The Pendragon Adventure Book 10: The Soldiers of Halla Discussion

Hey, y'all! I'm here with one of my last summer reading challenge posts! I've finally finished my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary
As always, remember not to read this if you haven't read the previous books in the series, because this summary will probably spoil you for any books that came before this one!

Everything has led to this. The final battle has begun, not just for the tenth and final territory, but for all of Halla. The travelers must finally learn the truth behind Saint Dane and Halla and must come together for one final showdown to save everything that exists, has existed, and will exist. The battle for Halla will soon be over.

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

Oh, look at me, eating my words again. I'm starting to judge my younger self for my opinion on books. I can kinda get where my past-self was coming from, but my mind has been significantly changed. I've always remembered the last 3 books as the ones that totally took the series down a path that I did not like at all, but after this re-read, two of those books are now my two favorites in the series.

Going into this book, I remembered almost nothing about the plot. I distinctly remembered the beginning and the explanation of Halla, and I distinctly remembered the epilogue. That's it. It was like reading it for the first time. And I can kinda understand my younger self's dislike for this book, because those two sections that I remembered were the ones I was the most iffy about. I've never been a fan of the explanation that goes down in the first 70ish pages of this book. It gets a little too existential and... I hate to call it spiritual but I can't really figure out what other word to use. (I tried thesaurus.com and I'm still grasping at straws here). It comes out of nowhere, and I feel like it should have been integrated into the book before it a little so that it wasn't this sudden info dump. Because the info is vital to the rest of the book, but it seems to come out of left field.

Once we get past that, though, you'd better hang on because the battle has begun. This book is very fast paced. Normally, the first large chunk of the book is Bobby trying to figure out exactly what's going on. But we have all the info laid out quickly at the beginning of the book, so there are no secrets from there. It's just a constant battle, and I loved it.

As far as the epilogue goes, I didn't quite get it the first time I read it. The second time through, I understood what was going on and actually really liked it. I enjoyed seeing some parallels and seeing how DJ MacHale brought things together in the end.

One complaint I have about the book is that I feel like some of the explanations are glossed over. There are points when characters are like "yeah, I don't it either." I feel like there were a few things that DJ knew needed to be explained or at least addressed, and when he couldn't figure out how to explain it, he just decided that his characters would have no idea either. I've done this before in my own writing, and that seems to be what went on just a little in this book.

Overall, this gets at least 4.75 stars out of 5. I may end up giving it the full star value in the end, but right now it's battling with another book as to which will win top spot.

Spoilery Discussion!

OK, so... let's talk about Solara. I think that my main problem was that it was pretty much just comes out of nowhere. Suddenly, we're not just trying to save Halla, we're trying to save Solara, which is only preserved by the energy of those who are fighting back. I feel like if this concept was at least hinted to or brought up earlier, it wouldn't have felt like such a random shift. Once we got past all the existential stuff, their ability to use Solara's energy was really cool. The travelers are finally on the same playing field as Saint Dane, but not by stooping down to his tactics but by simply knowing what he knew. And the ability to just step into a different territory? Super cool.

I loved the Mark/Courtney plots. They each became leaders in their groups. 23- year-old Mark is such an awesome character. Finally confident, capable, and barely even stuttering! And of course, we all knew Courtney could keep everything together, no sweat.

I also really enjoyed the Nevva-isn't-actually-evil plot. It makes total sense. She was pulled in by Saint Dane's vision of the future. She thought she was fixing the problems. When she realized that Saint Dane didn't care about her opinions or really the opinions of anyone, anywhere in Halla, she realized her mistake. And I love that. Ultimately, she caused the fall of Saint Dane.

Finally, the epilogue. Like I said, I was so confused the first time around. I just didn't get it. But I finally realized what was going on. Bobby was sad that he fought for a normal life that he would never get to live... but he did get to live it, without any knowledge of Halla. And I was so confused about who it was who brought the box of journals until I noticed the parallel. The series starts with Uncle Press walking in on Courtney and Bobby kissing, and that's how it ends. The fact that he said he had 9 more to deliver made me tear up because that means that all of the other travelers were also able to live a full life that they had fought so hard to achieve, before returning home to Halla. I loved it.

