Pendragon: #10 The Soldiers of Halla

As expected I didn't like the end but i'm glad so now i can move onto another series, now that its the final book #10 The Soldiers of Halla of the Pendragon saga is complete. Lets find out why...

Here is the summary :

It has all been leading to this. Every victory. Every loss. All the thrills and sadness; the hope and despair. Bobby Pendragon’s heart-pounding journey through time and space has brought him to this epic moment. He and his fellow Travelers must join forces for one last desperate battle against Saint Dane. At stake is not only the tenth and final territory, but all that ever was or will be. Everywhere. This is the war for Halla. Every question is answered. Every truth is revealed. The final battle has begun.

The book exactly delivers all it promises, all the answers. The answers that have been missing since the book 1 but dumping the whole thing at once as well as adding dump load more - no good at all. In short an epic failure. All the preceding books have been following the same formula but Machale starts to change the game around from 8 and now in book 10 proves and epic downfall.

The Soldiers of Halla begins with the ten Travelers, including Uncle Press, meeting in a crumbling wasteland of a city. They are immediately attacked by a helicopter, forcing them to seek refuge in the buildings. Bobby and Loor are trapped in a pit and watch as a colony of people are caught by the helicopters in a nearby building. When the helicopters leave, however, the Travelers gather back together. The first generation of Travelers quickly appear, such as Osa, Loor's mother, and Seegen, Kasha's father, and lead the other Travelers away. Bobby is met by his family again, who tell him that the wastleand was in fact the New York City zoo on Third Earth.

His family leads Bobby to another place, that is filled with dark clouds and crumbling, gray earth. They confess that they know all that has transpired in Halla so far, including Bobby's murder of Alexander Naymeer on Second Earth. Moreover, they tell him that Solara is indeed the essence of Halla and thus the ten territories. Each victory and defeat inflicted by the Travelers and Saint Dane is reflected in the overall health of Solara. All of the souls of Halla are transferred to Solara after they pass on in Halla. They admit that Saint Dane was once a leader of Solara, along with themselves and Uncle Press, to maintain its health.

This book is more philosophical than any of the previous volumes. We realize that this has not been simply an adventure story, but the screenwriter MacHale has given us a saga that allows us to reflect on the essential reality of humanity: the freedom to choose good and to fight evil. All of the main characters of the earlier volumes make their reappearance here in the final fight for Halla and for the vindication of the human spirit.

I will admit I am a fan of the first few books and really have enjoyed the concept of the Travelers, the different worlds (territories), and the battle against Saint Dane. Unfortunately, the last few books started to feel very repetitive with little suspense. It was almost like the story was only fresh enough for 5 really compact books instead of 10 really drawn out volumes.

My biggest complaint with the final book was that I was expecting something different or new in the conclusion to the story. Instead we get the same opening letter from Bobby which then leads to a series of familiar feeling mini-adventures (bad guy attacks, overwhelming odds, surprise rescue - over and over again). 

The entire book is written like the end of every one of his other books. there is no end to the action and no real apex to the story because of it. I loved hearing about mark and courtneys journeys to help bobby and their feelings about it all spaced in between bobby's journals but McHale would have none of that in this book. Its all from bobby's perspective and makes all of the main characters incredibly flat feeling.

The ending was DEEPLY DEEPLY unsatisfying. All the travelers go back to the spirit world except bobby who somehow gets his uncles permission to keep living his life which somehow leads to an ending describing bobby's life if he had never been a traveler and is told in hindsight by bobby when he is about to die in what seems to be an old folks home. none of it makes sense i had to reread the previous two chapters trying to figure out what had happened, to try and find some reason for this ending. there was none im sorry to say.

I really dont know what happened with this book. McHale seemed to love to shout out the moral to the story every chapter or so. it made it a very shallow story. The ending was wrong. just wrong. i cant describe it in a better way. 

Pendragon: #10 The Soldiers of Halla

Pendragon: #9 Raven Rise

The long Pendragon series is about to end. Its the penultimate book #9 Raven Rise and its getting ugly and its also getting dystopic. Which is my kind of good. Lets read,

Here is the summary of the book:

This is where it begins. The showdown for Halla. At stake is nothing less than all that ever was and all that will be. There's only one thing missing--Bobby Pendragon. While Bobby remains trapped on Ibara, the battle moves to his home territory: Second Earth. Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde are left on their own to defend Second Earth agsinst the forces of Saint Dane. They must face off against a charismatic cult leader who has risen to power by revealing a shattering truth to the people of Earth: They are not alone. The Convergence has broken down the walls. The territories are on a collision course. The final phase of Saint Dane's quest to rule Halla is under way. And Bobby Pendragon is nowhere to be found.

