This piece is something special in its own right.
It's not very pompous or glamorous, but soft in its language and a deep introspection as well. The prose is not simply prose here, but an endeavor. "Now emancipated from his self-inflicted study" or " to deliver words that would otherwise be lost among serpentine walkways and turpentine shelves" are descriptions of surroundings and ongoings that reflect a deep respect for the very same. It's a new way to look at the world, a soft and forgiving view.
The story is also adding a new niche to the Library's ecosystem. It felt like 'Of course, why has nobody done this before' to me, especially the community itself, living a live in the Library, inventing new sciences based on literature…!
Now to the most important part - for me - and that is the protagonist. I started off not liking him a whole lot. I don't like overly strict and disciplined personalities in general, at least if the strictness appears like a masquerade. I had to realize, though, that this might have been due to him reminding me a little bit too much of myself many years ago. This is a complex personality, who used to retreat from the world a whole lot, as solitude was an awesome thing, enabling growth, and leaving space for passion. Terence needed to retreat because he wasn't done with his inner development yet, one that could only be finished by himself alone.
It's too easy to dislike these kinds of people for how estranged they can become to everyone and everything before learning to integrate again. And that makes this text all the more respectable for being respectful to all of them through Terence. It's all the more heartwarming to see his eventual emergence from his inner exile and while it certainly feels like he still has a long way to go, he's now on a path leading to somewhere.
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- Nylo
