Wiley (The Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan) overloads this quirky, absurdist fantasy with colorful set pieces, leaving little room for suspense or emotion. When city-dwelling goblin Icarus Isakov unexpectedly receives a letter from his childhood crush, Ruby Rockhollow, with whom he long ago lost touch, he boards an airship back to his hometown of Rockville for a reunion. But when he arrives, he finds the town largely deserted and Ruby’s house reduced to rubble. Icarus has all but lost hope of finding her when he stumbles upon a bar that “serves memories instead of drinks” and is miraculously still open. His trip down memory lane offers clues that propel him on a dreamlike expedition to a lighthouse operated by a half man, half cat; onward to an empty castle; and finally to an abandoned mine—but he still can’t find Ruby. Disheartened once more, he returns to the bar, where the proprietor, Forgetful Faun, discovers a secret code in Ruby’s letter. Icarus is an empathetic hero, and the mystery of Ruby’s whereabouts carries the story, but the adventures are disappointingly half-baked as Wiley rushes from one big idea to the next, and the final twist falls flat. This is an uneven fantasy, but it’s not without its charms. (Self-published)