Roy of the Rovers: The Official Autobiography of Roy of the Rovers

by Roy Race

The greatest story ever told by the world’s most beloved sportsman, Roy of the Rovers, in his own words for the first time. The shocking details of the five terrifying kidnappings that threatened to blight his playing career; the stomach-churning murder attempt in 1980, which left Roy in a life-threatening coma; the sickening car bomb attack that tragically killed eight of Roy's team-mates while on a pre-season tour of Basran; the devastation of losing his wife, former Melchester club secretary Penny Laine, who died in a car accident that brought Roy closer than ever to quitting the game he loved. And finally the horrific helicopter crash in 1993 that resulted in the amputation of Roy's legendary left foot, bringing the curtain down on his sensational, game-clinching, goal scoring exploits. Candid, emotional, optimistic, and never nothing less than inspiring, the autobiography of the man all fans of the game know simply as Roy Race, aka "Roy of the Rovers," lays bare for the first time the truth behind soccer's ultimate fairy-tale story. It’s all Rover, and it is here for the first time for his fans to enjoy all in one victorious book.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2014

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before the launch of Sky Sports & The Premier League, and before the rise of the Internet, young football fans in Britain & Ireland had to rely on BBC radio & magazines like Shoot and Match to keep up with what was going on in club football every week. We were also regular readers of the Roy Of The Rovers comic book, a weekly collection of about a dozen comic strips concerning such characters as Hotshot Hamish, Mighty Mouse & Billy's Boots, who completely relied on a pair of antique footwear that turned an untalented boy into a footballing prodigy. Of course, the centrepiece of the comic was the title story about the captain and striker of Melchester Rovers, Roy Race.

Giles Smith has obviously studied the original stories well and his used their soap opera-like tales as the basis for his plot. I'm sure Smith has also filled in a lot of the blanks by making the young Roy Race grow up in a working-class part of the fictional Melchester, with a love for football & a desire to make the big time by playing for his local team. Right from the kick-off, the first-person narrative voice of young Roy eats & sleeps football and knows nothing else. This naive voice is quite funny and becomes funnier as Roy grows older, particularly when he and his wife share some fondu between them. Drawing upon the original comic strips, Roy gets his wish to play for Melchester Rovers & goes on to have a phenomenally successful career, scoring tons of goals & captaining his team to numerous titles & cup wins. He also encounters some bizarre setbacks, including kidnappings and earthquakes.

Another common aspect of the original comic book was his team's tendency to go two goals down at half-time before Roy scores twice in the second half to draw them level, climaxing in a last-second spectacular goal to win the match. These events become annoying after a while, though this is more a criticism of the original source than Smith's ability to use these events as running gags throughout. Giles Smith has written a fictional biography of Roy Race that is both a very funny parody of ghost-written sports biographies & a nostalgic testament to a simpler time before TV money completely transformed the game.

[Darren Whiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite simply one of the funniest books I have ever read. I was a fan of the comics in my (ahem) younger days but to read about the man himself, in his own words, learn about the hurdles he overcame and the remarkable number of last-second goals and kidnappings is pure joy.

[Gary Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, overall, is poor. The author has attempted to make this a light-hearted overview of Roy Race's fictional career, and has failed. It seems as if the author only has a vague idea of the comic strip and has based his writings on a synopsis provided to him, and unfortunately has even got some facts incorrect.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

amusing although the joke wears think at times. I had hoped for more on his later career as well.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous play on the whiter-than-white world that Roy of the Rovers inhabited in the well-loved boys' comic. Older fans of the character might welcome the chance to reminisce through this tongue-in-cheek autobiography, although the joke wears thin after a while. 5/10