The Librarian and the Time Machine by Brian Yansky Series: Strangely Scary Funny #3
Published by Keeping It Weird on October 27, 2023
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genres: Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 212
Format: eBook
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A fun, fast, fantastical In book 1 after an altercation with a clown, I get lost in the woods and find a strange town. When the librarian of the town dies in front of me, I try on his ring. It fits. I’m declared the new librarian by the mayor and townspeople. I get to live in a houseful of books. But I soon learn the job involves more than just tomes and information. In fact, my first assignment is to discover who murdered my predecessor.
In the third novel of the series, I use an object from the Collection of Curiosities to travel through time back to when I was a teenager and Lola, my best friend, disappeared and Bubba Lee, my mentor, was murdered. I have to face some demons from my past that lead, as often happens when you’re facing demons from the past, right into the present.
We know the setup. Kevin is the librarian of Eden, (maybe) Lucifer aka Karl’s son, and is trying to stop the apocalypse. This time around he’s also trying to find out who killed his mentor when he was a teenager. Happily, there’s a groovy time machine in the library he can use.
I’m not a fan of time travel usually, but this book does not take itself seriously at all, so it works. It’s also the only way to leave Eden and the four teenagers who have spent their entire lives in the village are desperate to leave, if only for a little while. I like the history of Eden we get here – why it’s important and why the teenagers are the only children.
The plot twists are interesting, if slightly ridiculous. It’s light and entertaining and a quick afternoon read. It is one of those series where each installment feels like a to-be-continued episode.
About Brian Yansky
Brian Yansky lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, the writer Frances Yansky. He has a BA from The University of Texas and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. He’s an Assistant Professor at Austin Community College where he teaches writing. He writes both young adult and adult fiction. His adult stories have appeared in the Crescent Review, Nebraska Review, Chiron Review and other literary journals.