PAPER AND FIRE
In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…
With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.
Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever.
In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…
With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.
Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.
Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.
But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…
- NAL
- Hardcover
- July 2016
- 368 Pages
- 9780451472403
Buy the Book
$17.99
About Rachel Caine
Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Prince of Shadows, the Weather Warden series, the Outcast Season series, the Revivalist series, and the Morganville Vampires series.
Praise
“Caine’s elegantly detailed descriptions bring Jess’s world to vivid life in a fast-paced, action-oriented plot that will leave readers breathlessly anticipating not just the next page but the next book in the Great Library Series.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A thrill-a-minute adventure. . . This first entry into the Great Library series has pieces that mirror the excitement and bitterness of the Hunger Games series and contains some of the psychological elements of the Harry Potter books.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Fans will fall in love with Jess and want the next book out immediately.”—USA Today
“Rachel Caine transports the reader to an imaginary future world where a Great Library controls all knowledge and the private ownership of printed books is a radical, dangerous practice…Ink and Bone launches a magical new series that will leave readers begging for more.”—Deborah Harkness, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Discussion Questions
Jess Brightwell seems to be doing well in his new army career. Why do you think he fits in so well, given that he didn’t expect to like it?
How far would you go to rescue a friend in danger? What would you risk?
Morgan is unwilling to accept her fate as an Obscurist, and is angry at Jess for cooperating in her capture in Ink and Bone. Jess feels guilty about it, too. Is he really guilty, or did he not have a choice?
In Paper and Fire, you see quite a lot of Rome—a very different Rome from what we see today—with all the wonders of the ancient world preserved (and some added). You also get to see the tomb of Alexander the Great. Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, what is the only one we can still visit today?
Why would the Library develop different kinds of automata (the lions of London, the lions of Rome, the Spartans, the sphinxes)?
Who do you think is the most heroic character in this book? Why?
What danger do you think the group will find in Philadelphia? How do you think the next book’s Philadelphia will be different from the actual one?
If you could change one thing that happens in Paper and Fire, what would it be? Why? What aspects of the book would your change alter?