Favorite Quotes

Page 17: Oh yeah, and Loor and I were nearly mauled by a polar bear. 
And Spader was hanging out with a penguin.

Page 77: Uncle Press laughed and shook his head. "I guess we've come full circle. I had to drag you into the fight, and now I can't drag you out."

Page 446: Uncle Press continued, "I think the Travelers , Aron, and Boon should be in the second wave. We will need them once we get inside."
"I will attack with the first wave," Loor said. It was a flat-out statement. There was no arguing with her. She wasn't going to hide behind anybody.
"As will I," Alder said.
"What about me?" Spader chimed in. "I think I'd like first crack at these wogglies. We earned it, didn't we?"
"Me too," Siry chimed in. 
"And me," Boon said.
Uncle Press looked to Aron. Aron shrugged. "It is not the time to be cautious."
Uncle Press shook his head and sighed. "Fine. Who picked you people anyway?"
"That would be you, mate," Spader said. "And you made some fine choices, I have to say."


So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments! My full series discussion post will be up soon, and will be followed by a ranking of my favorite travelers, territories, and covers!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

The Pendragon Adventure Book 9: Raven Rise Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I'm continuing on with my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary
As always, remember not to read this if you haven't read the previous books in the series, because this summary will probably spoil you for any books that came before this one!

Bobby Pendragon believes that it is over. He has trapped both himself and Saint Dane on Veelox, seemingly stopping Saint Dane from completing his plans. But what he doesn't know is that while he's isolated on the island of Ibara, Halla is falling apart. The battle has moved to his home territory of Second Earth, and Saint Dane's Convergence seems to be underway. Is it too late to save Halla?

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

I don't know how I feel about this book. Well, I guess I do, but I'm not sure why. And why is a pretty important factor in this situation. Although I ended up really loving The Pilgrims of Rayne even though I remembered disliking it, the same can't really be said for Raven Rise. I mentioned in my last post that I really disliked the turn that the last few books took. And after re-reading Raven Rise, I'm finding that I feel the same way. However, as I said, I'm not sure why I dislike it. I'm not sure whether I dislike it because I'm so frustrated with how calculated and well thought out Saint Dane is and how he's winning the upper hand or because I genuinely don't think that this is the way I think the series should go.

I think that's the epitome of my struggle with the last few books in this series. I have a hard time figuring out whether I don't like it because I hate that Saint Dane is getting the upper hand, or if the Convergence legitimately takes the series in a direction that was totally out of left field and doesn't fit with the rest of the series. I think it's probably a combination. I feel that although I like the book, my emotions toward it go more toward appreciation rather than liking.  Maybe I just crave the simplicity of the one territory per book plotline. As I said, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Hopefully, my thoughts are more coherent in the wrap-up.

I also worry that my opinions of this book might be slightly clouded by my opinions on The Soldiers of Halla. A very confusing and (for me) extremely memorable scene occurs at the end of Raven Rise, and it prompts this big explanation about Travelers in The Soldiers of Halla, and I distinctly remember not being satisfied with that explanation at all... and I feel like that's partially clouding my opinion of Raven Rise.

I also feel like Raven Rise is a lot choppier than any of the other books. Usually, we get a nice back and forth between Bobby's POV and Mark & Courtney's. In Raven Rise, however, we have Alder, Mark & Courtney, Patrick, and Bobby. Just when we get into one story, we're bounced to another.

As far as rating, I'm a little torn, which makes sense since I don't exactly know how I feel. I do feel that it's one of the more intricate and well-constructed Pendragon books, so I'll give it 4.25-4.5 stars because of that.  More accurate rating TBD in my wrap-up.

Spoilery Discussion!

If I were to choose one word to explain this book, I think it would be confusing. All the changes occurring with Halla because of the Convergence had me really confused. Especially the timelines. It seemed sometimes like Nevva and Saint Dane would have to be in multiple different places at once for their plans to work out. The changes to Second Earth kept me confused, as did the changes to Third Earth.

