The Crossed Keys Chronicle

The Book of the Most Precious Substance

The Book of the Most Precious Substance

I’m always a sucker for a book in the “book about books” genre, and when I saw the synopsis for The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran, which not only fit that category but also included some magic, I had a feeling this would be a book I’d be interested in.

The story follows Lily Albrecht, a former hit novelist living in upstate New York who now focuses on selling used and antiquarian books online and at book events. She was forced to make a career change after her husband, Abel, developed early-onset dementia, leading them to leave their San Francisco lifestyle and move back to New York so she could care for him. As the book opens, Lily is in New York City at a book sale where a fellow bookseller named Shyman mentions a book he is searching for: the titular The Book of the Most Precious Substance. He claims to have a buyer willing to pay six or even seven figures for it. They agree on a percentage split if she can find it, and the hunt is on.

In an ominous turn of events, Shyman is dead by the next day as the result of an apparent robbery. Motivated by the possibility of life-changing money, Lily enlists the help of a suave, regular customer, Lucas Markson, who happens to be the head of acquisitions at a large university library. Using his connections, they confirm several things: that the book does, in fact, exist; who might be willing to buy it; and, finally, that the book is filled with sex-magic rituals which, if performed correctly, will grant the practitioners their heart’s desires. Armed with this information, the two set off on an international adventure to deliver the book to the highest bidder—and perhaps perform the rituals themselves.

Just to get this out of the way: this is a very horny book. While it doesn’t rise to the level of what much of BookTok seems to be reading these days, there is a significant amount of sex, since that is how the book’s power is unlocked. I appreciated that the characters quickly stop questioning whether magic is real and instead learn to go with the flow. The plot also moves along at a good clip and, thankfully, doesn’t drag the way many books do. There are even some twists at the end—one I saw coming and one I didn’t.

If you’re looking for a book that mixes international globe-trotting, magical tomes, and peril—and you don’t mind a decent amount of sex—I recommend The Book of the Most Precious Substance as your next read.