About the characters By: Eugenio Montero

    To start off, I think the library has well drawn and memorable characters. Vale, the Holmes detective and Kai, Irene's assistant, trainee and secret dragon in human form, are compelling characters. All the more so for having the ability to act against Irene's and each other's interests when appropriate. Much of the philosophical weight of the book comes from Irene's attempts to keep Vale on her side. Vale is a rational and caring person who believes that the Library should use its powers to help people rather than just preserving books. 

The Librarians can speak the Language and force the physical components of reality around them to do their bidding, which links thematically back to Borges. Cogman makes good use of the concept, exploring both the limitations of the technique. Although most of the characters seem nice, some of the Librarians will use any means necessary to acquire the books they are after, no matter how damaging the consequences to bystanders. We see this personified in the most interesting relationship in the book, between Irene and her ex-mentor Bradamant. Bradamant cares about completing her mission at any cost, and has thrown Irene under the train in the past to achieve this; as a result, Irene is especially conscious of how her actions affect other people, and wants to do her job without causing harm and to help people on the way if she can. Irene has to prove that she can get results while showing Vale that she is ultimately a moral person, unlike Bradamant. 

Cogman handles Bradamant and Irene's relationship very well; there's no denying that Bradamant is incredibly selfish, manipulative and unpleasant. She even goes so far as to drug Irene at the climax so that she can finish the job her way without Irene's interference. Despite the things she has done, she isn't the main villain, and by the end of the book there's a sense that she has learned to respect Irene. By showing that she is both moral and competent she is able to leave behind her hangups about being in Bradamant's shadow.