I received this book from Library Thing.

Another excellent book by Dave Duncan. This book, actually 3 novelettes in one volume, is marketed for young adults but it works fine for grownups too.

The Adventures of Ivor follows a young Scottish man born in the middle ages as he works as a runner for his lord. He's a teenager with fast feet and an unusually good memory so he's well suited for his job--and his level thinking and loyalty soon earn him notice and advancement. A really nice story that works its way to a great finish. I really liked this book a lot. ( )

[The Adventures of Ivor] is an omnibus containing the three books: [The Runner and the Wizard], [The Runner and the Saint] and [The Runner and the Kelpie]. Ivor of Glenbroch is a runner. He can memorize long messages and often deliver the massage over large distances faster than a messenger on horseback.

Thane Carrak has sent Ivor to find Rorie of Ytter, a man known to always succeed in the task given him. This is the start of a series of events that would change Ivors life forever...

I would be hesitant to call this a real Omnibus. It felt more like one book split into three parts. For me the story felt a bit rushed and the solutions to the various challenges that occured was often resolved too easily and too quick. For me it lacked a bit of meat to the descriptions and some weight to the solutions to mke it all more satisfying. It might be I'm just getting to old. I'm sure this will fitt well into a younger audience (YA). ( )

Lively, pleasant "coming of age" story from a consistently good author. ( )

This was such a fun light-hearted story. Ivor is a very likeable and humble young person whose skills at running and memorizing long messages accurately bring him to the attention of consecutively more important leaders in his land and then further lands. The leaders value his dependable loyalty, which sometimes put him in situations of conflicting pressures, but he always stays true to his mission. He is pushed into lots of dangerous situations, but is able to be tactful and innocently wise. This may make him sound like some goody two shoes, but somehow it just became a delightful (and sometimes suspenseful) telling of how he escaped time and again. There is an aspect of fantasy, but the story is easy to follow, not like some elaborate fantasy world constructions overflowing with strange people and creatures. I enjoyed it as an adult reading over lunch hour, and I believe young people would also enjoy it immensely. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I rarely get such good stories to review. ( )

Ivor of Glenbroach is a runner. He is one of the fastest and best runners, and manages to get the thane and the kings favor. He falls in love with a girl named Meg, but is asked to run a message about marriage negotiations with a possible suitor. Ivor realises there is something fishy about this suitor... Can he find a way to warn his Thane and Meg?

Ivor of Glenbroach was a very interesting read. I managed to read it in only a few days, whereas other books may take longer. The writing is tight, the characters are believable, and the storyline is interesting.
I was pleasantly surprised that there are many other books by this author, including more in the Ivor series. I will have to hunt them out! ( )