The perpetual optimist

“It’s almost like nothing else when you are writing and everything comes together,” Hines said. “You say, ‘Now I’ve got it. I’ve created something really good.’”

That something really good might just be a “goblin cannibal” or his favorite sidekick character, Smudge, the flaming spider who likes to play with fire. In “Unbound,” Smudge once again joins up with the magicwielding libarian Isaac Vainio as he seeks to save the world from evil. Joining Isaac is the dryad warrior, Lena Greenwood, along with his psychiatrist, Nidhi Shah, who shares Isaac’s affection for Lena.

Hines’ creativity reaches a new level in “Unbound” as the trio is in the middle of a battle between competing magical interests who will force a magical war that could destroy the world. On one side are the Porters who for more than 500 years have attempted to conceal the existence of magic from the world. And we’re not talking street illusions or Las Vegas shows — the characters in “Unbound” levitate, jump, drink magic potions and disappear. The magic here, book magic, is much more deadly and infinitely more creative.

Isaac’s crew faces Meridiana, a former queen in the body of a 14-year-old girl who once served as Isaac’s intern. Stolen from Isaac, she is on a quest for a papal artifact that would give her the power to command an army of the dead.

Book magic can be traced back five centuries to Johannes Gutenberg, who has rewritten history and appears both as a bad guy and good guy in the series. Book magic allows certain magic practitioners to reach into a book and create a living person or even a special ray gun of the type Isaac keeps on his hip. Isaac, who once possessed the power of book magic, has lost it and must rely on the powers of his friends … and his own wits.

Long-time science fiction fans will appreciate Hines’ many references, often tongue-in-cheek, to popular books and movies in the genre. For example, Hines said Isaac is a big “Dr. Who” fan, and references the Doctor’s “big pockets.” Hines is just as likely to include “Star Trek” insider jokes in his books and short stories.

“I grew up reading pretty much nothing but ‘Star Trek’ novels,” he said. “There was a sense of possibility and a sense of optimism.” He also admitted reading all the “Peanuts” books, the lore of which is deeply imbedded in Hines’ writing. (Think: psychiatrist.) To proclaim his love of “Peanuts,” Hines once went to a fan convention where he won “best costume” as an older, zombie-hunter version of Charlie Brown.

Hines said, Isaac, unlike many sci fi protagonists, is a “perpetual optimist.” He said no matter how much Isaac gets beat down (or miniaturized, like a purse as he is in the book) he “still keeps running toward the football.” The author said he purposefully chose a librarian and books as major points for his “Magic Ex Libris” series.

“Books have been a big part of my life, and this series featuring a librarian and book magic is a like a love letter to fandom books and magic,” he said. “I purposely wanted to write a series that was more hopeful and optimistic and one that says we have magic and it is awesome.”

Another marker of Hines’ books is that he bends traditional gender roles, a common topic on his Hugo Award-winning blog. Hines’ female characters as exemplified by Lena. She may be sexy, but she kicks ass with her pair of wooden swords.

Hines said the genre, overall, is getting more diverse and inclusive, moving away from “the young white dude hero.” Hines also would like to see the industry move away from featuring the typical sultry damsel on the covers of books.

“I know the purpose of covers is to sell books, but it goes back to who you think your audience is,” he said. “Slathering covers with women in the typical dress of early pulp novels is not my way.”

The cover of his most recent novel features Isaac looking more like a sophisticated Indiana Jones. For Hines’ taste, Isaac would be joined by his soulmate, Lena, who was born from the pages of a book. His previous “Magic Ex Libris” entry, “Codex Born,” featured Lena in a warrior pose emerging from a book.

The series is set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where you are likely to run across a retired arthritic werewolf sitting on a porch swing sipping a beer. (A possible reference to Warren Zevon’s werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s.) Hines says it would be hard to adapt the series into movies, but his “Goblin” and “Princess Diaries” are both movie-friendly. Recent hit films “Into the Woods” and “Maleficent” both illustrate how fantasy can be creatively adapted to movies.

“(Making movies) is not something I live for,” he said. “It’s not why I write. It’s something out of my control.”

Hey, but wouldn’t it be fun if Wil Wheaton, who provided the ultimate blurb for one of Hines’ books, put a bug in the ear of the producers of “The Big Bang Theory.” Imagine what Sheldon could do with a firestarter Smudge replica that also is a great mosquito repellant.

Jim C. Hines Author talk and book signing

7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 Schuler Books & Music Okemos 1982 Grand River Ave., Okemos (517) 349-88340, schulerbooks.com