Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from Odysseus to James Bond [Paperback]

Jeff Rovin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?Approximately 500 fictional characters are represented in this attractive, easy-to-read volume. The focus is on diverse courageous and/or inspirational figures such as Indiana Jones, Dick Tracy, Hopalong Cassidy, Ivanhoe, Jack and the Beanstalk, Brenda Starr, and Nancy Drew. Arrangement is alphabetical by either first or last name, or by title, which makes the index a must. The entries vary in length from one paragraph to two pages. Codes after the names explain where the characters became famous?comic books, folklore, mythology, television, trading cards, opera, stage, radio, toys, or video and computer games. The black-and-white photographs are excellent. A fascinating source of information.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Charlie Chan, Modesty Blaise, Jonny Quest, and Beowulf are just some of the more than 500 characters listed here along with the works in which they appeared. Rovin (The Encyclopedia of Monsters, LJ 9/1/89) has drawn entries from the realms of comic books, comic strips, folklore, literature, mythology, motion pictures, opera, radio, television, video, and computer games. For each character or show he offers date and place of first appearance, a biography, and comments that are chock full of interesting information, including relatively obscure facts such as descriptions of the minor characters Dorothy met in Oz. Unfortunately, there are some organizational problems: The sometimes unpredictable placement of an entry (e.g., Kojak is found under L for Lt. Theo Kojak) will force readers to flip back and forth to the index, and the First Appearance and Last Appearance dates are separated by comments. Still, this is a good ready reference for popular culture collections.
Judy Hauser, Oakland Sch. Lib. Srvcs., Waterford, Mich.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816028869
• ISBN-13: 978-0816028863
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,924,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent compilation of often-overlooked characters, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from Odysseus to James Bond (Hardcover)

I couldn't allow Jeff Rovin's ADVENTURE HEROES to be represented by only one derogatory review. In this book, Mr. Rovin continues his ongoing quest to familiarize his readers with the wide range of science fiction and fantasy characters that have been presented throughout history. I might quarrel with some aspects of Mr. Rovin's alphabetical system (The tv show wasn't called "Lt. Columbo," so why should the entry have been under the "L"s?), and, of course, Mr. Rovin's selection process is, as always, occasionally questionable (Where were the kids from the tv show "Dungeons and Dragons"? Where was Kolchak? Why give space to a one-shot parody of Sgt.s Fury and Rock? If you're going to include Rama, then why not delve further into various other religions? How do some golden-age comic book adventurers rate inclusion while others do not? And will we ever be treated to more than casual glances at the literatures and popular cultures of other countries?), but this book remains an excellent example of its type; with so many characters to choose from, we can't expect Mr. Rovin to get to them all, and he does pretty well by the ones he includes. Aside from the above, the only real complaint I can offer about this book is that the cover features Doc Savage so prominently, but, since Doc was covered in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SUPER-HEROES, the book does not discuss him at all. As noted, no book of this type can ever hope to be all-inclusive, but for a look at several American adventure characters of the first half of this century, most of whom Mr. Rovin had no space for, I strongly recommend Robert Sampson's six-volume series YESTERDAY'S FACES.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of..., March 25, 2009

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from Odysseus to James Bond (Paperback)

This is the sort of book that you can spend hours flipping through. Entry after entry brings back memories while revealing obscure facts that you never knew. I suspected that it would be worth purchasing from my experience with the author's ROBOTS, ALIENS AND SPACESHIPS. Sure, neither book is a comprehensive reference , but they both do a good survey while introducing quirky, obscure material that you just won't find elsewhere.

The book starts with a nice little introductory survey on the nature of the hero and the purpose of the book. Then you have an alphabetical section of over 500 entries. This is followed by a bibliography of references for further reading. Then there is a full index (24 pages in small print) to help find the topic you are looking for.

As for the entries, they are coded as to format: comic book, comic strip, folklore, literature, mythology, motion picture, opera, radio, stage, toy, trading cards, television, and video or computer game. Each individual entry is divided into first appearance, biography, and comment sections and range from approximately a quarter page to a couple pages. There are many sharp, appropriate black and white illustrations included.

You have a range of heroes here from the mythological and archetypical from the dawn of time to the modern day anti-hero. As for the format you have everything from 19th century pulp heroes like Frank Merriwell to video game characters like Mario. I would like to list more but there are just too many- I'd never stop. Just as an example you have Gilgamesh and Cuchulain, Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Jonny Quest and Clutch Cargo, Allen Quatermain and Horatio Hornblower, Tom Sawyer and Dorothy Gale, Madmax and Rambo, Captain Kirk and Paul Atreides, etc., etc., etc.

My one small complaint is the cover. Why show both Doc Savage and the Lone Ranger when they aren't listed in the entries?

Perhaps you get out of this book what you bring to it. If you have no experience with any of these characters then perhaps it will disappoint you- or just perhaps it will spark your enthusiasm to seek out the sources...

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Fascinating, January 11, 2010

By 

E. M. Harmon "armchair adventurer" (Montgomery, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from Odysseus to James Bond (Hardcover)

Whether you are simply reliving much-loved memories by reading about the adventure heroes you know well (everyone from Doc Savage to The Avengers) or learning fascinating facts you never knew (Barney Blake was the first sleuth featured in a TV series?), this is a joy to read.

The heroes - ancient or modern - are meticulously researched and presented with just enough depth to make you want to seek out the original works they appeared in, whether books, comic books, radio, TV or movies.