The story starts after Bobby trapped himself and demonic Saint Dane on the tropical Ibara, yet it seems that his sacrifice was pointless for the Convergence has already begun. On Third Earth, Patrick wakes up to a dystopian future Earth. He meets up with Mark and Courtney in 1930 and they go to Second Earth to try and stop Saint Dane's plans. Nevva is disguised as Telleo (trying to get Bobby to fall in love with her; no luck) and lets a few minor details slip. Bobby then finds out that Saint Dane has escaped Ibara, and goes after his to his home territory Second Earth. A cult leader named Alexander Naymeer (an English idealist, brainwashed by Saint Dane) is creating chaos with Ravinia (the name of the cult). Bobby, Alder, Mark, and Courtney try to avoid the Ravinians while looking for the leader of the rebellion. In a giant battle known as the Bronx Massacre almost half the characters die or at least seem to be dead (leaving clinchers for the next book), and Saint Dane seems to have won. Yet the ending gives readers hope for Bobby and the travelers.

So literally all hell has broken loose. Although the previous book should be called for "where-all-hell-started-to-break-loose". D. J. Machale has completely discarded all the formula he used in the previous books and its chaotic and to some extent I've been expecting it since I began reading it, we'll take of this later. 

Bobby Pendragon is now grown and his decisions have not gotten any easier. The bond of friendships are still what make him such an endearing and flawed character. Halla is pretty chaotic and things are not as they are meant to be. That premise drives the book, shakes up former realities and brings us one step closer to understanding what is really going on in this Matrix-like world of adventure. (Just a ref. matrix is way better than this whole stuff)

Although the first few (I said few since this series is not my favourite) books were amazing and real pageturners, this one was a bit hard to keep up with. machales writing style was not top quality and quite repetitive. it was like the entire series led up to this one book and everybody was expecting it to go out with a bang but it turned out to have a quite weak plot and did not live up to the reputation of the series. This installment of Pendragon is both exhilarating and disappointing all at the same time. There is so much going on and so much to take in from the past books that the bulk of adventure from any one territory is muted, which disappoints me because I love the individual experiences on each of the territories. I still am lingering on the past descriptive genius of unique territories such as Cloral and Eelong! The cool part is that the story line all still works well and I could not put this book down.

I felt that this whole book was the lets watch the hero be stupid so that when he gets his act together later it will be more impressive part of the story. Now I can stand that for a chapter or two, but not a whole book. It got very old for me very quickly. All that you need form this book to get to the last one is a page or two on the few actions important to the plot. I do hope that the next book, the "hero has his act together". The battle is on in RAVEN RISE. The battle for Halla. The internal battle of Bobby Pendragon. The battle of the people of the territories. And the battle between Saint Dane and Pendragon. This is what it is all coming down to.

Bottom line is its good but don't waste your money borrow it from a friend.

Pendragon: #9 Raven Rise

Pendragon: #8 The Pilgrims of Rayne

As we saw last in the previous book, it has started to become messier. And i'm finally nearing the end of the series. But I have to say after books 2, 3, and 4 of the Pendragon series #8 The Pilgrims of Rayne would be added in my list of books in the series that I actually liked. Lets find out why,


Here is the summary of the book:


When Bobby Pendragon first arrives on the tropical world of Ibara, he finds paradise. As he works to uncover clues about the turning point this seemingly idyllic territory will soon face, all he can determine is that the people of Ibara are blissfully happy. It’s not long before Bobby discovers, however, that they are blissfully . . . oblivious. The leaders of Ibara are keeping a devastating secret from their people, one that gives Saint Dane all the opportunity he needs to launch his final assault on Halla.

