Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones – Brandon Sanderson (2008)

Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson, published in 2008, is the second installment in the whimsical and adventurous Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series. This fantasy saga follows a young boy named Alcatraz Smedry who lives in a world where librarians are secretly tyrannical overlords suppressing knowledge and truth. The narrative is framed as Alcatraz’s “autobiography,” complete with witty asides and metafictional commentary. In this volume, Alcatraz embarks on a perilous journey to the Library of Alexandria in search of his missing grandfather and possibly his father, encountering dangerous Librarians, monstrous Curators, and dark secrets about his family along the way.

Plot Summary

A glass dragon soared above the clouds, its translucent wings slicing through the air like a knife through pudding. Somewhere inside its shimmering belly was a boy with a talent for breaking things – not just dishes or doors, but entire hangar doors, airplane wheels, and occasionally the logic of the universe. His name was Alcatraz Smedry, and chaos followed him the way overdue fines followed books.

He’d just barely escaped a swarm of evil Librarians, ducking out of an airport with the help of Courier’s Lenses, a pair of spectacles that could transmit thoughts across space. A mysterious girl named Australia – whose Smedry Talent made her wake up astonishingly ugly each morning – contacted him through the Lenses. She wasn’t very good with them. That didn’t stop her from piloting the aforementioned glass dragon, the Dragonaut, into the thickest part of airport fog to rescue him. Joining her on board were Bastille, the sharp-tongued and recently demoted Knight of Crystallia, and Draulin, her mother, who looked as if she could turn clouds into stone by glaring at them hard enough.

Grandpa Smedry, Alcatraz’s ever-late mentor and explosive fountain of eccentric wisdom, was nowhere to be found. A note had arrived instead, sent via Transcriber’s Lenses, saying something had come up. What had come up was the Library of Alexandria – yes, that Library – and it was crawling with Curators who would rather steal your soul than check your library card.

Alcatraz didn’t need much more prompting. After a faint Courier’s Lens message hinted that Grandpa was in Alexandria and may have found Alcatraz’s father, priorities shifted faster than a short person with a talent for getting lost. Which was lucky, because Kazan Smedry – Kaz – soon appeared on board. Short, bristly, perpetually confused about directions, Kaz could lose himself in a closet and end up in Istanbul. His excitement at visiting the soul-sucking Library was unmatched, possibly because he was already half-crazy.

Against Draulin’s very loud objections, the group redirected the Dragonaut from the Free Kingdom capital of Nalhalla toward Egypt. The flight was scenic until someone decided to shoot at them. A strange F-15 jet with glass elements attacked with Frostbringer’s Lens technology, icing and shattering one of the dragon’s wings. Australia steered with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated squirrel, narrowly dodging missile fire while Kaz clapped with glee and Bastille barked orders at everyone not already panicking.

The crash landing came with all the subtlety of an avalanche in a teacup. The team scrambled out of the broken dragon, sneaking through the Egyptian sands and into the maw of the Library of Alexandria. This was no cozy reading room. Shelves stretched infinitely in every direction, and the librarians here – called Curators – were ghostly, robed entities with hollow voices and bound books instead of eyes. They offered knowledge in exchange for a person’s name. Accepting the deal meant losing one’s soul, which made card catalogs suddenly seem much less threatening.

The group ventured into the labyrinth of floating staircases and endless book corridors. Alcatraz’s Talent proved to be a mixed blessing – it allowed them to break through locked doors and traps but also threatened to collapse the library on their heads. Kaz’s Talent, on the other hand, warped the very geography of the place. He could get lost so effectively that it allowed him to create wormholes and bypass otherwise impassable terrain. He called this “snapping,” and it was as ridiculous as it was useful.

In the depths of the library, they discovered that Grandpa Smedry had been captured. Worse still, a horrifying creature known as an Alivened – part human, part corpse, and entirely wrong – was guarding the prison. It was made from the body of a once-great Smedry turned into a weapon by the Librarians. Escaping the Alivened was like outrunning a sentient blender with a grudge, and it cost them precious time.

Eventually, Alcatraz and Bastille reached the cells where Grandpa was imprisoned, only to find that he wasn’t alone. There was evidence that Attica Smedry – Alcatraz’s long-lost father – had passed through recently. But the man himself was absent, having left a trail of shattered illusions and confusing clues. Grandpa, despite being chained and having just spent quality time with soul-harvesting wraiths, remained unbothered, cracking jokes and planning their daring escape.

But escape would not be that easy. The Curators closed in. Their hunger for names was palpable, and the library began to twist and collapse under the strain of Kaz’s snapping. Alcatraz realized the only way to break through the final barrier was to give the Curators something – not his name, but a decoy. He faked an offer using his Courier’s Lenses, buying the others time. In the chaos, they managed to flee, sprinting through collapsing book towers and flickering lens-light while Curators howled like angry overdue notices.

