Here is how the book summary goes like:
Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is not like other boys his age. His uncle Press is a Traveler, and, as Bobby has learned, that means Uncle Press is responsible, through his journeys, for solving interdimensional conflict wherever he encounters it. His mission is nothing less than to save the universe from ultimate evil. And he’s taking Bobby along for the ride. Fresh from his first adventure on Denduron, Bobby finds himself in the territory of Cloral, a vast world that is entirely covered by water. Cloral is nearing a disaster of huge proportions. Reading the journals Bobby sends home, his friends learn that the desperate citizens of the endangered floating cities are on the brink of war. Can Bobby—suburban basketball star and all-around nice guy—help rid the area of marauders, and locate the legendary lost land of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral’s survival?
I liked the idea of this book and the series overall a lot (even if I was disappointed with the series as a whole when I found out that Pendragon had nothing to do with King Arthur – come on I really wanna know about him!), although I would love to live on Cloral. MacHale does a pretty good job of balancing description of the world (excuse me please – territory) with things actually happening, and he doesn't give us any more information than he does Bobby, which really gives the reader a chance to empathize with Bobby's confusion.
So in this second adventure in the Pendragon Quartet, readers find 14-year-old Bobby Pendragon traveling through the "flume" to Cloral with his Uncle Press, in pursuit of Saint Dane. This water world with a vague Australian/Atlantis air will likely intrigue fans who enjoyed the aquatic world of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the teamwork escape aspect of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Bobby is still uncertain about what happened to his family after he was recruited as a "Traveler," a heroic role that first pitted him against the shape-changing monster, Saint Dane, in the series' debut, The Merchant of Death. It's a radically different life from that of junior high student in Stony Brook, Conn., where his friends Mark and Courtney eagerly await the journals in which he updates them with the latest events from various colorful "Territories."
In the territory of Cloral, beneath the waves, Bobby meets Spader, who is also a Traveler, and quickly becomes his first mate. Unbeknownst to Spader, his submerged city is partially responsible for the peace felt above the surface in the floating habitats. When Saint Dane decides to annihilate Faar, Bobby and his Traveler buddies must race to outwit the villain. MacHale embellishes his science fiction with just enough silly touches to leaven the mood; for instance, when the magic ring that Bobby gave Mark twitches (which means it's about to "deliver" Bobby's journals), it expands so that Mark must remove it, and the glowing stone transforms into a "black hole," spewing musical notes and light.
Bobby Pendragon begins to accept his role as a traveler and is forced to become a mentor as well. The traveler role becomes clearer in this book, and Cloral is a very interesting world with all of its high-tech water-based technology. MacHale keeps the series interesting by continuing to surpass his creativity with each new world that Bobby and the travelers encounter while trying to foil Saint Dane's plans to destroy Halla(The Universe). I also liked the newer element of time travel that relates to a realm we all understand--Second Earth(Earth).
When I read the first Pendragon book I was a little confused, trying to figure out whether or not I liked it for all the reasons I had mentioned in the first paragraph. But I decided to give this series another chance. And I am glad I did! This book is better then the first one. The authors writing has improved greatly and the story is more engaging and interesting. Though the Journal style of writing is still unsettling as well as the pacing of the plot lines and the obvious lack of information about the background details but I really enjoyed reading about the fascinating and fantastical world of Cloral, as well as the introduction of the character Spader.
Although the one thing that is unsettling is that Mr. MacHale is going to haul all the answers to our questions about the travelers and Saint Dane in the final book...yes before starting this book I had actually read a little bit more about the series and i found this little bit of detail.
But so far so good. So moving on next up is "The Never War", which will feature First Earth, circa 1937 and a little glimpse of Third Earth as well.
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