Lord of the Libraries [Hardcover]

Mel Odom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2005

In The Destruction of the Books, the Vault of All Known Knowledge was destroyed and its learned caretaker abducted , leaving the forces against darkness without resource and leadership.

The world as they know it and all that is good are now threatened by the same shadows that have oppressed the continent beyond the sea.

The only hope for enlightenment and salvation lies in a lowly librarian adventurer named Juhg who unknowingly brought about the cataclysm. He now must save the day by seeking out his master and another store of knowledge that has been held in secret. In doing so, Juhg will unlock the mysteries of the past so as to allow the emergence of a new guardian....

The Lord of the Libraries.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Odom's winsome Tolkienesque fantasy, the third in a series that began with The Rover (2001), a month has passed since the near eradication of the Vault of All Known Knowledge and the disappearance of its chief librarian, Grandmagister Edgewick "Wick" Lamplighter, in The Destruction of All Books (2004). Now First Level Librarian Jugh, a small halfling and former slave, and his old friend, the wizard Craugh, go in search of Wick, who was last seen in hot pursuit of The Book of Time, a dangerously powerful tome that has been broken into four pieces for the world's safety. Joined by brave elves, dwarves and humans, Jugh and Craugh fight against tremendous odds in an effort to rescue Wick from evil Aldhran Khemphus. They must also discover another mysterious library and find the key to release the vault of true knowledge to all. While the series is best read in order, readers can enjoy this third volume on its own because of Odom's fluid mastery of establishing lovable characters and interweaving prime plot points from earlier books. (July 13)
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From Booklist

The third in a series that began with The Rover (2002) takes up where The Destruction of the Books (2004) left off. The Vault of All Known Knowledge has been all but destroyed in the battle with attacking evil forces. Juhg, apprentice to Edgewick Lamplighter, the vault's grandmagister, once again is the protagonist. Accompanied by companions who include the wizard Craugh, Juhg, who would prefer to attempt to rescue the grandmagister from his Goblinkin captors, reluctantly embarks on the task set him by the grandmagister--to find and reunite the four hidden sections of The Book of Time and keep it out of the hands of the dark forces. The quest for the sections is fraught with danger as the companions travel to the far reaches of the land in their search. The story's fast pace, violent action, camaraderie among the companions, and leavening humor add up to a hard-to-put-down page-turner. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765307243
• ISBN-13: 978-0765307248
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write in a number of fields, but always with the hope of telling an interesting tale that will incite a reader to think for himself or herself, to examine his or her own place in the world, and offer a little nudge in the direction of dreams, faith, and personal growth in spite of whatever odds a person has to face. I also believe we were all put here for a purpose. Hopefully, several purposes. I'm a father, a little league coach, a teacher, a friend, and a writer. I struggle to keep that balance, as many of us do these days, but I hold tightly to the belief that I'm doing all I can be doing, and doing what I should be doing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Level Librarian Jugh must save Wick and "The Book of Time", July 16, 2005

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord of the Libraries (Hardcover)

The second part of a trilogy usually ends at the narrative's nadir, and that was certainly the case with "The Destruction of the Books." The assault on the Vault of All Known Knowledge by Lord Kharrion's collection of Dark Riders, Grymmlings, and Boneblights not only results in the titular disaster, but sees the abduction of Grandmagister Edgewick Lamplighter. As far as First Level Librian Jugh is concerned, the preservation of what remains of the library is secondary to rescuing Wick. But it turns out the Grandmagister wanted to be taken as part of a grand design Wick and the wizard Craugh have been planning to find the pieces of "The Book of Time." Now it is up to Jugh to accomplish this task, joined by a fellowship of allies who will try to keep him alive every time he gets into another sticky situation.

By this point in the trilogy that began with "The Rover," Mel Odom will have been abandoned by those who want to reduce these books to the level of a mere Tolkien pastiche, which leaves those of us who like the fast-paced action and focus more on their uniqueness. Yes, the main characters are a halfling and a wizard, but one of the things I liked about "Lord of the Libraries" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, J.R.R.) is that Jugh does not trust Craugh, especially once he finds out about the wizard's past involving "The Book of Time" and his role in bringing about the Cataclysm of Lord Kharrion. Every single time Craugh says or does anything in this novel, Jugh has these "yes, but" thoughts that I find even more amusing than thinly veiled jokes about Budweiser commercials and the like.

