Eddie Raven is shopping with girlfriend Lisa in Manhattan when a chance entry into a fortune-teller's shop puts him in line with a gunman. Lisa is shot, and a disembodied voice tells him to run. Then he finds himself in a very familiar nightclub—if Rick's in Casablanca served ogres and three-armed men. As Eddie settles in at his bar, he's next following a yellow brick road in search of a wizard, then in Camelot. Landing in story after story, he also confronts very real threats to his life. Not knowing if this is fantasy, a bad dream, or truly real, Eddie must figure out why the Master of Dreams is pursuing him and also find Lisa, if he can survive the journey. Resnick (A Miracle of Rare Design) takes readers on a delightful romp through various tales with a clueless but resourceful protagonist, setting up a new, intriguing fantasy trilogy. VERDICT Fast-paced action and numerous drops into familiar tales will please readers who enjoy Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

This underwhelming fantasy series launch from Hugo winner Resnick (The Castle in Cassiopeia) sends a hapless everyman on a journey across altered versions of well-known fictional worlds. Grumpy, sarcastic Eddie Raven is visiting a fortune-teller in present-day Manhattan when his girlfriend, Lisa, is shot. Raven flees and finds himself owning a nightclub in Casablanca that's frequented by monsters and a copy of Lisa who is named Ilsa and doesn't recognize him. He narrowly escapes again, only to find he's now a Munchkin searching Oz for its wizard, the Wiz, with Numa the football-playing cowardly lion, Al the robot, Einstein the scarecrow, and another copy of Lisa. His only guide, the telepathic Rofocale, warns Raven he's being hunted across worlds by someone called the Master of Dreams. The original takes on these and other classic literature and film worlds are entertaining, but the plot is overshadowed by the surly main character and bizarre humor (Guinevere of Camelot is portrayed as a "sex-crazed" woman who flings herself at men with no regard for consent; a chef with poor eyesight is rumored to slice off and serve pieces of himself). This is an easy one to pass up. Agent: Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary. (Apr.)