My Thoughts on the Novel, The Librarian of the Haunted Library, 3/24/2026…

It was tough going at first. I thought the prose and the jokes were juvenile, and the worldbuilding took time to unfold. But after I got used to it, got into the rhythm, The Librarian of the Haunted Library, by Brian Yansky, turned out to be a somewhat enjoyable read.

The novel definitely has the Hero’s Journey and fish-out-of-water vibes, and the main character, Kevin, mysteriously missing a last name, has charm that grows on you. There’s also a mystery at the core of this story, with suspects being slightly supernatural in flavor.

The novel takes place in Eden, a Brigadoon-esque place surrounded by a haunted forest that traps people from all over the world and lands them here. This is a nice conceit, and I wish that there was more to it, but I gather the place grows just like Kevin grows throughout the entire series.

I’m not sure at this point if I will read the next installment of this series. I didn’t hate the book, but I feel no pull whatsoever to read the next installment. A cliffhanger ending would have definitely helped, and perhaps persuaded me, but alas, there was none.

I recommend this book to those who like urban fantasy and mystery. Perhaps other readers can see something that I missed in TLOTHL and read the second installment.