Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

A friend at work told me a bit about Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson and he happened to have a copy available to read as we were talking. So, I borrowed it and read it over a weekend. I enjoyed the book immensely. Alcatraz was creative, witty, and fun. The book is written in a first person point of view which I felt was refreshing. It gave new expression to the reading. The book being written in the present day and in the first person, the author was both the character and the author. This allowed for a feeling of really being told a story from an adventurer.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the humor. It was quick witted and fast paced. There were jabs at current literature and entertainment (nothing was called out by name, but you know what he is talking about). There were jabs at the "all knowing" educational institutions and their professors. There was a bit of witty sarcasm about everyday life and events that everyone is dealing with or has dealt with. This allowed the story to bring a bit of humor into some of the drab parts of life.

Now, while I enjoyed the story and had a hard time putting it down, I will not be reading any of the sequels. This book would have been best as a stand alone story. *On Soapbox* Why does every fantasy story have to be a series! *Off Soapbox* The style of writing and the humor became monotonous at the very end of the story. Wit repeated becomes much less witty. The plot was cute but juvenile, which did not really make me want to read more. I read because the humor made me smile (even laugh out loud at times), not because the plot was engaging.

I definitely suggest this book to anyone who would like a quick, fun story to read.