Customer Reviews

Traveler (Wildside Romance)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You may think the world is a dangerous place now, but just imagine if it was run by goblins who have infiltrated every power cell of society. In that world, humanity is reduced to little more than slaves, or worse. Those who remain free have united in Humans UnderGround or HUG. Their current mission is to keep the Goblin King out of the White House, and their best hope of doing that is for Io, a young half fey woman they rescued to infiltrate Motor City, the major Goblin stronghold. Io will need the help of Jack Frost, another half fey who is a master of death, and of love.

Wielding borrowed magics, hiding behind disguises, they navigate the dangerous maze of the goblin world. One wrong move could cost them and all of humanity a price too great to pay. Yet, if they are successful, they have a future and a hope, both as race and individuals. Jack and Io have discovered that their greatest magic is love.

***** Whether you want fantasy, action, intrigue, romance, or fun, this book is for you. The Lutin Empire is a well crafted world, with logical rules and believeable characters. In some ways, it reminds me of Piers Anthony's complex worlds, or Laurell K Hamilton, in others, there is a bit of the Matrix. Either way, it's a wild ride, worth every page. *****

Amanda Killgore

Wow! I cannot believe that I left TRAVELER by Melanie Jackson sitting on my bookshelf for months, ignored, in favor of reading other romantic paranormals. What an idiot I was! This book is a jewel among paranormal romances! It has fantastic characters, a fascinating storyline, and a creative setting. The best part is that Jackson can write - and I mean well! I cannot stop raving about this book.

The hero, Jack Frost, is sent in by the police to find out what dirty deeds the flesh-eating goblins are up to in Goblin Town. Jack happens to be a death fey, meaning he has potent death magic up his sleeve. At the same time, an underground organization called HUG is sending in Io, a siren fey, to intercept Jack and find out what he knows. Jack and Io meet, the attraction flares, and from that point on, they work together on a dangerous mission to stop an evil goblin from exterminating the human species.

The alternate world that Jackson creates is fantastic. Goblin City comes alive in all its ugly weirdness. Jack and Io's magic spells are also fun; in many ways, the magic itself becomes a secondary character. I love the easy dialogue between these two, as well as their relationship. You can practically see these two fall in love. And it's not fast or cheesy. Plus, this book is NOT sex scene after sex scene, interspersed with minimal (or stupid) plot, as many other romances are. No, it actually has a great plot, which keeps you reading. You WANT to know what happens next in Goblin Town.

Of course, the book is not perfect. Some reviewers complain the first chapter is confusing, which could be true. Certainly, it is almost all talk and no action, as it tries to explain the dynamics of humans, half-feys, and goblins within this alternate world. Also, I would have liked to see Jack use more of his death magic ... but that's not so much a complaint as it is curiosity.

Anyway, if you are looking for a good, engaging read, try this book. TRAVELER is one of those stories that tickle the imagination. It is also the first in a series. The next book is called OUTSIDERS (supposedly, the hero is a dragon). I can't wait to read it!

***For a similar read, try Emma Holly's erotic THE DEMON'S DAUGHTER. It is also set in an alternate world, which is sort of like Victorian England.***

This is a book I just want to gush about. Simply put, it's probably one of most enjoyable books that I've read in a while. The paranormal romance genre is cluttered mainly by vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and timetravelers. Melanie Jackson's imagination introduces readers to a world very much like our own- but where the Fey Folk and goblins walk among humans. It's very evocative of Laurell K. Hamilton's work, but without the extreme gore factor and the ridiculous bed-hopping nonsense of her later works.
Io is one of the Fey. After her mother was killed by Goblins, she hooked up with HUG or Humans Underground, a vigilante group that is violently pro-human and anti-everything supernatural. Io is sent on a mission to find out what the goblins of Goblin Town are plotting and to keep an eye on Jack Frost, a death fey who works for an unknown third-party. However, Jack suspects that HUG itself may be compromised by the Goblins, who have now replaced the world's most prominent humans with their own kind. Jack and Io must team up to take out the goblin trash.
I absolutely loved this story. It's an action packed roller coaster through a dark urban environment, my favorite kind. I found Goblin Town, with its perpetual Halloweenish landscape, to be an absolutely facinating setting.
If there is anything wrong with the story, it's that the characters really aren't that meticulously developed, but they serve their purpose as sexy, magical action heroes.

I have always enjoyed Melanie Jackson's historical novels, and being a fan of the genre, it was with a little bit of trepidation that I picked up this novel. I was not disappointed.
It is action packed, full of wit and humor. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. I love this world!

(My rating is 3.5 stars.)

Traveler is the first in Melanie Jackson's Wildside Romance series, and it introduced me to an alternate reality of earth that I definitely want to learn more about. In Jackson's world, a number of species, primarily the fey and the goblins, have, with much struggle, become a part of human society.

Despite the existence of H.U.G. (Humans Under Ground), humans, on the whole, seem to have little awareness or understanding of the evil that permeates the goblin infrastructure. Luckily for humanity though, the fey, having much greater knowledge of them, and the magic to see them more clearly, understand that the goblins, trolls and gargoyles, etc. are big trouble, and are taking steps to do something about it.

Traveler plunges us directly into a goblin plot to take over, well, the world, and Jackson does a great job of describing Goblin Town, of showing us the tragic horror of human addiction to goblin fruit, and making clear the complete callousness of the goblins and their ilk to life - human, fey, and even of their own kind.

