Goblin quest

Goblin quest / Jim C. Hines

Goblin quest is a Pratchett-esque fantasy satire by Jim C. Hines. I discovered Hines when I randomly grabbed Libriomancer off the shelf one day, only to discover that there wasn’t much else by him that was available through ILL. Goblin quest was pretty much the only other book held by the consortium.

Brief plot summary

Jig is a nearsighted goblin at the bottom of the local hierarchy. Struggling to avoid the constant bullying he receives, Jig is captured by a party of adventurers looking for the legendary treasure hidden beneath the caves where Jig’s people live. Forced to act as their guide, Jig encounters just about every classic fantasy monster, trap, and archetype.

Libriomancer

Libriomancer / Jim C. Hines. Originally published 2012.

Libriomancer is The club Dumas for sf/fantasy fans.  It’s a relatively light adventure story packed to the brim with cameos from other, more well known books. It’s a fantasy novel with a bibliography, and as such provides fans of the genre with plenty of in-jokes as well as possible suggestions for further reading.

Brief plot description

(Spoiler free)

Isaac Vanio is a library cataloger with a secret. He is also a libriomancer, a magician with the power to make fiction real. After being assaulted by vampires, he discovers that an unknown power has been manipulating the vampires into attacking magicians. Joined by dryad Lena Greenwood he sets out to save the world …