I'm also kinda getting tired of Saint Dane's plans always working out just how he wanted them. Even when Bobby thinks he's doing something that's finally going to take Saint Dane by surprise, he's playing right into Saint Dane's plans! There's no way he could plan this whole elaborate scheme so perfectly to know exactly how Bobby will react to events.

Also, that scene at the end with all the Travelers showing up in this desolate wasteland... huh? I know it's explained early on in The Soldiers of Halla, but I can't remember the explanation, so right now nothing makes sense. I'm confused.

Sorry this discussion is totally incoherent, but I think I'll have my thoughts together for the last book.

Favorite Quotes

Page 116: "I'm not your friend."
"Yes, of course. I hope that by now you understand exactly where our differences lie."
"I do. I'm trying to protect the territories, and you're trying to kill everyone. I've had that one down for a while now."

Page 432: I grabbed Alder's arm and squeezed. "You're my brother. There's nobody I'd rather be here with. Actually, I'd rather not be here at all, but since I am, I'm glad you are too."

Page 446: "How many of those suits do you have? Do you like, send them to the laundry, or just toss 'em out and put on a new one when it gets all gamey?"
Saint Dane chuckled. I amused him. 
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"It was a joke, idiot." On top of everything else wrong with him, Saint Dane didn't have much of a sense of humor. Except when I amused him. Which happened a lot, I'm sorry to say.
"I'm glad to see that you're in a good mood. You should be. Our struggle has finally come to an end. Perhaps we should celebrate."
"Perhaps you should bite me."

Page 458: "There will be no more protests. No more dissension. No more violence. There will be only one voice. The voice of Ravinia. The voice of Halla. Your voice."
"There goes freedom of speech," I said.
Saint Dane didn't react.



So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

The Pendragon Adventure Book 8: The Pilgrims of Rayne Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I'm continuing on with my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary
As always, remember not to read this if you haven't read the previous books in the series, because this summary will probably spoil you for any books that came before this one!

Following a defeat on the territory of Quillan, Bobby follows Saint Dane to the territory of Ibara, which appears to be an island paradise. But not everything is as it seems in the town of Rayne, where secrets run rampant and the Traveler doesn't want anything to do with the battle for Halla. Meanwhile, Courtney is busy trying to find Mark, before he sets a devastating series of events into motion.

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

I'm eating my words. All of them. I'm not sure if I've said this on any previous posts, but I've always disliked the turn this series took near the end. I distinctly remember being disappointed with books 8-10. But I also read #8 at the age of 13, #9 at 14, and #10 at 15. And I haven't re-read them. So it's been a while. Which is why I'm currently eating my words.

This is easily the most complex and intricate Pendragon book so far. Both of the plots (Bobby's and Courtney's) were extremely interesting and compelling. Rather than the little breaks in action that we get from Courtney and Mark's plot, Courtney's plot is just as full-speed-ahead as Bobby's. I remembered one of the major twists in the book, but forgot a few others, as well as forgetting some of the Courtney plot. This read-though, I was significantly more impressed than I was the first time. Honestly y'all, depending on how much I enjoy books 9 and 10, this may be my new favorite. That's how impressed I was with this read-through.

If I were to choose one word to describe this book, it would be INTENSE. There's constantly something exciting going on, whether it's on Bobby's end or Courtney's end. Speaking of ends... THAT ENDING! I remembered that something major happened near the end, but I couldn't remember what events caused it to happen. I remembered it being an accident, when it was actually very purposeful. Whoa. Very intense.

As far as rating, I'm  not going to jump and give it a full 5 stars out of 5, but I will say that it's at least 4.5- 4.75 and might be bumped up in the series post. 

Spoilery Discussion!

Before I get into everything I really enjoyed about this book, I need to get one big complaint off my chest. And it's not so much a complaint about The Pilgrims of Rayne as it is with the entire series. Every single book, Bobby does some sort of recap in his journal. We get told information that we already know from the series. Bobby is writing this journal to Mark and Courtney, who have read all the journals, and who even experienced some of the events, so explaining what Halla is or that he's a traveler is just ridiculous because they already know all that stuff. These little recaps were clearly thrown in there in case someone randomly picked up a book in the middle of the series and started reading it, but I find that stupid. The recaps don't give enough information to sufficiently inform a new reader about what's going on, and I'm not sure why you would even cater to them. By recapping, you're discouraging someone from picking up the series from the beginning. Authors should be catering to their dedicated readers, not some idiot who would start reading the 8th book in a series without reading any of the previous books. But enough of my rant.

