dangerous books, live books, and much more.

This book was amazing. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. It wasn't as quick a read as the last few books I read, but I definitely didn't mind. I didn't really want it to end. I am checking out his other books asap. It's such an imaginative book. Honestly, how did he think up all of this? Some of the quotes on the back say things like JK Rowling meets Douglas Adams and Throw in The Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings, Shel Silverstein, and Tolkien, and you get Moers. I can definitely see the comparisons. It was a very clever book full of literary reference and adventure. I would recommend it to any book lover, or any reader who may want to spend extra time on the book. It's not a hard read or anything, but it doesn't go by really fast. There's a lot of Zamonian vocabulary, and it's a pretty thick tome.

What I could learn as a writer from this book:

As awesome as this book was, there were a few flaws. The protagonist was sort of. . .dumb? Maybe it was for build up to the climax, but it took him forever to catch onto a few things. It could have been characterization, but he was supposedly quite smart. So, don't sacrifice characterization for plot.

Also, the sky is the limit! Moers thought up so many strange animals, so many different ways to love books, so many different creatures and nefarious plots. It was an entirely new world that I loved being apart of when I read the book.