As a librarian, Lazlo is constantly surrounded by stories. They play an important role in defining his character, and throughout the novel they are a source of strength, hope, and power for him. They grant him special insight into situations where other characters are at a loss and mark him as uniquely suited for this world of magic and monsters. In the narrative, Lazlo’s knowledge of fairy tales sets him apart from other characters and is the source of his greatest strength.

When the character of Lazlo is introduced in Chapter 1, the most important traits conveyed are his fascination with Weep and the breadth of his imagination. While living at the abbey, stories are Lazlo’s refuge; they are “like his own hoard of gold” (10). As Lazlo plays, imagining himself as a Tizerkane warrior, he feels that he is “something more than human. He was a whirlwind. He was a god” (11). Stories are thus established as a vehicle to empower individuals and create places of safety in difficult circumstances.

Chapter 2 finds Lazlo an adult librarian at the Great Library of Zosma, where he has garnered for himself a reputation as a “dreamer” and scholar of fairy tales.