While I really liked both Jack and Io, I found the romance aspect of the story less satisfying than the setting and the adventure. The story takes place over a few short days, which contributes to the romance feeling very rushed, and although Jackson explains the almost instant connection and partnership of the two by telling us that (roughly) `the magic is urging them to fall in love and make baby feys to help save their almost extinct race', I still felt somewhat cheated out of the pleasure of watching their emotional attachment grow. I never really felt that I got to know either of them very well, and because I cared about them, and they intrigued me, I found that frustrating.

I also found the writing somewhat choppy, as if scenes had been deleted or edited, and information that would have made the story flow more smoothly had been lost. There were several instances, particularly in the early chapters, where I found myself bothered by that annoying `Huh? Did I miss something?' feeling.

I enjoyed this world, and I want to know a great deal more about the wide variety of magical people who inhabit it, and about their diverse powers and histories. Even though I had a few problems with Traveler, I enjoyed the book, recommend it to others, and look forward to reading the next books in the series. I have confidence that Melanie Jackson will, in them, answer a lot of my questions, and I can't wait to find out where her imagination is going to take me.

Recommended.

What can I say? This is obviously just another example of anti-goblin [campaign] that is so poisoning the dialogue between our peoples.

Ms. Jackson's supposed "story" is nothing more than a twisting of the facts of this matter--further complicated by a totally unnecessary "romance" element that she seems so regrettably prone to emphasize. I'm sure her "fans" will not mind. But those of us who are directly hurt by her allegations feel nothing but sadness at her descending to such stereotypes.

We don't want to conquer you. We have pledged to live in harmony with the lower races. Except, of course, for those few security measures necessary to safeguard our business interests.

I regret having to give such a low rating, but--oh, no! Does more stars mean you LIKED the book? When will you stupid humans learn to get things right!

This was my First Melanie Jackson Novel. It was different than what I was used to and was hard to follow at first. I expected it to be like other books I have read, I guess. Melanie Jackson Definately "Breaks" the rules of the average Romance Novel but really pulls you in with a storyline that you have to read & FInish, even if the Love scene's were somewhat lacking. This writer definately DOES have talent though, because it has made me want to read her other stories to see if they could be better than this one. If you are looking for Something Different & Interesting to pass the time, Get this book. If you are looking for something like hot and steamy, you'll be disappointed in this book. If half star's were an available rating, I would rate this 3 1/2 stars.

The world of the Wildside that Jackson created in the Traveler was a great one with a faint touch of Simon Green, goblin conspiracies, and all kinds of magical mixes of Fey, elf, siren and other such 'handicapped' half breeds sharing a near-future goblin run Detroit with full blooded humans. And once the stage was set there was a nice bit of suspense and action and it took the death fae hero Jack and the siren heroine Io both and the magic of love to save the world. What fun!

The Traveler was an enjoyable mix of urban fantasy and with a touch of paranormal romance, perfect when you're in the mood for a light read. The only real hint that this book was published five years ago is that the language in the love scenes is much milder than in current mainstream romance, so that instead of stretching the love scenes with descriptions of the mechanics, the scenes used poetic language, focused more on the emotions and left room for a bit more story. The only weakness, which is typical for the first book in a series, was that there was a quite bit of world building going on in the first few chapters.

Even with all the recent additions to genre of alternate world type of urban fantasy romances, The Traveler has held up well. It still feels original with its world of fairy tale creatures instead of the current usage of weres, vamps and demons. And now I'm going to enjoy the bonus of having discovered a new to me older series -- I don't have to wait a year to read the next one!

Melanie Jackson's Wildside Series
Outsiders
The Courier
Still Life
The Master
The Saint

Traveler - Melanie Jackson

Following in the stunning tradition of such notable authors as Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, and J D Robb, Melanie Jackson has created a new world, a world unlike any we've encountered before. A world populated by Goblins and Fey, by the Selkie and other Magical Creatures, she takes us into a thrilling new Romantic Suspense series.

"Traveler" takes place in Detroit, now named "Goblin City". It is the center of Goblin activity, a den of iniquity, a hive of filth and poor unfortunate humans who have nowhere else to go. Through a combination of "goblin fruit addiction" and "perfume-induced hallucination", the Goblins (whom the United States was generous enough to give sanctuary to, following a purge from Europe) are bent on world domination. It is into this dark and dismal world that we find our heroine Io Cyphre and our hero Jack Frost, struggling to prevent the takeover of the world as we know it.

Though Io is distrustful of Jack, with good reason, sparks fly between them. They must use each other's strength and talents to overcome this disturbing challenge to humanity, to the continued existence of man as we know it. The sparks become embers, the embers become a full-blown conflagration that encompasses them both, and the passion grows and engulfs their bodies, as well as their minds.

Challenges, danger, suspense, and tragedy abound in this newest world, a creation of pure genius by Ms. Jackson. One can only surmise that she intends to get us as addicted to her goblin and fey-infested world and the goblins who peddle their addictive fruit. This is a tremendous addition to the Romantic Suspense genre and is what I would call a new genre of it's own, Gothic Comedy. A tremendous thumbs-up and five stars to Ms. Jackson, and an eager audience awaits the next installment in this series.

This book started off very confusing with alot of references to HUG and other things as if the book really should have had a few chapters before the beginning. But, once I got past the first few chapters this book was a page turner. Great story line and am really hoping this will become a series of novels about the fey and HUG. What's going to happen to Zyne and Chloe? This book was similar to Laurell K. Hamilton's Fairie storyline with Meredith Gentry. My only complaint was the confusing beginning. I would suggest Ms. Jackson not deluge the reader with all the trivia at the beginning with the next in this series.