All books, no matter their binding, will fall to dust. The stories they carry may last longer. They might outlive the paper, the library, even the language in which they were first written. The greatest story can reach the stars . . .

The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy, following THE BOOK THAT WOULDN'T BURN.We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.

This place built the city. It built the nation. The empire. All of it. This is power. This is where the histories are. This is where the great philosophers are. This is where the secrets that arm our soldiers are written. This is where the next secrets will be found...