In the Prologue, a third-person omniscient narrator describes the history of the Library of Alexandria after it burned. The Library, which famously contained most human knowledge, faked its destruction as a magical ruse to protect itself from human greed. It burned itself down “to rise again, its burning less metaphorically phoenix-like and more strategically Sherlockian” (3), and from then on has been under the protection of the Alexandrian Society.

The Society is made up of medeians, “the most learned among the magical population” (3), who act as caretakers of the library and use their access to its archives to consolidate their power. Six medeian candidates are chosen every 10 years to join the Society. After spending a year in training, five of the six are initiated and may choose to remain at the library as researchers or to become leaders as politicians, CEOs, or other influential roles. This information is relayed by the character of Dalton Ellery to the newest group of candidates while he reflects on their upcoming trials.

Libby

The chapter flashes back to the recent selection of the candidates. The first characters introduced are Libby Rhodes and