Rating: 
Summary: If I hear "The little librarian..."
Review: ...one more time, I'm going to vomit.Okay, so I'm a grammar geek. I admit it. And I didn't make it all the way through this book. I admit that too. (I have two reliable sources giving reviews of opposite polarity, so it appears to be a matter of taste.) The premise isn't bad, although somewhat lacking in imagination since it seems to build on The Hobbit without giving credit in that direction. I was actually disappointed that I couldn't finish it --- but I just couldn't get beyond the author's mental stutter. Future Reader, may you avoid the curse to count the number of times this phrase appears. On average, Odom uses "the little librarian" three times per PAGE. That's about every other paragraph. Mel, man! Find a different phrase to describe your hero, or at the very least, just call him Wick! And what was your EDITOR, Brian M. Thomsen, smoking? You both flunk my English class!
Rating:
Summary: If I hear "The little librarian..."
Review: ...one more time, I'm going to vomit. Okay, so I'm a grammar geek. I admit it. And I didn't make it all the way through this book. I admit that too. (I have two reliable sources giving reviews of opposite polarity, so it appears to be a matter of taste.) The premise isn't bad, although somewhat lacking in imagination since it seems to build on The Hobbit without giving credit in that direction. I was actually disappointed that I couldn't finish it --- but I just couldn't get beyond the author's mental stutter. Future Reader, may you avoid the curse to count the number of times this phrase appears. On average, Odom uses "the little librarian" three times per PAGE. That's about every other paragraph. Mel, man! Find a different phrase to describe your hero, or at the very least, just call him Wick! And what was your EDITOR, Brian M. Thomsen, smoking? You both flunk my English class!
Rating: 
Summary: The Next Terry Brooks? NO!
Review: Although this book was entertaining, I found that I could not get attatched to the main character, Wick. He lacked in qualities that are important in a fantasy character. His shallow personality forced the reader to look toward other characters for entertainment. I also found that, while the book took its time to get going, once it did, it hurled by some of its most promising characters, such as Hallekk. I did become very interested in the book when Wick first encountered "the man in black" whose humorous sarcasm kept the book alive. The elven, also holding promise in her love for conversation, is also an anchoring point in the book.
HOWEVER, though entertaining, this book is in a different arena from Terry Brooks, whose characters are depthless. I strongly recommend that ANYONE who likes fantasy, read every Terry Brooks book, especially the ones in the different Shannara Series': The First King, The Sword, The Elfstones, The Wishsong... then the other four of the Heritage of Shannara, immediately followed by the The Voyage of the Jerle of Shannara.
Rating: 
Summary: The rover, a wonderful novel of adventure and suspense.
Review: Everyone else has very nicely outlined the plot of this book, so I won't go there. I will just say that once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down. The little librarian hero, Wick, careens from adventure to adventure with almost nonstop action. Yet the author does not neglect the characters. Wick is wonderful to read about, and he is surrounded by a cast of equally colorful characters. A warning, though, this book only gives hints at the huge backstory of the world Wick travels. Some readers may find this to be frustrating, as they are used to the current fad in fantasy of massive books telling every detail of a world from every possible point of view. I, however, enjoy a bit of mystery and puzzle to my stories and enjoyed trying to figure out things along with Wick! I do hope Mel Odom writes more about Wick and his world. This book, while nicely wrapped up at the end, left me longing to know more of this world!
Rating:
Summary: I coouldn't put it down!
Review: Everyone else has very nicely outlined the plot of this book, so I won't go there. I will just say that once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down. The little librarian hero, Wick, careens from adventure to adventure with almost nonstop action. Yet the author does not neglect the characters. Wick is wonderful to read about, and he is surrounded by a cast of equally colorful characters. A warning, though, this book only gives hints at the huge backstory of the world Wick travels. Some readers may find this to be frustrating, as they are used to the current fad in fantasy of massive books telling every detail of a world from every possible point of view. I, however, enjoy a bit of mystery and puzzle to my stories and enjoyed trying to figure out things along with Wick! I do hope Mel Odom writes more about Wick and his world. This book, while nicely wrapped up at the end, left me longing to know more of this world!
Rating:
Summary: This book is the Dragonheart of any dragon's hoarde
Review: I ravenously devoured this 400 page novel and absolutely absorbed the story with such intensity I was instantly addicted. As a writer I love to read for inspiration, and after reading this I'm ready to start my next novel! The Rover's main character, a timid librarian who oozes frailty, brings us with him on his adventure. I'm not saying "takes us with him" because the reader willingly follows him. As Wick witnesses the events between the fingers held over his eyes, the readers will feel themselves wanting to pull them apart so we can see more. And what makes this book so great is that we DO get to see more. Mel Odom tantalizes the reader with every paragraph and gives us just enough of a taste to want more but doesn't allow us to gorge ourselves until we're full. The characters are full of life, the story is sooooo well-paced, the world is mysterious, and you can almost "feel" Wick's experience as he travels and sometimes trips into his next encounters. I hope there is another adventure for Wick in the near future because I haven't thoroughly enjoyed reading this much since I discovered The Sword of Shannara 15 years ago. Please, this is to books as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is to movies. It is truly an ADVENTURE. If you like to read - treat yourself to a book you'll want to read again and again. I know I will!
