Odom, Mel
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(1957- ) US author of many novels since 1988, many of them being Ties like his contributions to the Mack Bolan thriller series as by Don Pendleton, after that author had franchised himself as a House Name; he has also written several series, usually fantasy, including numerous contributions to the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer universe [associational or fantasy ties and series are for the most part not registered in the Checklist]. He collaborated with Warren G Norwood on the Time Police sequence, beginning with Time Police: Vanished! (1988) (see Time Police); the Omega Blue sequence beginning with Omega Blue (1993) is borderline sf, just at the edge of the Near Future.
As James Axler, Odom contributed to the lengthy Deathlands and Outlanders Military SF sequences [see Checklist below]. The Hellgate: London series opening with Exodus (2007) is based on the Computer Role Playing Game/Videogame Hellgate: London (2007), which like Doom (1993) and Quake (1996) features imaginary Weapons but is essentially horror, with demons (see Gods and Demons). Odom's Left Behind Universe sequence of Military SF tales, beginning with Apocalypse Dawn (2003), has a Tie relationship to the original Left Behind sequence by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins, and gained approval from the core readership of that original series. The Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers is a marginal but sf-ish Shared World enterprise. Several of his singletons are borderline, but utilize Technologies within the world's current grasp.
He should not be confused with the artist Mel Odom. [JC/DRL]
Melville Lewis Odom III
born California: 16 December 1957
works (selected)
series
Time Police
- Time Police: Vanished! (New York: Lynx Omeiga Books, 1988) with Warren G Norwood (Odom uncredited) [Time Police: pb/Paul Youll and Steve Youll]
- Time Police: #2: Trapped! (New York: Lynx Omeiga Books, 1989) with Warren G Norwood (Odom uncredited) [Time Police: pb/Paul Youll and Steve Youll]
- Time Police: #3: Stranded! (New York: Lynx Omeiga Books, 1989) with Warren G Norwood [Time Police: pb/Paul Youll and Steve Youll]
- Time Police: #4: Refugee (New York: Lynx Omeiga Books, 1989) with Warren G Norwood [Time Police: pb/]
Omega Blue
- Omega Blue (New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1993) [Omega Blue: pb/Danilo Ducak]
- Omega Score (New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1994) [Omega Blue: pb/Danilo Ducak]
Shadowrun
- Preying for Keeps (New York: Penguin Books/Roc, 1996) [tie to the Shadowrun Role Playing Game: Shadowrun: pb/Carl Galian]
- Headhunters (New York: Penguin Books/Roc, 1997) [tie to the Shadowrun Role Playing Game: Shadowrun: pb/Les Dorscheid]
- Run Hard, Die Fast (New York: Penguin Books/Roc, 1999) [tie to the Shadowrun Role Playing Game: Shadowrun: pb/Luis Royo]
Deathlands
- Deathlands #38: The Mars Arena (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 1997) as by James Axler [Deathlands: pb/Michael Herring]
- Deathlands #42: Way of the Wolf (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 1998) as by James Axler [Deathlands: pb/Michael Herring]
- Deathlands #45: Starfall (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 1999) as by James Axler [Deathlands: pb/Michael Herring]
Outlanders
- Outlanders #9: Hellbound Fury – The Lost Earth Saga Book 2 (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 1999) with Mark Ellis, as by James Axler [Outlanders: pb/Michael Herring]
- Outlanders #12: Wreath of Fire (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2000) as by James Axler [Outlanders: pb/Michael Herring]
- Outlanders #18: Sargasso Plunder (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2001) as by James Axler [Outlanders: pb/Michael Herring]
- Outlanders #20: Prodigal Chalice (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2002) as by James Axler [Outlanders: pb/Michael Herring]
Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers
- Shadow of Honor (New York: Berkley Jam, 2000) [tie to the Shared World: Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers: pb/]
- Gameprey (New York: Berkley Jam, 2000) [tie to the Shared World: Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers: pb/]
- High Wire (New York: Berkley Jam, 2000) [tie to the Shared World: Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers: pb/]
Left Behind Universe
- Apocalypse Dawn (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2003) [tie: Left Behind Universe: pb/]
- Crucible (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2004) [tie: Left Behind Universe: pb/]
- Apocalypse Burning (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2003) [tie: Left Behind Universe: pb/]
- Apocalypse Unleashed (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2008) [tie: Left Behind Universe: pb/]
Rogue Angel
- Destiny (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2006) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/]
- The Spider Stone (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2006) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/]
- Renaissance (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2008) [omni of the above two plus Solomon's Jar (2006) by Victor Milán: Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- Forbidden City (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2007) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/]
- God of Thunder (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2007) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/]
- Serpent's Kiss (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2008) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- Gabriel's Horn (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2008) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- Magic Lantern (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2012) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- The Third Caliph (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2013) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- Clockwork Doomsday (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2013) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- The Pretender's Gambit (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2014) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
- Mystic Warrior (Toronto, Ontario: Gold Eagle Books, 2015) as by Alex Archer [Rogue Angel: pb/Tim Bradstreet]
Hellgate: London
- Exodus (New York: Pocket Star Books, 2007) [tie to the Computer Role Playing Game: Hellgate: London: pb/Blur Studio]
- Goetia (New York: Pocket Star Books, 2008) [tie to the Computer Role Playing Game: Hellgate: London: pb/Blur Studio]
- Covenant (New York: Pocket Star Books, 2008) [tie to the Computer Role Playing Game: Hellgate: London: pb/]
The Makaum War
- Master Sergeant (New York: Harper Voyager, 2015) [The Makaum War: hb/Gregory Bridges]
- Guerilla (New York: Harper Voyager, 2015) [The Makaum War: hb/Gregory Bridges]
individual titles
- Legacy (New York: Simon and Schuster/Aladdin Books, 1999) [tie to The Journey of Allen Strange: pb/]
- Sooner Dead (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast, 2011) [tie to the game Gamma World: pb/Jason Chan]
links
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