Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures
by Walter Moers

Overlook Press, 2007, 688 pp., $16.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-58567-936-2
ISBN-10:  1-58567-936-4

Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures is a story about a Wolperting puppy (a half dog, half deer), who is kidnapped along with his owners, a small family of Hackonian Dwarves by the Demonocles, a vicious type of one-eyed giant, known and feared because they eat creatures alive.  The story follows him as he grows up, fighting his way across Overworld and the sinister Netherworld, making friends, enemies, until his final encounter with The murderous General Ticktock, the seemingly invincible leader of the Copper Killers.  Along the way he meets many bizarre and memorable characters.  Some examples are Volzotan Smyke, a corpulent Shark Grub who loves to gamble and attempts to get the better of death; Dandelion, Rumo’s talkative Demonic Sword with two personalities; and Skullop the Scyther and his gallant Dead Yetis, who sacrifice themselves to destroy the Vrahoks and allow Rumo and the other inhabitants of Wolperting escape.  Everywhere that Rumo travels, there seems to be one dangerous adventure after another.

This book is aimed at both teens and adults, but its fast-paced storyline and graphic descriptions make it appealing to boys in particular (ages 13 and older).  It is filled with action and studded with sharp wit.  Rumo is a mix of fantasy, science fiction, comedy, action, and adventure, making it hard to categorize as a genre.  Its theme could be many things, such as bravery, determination, fate, love, overcoming obstacles, heroism, and many other things besides.

Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures has the same fantastical settings as the Lord of the Rings series and humor reminiscent of Monty Python and Shel Silverstein.  Add to this the excitement of the Alex Rider series and you get a hint at what Walter Moers’ writing is like.  Moers is able to grab you within the first couple of pages and pull you along for the rest of the book.  I highly recommend this book to people because it is very exciting and fun to read.

~ reviewed by Tory