Ok, so there were a lot of twists and turns going on in this book. Let's start with the one I remembered most vividly from my first read: the fact that Ibara was actually part of Veelox. I remember being shocked the first time I read it. Just, whoa. I hadn't seen that coming at all.

Secondly, Saint Dane's dado army. I forgot the majority of the plot of this one, except for Courtney's plot, so the dado army surprised me. I'd forgotten that he was using a dado army. But it's Saint Dane, so I shouldn't be surprised.

I also found the whole Ibara/Veelox story really interesting. Back when I first read this, I'm not even sure I knew what world-building was. And I certainly didn't know what aspects of books that I really wanted fleshed out. Oh, how times have changed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: world-building/a very fleshed out world is one of my favorite aspects in books. And that's done so well in this book. First, we see this very secretive society of Ibara- the one where the Tribunal keeps secrets from the people and people disappear for voicing opinions. Then, we discover the bigger picture and the destruction of Rubic City. Finally, and my personal favorite, we learn how everything happened through the Tribunal and everything makes sense. It's just so well crafted and I loved every second of it.

Finally (for Bobby's plot, at least), the mixing of the territories. Oh boy. I've got to hand it to Bobby- he was really clever about it. He planned it out and in theory, it was a great plan. He thought several steps ahead, and honestly, it's kinda Saint Dane-like thinking. This also brings up a bit of a "moral" dilemma about whether mixing the territories is allowable or should be avoided. I'm about to spoil some stuff about the later books, so if you haven't read past this book, skip the rest of the paragraph. *SPOILER ALERT* It's been 6 years since I read Raven Rise, and 5 since The Soldiers of Halla, but if I remember correctly, the Convergence is all about mixing the territories (hence the title "Convergence"). This is clearly why Uncle Press told Bobby not to mix the territories, because although it might help an individual territory, it's also helping Saint Dane's long-term plan. Why couldn't Bobby trust Press and not the villain?! *SPOILER ALERT OVER*

Now, on to Courtney's plot. Like I said, this was also really exciting. It wasn't quite as intense as Bobby's plot, but it's pretty intense. Courtney and Dodger's journey to stop Mark was really exciting, and the action just kept building and building, along with the confusion. I think a lot of the reason I got mad at this book the first time through was because it seemed like Mark was too easily manipulated. But honestly, if it had been my parents who died, I would've done anything to save them. So it's very understandable. Although I did get really annoyed at Mark. I could kinda understand that he might believe or want to believe that Courtney was the one who was confused and had been manipulated, but I draw the line at Mark thinking Courtney was purposely lying to him. Sure, trust this bully-suddenly-turned-nice-guy over your best friend. That makes sense.

OK, that's way longer than I intended, but I just had so much to say!

Favorite Quotes

Page 1: The future isn't what it used to be.
I love that as an opening line. Too great.

Page 209: P.S. This is from Spader, mates. Tell Pendragon that I've thought long and hard about the things he's said to me. I guess you might say I've done a little growing up here in the jungles of Eelong. Tell him I'm ready. I'm with him. And when the time comes, I'll follow him to the ends of Halla.
After that, the last one to Grolo's buys the sniggers.
Hobey-ho,
Your mate, Spader
Honestly teared up while reading that. I absolutely love Spader.

Page 328: "Who are you!" Siry screamed in anger.
I gripped him tighter, holding him back.
"Don't you know?" Saint Dane said with glee. "I'm the boogeyman."
Oh hey, Saint Dane does have a sense of humor! A really twisted one, but I wouldn't expect anything different from him.



So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

The Pendragon Adventure Book 7: The Quillan Games Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I'm continuing on with my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary
As always, remember not to read this if you haven't read the previous books in the series, because this summary will probably spoil you for any books that came before this one!

