This was book 3 of the Leviathan series. The Leviathan series is an anthology series that's won a decent amount of critical acclaim. Each book in the series picks a theme; in Leviathan Three's case, libraries. Not every story has to do with the central theme; rather, it's used more as loose framework. The Leviathan series has really made me appreciate good editors. VanderMeer and Aguirre pick stories the same way one picks songs when making an interesting mixed tape. They're looking for an overall effect of tone and atmosphere. Stories, that when placed together, create a certain feel or aesthetic. They picked stories from all over the place -- across genre, style, and time. One story could be an odd story written last year in a post-modern style and the next a tale was written 150 years ago in the Romantic tradition, yet somehow the transition is smooth. This also makes one realize how some human desires and motivations are truly timeless. The book features contemporary writers in fantasy, avant-gardists, 19th century French poets, as well as some tales of horror and humor. One tale, "The Noble Library" by Zoran Zivkovic was hysterical. The whole story was a long rant about how much the protagonist hated paperback books! A man of my own heart. To quote Zivkovic,

"I've always felt the greatest possible distain for paperback books. They are the ultimate profanation of an ideal that must remain exalted and noble at any cost. Only the ignorant and uninformed claim that a book should not be judged by its cover. Packaging must mirror the contents. Would you wrap a luxury item in old newspapers, for example?"
I really enjoyed the overall effect VanderMeer and Aguirre created by assembling such an unlikely collection of voices -- odd bedfellows, if you will. I haven't run across a similar editing style before. I'm really looking forward to Leviathan Four. Its theme: Cities. ( )