Bobby Pendragon is back and he is older, more passionate and Halla is more complex than ever before. What else is new in this series. We know that the territories all have a turning point, but we have never seen anything like what happens in the latest installment. Do you miss Loor and Gunny and Spader? How about Alder? The Pilgrims of Rayne does not disappoint. MacHale gives us everything we want this time around. I mean everything. If you ever thought, "Why doesn't Bobby do this, or that?" It is all in here. The territories have been mixed and nothing is what it once was. It would feel like everything is calm but then a twister is thrown in the mix and all hell - okay not hell but halla breaks loose - literally a chaos.

Bobby Pendragon's next territory in Halla is called Ibara. Ibara is a tropical paradise. It's sunny, warm, colorful, and the perfect place to go on vacation. Seeing as this is Saint Dane's next targeted territory, Bobby figures there's more to this utopia than meets the eye. After conversing with the Ibara inhabitants, Bobby realizes that everyone is very happy with the way they live, but later finds out that if you do not go by what the government (aka the tribunal) rules, you and your family will disappear. There is a secret in Ibara that the leaders are not telling everyone. A secret that involves Ibara's past, other territories, and an opportunity for Saint Dane to conquer another territory.

Pendragon has always been focused on the little things while Saint Dane was more about the big picture. Should've worried about the big picture. Oops. By the end of the story, things begin to heat up. Saint Dane comes a smidgen away from revealing the "big secret" and Bobby decides to stop playing by the rules, despite his fellow Traveler's skepticism.

The books have unfortunately become somewhat routine: go to the territory, figure out the turning point, make sure it goes the right way, stop Saint Dane, learn something new, and begin the whole process all over again. I'm proud to say that this book deviates from that formula in a few ways. For starters, Courtney and Mark become more and more involved in the events occuring in Halla. It starts to become less and less about the individual territories and more about everything in existence. And Saint Dane (more or less) puts the finishing touches on his convoluted yet incredibly devious and brilliant plot. It seemes that no matter what Bobby Pendragon does, it seems to play into Saint Dane's hands the entire time. If you thought he was winning the war, you may change your mind after reading this installment.

The best part to me was that when it switched back and forth to Courtney and Bobby, there was action on both sides. The past books have had some good but few GREAT instances of action from Courtney and Mark. But this book has great action on both sides. As well as the utopia vs dystopia factor that is slightly prevalent in this book. MacHale has really improved a lot in here. Although the details are much too long and practically the large size of the book is due to the unnecessary details in here but still it was a page turner. But again the obvious flaw in here we have next to actually no details besides the 2-3 lined something new in here as in the previous book. I'm serious dumping a whole lot of background in the final book is not good at all.

But still don't let my views discourage you all. I suggest my readers that they try it out particularly book 2, 3, 4 and 8 of the pendragon saga as they are my favourites. Hobey ho!

Pendragon: #8 The Pilgrims of Rayne

Pendragon: #7 The Quillan Games

Moving onto the next journal in the Pendragron saga is book #7 The Quillan Games. And the plot gets messed up.


Here is the summary:


Each new episode seems to raise the stakes of this action adventure series. In the seventh installment, Bobby Pendragon realizes that the Quillan Territory can be saved only by defeating game masters Veego and LaBerge in a fateful competition: Winning the Quillan Games could bring him a giant step closer to understanding the meaning of being a Traveler. Losing brings instant extinction.

In this one, Bobby Pendragon, the young hero of the series,travels to the territory of Quillan, a dark world with no emotion and is controlled by a company called BLOK. Bobby soon learns what the turning-point of this world may be, since he finds out that everyone on Quillan gambles on a series of sports and games called The Quillan Games. However the people of Quillan don't bet on the games with money....but with their own lives, and if they lose, they'll pay. Determined to stop the territory from colliding, Bobby ends up becoming one of the champions, under the control of two spectators named Veego and LaBarge, and competes in a series of deadly games and tasks, risking his life for the sake of all of Quillan and, even greater, all of Halla.

While Bobby is dealing with the insanity on Quillan, Mark and Courtney are trying to put their lives back together on Second Earth. Courtney is still recovering from her "accident" at the end of the sixth book, and Mark is spending a lot of time with Andy Mitchell, his ex-worst enemy. I don't want to say much more about the plot, other than, Saint Dane promises Bobby to reveal the "true nature" of the Travelers if he does......something for him. Like all the Pendragon books, the story is action-packed and very exciting. However, the book never becomes formulaic because of some unusual plot twists, and interesting, if slightly creepy, character development. The series has gotten much darker since the first book, but still has its funny moments.

