Pendragon by D.J. MacHale
Plot Summary
In the first book of the series, The Merchant of Death, Bobby Pendragon is leading a normal life in Stony Brook, a suburb of New York City, where he is the star of Stony Brook Middle School's basketball team. When he is fourteen, his uncle Press Tilton takes him to an abandoned train station where he and Bobby travel through a portal through space and time called a flume. Bobby soon finds himself in a different territory — possibly a different version of history or a different world entirely — called Denduron, where two important tribes are on the brink of a civil war because one tribe is forcing the other to work in mines. There Bobby discovers he was chosen to be a 'Traveler' between territories in order to defeat Saint Dane, an evil figure who wishes to tip all of Halla (the entirety of everything that exists, has existed, or will exist, including persons, time, and space) into chaos so that he can remake it according to his desire.
Review
I remember when I first picked up this book. I was in Downtown Los Angeles at the Central Library. At the time I was looking a new a different. Different from the usual teen novels for young adults, At the time there were countless of Buffy novels. I’ve made a religion out of avoiding tv shows to novels. So, I picked of the third book in the series mainly for the cover. “Hmm, hey the title says Pendragon. May be it’s a King Arthur fantasy about a boy flying a bi-plane” I thought to myself. After reading the first to chapters, I was wrong it wasn’t about a King Arthur fantasy. It was so much better! It had all of my favorite elements, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Morals...everything that a person could wonder about. The storytelling, a good versus evil plot and pop culture references encouraged me to keep reading. The story follows a boy named Bobby Pendragon form New England USA who is taken on a journey through time, dimension and space by in Uncle to battle a great evil which threatens the existence of everything. Bobby is transformed over the years from that of a boy into a man and a leader. As he tells his story in the form of journals we are allowed to see into his character and watch him grow. He relates all if his experiences to real life. Unfortunately, He fails countless of times during entanglements with Saint Dane. When he does win its worth its weight in gold! I love reading Bobby’s journals but Machall writes the story in an interesting way which allows him on occasion write in third person. When he is not focusing on Bobby the story focuses on the ripple of his actions and how they affect his friends. Along for the ride is his best friend Mark and Courtney. They too develop as the books progress. They grow from observers to participants in a war that decides the fate of everything that was, is and shall be forever.
The storytelling, action and the growth of a child into a leader is what makes this series a worthwhile read. The final book will be out this year. A long, adventures journey is about to come to an end.