After some very bizarre events on Zadaa, Bobby follows Saint Dane to the territory of Quillan. Upon arriving on Quillan, Bobby is thrust into The Quillan Games. Competitors chosen in the Games compete in dangerous, often deadly challenges just to stay alive. Civilians place bets on the games, and for many that's the only way that they can survive the territory run by the omnipresent "Blok." Bobby must fight not only to save Quillan, but to survive.

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

I've always counted The Quillan Games among my favorite of the Pendragon books. As I've said in previous posts, due to the ever-changing setting of the series, each of the books takes on its own genre. As I've mentioned several times in the past, I love dystopian. Especially when we get great world-building and the back-story to how the world got so messed up. And we get all of that. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: DJ MacHale is amazing at world-building. We got a real sense of the territory, and even got a scene when the territory's back-story is described. I love it.

My love of the games in this book is part of the reason that I know I need to read The Hunger Games eventually. (No, I haven't read it. Shock, awe, blah, I feel no shame.) I find the actual games in The Quillan Games to be super interesting and cool. And although it has obvious differences from The Hunger Games, there are many very obvious similarities as well. And this was published 2 years before The Hunger Games, so you can't claim that DJ copied. Because he was first.

I really can't complain about much in this book. I even enjoyed Mark and Courtney's plot. It wasn't as action-packed and exciting as Bobby's plot, but it was interesting, especially at the end.

As far as rating, I'm  not going to jump and give it a full 5 stars out of 5, but I will say that it's at least 4.5- 4.75 and might be bumped up in the series post. 

Spoilery Discussion!

I totally love the twist with Veego and LaBerge actually being from Veelox. I also loved that so many of their games were stolen from other territories. Yes, it wasn't how it was supposed to be, but it made things really interesting.

So, a moment with the Second Earth plot. The last bit of that was... whoa. There was that whole split where Courtney went through the flume and returned to a totally different Earth with robotic cats and way advanced computers. And Saint Dane revealing himself as Andy Mitchell! We obviously knew that because of The Rivers of Zadaa, but Courtney didn't know that. That was just all intense.

Oh, and Nevva revealing that she was actually working with Saint Dane. Ouch. I knew it was coming since this was a reread, but I still got annoyed with Bobby every time he did what she told him to.

I don't really think I have anything else that's really spoilery to talk about. I just really enjoy this book.

Favorite Quotes

Page 6: I can't transform myself into other people. Believe me, I tried. I closed my eyes, concentrated my thoughts, and thought: Become Johnny Depp. Nothing happened. Maybe I should have been more specific and thought: Become Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as opposed to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Page 100: There were shelves everywhere that were loaded with dolls. Clown dolls. I hate clowns. Have I mentioned that? In my opinion, there are two kinds of people: those who fear and hate clowns... and clowns.

Page 220: I had a restless night. You know that feeling where you can't get to sleep on Christmas Eve because you're so excited about all the great things that will be waiting for you in the morning?
It wasn't anything like that.
Except for the not being able to sleep part.

Page 403: Veego and LaBerge walked away, but as they left, LaBerge stopped and gave me a confused look. "How do you know this game?" he asked.
"Didn't you know? I'm an honorary Batu," I said.
"You are?" LaBerge said with shock. He looked to quickly to Veego for a reaction. She didn't give any. Obviously LaBerge didn't remember me from Veelox, and Veego didn't bother to remind him.



So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

The Pendragon Adventure Book 6: The Rivers of Zadaa Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I'm continuing on with my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary
As always, remember not to read this if you haven't read the previous books in the series, because this summary will probably spoil you for any books that came before this one!

After battling Saint Dane on Eelong, Bobby moves on to Loor's home territory of Zadaa. In Zadaa, there are two main tribes- the Rokador and the Batu. The Rokador are very technologically advanced and live underground, while the Batu are a warrior class tribe who live above-ground. Tensions between the Rokador and Batu are becoming more and more strained because of the lack of water. The Batu believe that the Rokador are holding back the water, and the Rokador are running out of room underground and are abused when they go above ground. Bobby knows that this must be the turning point of the territory, and must figure out a way to stop Saint Dane before he can claim another territory.

