...before anything else...
Hey!!! It's me, Jashmine!
I'm fifteen
A fourth year high school student in SMAN
And I'm gonna share something with you...
Before I'm gonna tell you what is the story all about, I just wanna let you know that i found this book in our library. While I'm looking for a good book to read, I found this book. The cover of the book tells me it was an interesting story. So then i started to read it... The Book 1 of Pendragon entitled, "The Merchant of Death".
...about the author...
The author of the book is D.J. MacHale. He is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series, specials and movies. Just like his main character in his book "Pendragon", which is Bobby Pendragon, his birthday is March 11th. He was born in the town of Port Chester, New York. But he grew up in the next town over from there, Greenwich, CT. He based the town of Stoney Brook in the Pendragon books on Greenwich. I can describe him as an idealistic author. He's a great author for me. He makes his story looks like it was real. Though it's fictional, everything seems so real. He got a great imagination, too. And I admire him for that. I can say I'm a little bit imaginative too. I'm a daydreamer.
~~~♥♥♥~~~
Pendragon Book 1: The Merchant of Death
It was a fiction story written by D.J. MacHale. It is a young adult series of science fiction/fantasy novels. It was full of creative ideas that the readers will surely like. There are thrilling events and a cliff hanger in the end, wanting to ask for more. I, myself can't stop reading it until I reach the climax of the story and can't wait until i know what happen in the end.
...getting to know the characters...
~Bobby Pendragon: the lead traveler, The main character of the story, a 14-year-old boy from Second Earth.
~Press Tilton: Bobby's uncle. A very experienced Traveler, who helps Bobby learn as he becomes one. He is one of the older generation of Travelers, so he is able to answer most of Bobby's questions.
~Mark Dimond: Bobby's best friend from Second Earth; described as a science nerd, long black hair that "always looks as if it should be washed", and extremely intelligent.
~Courtney Chetwynde: Another of Bobby's friends from Earth and his love life; described as doing pretty well academically with the exception of math, who is amazing at sports.
~Saint Dane: The villain of the story, an evil Traveler capable of shape-shifting. His goal is to bring chaos to Halla and re-build it for himself.
(wooohhh... scary!!!, better not to look at him)
...settings...
~Denduron: one of the ten territories of Halla; has 3 sun
~Stoney Brook, Connecticut N.Y.: the place where Bobby lives.
...story review... :)
Bobby Pendragon is already a better-than-average teenager. He gets good grades; he's a star player on the basketball team; he's popular among his peers - and he's making romantic headway with Courtney Chetwynde, the most sought-after girl in town.
But Bobby's not just better-than-average: he's...special. When his eccentric Uncle Press shows up unannounced and tells Bobby there are some people who need their help, Bobby has no idea that he'll soon be sucked through an interdimensional wormhole called a "flume" and deposited on Denduron, a medieval planet (or rather, a "territory") in an alternative reality. He left his home and his family to come with his Uncle Press in pursue of the evil Saint Dane. Press tells Bobby that the two of them are Travelers, members of a rare group (or race, or species - it's never quite clear) with special abilities, charged with fighting the good fight against evil and corruption. What this means in the near-term is resolving a conflict on Denduron between enslaved miners and decadent castle-dwellers - a conflict orchestrated by Saint Dane, a shape-shifting Traveler with dishonorable intentions.
By means of a magic ring that can teleport small objects between territories, Bobby is able to write down his adventures and solicit the help of geeky best friend Mark (who soon recruits Courtney into the secretive goings-on).
This first book in the series is a great introduction into the series as it begins to build on the main characters of the series: Bobby Pendragon, Courtney Chetwynde and Mark Diamond. As we see the battle commence it is interesting to see things from a teenagers perspective and see the pressure on Pendragon build as we move to the tumultuous earth.
The book (and series) is aimed at the teenage market so while it does have death and loss, it is not too graphic and the elements of good v evil are tackled in a clever way – it’s more like a old style batman feel rather than the more dark Lord of the Rings feel.
...really short plot summary...:]
Bobby Pendragon was just a normal kid, until his Uncle Press asked him for a favor. He goes with his Uncle to an old unused subway station and suddenly a shape changing man named Saint Dane is shooting at him. Then his Uncle has him run down the subway rail to find the door to the flume. As Bobby runs for the flume giant dogs with yellow eyes chase after him. He barely gets to the flume and when he does, he yells "Denduron" as Press instructed. He gets sucked through the flume to Denduron and his uncle joins him soon after. They go to the mining village and Press is captured by some knights. Loor and Osa (fellow "Travlers") help Bobby. Together the set out to rescue Press and free the miner slaves. All the while Saint Dane plans chaos for both sides. His goal is to destroy Halla and rule over what is left over. Bobby records all of his adventure in the form of written journals he sends via magic rings to his friends Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde.
~~~♥♥♥~~~
...my point of view...
For me, the saddest part of the story is when Bobby and his Uncle Press came back to Stony Brook, Connecticut N.Y. after Bobby got his first sight of the first territory they have been through. They found out that his house and his family was gone. There have been no traces of their disappearance. Not a single wood from the house had left behind. It was a complete empty lot. It's hard for Bobby to take all of these. It made him sad. His Uncle Press told him that it was the way it was meant to be. He lost his family because it is the time for him to become a full time traveler. Well, they're not totally lost. His uncle said that Bobby will be meeting them again after their battle against Saint Dane.
If i were him, i'll feel the same way too. Losing a family and a home is the most terrible thing that will happen in my life. I can't imagine the fact that I will be losing my family and our home all at once.
Being a traveler is not an easy job. You have to take the risk not to let the territories being destroyed by the evil Saint Dane. You must battle with the bad guys. That's what Bobby's been doing. He must protect Halla. Halla is everything: every world, every living thing. The safety of all lies in Bobby's hand. It was a tough job, keeping everything and every territory in balance.
I guess I can't do what Bobby can. I can't take the responsibility. I'm afraid. What if I failed to protect the territory from falling apart? Everything will be a disaster. A huge total disaster. I'll just put every living thing in danger. And all the blame goes to me. No. I'm not capable for the job. But I wanna believe in myself. Just like Bobby. Bobby inspired me. Little by little, i'll become more confident with myself. Sooner or later i'll become stronger than i ever was.
...reason why i choose this story...
The reason why i choose this story is because this kind of story is very interesting for us teenagers. Teens are always looking for adventure. This book is so cool... packed to the brim with adventure, humor, and sadness. There's really a whole lot of adventure in here.
...it's a must-read story!...
I think it would be good to read the book because it shows you what life is like. It was a great book. I would say that it rivals the "J.K. Rowling" for imagination and creativity. For those who are looking for a total adventure, I can say that this book got the best of it. If you haven't read it, then you must!