I also liked the prologue to "Lord of the Libraries," in which the importance of the Vault of All Known Knowledge is underscored by the activities of Novice Librarian Dockett Butterblender in the wake of the attack. For that matter, my favorite scene in the book is when Jugh, weakened by wounds and shaking from a fever, reveals a book to someone who has never seen one before. Jugh cannot stop talking about the books in the library, the acts of the Grandmagister, and all the things that he has read about. This is key because in his heart Jugh does not want to be just a librarian, simply preserving books and the knowledge they contain. He wants to be a teacher. For Jugh, copying books so that they can be preserved is not as important as copying books so they can be shared. These stories are told in the Dark Ages of this world, but Jugh represents the hope of a true Renaissance.

A lot happens in this book. When I was within 100 pages of the end I was wondering how Odom was going to be able to play out his entire end game in so few pages, but the answer is simply that things start moving in "Lord of the Libraries" in the first chapter and they never really stop until the last one. More importantly, Odom is coming up with interesting things in virtually every chapter, so the pace is quick but the story does not remain simple. Since this is the 21st century I would say that the book reminds me of the type of computer games that I tend to play, where you go about collecting items and solving puzzles, except that there are a lot more battles to fight, where Cobner the dwarf, Jassamyun the elf, and Raisho the human who is Jugh's best friend, get to save his neck time and time again (although, to be fair, Jugh holds his own in such encounters).

"Lord of the Libraries" is a fun read that is serious enough without being pretentious, which is the pitfall of most fantasy trilogies. I appreciate the way Odom has created his own little dance in the shadow of Tolkien. Wick and Jugh might be the size of hobbits, but they have a dedication to their life's work that makes them decidedly different from Bilbo and Frodo. The work of the librarians will never end, even when you get to the final page of this novel. My only complaint is that Odom has not worked a return visit by the Embyr, the flaming female Wick encountered on his first adventure when he was shanghaied by dwarf pirates (or is it pirate dwarves?). But Odom is working on another book in this world, which takes place before "The Destruction of the Books," so I am hopeful that within the pages of that book she will make her appearance (hint, hint, hint).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding novel, September 19, 2005

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord of the Libraries (Hardcover)

Dwellers are librarians. They don't fight; they protect books. They are quick on their feet and their intelligent minds tell them to hide at the first sign of danger. Jug is a dweller. He is also a First-level Librarian at the Vault-of-all-Known-Knowledge. When the grandmagister is kidnapped while rescuing Jug after a trap is set off in the Vault-of-all-Known-Knowledge, Jug is heart-broken. He goes in pursuit on the ship One-eyed Peggie. However, when the goblinkin ship holding the grandmagister hostage continues past Imarish, the city of the docks, where the grandmagister told Jug to go to find something that was hidden there, Jug has no choice but to stay in Imarish and let One-Eyed Peggie pursue the goblinkin ship without him. Jug sets out on an adventure that is filled with danger, an adventure that no normal dweller would even consider undertaking. But Jug is determined to save the grandmagister, and this quest is the only way. Can Jug conquer his fears of the adventure, his distrust of Craugh, the wizard who revealed his horrible past to Jug, and above all, rescue the grandmagister?

Mel Odom's Lord of the Libraries is a great read. You are never sure whom you can trust, which leaves readers in suspense throughout the entire book. There are twists and turns from beginning to end, and even when you're sure you finally know the outcome of one thing or another, something happens that you never expected. Readers who love fantasy and adventure will enjoy this book immensely, as this sequel to Destruction of the Books is an outstanding novel.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, April 8, 2006

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord of the Libraries (Hardcover)

This sequel to The Destruction of the Books picks up right after that book, returning us to Mel Odom's world of elves, dwarves, wizards and (hobbit-like) dwellers. Librarian Juhg is hot on the trail of the kidnapped Grandmagister Edgewick Lamplighter. But, it soon becomes apparent that to rescue Wick, he must first track down a magical artifact of great power, The Book of Time. However, along this quest he begins to learn things about those who accompany him, and about the world he lives in. He will face great challenges, and greater dangers...even from those he thought he could trust!

Overall, I found this to be a great book! It starts out good, but when the quest for The Book of Time gets underway, it really turns absolutely gripping. I found myself glued to my chair, unable to put the book down.

If you like a good book of elves, dwarves and wizards, then you will love this book. I loved the many settings that the character journey through, and I loved whole premise of the series. This is a great book, one that I give my highest recommendations to!