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

I forgot a lot of the plot of this book. I remembered that the conflict was over water, and I remembered one or two plot points, but apart from that I forgot almost all of the book. Normally, I would be surprised about that, but after re-reading it, I think that's totally understandable, because this book wasn't that memorable as far as Pendragon books go.

I'm not saying that the book is bad, but in the scheme of the whole series, this pretty forgettable and not as exciting. For me, Zadaa isn't as interesting as the other territories. All of them have something that makes them really interesting or unique, like being all water or cats being the dominant species, but Zadaa is literally just like a desert on Earth. I guess that nothing is different enough from Earth to be interesting for me. What I really love about these books is how interesting and cool the different territories are and this one just... isn't.

Along with that, the plot isn't so exciting or interesting to me either. I guess that that the warring tribes is kinda getting old at this point since both Denduron and Eelong had warring tribes. I guess that nothing about this book really excited me, interested me, or surprised me.

Except for one thing. THE ENDING. There was something that happened at the end that I totally forgot about, and when it happened, I was shocked and upset and freaked out. Whoa.

As far as rating, I'm going to have to give it 4 stars out of 5. As far as Pendragon books go, it's not as good as the other books, but it's still a pretty OK book. 

Spoilery Discussion!

OK, so the ending... whoa. Loor DIED for a hot second. DIED. I totally forgot about that whole scene and my memory is vague on the books after this, so I wasn't sure whether or not she was in later books and was fully convinced that she was actually dead. I sobbed. And then when she came back to life, I was shocked. I was a little annoyed at the speed she healed because even though Bobby and Alder healed quickly, they still took several days. Bobby even took an entire month. But Loor DIED and she only took about 10 seconds to be conscious again. Huh? It just doesn't make any sense.

That was really the only exciting part of the book though. I think that it might be more from a lack of interest on my end than the book actually being boring. I mean, they almost drown several times over, and they take this long trek underground to stop a war. I guess it's exciting, but it just didn't really interest me. I'm not sure why, but I just really didn't care. Honestly, my favorite part of the book was probably when Bobby was training.

One thing I did really enjoy was getting to see both Alder and Loor. As I've said, Loor is one of my favorite characters, if not my absolute favorite character, and I loved getting an entire book with her in it rather than just little snippets of her life. I also really like Alder and was really glad to finally get to see him again because he's just a total teddy bear. So nice.

As far as Mark and Courtney's story went, the first half was a little boring. I remembered the fact that Courtney got run off the road, but although I suspected that Saint Dane was posing as Whitney, I couldn't remember whether that was accurate or not. Also, the very end scene where Andy is implied to be Saint Dane... whoa. I remembered that Andy was really Saint Dane, but I couldn't remember how or when that was revealed. And I still don't get why he saved Courtney. He said something about coming too far to let her die, but he was the one who tried to kill her...? I dunno, I don't get it.

Also, the Loor/Bobby romance thing made me really sad. I just want them to be together. Who cares about Courtney? Loor is way cooler. Ugh I just want them to be together.

This book is also kinda a turning point for me with the books because my brain kinda divides the books into the "old" books- the ones that were out when I first read the series- and the "new" books- the ones I read as they came out. Now, although The Quillan Games was already out the first time I read the series, it was the newest book, so my brain lumps it in with the "new" books. But if I remember correctly, there are also some major changes that occur in The Quillan Games that change the rules a bit, so I guess that's also a literal turning point in the series... I'm not sure. Either way, I definitely feel like I'm leaving one era and beginning the next.

Overall, this book just isn't my favorite. It doesn't bring me the excitement that I want from a Pendragon book, and maybe that's just because I don't find the territory that exciting. I'm not sure, but although it's not my favorite, I do enjoy it.

Favorite Quotes

Page 27: "Do not make the mistake of underestimating Pendragon," she [Loor] said firmly. "You do not know him as I do."

Page 37: "I met Pendragon when I made the journey to the far desert, He is from the tribe known as... as..." Loor was scrambling. Bokka didn't know about the Travelers. I had to bail her out.
"Yankees," I said. "The Yankees tribe." Hey, what can I say? It was the first thing that came to mind. "It's a strong tribe," I added. "Respected by all... except our mortal enemies, the Sox tribe. They hate us. Especially the Red ones. Cannibals. Nasty characters."