The first 200 pages really dragged. I have never noticed that the author spent so much time describing every detail for us. Maybe it was excessive in this book. I thought at first it was maybe that there is so much backtracking in his books (why does he think that every book is being read by someone who has not read any of the other books of this series?) but it wasn't the backtracking. It was the endless descriptions of uninteresting aspects of Quillan. Saint Dane doesn't even begin to appear until mid-way through the book. Up till that point, I really didn't care what happened on Quillan. From then on, "Quillan" begins to shine as the other books have done so before it. The battle of wills between Boddy and Saint Dane really are the high points of the novels: will Bobby let himself be drawn in? Will Saint Dane gain a point against him? What is the plan for this territory?

Now I can't say much because this series is actually meant for the adolescent age-group and not for me and doesn't even appeal to me but my complain - the lack of background information - the major flaw this series suffers from - Mr. Machale, don't you think that by the 7th book it is time to start resolving some of the conflicts your previous books have introduced? Well, I do. And I can't help but think that a lot of other fans out there feel the same way, even though the reviews here are overly glowing. I'll admit that the book is action packed. This is no doubt responsible for the great reviews, especially from your biggest audience the adolescent. Still, at some point even the youngest fan is going to want to know the answers to their questions about travelers. How are they selected? Where are they really from? What happens to their parents? What does it really mean to be a traveler? This book promised to provide some of those long awaited for answers. What it gave is one statement from Saint Dane that travelers are an illusion. Gee, no kidding! I think we understood that about six books ago.

All of McHale's books have basically the same storyline with Saint Daine, the monstrous Travelor determined on destroying Bobby, appearing and attempting to destroy a Territory. Each and every time Bobby manages to foil him. Tip for the writer.. it's getting a little boring. The only inspiration I have to keep reading this series is the desire to find out how Bobby manages to survive this time. I don't know how McHale is going to keep up the suspense for another maybe 3 books. Let's wait an see shall we?

Pendragon: #7 The Quillan Games

Pendragon: #6 The Rivers of Zadaa

After his adventures on Eelong in Book #6 The Rivers of Zadaa, Bobby Pendragon is now on Zadaa. Lets see how it goes...


Here is the summary:


Bobby Pendragon's pursuit of the evil Saint Dane leads him into the dangerous territory of Zadaa, which is locked in a civil war between two rival tribes. As Bobby and Traveler Loor attempt to pacify the region, he begins to realize that he has been transformed by his quest. An exciting fantasy series for readers 12 and up.

This story takes place mainly on a territory called Zadaa. There will be two main tribes here: The Rokador and the Batu. The Rokador live in tunnels underground and are fair-skinned, while the Batu are dark-skinned and live in a sunbathed city called Xhaxhu in the desert. For years, the Rokador have relied on the Batu to protect them from other savage tribes on Zadaa, and the Batu have relied on the Rokador to provide them with water. But the Rokador seem to be holding back the water, causing all the Batu to starve.

The struggle of good versus evil continues as Bobby Pendragon follows Saint Dane to the territory of Zadaa. Saint Dane's influence has fueled the fire of discontent between two warring tribes: the Rokador and the Batu. This is also the territory where the Traveler Loor lives as a member of the Batu. Together she and Bobby must work to thwart Saint Dane's efforts to destroy Zadaa.


But as Bobby pursues Saint Dane, he begins to notice changes in himself. He is no longer a flip kid looking for excitement. He is a young man beginning to see this quest as more than a series of adventures. He is also learning that as a Traveler, he had powers no normal human should have.


Zadaa was narrowly -- very much so --- narrowly saved, and like the other Territories is tremendously improved by the change. The city of Xhaxhu and its underground sibling Kidik merge into a single, very fertile and gigantic oasis, after the underground explodes in water.


In many ways, "Rivers" is a reworking of "The Merchant of Death". The parallel of two rival tribes being forced by a self-instigated catastrophe to co-operate is unmistakeable. In addition, the Traveler Alder, from Denduron, joins with Bobby, the acolyte Saangi, and Loor for this mission. Just as well, as I see it, is the way Bobby handles his feelings for Loor. Rather than beat about the bushes, he tries to kiss her as a signal. When she withdraws, her explanation is simple; they may love each other, but they cannot be together because an emotional bond would interfere with their interrealitial war for the future of Life.