Rating:
Summary: The first great adventures of Wick, a humble librarian
Review: The first thing you have to do when considering "The Rover" by Mel Odom is to dismiss the cover and the title (which does not sound like an auspicious beginning to enjoying a book, but hang it there). If the cover painting by the Brothers Hildebrandt looks like Frodo and Sam cornered by Robin Hood and his Merry Men, then you are pretty much on track. What we have here is clearly a marketing ploy, obviously the work of an editor, and a blatant attempt to get readers of Lord of the Rings and the Shannara series(es) to at least stop and take note (Not that there is anything wrong with that). Then there is the title, which I am admittedly at a loss to explain because I do not think the word "Rover" appears in the entire novel (however, "the" is one of the more frequently used words). But it sounds good, so I suspect another marketing ploy. However, the point of any marketing ploy, good or otherwise, is to GET YOU TO READ THE BOOK. When I began reading "The Rover," in which Edgewick Lamplighter, Third Level Librarian at the Vault of All Known Knowledge is shanghaied into a world of magic, adventure, and intrigue, I was just sort of cruising along. Wick is a dweller, which is to say a halfling, who spends all of his time reading what Grandmagister Frollo considers to be the wrong books in the vault. Wick lives in a world that has been shattered in the past by a great Cataclysm between Lord Kharrion's forces of evil and an alliance of men, elves and dwarves. The Vault is presumed to be the sole depository of all the books left in the world, a great library protected for a time in the future when the world can use this storehouse of knowledge to rebuild civilization. But a quick series of mishaps befall our hero and suddenly he is cleaning dishes on a pirate ship run by dwarves. So I am a reading along thinking dwarf pirates are kind of interesting, but I have read about dwarves before, and a dweller seems to be a hobbit without hair on his toes, when suddenly the pirate ship has a visitor. You will know exactly what I am talking about when you read this novel, because this is the point where you sit up and take notice. This is where the character of Wick emerges as someone you want to read more about and where the world Odom has created begins to come into sharper perspective. The success of fantasy books like "The Rover" is always going to depend on the new creations or at least the new combinations the author can bring to play, and once Odom ushers in his first special creation for this fantasy world this novel really takes off. For one thing, the wit and humor really starts to click after that point. My wife commented that I was chuckling while reading this book more than anything she has heard me read in a long time and it was not like I could really just read her a line because the humor is all contextual in terms of characters rather than being one liners. Yes, there is an engaging rogue, but he has this quaint little ability to tell when people are lying that gives him a nice character twist. But the most important thing is that Wick, who begins the story as something of a cartoonish little fellow, becomes transformed at this point and Odom has a fully realized character. Also, Wick suddenly takes on more of a purpose than just wanting to go home, without this book becoming some sort of grand quest. In fact, I was not really sure what the book was about; which is perfectly fine, because this is one of those books that is about the journey not the destination. I was not at all sure if this was one of those to-be-continued/first-volume-of-an-epic-trilogy type novels or not. All I knew was that I was reading "The Rover" for the most important reason there is to read any novel: to find out what happens next. "Kirkus Reviews" considers "The Rover" to be "A cute, smartly told pastiche of Tolkien and Terry Brooks aimed at the Harry Potter crowd and librarians at every level." This might be damning with faint praise at best because (a) "pastiche" is a twenty dollar word that means there is nothing new in the world and suggests Odom is constructing his narrative out of bits and pieces of other people's work, which I take exception to given what I laid out above, (b) even the last (fourth) Harry Potter novel with its turn towards death and darkness is a lark in the park compared to the evil that abounds in Wick's shattered world, which makes it strange to say this book is targeted for younger readers, and (c) librarians do not buy books because they work in giant buildings holding thousands of books, so why target them? Especially since part of the lesson of this book is that there are far better things to be than a mere librarian. I know the comparisons to Tolkien, Brooks and Rowling are inevitable, but they really only get in the way of enjoying Mel Odom's tale. I was sorry to see this tale come to an end and I would like to hear what happens to Wick next. What better response do you want to a have to a book as a reader?