Page 68: Once I started moving, each day I felt a little better. Pain is a weird thing: When you've got it, you know it- but you don't really know the moment it stops. It's kind of like, afterward you realize: "Hey, it doesn't hurt to breathe anymore. Or walk. Or blink."

Page 223: "I guess that's the Yellow Brick Road," I said.
"The what?" Loor asked.
"The way to Kidik." Note to self: Stop making clever Second Earth references.

Page 244: Loor froze... and dropped her stave.
Uh-oh. Whatever she was looking at had shocked her so badly that she dropped her weapon. Let me write that again. Loor was so shocked, she dropped her weapon. Loor. I don't have to tell you how wrong that was. 



So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!

Pendragon Book 1: The Merchant of Death Discussion [Summer Reading Challenge]

Hey, y'all! I'm here with another summer reading challenge post! I've finally reached my July challenge: The Pendragon Adventure!

Series Info

Since this series is a little less well-known than the other series in my Summer Reading Challenge, I decided to discuss the premise of the series as a whole. The Pendragon Adventure is a 10 book series centered around our main character, Bobby, and his adventures through multiple dimensions (or territories, as they're called in the books). The books are told from a dual perspective. Our main perspective is of Bobby, told in first-person through journals which he sends to his best friend to keep a record of what is happening. The secondary perspective is of Bobby's best friend, Mark, and pseudo-girlfriend, Courtney, who receive the journals and go through their own problems on Earth. The majority of the books focus on a single territory each, as Bobby travels there to thwart the evil Saint Dane.

Book Summary

Bobby believes he's a normal fourteen-year-old kid. One day, however, his Uncle Press shows up from out of the blue and insists that Bobby accompany him on a mission to help a group of people. What Bobby didn't realize was that these people live in an alternate territory (or dimension) called Denduron. Bobby learns that his Uncle Press is a Traveler, a person tasked with the duty of maintaining balance within all of the territories (referred to as Halla). When he arrives at the territory of Denduron, he discovers that Saint Dane, an evil, shape-shifting traveler, is attempting to cause the territory to fall apart into chaos, and that Bobby is one of the only people who can stop him.

Overall Thoughts

Non-spoiler section!

It's been quite a while since I've read this series, so it's nice to get back into it and to read it for the first time in at least 5 years. What I noticed immediately was that it definitely read like a fourteen-year-old was speaking. That's both good and not so great. Obviously, Bobby is fourteen and so it needs to sound like he's fourteen, but there were moments when it was a bit over-the-top. Most of the time, I really enjoyed Bobby's voice. He's a pretty humorous narrator. There were a couple moments, however, when I thought that something he said seemed to be kinda... dumbed-down. Like an adult was trying just a touch too hard to sound like a fourteen-year-old.

One thing that I appreciate about Bobby as a character is how he reacts when thrust into this new fantasy world. A lot of times in fantasy books where the main character discovers something magical or supernatural, they react rather illogically. Rather than being shocked or confused or skeptical, they just kinda accept this totally illogical thing to suddenly be fact. But not Bobby Pendragon! Bobby is confused. Bobby panics. Bobby asks 20 million questions. Bobby tries to run away. Bobby insists that something's gone wrong and that he should really be back in New York. He reacts as any real fourteen year old guy would.

I've noticed that I tend to prefer the Pendragon books set in the territories that I find most interesting. Denduron falls somewhere in the middle for me. I like it, but not as much as some of the other territories. But it's certainly not my least favorite. It's almost got a kinda medieval thing going on. Kinda. It's interesting, to say the least.

When comparing this first book in its series to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I tend to think that this is a better opener. Now, I'm not saying this is a better book than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's not (obviously). However, I do feel that Merchant of Death does a better job of setting the tone for its series. The first two Harry Potter books (and the first one especially) have a pretty different tone from the rest of the series. Merchant of Death, however, is action-packed and exciting from cover to cover with minimal info dumps, and that definitely gives us a good insight into what the whole series will be like.

