From Publishers Weekly
This amiable, inoffensive Tolkienesque fantasy from bestselling author Odom will satisfy the same teenaged and young adult readers who flock to the author's Buffy and Angel novelizations. Older readers, however, will find the adventures of Wick, the book's hobbit-sized dweller hero, tedious. As a "Third Level Librarian in the Vault of All Known Knowledge," Wick can read, unlike most of the odd creatures he meets oxymoronic "big dwarves," trolls, goblinkin, Boneblights in a series of contrived encounters that make up the overlong story. Shanghaied by pirates (dwarves who seem on the verge of bursting into Gilbert and Sullivan's "Tarantara, tarantara"), Wick saves the pirate ship from a flaming female Embyr, but the plot doesn't really catch fire until midway through, when humans, in particular the engaging leader of a band of thieves to whom Wick is sold as a slave, push the dwarves offstage. In the familiar tradition of The Lord of the Rings, Wick rescues a beautiful elven lady from a web spun by a huge spider, decodes a puzzle using his reading skills and defeats a colossal dragon by inadvertently dropping its gem-heart into a lava mountain. It's no wonder that by tale's end "the little librarian," as the author likes to refer to Wick, has grown in self-confidence and esteem. With the movie of The Fellowship of the Ring on the horizon, this knock-off from the Master can only benefit from the reading public's insatiable appetite for all things Tolkienian. (Aug. 27) Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Edgewick Lamplighter is a third-level librarian in the basement of the Great Library. The bookish, fearful, pint-sized fellow's vast knowledge of the world has been acquired through reading. When the Master sends the halfling to deliver a package/letter to a warder on the Yonderling Docks, his curiosity gets the best of him. Wick follows the man down an alley and saves him when he is attacked by creatures called Boneblights, sent by the evil Lord Kharrion. Wick is shanghaied by pirates, given to goblins to be sold as a slave, and then adopted by a gang of thieves. In for the adventure of his life, the quiet librarian wants nothing more than to be at home in bed reading. The development of Wick's character is as good as the weefolk in Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara (Ballantine, 1983) and in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (Houghton, 1938). Odom has created a likable, believable character who will continue his adventures as a newly promoted Second Level Librarian in charge of great books. Fans of the movie version of Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring (Houghton, 1982) will be looking for books to satisfy their interest in weefolks. Readers will enjoy the wealth of creatures in this tale of magic, mystery, and self-discovery, and will stand up and cheer for this little guy who reaches for his best shot and saves the day.Linda G. Sinclair, Alexandria Library, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Shanghaied by dwarven pirates, Edgewick Lamplighter, a lowly halfling librarian employed by the Great Library, finds himself faced with the life of adventure and peril he has always wantedand feared. The author of Lethal Interface pays homage to Tolkien, Brooks, and other masters of epic fantasy in this rollicking tale of an unlikely hero who proves that even a humble librarian can boast an arsenal of unconventional weapons. Suitable for most YA and adult fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Grandmaster Frollo thinks timid little halfling Edgewick (Wick) Lamplighter, third level librarian in the remote and secret Vault of All Known Knowledge, spends far too much time reading trivial legends that spur the imagination at the expense of logical thinking. Sent by the grandmaster to the harbor to deliver a package, Wick tangles with the dreaded Boneblights and, running for his life, accidentally manages to kill some. Thinking he is a brave fighter, dwarfs shanghai him to their pirate ship, where his lack of prowess comes to light, and he is condemned to washing dishes for the harsh cook. His book knowledge earns him respect, though, when he saves the ship from a heartless, fiery Embyr, one of nine created near the end of the long-ago Cataclysm by the evil Lord Kharrion to wreak revenge. After that, Wick is enslaved by vicious goblinkin, rescued and adopted by thieves, pursued by assassins through the Forest of Fangs and Shadows, attacked by Shengharck, King of the Dragons--and more. Pushing the conventions of fantasy to the max, Odom serves up a rip-roaring, pell-mell, often laugh-out-loud romp. Throughout, though Wick's companions readily wield swords and other weapons against their enemies, it is Wick's vast knowledge of aged lore that saves the day. A surefire page-turner, and the characterizations are simply delicious. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Move over Terry Brooks, Mel Odom is a master storyteller of the ways of the weefolk" - Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms and Band of Four series

"Smartly told" - Library Journal

"A charming fantasy ...a cute, smartly told pastiche of Tolkien and Terry Brooks" - Kirkus Reviews

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
This well-crafted fantasy in the Tolkien vein is packed with pirates, dragons, thieves, goblins, and magic. It's a lighthearted adventure that never takes itself too seriously and keeps the action moving -- without bogging down in the endless histories and orations so many fantasy novels provide to justify the existence of the world and its inhabitants.

