Lost magical spells, nightmare nursery rhymes, and a cracked egg that could end the universe; it’s up to The Librarians to save the world once again, in the book, The Mother Goose Chase.
Plot
Mother Goose is on the loose, or at least someone posing as Mother Goose. As it turns out, she didn’t just create delightful little rhymes, her verses are spells. One specific spell could end the universe. The Librarians must team up with Mother Goose’s decedents to get their hands on the spells before annihilation ensues.
Choose Your Own Adventure
The best part about the luxury of a book verses an hour television episode, is time. In The Mother Goose Chase, each character is given his/her own adventure.
Eve Baird and Jenkins are paired up for an in-Library mission, which reads like something out of the pages of Harry Potter.
While trying to quell the chaos occurring in The Library, Jenkins and Baird separate. I was enthralled to have some alone time with Jenkins. His nostalgia for his past, and his love and commitment to The Library, shines during his scenes. I would love more solo time, and out of the Library Jenkins exploits, in future episodes of the show.
If this was Doctor Who, then you could say that Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Jake, travel around the world, to pair up with their own companions.
Cassandra
The thing that I loved the most about The Mother Goose Chase, was getting to see inside Cassandra’s head. There is only so much that the projections and acting can communicate. In the book you get a deeper understanding of the challenges Cassandra faces. It is at times more of an affliction than a talent. She has difficulty controlling her gift. The numbers, equations, arise faster than she would like. They overwhelm her and drain her. The description of what it feels like when she goes into her zone was well written and gave me a whole new appreciation for the character.
Cassandra’s pairing was my least favorite. She works with a rapper who has chosen Little Bo Peep as his brand. Though I appreciated the cleverness of having a rapper as a decedent of one of the greatest rhymers, Mother Goose, the character was an over the top stereotype. There was a glut of slang and sheep references that could have been scaled back a notch or two.
Ezekiel
Out of the three pairings, Ezekiel’s was my favorite. He is paired up with, who else… a librarian. She’s a no nonsense, mid-westerner, who tries her best to keep Ezekiel out of trouble, a difficult task indeed. Ezekiel, always striving for chill, was less exasperated, and more intrigued by his partner. It seems there might be a small part of Ezekiel that longs for a little bit of mothering from time to time.
Like Cassandra, we get a chance to peek inside of Ezekiel’s head. His eyes constantly searching. His mind continuously calculating, filch this, unlock that, crack that code. It was fascinating to see the impulses that Ezekiel chose to act on verses opportunities he chose to let go. Of course, I couldn’t read Ezekiel’s dialogue without reading it in an Australian accent.
Jake
Unlike Cassandra and Ezekiel, you don’t get any additional insight into the workings of Stone’s mind. It seems that even his thoughts have a resolute control.
Jake Stone is paired up with a female adventuring equal named Gillian. If the Kaniacs (Christian Kane’s fandom) ever wondered what it would be like to have a one on one adventure, with a splash of romance, with the ruggedly handsome Mr. Stone, then this is the book for you. Though Jenkins is my Librarians crush, there were a few Stone/Gillian moments that made me swoon.
It’s unclear if the books will be considered cannon in The Librarians world. It’s doubtful that the book’s occurring events will ever be referenced in the show, though events from the show are constantly referenced in the book. It would be exciting if Gillian popped up in a future Librarians episode.
Flynn
What about Flynn? Does he make an appearance, or is he his often absent self? I’ll let you read the book to find out.
Final Thoughts
The Mother Goose Chase offers a fun, clever, plot, that is able to take its time to provide extra insight into The Librarians‘ characters. There are some things that feel over the top, even for the quirky, adventuring crew, but I think that any fan of the television show and its characters, will find joy and appreciation within the book’s pages.
