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A review by nightxade
The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox
4.0
With thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was unfamiliar with The Librarians TV series when I was given the opportunity to read Greg Cox's first tie-in novel. I immediately fell in love with the quirky characters and the fantastical adventures of librarians who guard the magic and secrets hidden in books. I also really loved that the book offered little tidbits of fact with its fantasy. An opportunity to learn a thing or two while being thoroughly entertained? I'm in!
This story takes us back to the literary creation of on Elizabeth Goose who, in 1719, published a children's book filled with rhymes that we all know well. But as any good librarian knows, words have power. As part of the Mother Goose Treaty, the Librarian of that time was able to destroy all of the copies of Mother Goose's spellbook--except the one that is now causing all sorts of trouble for our heroes and the distant offspring of the great storyteller.
Since reading The Librarians and the Lost Lamp, I've excitedly gotten into watching the show and have come to know the characters, each of whom Cox captures easily in his writing. Here, Cox has to work a little harder because the story separates the group as they chase down the three pieces of the spellbook and try to keep Mother Goose at bay. As in the show, Flynn is unsurprisingly absent from the adventure, preferring to work alone, while the other share the snappy banter. While the latter is somewhat of a loss when Ezekiel, Cassandra, and Jake are forced to work with the Goose heirs, I appreciated the opportunity to get the know the characters better on their own. Their respective chapters let them focus on the individual strengths that have made them the first group of Librarians where the order originally only had one at a time. And while they all work well together because of those strengths and balancing each other's weaknesses, it's nice to know that they are still fully fleshed out individual characters who can run solo when they need to.
As I've said, there are several moments of educational value--as there should be in a story about librarians--even magical ones. I've learned that vinegar is a spider deterrent and I can now recite additional verses to several classic Mother Goose rhymes.
The story itself holds up as well as any campy fantasy adventure mystery should. The Librarians never take themselves too seriously, and Cox does the same, leading to a light-hearted romp that was a delight to read.
www.bibliosanctum.com
I was unfamiliar with The Librarians TV series when I was given the opportunity to read Greg Cox's first tie-in novel. I immediately fell in love with the quirky characters and the fantastical adventures of librarians who guard the magic and secrets hidden in books. I also really loved that the book offered little tidbits of fact with its fantasy. An opportunity to learn a thing or two while being thoroughly entertained? I'm in!
This story takes us back to the literary creation of on Elizabeth Goose who, in 1719, published a children's book filled with rhymes that we all know well. But as any good librarian knows, words have power. As part of the Mother Goose Treaty, the Librarian of that time was able to destroy all of the copies of Mother Goose's spellbook--except the one that is now causing all sorts of trouble for our heroes and the distant offspring of the great storyteller.
Since reading The Librarians and the Lost Lamp, I've excitedly gotten into watching the show and have come to know the characters, each of whom Cox captures easily in his writing. Here, Cox has to work a little harder because the story separates the group as they chase down the three pieces of the spellbook and try to keep Mother Goose at bay. As in the show, Flynn is unsurprisingly absent from the adventure, preferring to work alone, while the other share the snappy banter. While the latter is somewhat of a loss when Ezekiel, Cassandra, and Jake are forced to work with the Goose heirs, I appreciated the opportunity to get the know the characters better on their own. Their respective chapters let them focus on the individual strengths that have made them the first group of Librarians where the order originally only had one at a time. And while they all work well together because of those strengths and balancing each other's weaknesses, it's nice to know that they are still fully fleshed out individual characters who can run solo when they need to.
As I've said, there are several moments of educational value--as there should be in a story about librarians--even magical ones. I've learned that vinegar is a spider deterrent and I can now recite additional verses to several classic Mother Goose rhymes.
The story itself holds up as well as any campy fantasy adventure mystery should. The Librarians never take themselves too seriously, and Cox does the same, leading to a light-hearted romp that was a delight to read.
www.bibliosanctum.com