Ex Libris
By Simon Groth
Twelve of the chapters in this book are arranged at random, with each new copy shuffled anew, one of 479,001,600 possible variations. No two copies of Ex Libris are identical, and yet all tell the same story.
A book in half a billion
The metropole is a world of data-driven design and addled market saturation. It’s a place where every decision, every movement is tracked and interpreted by the network to curate content for the comfort and containment of its citizens, where imagination and fiction are suppressed, and where books have been abandoned in favour of instant gratification.
Against this backdrop, a loose gathering of subversives collects the scraps of texts left behind. Calling themselves free readers, they seek to reconstruct a library from fragments away from the watchful eye of the feared committee for public safety. But what begins as the story of four people drawn to a band of literary misfits becomes an epic quest for truth in a world of lies and a narrative conscious of its own fictions.
“A remarkable technical achievement and a page-turning novel that celebrates the transformative power of reading.”
Print Edition
A unique shuffle of chapters, individually numbered.
Note: I can sign copies on request. There’s a question about this during checkout where you can also let me know who the book will belong to (for the bookplate). My handwriting is hardly calligraphy so consider yourself warned.
A note on shipping: I can send copies worldwide. When you enter your delivery address, the shipping charge will change accordingly.
My work relies entirely on reader support. My next book is scheduled for release soon and all sales from this site go directly towards that and other future creative projects. It's really the only way any of this can happen so thanks!
Coverage of Ex Libris
One of the strangest reviews Cass Moriarty has ever written
Thuy On dives deep at the Sydney Review of Books
Me at The Writing Platform talking about the book while the crowdfunding campaign was in full swing
José Antonio Vázquez in December 2019 at dosdoce.com (Spanish)
Your reviews
Do you have nice things to say about Ex Libris? Well don’t let me stop you from sharing your thoughts with the world at Goodreads.