Yet by the end of the book, the whole nature of their war has changed. No longer is Saint Dane's plan merely to destroy the civilizations of Halla; now he is mounting a personal campaign to entrap and kill the Travelers themselves. To this end, he attacks Bobby on Zadaa, then puts Courtney Chetwynde in danger while at the same time making himself a science partner with Bobby's acolyte, Mark Dimond. Later in the game, Saint Dane's wrath is out of control, to the extent that he slays Loor outright. But he evidently has not counted on the Traveler dependence of Need; Because Halla needs Loor, Bobby is able to heal her. Although no idea how that healing stuff works.

The dialog is now reaching a level of Good. You can sense Bobby's feelings towards Loor in this one, if you read the others you may have already. Bobby has grown up and is begining to show it. Still a teenager? Yes But now sounds older and more responsible? Yes. He thinks about his old life and knowing now he will never go back to that.

But i'll say it again it is a great time killer but not exactly appealing to me. Although book 2, 3 and 4 were my favourite so far.

Pendragon: #6 The Rivers of Zadaa

Pendragon: #5 Black Water

So, i'm just going to plunge again into the world of Pendragon with book #5 Black Water. Let's see how this one goes....

Here is the summary:


Just when fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon thinks he understands his purpose as a Traveler -- to protect the territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane -- he is faced with an impossible choice. The inhabitants of Eelong are in danger of being wiped out by a mysterious plague. The only way Bobby can stop it is to bring the antidote from another territory. Since moving items between territories is forbidden by the Traveler rules, if Bobby chooses to save Eelong he could endanger himself, his friends, and the future of every other being in Halla.

As the previous Pendragon saga books go by the fifth book also follows the same formula of a new territory every book and this time its Eelong. D.J. MacHale's newest addition to the Pendragon series follows Bobby Pendragon to the jungle territory of Eelong, a world where humans are slaves and intelligent jungle cats rule the land. But there is a plague that is threatening to destroy Eelong, a plague that is hauntingly familiar to Bobby and the Travelers. Bobby soon discovers, after his failure on Veelox, that Saint Dane is changing the rules, and Bobby must make a monumental choice that will either save the territory of Eelong from total devastation, or throw all of Halla into danger.

Some of the major questions that are bound to disturb the reader here - "Cats can walk, they can talk, and they keep humans as pets? What's the matter with this picture?(Kinda sound like Planet of the Apes doesn't it...with the difference of the animals that is) And since when are Mark Diamond and Courtney Chetywynde able to flume through space like their dear friend Bobby Pendragon, a fifteen year old traveler from Second Earth? Saint Dane said that the rules have changed, but have they really?"

Bobby travels to Eelong in search of the evil Saint Dane. Little does he know what to expect. Back home, on Second Earth, Bobby's closest friends, Courtney and Mark, are awaiting the long expected journal from Bobby. Instead, they receive a message from another acolyte saying they need to go the flume on Second Earth. There, Mark accidentally activates the flume and Saint Dane appears before their very eyes. He tells Mark and Courtney that the rules have changed, leaving them with a small gift. After that experience Mark and Courtney do not know what to do and then all of a sudden, Bobby appears, frantically yelling and asking them what happened.


When he returns to Eelong, the soon to be acolyte Boon is awaiting his return. Things are bad on Eelong, and sadly Bobby has no idea what Saint Dane's plans are for this strange planet. Boon takes Bobby to the city of Leeandra, "a city built in the air. Wooden huts of all sizes doting the sides of the trees, and busy sky bridges everywhere. The structures were high overhead and down low, with the lowest buildings only about twenty yards off the ground. The city was big. It all looked to be manufactured out of natural material. Wood, bamboo and woven vines. Nothing metal or plastic..."


That is how Bobby describes the beautiful Klee city of Leeandra. But what's a Klee? Klee is what the cats on Eelong are called. Humans on Eelong are called gars. What makes this book unique to all the others is that it is the first time Bobby has been to a planet where everything is flipped. Cats are superior to humans, and humans are treated like dirt. And now Saint Dane has genocide in mind. He plans on starting the process by repealing Edict Forty - Six, which states that the Klees cannot hunt the gars. Yes as i said before a kind of visualization of the 'Planet of the Apes' besides the point that it is cats who are ruling not apes. 