Edgewick Lamplighter is a Dweller, one of a race of halflings living in the shadow of the better-respected races of Dwarves, Elves, and Humans. Nevertheless, he holds the very important scholarly position of Third-Level Librarian in the Vault of All-Known Knowledge. Wick longs to become a Second-Level Librarian and works diligently toward that goal, but he's frequently distracted by adventure tomes and histories of magic -- a passion that earns him the disapproval of the Grand Magister.

When Wick is entrusted to deliver a mysterious package to the Customs House, his curiosity about the recipient gets the better of him, and before he knows it, he's off on a series of fast-paced adventures of the sort he's only read about. From pirates to slavery to volcanoes and dragons, Wick meets his destiny with a combination of excitement and terror -- and soon finds the knowledge acquired from his unauthorized studies to be a great asset. Humble, capable, and completely affable, Wick makes friends wherever he goes and quickly assembles a delightfully colorful band of companions who aid him in his adventures and speed him toward the explosive, page-turning conclusion.

Though Odom offers nothing particularly original in his creations, their world, or their mythology, his tale is deftly told. It's a quick and satisfying read with a host of instantly likable characters and a string of adventures that are sure to please. Thoroughly enjoyable for adult readers, it also makes a great follow-up for kids looking to branch out after Harry Potter. (James Gaddis)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Rover is the tale of an easily distracted dreamer, a halfling whose life as a third level assistant librarian at a far-off and isolated center of learning is disrupted when he is shanghaied and sold into slavery in a distant land.

From then on it's one adventure after another as he is adpoted by a thieves' guild, pursued by assassins, and made to do battle with a very significant dragon who may very well hold the fate of the world at his beck and call.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA

Although not particularly successful because he has never been promoted from his position as a Level Three Librarian at the Vault of All Known Knowledge, Edgewick "Wick" Lamplighter loves his vocation even if it means that all of his adventures merely are borrowed from books. This situation completely changes for Wick when Grandmagister Frollo sends him on an errand to deliver a package to the Customs House at the docks of Blood-Soaked Sea. Here the curiosity of the halfling librarian causes him to be shanghaied into an adventure that will change the course of his life. Captured by pirates and sold into goblinkin slavery before joining a band of renegade thieves, Wick soon finds that his ability to read and his knowledge of what Grandmagister Frollo terms frivolous reading assist him throughout his adventures. Wick quickly learns that even a lowly librarian can outsmart the sharpest thieves and the most dangerous magical creatures if he puts his mind to it. In the spirit of Terry Brooks's tales, Odom's fast-paced novel will entertain readers of all ages. A hearty serving of magical creatures, ancient battles, and glittering treasure create an exciting book, while the diminutive Wick makes it a down-to-earth story. Aimed at the Harry Potter and Tolkien fans, this novel leaves just enough suspense at the end to suggest that there might be other adventures for the unlikely hero. VOYA CODES:4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses;Broad general YA appeal;Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12;Adult and Young Adult). 2001, Tor, 416p, $25.95. Ages 15 to Adult. Reviewer:Heather Hepler—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)

Library Journal

Shanghaied by dwarven pirates, Edgewick Lamplighter, a lowly halfling librarian employed by the Great Library, finds himself faced with the life of adventure and peril he has always wantedand feared. The author of Lethal Interface pays homage to Tolkien, Brooks, and other masters of epic fantasy in this rollicking tale of an unlikely hero who proves that even a humble librarian can boast an arsenal of unconventional weapons. Suitable for most YA and adult fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Edgewick Lamplighter is a third-level librarian in the basement of the Great Library. The bookish, fearful, pint-sized fellow's vast knowledge of the world has been acquired through reading. When the Master sends the halfling to deliver a package/letter to a warder on the Yonderling Docks, his curiosity gets the best of him. Wick follows the man down an alley and saves him when he is attacked by creatures called Boneblights, sent by the evil Lord Kharrion. Wick is shanghaied by pirates, given to goblins to be sold as a slave, and then adopted by a gang of thieves. In for the adventure of his life, the quiet librarian wants nothing more than to be at home in bed reading. The development of Wick's character is as good as the weefolk in Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara (Ballantine, 1983) and in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (Houghton, 1938). Odom has created a likable, believable character who will continue his adventures as a newly promoted Second Level Librarian in charge of great books. Fans of the movie version of Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring (Houghton, 1982) will be looking for books to satisfy their interest in weefolks. Readers will enjoy the wealth of creatures in this tale of magic, mystery, and self-discovery, and will stand up and cheer for this little guy who reaches for his best shot and saves the day.-Linda G. Sinclair, Alexandria Library, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews