The City of Dreaming Books

July 23, 2007
German author and cartoonist Moers returns to the mythical lost continent of Zamonia in his uproarious third fantasy adventure to be translated into English (after 2006’s Rumo
), a delightfully imaginative mélange of Shel Silverstein zaniness and oddball anthropomorphism à la Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Optimus Yarnspinner, a young saurian novelist, embarks on a quest to track down the anonymous author of the “most magnificent piece of writing in the whole of Zamonian literature.” Traveling to Bookholm, the legendary City of Dreaming Books, the naïve Yarnspinner falls victim to Pfistomel Smyke, a maggotlike literary scholar who poisons Yarnspinner and abandons him in the treacherous catacombs miles below the city’s surface. Stranded in an underworld steeped in terror-inducing myth and home to more than a few bizarre inhabitants, Yarnspinner undertakes a long and perilous journey back to the world above. Enchanting illustrations by the author compliment a wonderfully whimsical story that will appeal to readers of all ages.

September 15, 2007
Its back to Zamonia, scene of Moers 13' Lives of Captain Bluebear (2002) and Rumo (2006), for another tale of intrigue, battles to the death, and books. Optimus Yarnspinner inherits a fragment of writing from his authorial godfather, Dancelot Wordwright. The fragment is the most flawless piece of writing either has ever read, and it inspires Yarnspinner to travel to the strangest Zamonian city, Bookholm, City of Dreaming Books. He encounters unimaginable dangers and fights for his life many times, for the city is rife with cutthroat Bookhunters, mad booksellers, and most horrifying of all, Pfistomel Smyke, latest in a long line of schemers. Smyke traps Yarnspinner in the labyrinth beneath Bookholm, where he must avoid being killed by Bookhunters rooting out the rarest books, eaten by terrible subterranean monsters, or dispatched by one of the Hazardous Books. While down there, Yarnspinner also encounters wonders and marvels and gets ever closer to the secret of the manuscript fragment. Entertaining characters, terrifying monsters, and wonders beyond imagining make Zamonia the place for fascinating adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Aspiring author Optimus Yarnspinner (a dinosaur) journeys to the city of Bookholm. Seeking the author of a certain perfect manuscript, he discovers wondrous books, countless dangers, unsavory characters, and inspiration. The story's erratic pacing and adult-oriented references make the audience difficult to discern, but the humor and appealingly dark and creepy line drawings may win Optimus some fellow adventurers.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)