When they emerged from the wreckage and light, they found themselves not back in the Hushlands or in Nalhalla, but on a silent hill, under a sky filled with stars, far from any library – and far from safety. The questions they carried were heavier than any tome. Why had Attica come to the Library? What had he found? And most chilling of all – why had he left no message for his son?

Alcatraz looked at the friends who’d risked everything to follow him. Bastille – bruised but unyielding. Kaz – still lost but thrilled. Australia – exhausted but smiling. Grandpa – late, as always, but alive. The answers would have to wait. But the fight wasn’t over. Somewhere out there, his father was playing a game with rules no one understood, and Alcatraz was already caught in it.

For now, they had escaped the claws of undead librarians, broken a library older than empires, and rewritten a few rules of reality along the way. That would have to be enough.

Main Characters

• Alcatraz Smedry – The thirteen-year-old protagonist and narrator, Alcatraz has the unusual Smedry Talent of breaking things. Sarcastic, self-deprecating, and insightful, he navigates a world filled with danger and deception while wrestling with his own self-worth, heroism, and familial legacy. His perspective shapes the entire narrative, often breaking the fourth wall to humorously and critically comment on his tale.

• Bastille – A Crystin Knight around Alcatraz’s age, Bastille is brave, sharp-tongued, and loyal. Struggling with her recent demotion, she often clashes with Alcatraz but remains his steadfast protector. Her complicated relationship with her mother and her sense of failure deepen her character beyond her initial aloof demeanor.

• Draulin – Bastille’s stern and honor-bound mother, Draulin serves as Alcatraz’s current Knight of Crystallia. Rigid in her adherence to duty and protocol, she represents the unyielding structure of the Crystin order, often clashing with Alcatraz’s impulsiveness.

• Australia Smedry – A bubbly and cheerful cousin of Alcatraz, Australia is an Oculator with a Talent for waking up looking incredibly ugly. Her optimism and warmth provide emotional levity, and her ability to pilot the Dragonaut proves crucial.

• Kaz (Kazan) Smedry – Alcatraz’s eccentric uncle whose Talent is getting lost, Kaz is humorous and unpredictable. His love for exploration and offbeat perspective on danger and chaos make him both comic relief and an insightful guide through the absurdities of the Free Kingdoms.

• Leavenworth Smedry – Alcatraz’s grandfather, who possesses the Talent of arriving late to things, often to his benefit. Though absent for much of the book, his influence, teachings, and mysterious activities propel much of the story’s urgency and direction.

Theme

• Truth and Deception – At the heart of the series lies the battle between truth and lies. The Librarians’ control of information represents real-world concerns about misinformation and censorship. Alcatraz’s insistence that his autobiography is the “truth” challenges readers to question narratives and who controls them.

• Identity and Self-Doubt – Alcatraz wrestles with his perceived inadequacy and the burden of legacy. The sarcastic tone masks deeper insecurities, particularly about heroism, leadership, and family. His journey is as much about self-acceptance as it is about fighting evil.

• Family and Legacy – The complex Smedry family dynamics shape much of the plot. Each member’s peculiar Talent represents their individuality, but also the responsibility they inherit. Alcatraz’s discovery of new relatives and his quest to understand his parents reveal the layers of expectation and emotion tied to lineage.

• Power and Responsibility – From Oculators to Knights of Crystallia, the story examines what it means to wield power. Characters like Bastille and Draulin highlight the weight of duty, while Alcatraz’s recklessness often tests the boundaries of responsible action.

• The Absurdity of Order – Sanderson satirizes rigid systems—be they academic, military, or societal—through exaggerated bureaucracies, nonsensical traditions, and the literal chaos caused by Smedry Talents. This motif serves as both a comedic device and a critique of institutional rigidity.

Writing Style and Tone

Brandon Sanderson adopts a metafictional, irreverent narrative style through Alcatraz’s first-person voice. The tone is consistently playful, self-aware, and laced with humor that ranges from pun-laden absurdities to biting satire. Alcatraz frequently interrupts the story to speak directly to the reader, mocking traditional fantasy tropes and even his own storytelling choices. This creates a dynamic reading experience that feels improvisational yet cleverly constructed.

The prose oscillates between fast-paced action and moments of introspective wit. Sanderson’s ability to blend slapstick humor with serious emotional undertones gives the book its unique charm. He uses repetition, intentional digressions, and exaggerated analogies (killer kittens wielding chainsaws, for example) not just for laughs, but to reinforce Alcatraz’s unreliable narrator persona and the book’s thematic emphasis on questioning reality and authority. The tone manages to balance ridiculousness with sincerity, making the deeper messages resonate amidst the chaos.