Rating:
Summary: an entertaining fantasy
Review: THE ROVER begins in the Vault of All Known Knowledge in Graydawn Moors. Years prior to the story, the Cataclysm decimated populations and ravaged whole races, and the world's books were brought to the vault where they have been stored and protected for many years. Edgewick "Wick" Lamplighter, a young (only seventy years old) dweller is a Third Level Librarian at the Vault. Wick loves his work as a librarian and especially enjoys books from Hralbomm's Wing, the area of the library where imaginative, adventure stories are kept. Throughout his own adventures, Wick never strays from describing himself as a librarian but by the end of THE ROVER, his work experience on a resume would be quite extensive. Wick is captured by pirates and aboard the One-Eyed Peggie, he progresses from potato peeler and dishwasher to proper pirate in just eight days. He and the other pirates have many encounters while sailing on the Blood-Soaked Sea, but Wick becomes a hero when he saves the ship from being burned by an Embyr, a princess who is caught in a spell that has taken away her memory and requires her to burn for revenge. The Captain offers Wick a reward for saving the ship, and Wick asks for the packing paper so he can record his experiences in pictures and words. Historian can be added to his resume at this point as he tells tales from the past, writes the stories of the pirates, and of course, records his own adventures. When the One-Eyed Peggie is threatened by a slave ship of goblinkin, Wick is forced to surrender himself to the goblinkin in order to save the pirates who have become his friends. Wick's life becomes even more complicated after he is sold on the slave market, and by the end of his adventures, he can add thief, artist, author, and dragon slayer to his resume. Mel Odom, author of THE ROVER, received the Alex Award from the American Library Association. This award recognizes outstanding adult fiction and non-fiction books that appeal to a broad cross-section of teen readers. Odom has had over 100 books published, including books in the SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER series. Action in THE ROVER centers on Wick, the little librarian, but the other characters are also intriguing. Wick's encounter with the Embyr is brief, but she makes a distinct impression because of Wick's story about her past and her reaction to his story. Brant, the leader of the group of thieves, is also a fascinating individual, a mysterious figure in black who emerges as a likeable protector of a band of misfits. Some of the other characters who appear for a short time make a strong impact, and they make the reader hope for more of their stories in future Mel Odom novels. The settings are always clear - from the depiction of the differences between the dweller and the dwarven homes in Graydawn Moors to the complicated description of the tunnels, lakes, and caverns in the mine shaft. The story moves smoothly, taking time to provide background information, develop characters, add a sense of place, while keeping action at a fast pace. THE ROVER will appeal to all who, like Wick, think adventures in real life are much too dangerous but, also like Wick, love the excitement that can be borrowed from books. Whether a librarian, potato peeler, pirate, dishwasher, historian, thief, artist, author, and dragon slayer, the reader will enjoy Wick's story and his attributes that could be listed as admirable qualities on any resume - curious, experienced, dependable, resourceful, imaginative and brave. Wick becomes a friend, and readers will close the book looking forward to a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Wick's Big Adventure
Review: THE ROVER by Mel Odom is an entertaining tale about Edgewick (Wick) Lamplighter, a librarian in the Vault of All Known Knowledge. Wick, a three foot high dwarf-"dweller", is shanghaied by pirates and experiences an heroic journey that takes him to many exotic and dangerous places. During his adventures his curious nature slowly evolves and he becomes a giant of heroic proportions. The bad guys in Wick's world are goblinkin who delight in torturing dwellers, an Embyr who is a beautiful young woman trapped in a forgetful and flaming body, and Shengharck, a vicious dragon who can crisp his enemies in a heartbeat. When Wick finally gets back home to Greydawn Moors, he realizes that the books he'd chosen to read had provided him with lots of important knowledge about the world unknown to him previously. Mel Odom is a gifted writer who works in many fields: fantasy, game related fiction, science fiction, movie novelizations, horror, young adult, juvenile computer strategy guides, action-adventure, and comics. Wick's growth throughout the story is phenomenal. Frightened of shadows in the beginning, his courage is activated by evil doers and eventually zooms into the stratosphere at the end. Getting the answers to perplexing questions and mysteries is no problem for Wick because he draws on a vast reservoir of knowledge extracted from books deemed frivolous by Grandmagister Frollo. Because none of the bad guys can read, Wick's story reveals how evil is perpetuated by ignorance and superstition. The "little librarian" will capture the interest of an extensive array of readers who can look forward to two more books in this series of page-turners. Don't miss them. Mel Odom's huge and loyal following of readers have loved these novels in the fantasy genre: THE LOST LIBRARY OF CORMANTHYR, THE THREAT FROM THE SEA TRILOGY, and RESSURECTION.
Rating:
Summary: The Cover Illustration
Review: This is not a rating of the book, which I have not read. It is meant to inform the reviewers who have mentioned the cover illustration, e.g., "who is the other halfer with Wick" or "the guy in Robin Hood gear." Folks, brethren, fellow fantasy lovers, where are your roots? That cover picture is by the Brothers Hildebrand and it depicts the confrontation between Frodo and Sam (the little guys, you know, hobbits) and Faramir and his Rangers of Ithilien, as described by JRRT on page 312 (paperback edition) of The Two Towers. And how in the name of decency and reason the publishers of Mr. Odom's work dared, had the audacity, had the unmitigated gall, or even had the legal right, to put a Tolkien illustration on the cover of someone else's book, I will never know. They should be ashamed of themselves--and so should Mel Odom, if he had anything to do with it (which he probably did not.) The guy in the Robin Hood outfit, indeed. Read the classics before you read the fluff.
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