Robin Sloan
Sloan creates the perfect balance of old and new, neither one better than the other. Out of work designer, and now accidental clerk, Clay Jannon lands a strange job manning the third shift at a 24-hour bookstore. While virtually no-one buys the normal used books, a serious of odd patrons check out strange old books filled with codes. Teaming with some of his high-tech friends and harnessing the power of Google, they set out of find the secrets of the bookstore and the society behind it. Despite the modern-day setting and use of real technology, the book has the warmth and excitement of an adventure like The Hobbit. A fast, wonderful and thoroughly satisfying read.