Customer Reviews

Lord of the Libraries

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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).

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

www.flamingnet.com

Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

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!

Lord of the Libraries finishes the story begun in the Rover and Destruction of the Books. It fills you in on the real story behind the destruction of the old world and the libriaries. It finishes the story in grand fashion. Juhg defies the typical dweller stereotype and becomes a true hero, finding the four pieces to the Book of Time and rescuing Wick. He fulfills his destiny to bring reading, writing and books back to the world, allowing the races to break out of the stagnant rut they had been in for thousands of years. Be prepared for some suprising plot twists.

This is a much more mature book than the Rover. It has a darker feel to it, but it is also much more insteresting and compelling. I had a hard time putting it down. Yet agian, Mel's characters and world are rich and vibrant and his story telling superb. A must read for fantasy lovers.

This is a good continuing series and has some really funny quips and barbs in it to keep you interested. Plenty of Good fuys, and bad ones too. Add a cranky Wizard to the mix and you have got a engaging tale to lead up to another in the series.

For centuries, the Great Library has collected and protected books--all the books in the world. Now, though, the library is in flames and its Grandmagister kidnapped. Librarian First Class Juhg had is disagreements with the Grandmagister, but he loves him like the father he lost years ago. He feels responsible for tracking him down, but the wizard, Craugh insists that the Grandmagister wants them to find a peculiar book--the book of time. The more Juhg learns about the book of time, the more he wonders whether Craugh wants it for its power rather than for any desirable purpose. Sure, the Grandmagister trusted Craugh, but the Grandmagister is now imprisioned and tortured--that isn't a very positive recommendation.

Through a combination of logic and blackmail, Craugh eventually persuades Juhg that the search for the book is essential to freeing the Grandmagister. But the book has been broken, with each piece hidden in the trapped ruins of destroyed civilizations (civilizations apparently destroyed by the book itself).

Juhg, a dweller, is an unlikely hero. Still, he resolves to do the best he can. Using the logic he developed in years of working in the library, he manages to do what no one else can--to actually touch the book when he eventually finds the first piece. The book is powerful, but it contains traps of its own. All books are dangerous, but this particular book may be the most deadly item in existance.

Author Mel Odom writes a compelling adventure with sympathetic characters, a fascinating world, a rich history, and some thoughts that are especially relevant as we move dangerously closer to a post-literate society. Odom does a great job making us sympathize with Juhg, while simultaneously letting us see the world from other viewpoints. There are, it seems, other stories, other libraries. While the vanquished Lord Kharrion was undoubtedly evil, he was once able to persuade dwarves, elves, men, and goblinkin to hide the book that they must have known would destroy them. Could he have been fighting against something even more evil. Odom certainly leaves plenty of possibilities open for future exploration into his magical world even as he wraps up this particular story.

The Lord of the Libraries follows The Rover and The Destruction of the Books in Mel Odom's fantasy series.

Again, following the tale of librarian and adventurer Juhg, the endearing dweller must set off on the most difficult journey of his life. The Library of All Known Knowledge has been destroyed, Grandmagister Wick has been kidnapped, and Juhg has been sent off to find the legendary Book of Time. While Juhg would rather try to rescue the grandmagister, his cohorts (comprised of a ragtag lot of humans, dwarves, elves, and a wizard) convince him that he must go after the book instead. More lives are at stake than just the grandmagister's.

The Book of Time is a dangerous book with considerable power. The book was broken in to four parts and hidden away separately. Juhg must decipher clues and track down the pieces of the Book of Time before other groups with more nefarious plans can get their hands on it.

The Lord of the Libraries is even more exciting than the previous installments. Odom has written another wonderful story, full of adventure, humor and fantasy. Continued in the recently release Quest for the Trilogy, I hope he continues writing tales set in this fantasy world for quite a while.