So, Saint Dane believes that once one planet of Halla falls, they will "all tumble like dominoes." Saint Dane has Bobby thinking that this is all about Edit Forty-Six, but in all reality Saint Dane has a second agenda. Mark and Courtney decide that they MUST go to Cloral to find the traveler Spader because they believe that the same poison that was used in book number two will be used again on Eelong. Bobby thinks he has it all figured out. But that is not always the case.

MacHale is a master storyteller, deftly combining hair-raising action, fantastic adventure, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting suspense, and a bit of romance into the most surprising and twisted Pendragon story yet. Anyone who is a fan of the series will breeze through this book, eagerly devouring every bit of information and ultimately waiting impatiently for the next jump into the flume. For those who have never read a Pendragon book before, this is a great place to introduce yourself to not one whole new world, but ten whole new worlds that will take your breath away. Mr. MacHale should be commended over and over again on such a wonderful piece of literary art.

But the bottom line still remains that this book does suffer from some of the same problems the first four in the series did--it's told in a voice that may irritate adults, and there's a feel of too much exposition at times. Also the fact that we are going to be laundered with every information that should have been present in the series since the beginning little-by-little in the last book(don't know how you all will feel but this is my opinion) That said, I was surprised at myself to see how excited I was to grab this as soon as I saw it. Problems aside, this is a great adventure series that sucks you in quickly, with entertaining characters and even more entertaining settings. Not my favourite but is a great way for killing time.

Pendragon: #5 Black Water

Pendragon: #4 The Reality Bug

The forth Pendragon installment #4 The Reality Bug proved to be the ultimate sci-fi future or more specifically the ultimate vault of virtual reality where the human mind is so caught up in the imagination that it does not want to process reality.


So here is how the summary goes like:


VIRTUAL REALITY?

The territory of Veelox has achieved perfect harmony. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon arrives on this territory in pursuit of the evil Saint Dane, but all is peaceful on Veelox -- because it's deserted. The inhabitants have discovered a way to enter their own personal dream worlds, where they can be whoever they want, wherever they want. Their bodies lie in stasis while their minds escape to this dream realm. Fresh from his battle with Saint Dane in 1937 Earth, Bobby is confident that they can defeat whatever Saint Dane has planned for this world. But once Bobby enters the virtual world will he be able to resist the lure of the ultimate in escapism?

Like the 3 previous books of the series that happen on a different dimension.....oops sorry territory this one takes place on the territory called Veelox. Veelox is peaceful. There are no wars on Veelox, because it is totally deserted. Almost everyone is living in their own virtual reality, which is a lot like a very long, perfect, dream.

People don't communicate with real people anymore, they're too busy living inside their own heads and creating characters to act in their own personal dramas. Nothing is happening. Nothing is moving forward. Nothing is real. Veelox is dead. Prophecy about our own future? Possible if we are not to careless. Description of what happens to a world that is so engrossed in their own fantasies that reality is ignored and the world deteriorates. Definitely a dystopia.

So, Saint Dane has definitely outdone himself on Veelox. Aja Killian, the Traveler from Veelox, believes she has the answer to defeat Saint Dane and resents the appearance of Bobby who we find out in this edition has been designated the "lead Traveler"........okay so one question that I had raised at the end of my last post for the Pendragon book 3 review"why must Bobby flume to all the territories to maintain the peace?" Aja is very smart, but she is also arrogant and naive. A bad combination when you have to fight the ultimate evil.

Veelox is a world in neglect. The inhabitants spend their lives "jumping" into a fantasy world within their minds using a technology called "Lifelight". A jumper lies down in a bed of sorts, is connected to Lifelight, is fed via electrodes attached to their skin and enters a perfect world of fantasy where all their dreams can come true. The perfect fantasy is something everyone wants and gets. It is also something Saint Dane has been planning to use to bring down his first territory. When everyone is jumping, there is no one to fight a takeover.

To fend off Saint Dane, Aja realizes that she must make the fantasy world a little less appealing so that people will jump less and return to their deserted homes and back to reality. To do this, she has developed a "reality bug", a software program that injects just a bit of reality into every jump.

