I didn’t click with this one at first—it was recommended to me after reading “Piranesi” and “A Short Stay in Hell”. I expected a similar atmosphere, but Mount Char opened very differently. As the story progressed, though, the novel’s strange blend of myth and mundane slowly pulled me in.

By halfway through, I was fully absorbed in Hawkins’ world, where ancient cosmic forces brush up against everyday reality. The figure of “Father”—obsessed with unlocking universal truths and extending his own life—is especially intriguing. His ultimate realization that knowledge has limits gives the story philosophical depth.

Carolyn, initially off-putting and unrelatable protagonist in her interactions with Steve, remained a only halfway compelling character. In contrast, Erwin—the pragmatic, military trained operative—emerged as a solid literary anchor. His arc felt earned and grounded amid the book’s surreal elements.

Once the narrative gained traction, it delivered strong mythic horror and philosophical weight, though some emotional relationships felt underdeveloped. It left me wondering whether Hawkins intended a sequel—though there probably isn’t much left to explore.

What stays with me is the author’s imaginative world-building: uncanny, eerie, and mesmerically strange.

It’s not flawless—it starts slow and a few character dynamics don’t quite land—but it is bold. If you enjoy stories where modern fantasy collides with existential myth, and where power, knowledge, and humanity intersect in uncanny ways, The Library at Mount Char is definitely worth the time.