As far as rating, I'm not quite sure. I feel like it's going to fall somewhere between a 4.25- 4.5 out of 5, but I'm just not totally sure. For now, I'll just go with 4.25 and see if I feel differently when I get to my series discussion.

Spoilery Discussion!

Let's talk about Alder. I guess this isn't really spoilery, but we don't really find out who he is until we're around 100 pages in, so I figured I'd put it down here. Alder is one of my favorite travelers. He's kinda that lovable, bumbling sidekick, but at the same time he's a warrior and can fight. I've always just really liked him. And speaking of people I like: LOOR. The first time I read the series, it took me a really long time to warm up to Loor. But in the end, she became one of my favorite characters in the series. Yes, she's a great warrior, but she's smart, headstrong, and independent. Even though it takes her a little while to come to like Bobby, I love the friendship that they form and maintain throughout the series.

At this point, I'm just the tiniest bit confused about Saint Dane's power of changing his appearance at will. In my mind (not sure why) I thought that his eye color never changed, and that's how Bobby knew who he was pretending to be. However, while Saint Dane was transformed into Figgis, he didn't have those blue eyes. So clearly he is able to change his eye color as well. I guess I'll have to wait and see how that works (especially since I remember literally nothing about the plot of The Lost City of Faar)

I was surprised at how much of the plot that I had forgotten. I couldn't really remember anything past Osa's death. I remembered that tak was the problem and that Bobby's items ended up causing problems, but apart from that, I couldn't remember anything. I guess that's partially because this is a pretty action-packed book. There's always something going on, and it makes for a plot that is completely packed with events and scenes.

Also, quigs were said to be animals that Saint Dane used to keep Travelers away from the flumes. However, the normal people of Denduron clearly know about them and use them, although the dogs on Second Earth seem to be solely used for guarding the flume. That makes me wonder what these animals actually are on Denduron. Or maybe the people just call them quigs. Also, they have yellow eyes no matter what form they take, which makes me think of Saint Dane's eyes that (from my memory, except for Figgis) remain a piercing blue regardless of the form he takes.

Overall, this book was a nice re-read. It's the book I'm the most familiar with and remember the most, so it'll be fun to get into the ones I remember less.

Favorite Quotes

Page 29: "Bobby, the door!"
Right! The door with the star and the abracadabra. Got it.
Well, at least he got the right word eventually. Abracadabra wouldn't have helped much.

Page 48: "Bobby, I know you're confused about-"
"Confused? Confused doesn't begin to cover it!" I stormed over to the mouth of the tunnel and screamed, "Denduron. Denduron!" I'd say anything to get out of there. But nothing happened.
"This is Denduron. We're already here," he said as if that were supposed to make sense.
"Okay then," I looked into the tunnel and screamed, "Earth! New York! The subway! There's no place like home!"
C'mon, Bobby, you're in Denduron, not Oz.

Page 54: "I hope you know how to drive this thing," I said.
"Hold on tight," was his answer. Yeah right, like I planned on waving my hands in the air like on a roller coaster. Give me a break.
Such a sarcastic jerk. But I love him.

Page 280: Whenever you look back and say, "If," you know you're in trouble. There's no such thing as "if." The only thing that counts is what really happened, and the truth was that every chance I got, I screwed up. Even when I thought I had done something good, it always turned out bad.
Bobby got so close to getting deep.

Page 297: Alder then spun around and ran back toward the Milago village. Now it was just the three of us. The warrior, the boss, and the kid who was so scared he had to pee. Guess which one I was?
This quote actually made me lol. That's literally the epitome of Bobby.

Page 302: I felt like I needed to say something important, but the only thing that came to mind was, "I really wish you had let me go to that basketball game." Okay, maybe not the most eloquent last words, but it was how I felt.

Page 357: Of course! I should have known! Quigs on Second Earth are monster dogs, quigs on Denduron are monster bears, and quigs on Cloral are monster sharks. It was so simple. Everybody knew that. Mental note to self: Stay away from Cloral. 
Good luck with that one, Bobby. Guess where you're headed next?


So, there you go, that's all for this summer reading post! Have you read the Pendragon series? What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments!

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading this! If you like my posts, don't forget to subscribe/follow, since it lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all soon!