They agree to load the reality bug and, hopefully, save Veelox. Unfortunately for them, Saint Dane is not only evil, but, he is patient(often setting up the path to destruction years and years in advance) and clever. Once the reality bug is introduced into Lifelight something terrible happens. The bug is far more dangerous and lethal than Aja meant for it to be (...........guess who had a hand in helping Aja design it?). Fantasy crosses over into reality. The reality bug feeds on the jumpers fears and grows into a monstrous killer as it is fed by millions of jumpers. 

While Bobby, Loor, and Aja struggle to save Veelox, Mark and Courtney on Second Earth find out that they have been pre-ordained (Bobby's journals are sent to them) to be acolytes (people who help the Travelers by providing clothing, food and other assistance in each territory). And Gunny has followed Saint Dane to Eelong to try and head off his attempts to bring down that territory. 

Although I'd say it again this series is not meant for my age group but so far i had only like the #2 & #3 books of the series but yes their is some room for improvement that is definitely needed in the series to make it much more interesting but yes what I like about this book is that Pendragon isn't the superhero that everyone expects, being able to save each and every territory like other authors would have done. It makes him feel more real as a person to me.

Pendragon: #4 The Reality Bug

Pendragon : #3 The Never War

Moving onto the 3rd Installment of the Pendragon series The Never War, was pleasantly amazing for not only does it feature a planet....sorry territory that we are very much familiar about but a territory that is also in reality is the only livable planet in the solar system (maybe the scientists would one day find more about outer space....).


Here is how the summary goes like:


Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is a loyal friend, sports star, devoted pet owner – and Traveler. Along with his uncle Press, Bobby has visited the alternate dimension of Denduron and participated in a civil war. He’s also waded through the endangered underwater territory of Cloral. Now Bobby once again finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth. Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral – Spader – have flumed to New York City, 1937. Against a backdrop of gangsters, swing music, and the distant sound of a brewing war, the two must uncover the evil Saint Dane’s newest plot. But is Bobby ready for the difficult choices ahead?


Before I delve into reviewing this book, i'd make one thing clear - FIRST EARTH is not any other territory as we have seen all this time but is entirely another time altogether....yes First Earth is none other than Earth in the past more preciously the time of World War II....Third Earth is the time in a distant future around the 5010s and is strangely the utopia that anybody could imagine.........while Second Earth from where Bobby Pendragon comes from is actually a time in the middle.


So, Bobby after winning against Saint Dane on Cloral in the previous book now heads to First Earth this time with Vo Spader to make sure nothing that the evil shape-shifting demon does that pushes First Earth the wrong way from its 'turning point'. So, First Earth the year 1937.........yes time to take out the world history books. The 1930s and the Hindenburg are familiar to me through several other books I've read as well as history I've researched. 

For all the familiarity with the time period, though, MacHale tells a fascinating and fast-paced tale. Bobby and his new best friend Spader land in the 1930s while pursuing Saint Dane. They're immediately met by machine-gun toting thugs that try to kill them. Bobby figures out how to escape and gets Spader out as well. Spader is way out of his depth because he's never seen anything as "technologically advanced" as the 1930s.

One of the best things about the Pendragon books is that Bobby usually gets to save the day in a down-to-earth manner. He doesn't have any really special skills or powers that help him. At this point, he's fifteen years old and can do what most kids that age can. This makes the series more believable in some ways, and I think it draws the Pendragon audience in a little closer.

MacHale's sense of timing and pacing is excellent has improved much. The story moves quickly, and I got a real sense of urgency throughout the book as Bobby tries to figure out what Saint Dane is really doing. Many of the chapters end up on cliffhangers that will draw you rapidly into the next chapter. The dialogue is fantastic and sounds real in a way somebody's personal diary sounds like. One of the other facets of the series that I really enjoy is Bobby's friendship with Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. The closeness they share, even through Bobby's journals, feels real.

MacHale also mixes in adult heroes with his young champion. Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke was an excellent grown Traveler in this novel. He was kind and gentle, and guided Bobby and Spader throughout the adventure.

I did miss the world-building in this novel, but I know MacHale gets back to it in later volumes of the series. But for kids who haven't researched the 1930s much, this should be a fun book. Also the question as to why is it that Bobby has to go fluming to other territories and save it before Saint Dane does the deed still persists.........................the one major major plot hole this series suffers from.

