The City of Dreaming Books

99% world building for the first 25% of the book, which is when I gave up because I prefer storyline progress and character building.

The last 1% was character building, mainly for the main character, with alot of unusual characters that come into and quickly leave the story. No deep character building or long-term interactions.

I picked this up not knowing there were other books set in the same world, and I was able to get into the swing of things just fine! That said, this is a story that is heavy on world-building and amusing details above anything else. The actual formatting of the book is quite fun, with relevant illustrations and ciphers interspersed throughout the story. Overall it was very creative, if a little dense at times!

Where do I start on how wonderfully imaginative, witty, adventurous and amazing this book is? If you love to read books and feel that they seem to have their own personalities, you love their smell, the feel of the covers and different kinds of paper used, then this book is definitely a must read. I feel it is an adventure for book lovers everywhere. Despite the fact that there is not a single human character, I loved so many of them. The Booklings and the Animatomes and the catacombs of Bookholm itself was a wonder to behold, filled with magical and frightening things. From the first page to the last I was engrossed in the adventure that seemed to speak to my bookworm heart and made me love reading even more - if that is possible. I don't think I've read anything quite like it and I wish that more fantasy books took the chance to be this inventive and clever in their world-building. Stories that have the ability to both make me laugh and cry and care and get lost in it are rare. The imaginative world of Zamonia is a place I would LOVE to visit and I look forward to delving into more of Walter Moers books.

**Re-read thoughts: Still one of the most unique books I've ever read! I realize that my original review said there were no human characters...but technically there was one! I forgot how kinda creepy it was in some spots, but what a ride! The booklings remain one of my favourite fantastical characters ever and the I still adore the literary-centric adventure so much. It is unbelievably imaginative, a book lovers fever dream and chock full of bookish craziness!