Readers won't mind the lack of character development as they're drawn into the nonstop action, snappy dialogue, pop-culture references, and lots of historical trivia. It's advisable to read the books in order because, although each one has a stand-alone plot, frequent references are made to previous events.

Pendragon : #3 The Never War

Pendragon : #2 The Lost City of Faar

Although I reluctantly read the Pendragon book 1 and being that this series isn't meant for my age group, ie., i'm around 19 now and these books are really meant for much younger age group but i recently got the whole series so i wasn't going to let it go waste but #2 The Lost City of Faar was much more interesting than the first one.........seeing as I only took one day to finish the whole book.


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.

Pendragon : #2 The Lost City of Faar

Pendragon : #1 The Merchant of Death

For another leisure reading and counting the clock to the release of City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare I decided to pick up the Pendragon series #1 The Merchant of Death by D.J. Machale. I first saw the Pendragon series on a Book fair shelf and have been keeping it mind to check it out later. Now I had the time to actually read and listen to the stuff (got both eBook and audio book of the whole series) and I kinda liked it,  it was not exactly amazing but on the scale of good...cause it was very much different from any other series I have read so far and I like to experiment with my reading choices.


Here is how the summary goes like:


Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world. And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution. If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning.............


The popular fantasy time-travel series makes a smooth transition to audio with Dufris at the helm, using his upbeat delivery and believable teen rhythms to keep listeners enthralled. Bobby Pendragon is a fairly normal fourteen-year-old high school student. He lives with his parents, his little sister and his dog Marley. He also has a favorite cool uncle, who he sees periodically over the years. One evening, just before the big game, Bobby's Uncle Press shows up at his house and asks him to trust him, ask no questions and to come with him at once. Bobby reluctantly agrees, and unwittingly follows his uncle to another world, known as Denduron. Denduron is a primitive world which is ruled by a vicious tyrant and is on the cusp of a revolution. Uncle Press informs Bobby that he is the chosen one, and it's up to him to save this world…and possibly his own. Totally unprepared, missing his family and friends, Bobby wants nothing to do with the strange task he has been set. But when Uncle Press' life is threatened, Bobby shows that he just may have what it takes to save the universe.

The Merchant of Death is the first book in a projected series starring Bobby Pendragon. Written alternately in third person, and in first person accounts by Bobby (he finds a magical way to send his letter to his best friends Mark and Courtney), the story follows both Bobby's adventures in Denduron, and Mark and Courtney's activities back on Earth as they react to Bobby's mysterious disappearance. Bobby is a likeable teen and his reactions ring true, but Uncle Press is incredibly annoying at times. His continuing refusal to explain anything at all to Bobby creates most of the problems that Bobby could have handled if he had just been given some simple instructions about how to travel between worlds and what the rules are. Mark and Courtney are great characters; one hopes that they get to join in future adventures, instead of just sitting on the sidelines reading Bobby's mail. 


One of the most refreshing things about this book is that Bobby is a very realistic character. He starts out fairly selfish, but not in an awful way, just in a "I'm a kid and I want to go home and I'm scared because people want to kill me!" sort of way. You can hardly blame him. But ultimately, he is a good kid who does the right thing, even though it is hard and dangerous. Nothing he does is particularly extraordinary and yet the end result is something unbelievable.

There are two types of chapters: journal chapters and regular chapters. The journal chapters are firsthand accounts written by Bobby about what has happened to him. The regular chapters are about Mark (Bobby's best friend) and Courtney (Bobby's sort of but not really girlfriend) as they search for Bobby and read his journals. The biggest flaw to the book is that it completely lacks suspense. There is never fear that they may not get out of whatever situation they are in. By the very nature of the format, you know it all worked out in the end (more or less). If Bobby wrote it, then he had to live long enough to do so. I also find Mark and Courtney's storylines 99% pointless. Think about how much more shocking the ending of the book would have been if we didn't know his parents had disappeared until the moment he discovers it?

I'm assuming that the journals will turn out be important later in the series (at least, there seem to be hints that they will be and if MacHale is a writer of any talent, they will be), but to be honest, I'm not sure I liked it enough to keep reading to find out. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it just lacks the edge of my seat aspect that I've come to expect from an action-adventure novel......but i'll have to think maybe I can give the whole series a run-through. 

Pendragon : #1 The Merchant of Death