Pendragon: Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale
Oh, I loved this book. You can really tell you love a book when it absolutely makes you grin when you finish it, and this one did. I picked it up because I kept hearing about it, and now I totally see why. It’s not a book you could make a discernible fandom out of, I should think, but it’s the first book in a series and I surely plan to read the rest.
What’s interesting about this book is that it has a very standard sort of plot line, the kind of thing you think you’ve read a million times, but it still manages to be absolutely captivating and intersesting. The premise is that a “normal” 15 year old boy, Bobby Pendragon, one day gets wisked off to another world, finds a problem, and saves the world. Yep, you’ve heard it before. But it’s the details that make it interesting. Harry Potter. same thing: a boy goes to a school of magic. But authors manage to make it interesting by making it their own brand.
I guess my one gripe with this book is that the solution was too “easy.” I mean, the Bedoowan have been enslaving the Milago for centuries, resentment isn’t going to end just because Bobby accidentally created an earthquake. Similarly, the adventure Bobby has at the end of the book, while fast-paced and very much keeping my attention. It was waaay too Indiana Jones-ish. I don’t like Indiana Jones because of the ridiculous implausibility - there’s no true sense of struggle or deeper meaning, and that as he gets out of one impossible situation he is immediately thrown into another one, and miraculously gets out of it, in addition to creating peace with the native people and getting the girl at the end. I mean, come on. But anyway, Indiana Jones I will save for another time. At the end Bobby throws a small piece of tak, which incites a bunch of events that just happen to save the day, and he gets out of a burning mine and earthquake alive, while pushing an unconscious girl in a mine cart and being thrown off into the ocean. At then the earthquake seems to magically alleviate Bedoowan and Milago tensions. I’m all for long-term cause/effect events but this went a little farther than I was willing to believe.
But. The wriiting is seriously fantastic. I have said this, and still believe it, but it’s the way something’s written that’s the most important, not the plot per se. I mean usually the two go hand in hand - if one’s good, the other’s good -but even if there are unbelievable elements or plot holes, if a book is written such that you want to continue reading it, that’s the most important thing. That, and the characterization was excellent. That’s important too. There were no dry characters; I really felt them come alive. There weren’t too many characters, but it was the right amount I think, because each one had the time to become something: Bobby, Mark, Courtney, Uncle Press, Osa, Loor, Figgus, Mallus/Saint Dane, Rellin, Alder, Queen Kagan a little, and I’m likely forgetting someone.
Lots of creativity here: the quigs, the flumes (still managing to be a little different that other time travel/ world travel), the lore behind being a traveller (I love that, and I love how a lot is left open to future books), how the quigs change on different worlds, the secrecy and elusiveness of Uncle Press that make him an intriguing character, the bigger idea of Halla (okay, that whole concept is a bit whack, especially with what’s up with Mallos in regards to it, but I’ll let it slide for this book), the ring that glows and expands and acts as a mail carrier. Actually the book itself was written in a very clever way, with Bobby “writing” journals to Mark, and with occasional “commercial breaks” from the action where we get to see Mark and Courtney reading them. I rather liked that format, even though it was a bit unrealistic that Bobby could remember that much detail and dialogue about what happened to him, not to mention write like a novelist with the whole withholding details and adding suspense thing.
Okay, I always end with shiptalk (if appropriate) and I have to say, this book didn’t have too much in the way of shipping. There was the canon Bobby/Courtney - for the first page at least, it kind of died after that, understandably I suppose. Well, actually, it wouldn’t be interesting if Bobby had spent enough time on Earth to kiss Courtney again. It’s always good to keep the reader waiting. So we’ll see what happens with that in later books, plus if Mark and Courtney get to do more world-saving stuff. But yeah, no other ships even possible. Except I totally think Mark is gay, or he should be, but that’s hardly my jurisdiction.
And, Ginny's end-of-summer ETA: Dude, these books are nowhere. This is unfair. They are always checked out from the library, with many holds. I'm starting to think it's amazing I even got the first one. May even consider buying the 2nd one, cause otherwise I'll never end up reading it. I always knew they were popular, but wow. Not this much.
What’s interesting about this book is that it has a very standard sort of plot line, the kind of thing you think you’ve read a million times, but it still manages to be absolutely captivating and intersesting. The premise is that a “normal” 15 year old boy, Bobby Pendragon, one day gets wisked off to another world, finds a problem, and saves the world. Yep, you’ve heard it before. But it’s the details that make it interesting. Harry Potter. same thing: a boy goes to a school of magic. But authors manage to make it interesting by making it their own brand.
I guess my one gripe with this book is that the solution was too “easy.” I mean, the Bedoowan have been enslaving the Milago for centuries, resentment isn’t going to end just because Bobby accidentally created an earthquake. Similarly, the adventure Bobby has at the end of the book, while fast-paced and very much keeping my attention. It was waaay too Indiana Jones-ish. I don’t like Indiana Jones because of the ridiculous implausibility - there’s no true sense of struggle or deeper meaning, and that as he gets out of one impossible situation he is immediately thrown into another one, and miraculously gets out of it, in addition to creating peace with the native people and getting the girl at the end. I mean, come on. But anyway, Indiana Jones I will save for another time. At the end Bobby throws a small piece of tak, which incites a bunch of events that just happen to save the day, and he gets out of a burning mine and earthquake alive, while pushing an unconscious girl in a mine cart and being thrown off into the ocean. At then the earthquake seems to magically alleviate Bedoowan and Milago tensions. I’m all for long-term cause/effect events but this went a little farther than I was willing to believe.
But. The wriiting is seriously fantastic. I have said this, and still believe it, but it’s the way something’s written that’s the most important, not the plot per se. I mean usually the two go hand in hand - if one’s good, the other’s good -but even if there are unbelievable elements or plot holes, if a book is written such that you want to continue reading it, that’s the most important thing. That, and the characterization was excellent. That’s important too. There were no dry characters; I really felt them come alive. There weren’t too many characters, but it was the right amount I think, because each one had the time to become something: Bobby, Mark, Courtney, Uncle Press, Osa, Loor, Figgus, Mallus/Saint Dane, Rellin, Alder, Queen Kagan a little, and I’m likely forgetting someone.
Lots of creativity here: the quigs, the flumes (still managing to be a little different that other time travel/ world travel), the lore behind being a traveller (I love that, and I love how a lot is left open to future books), how the quigs change on different worlds, the secrecy and elusiveness of Uncle Press that make him an intriguing character, the bigger idea of Halla (okay, that whole concept is a bit whack, especially with what’s up with Mallos in regards to it, but I’ll let it slide for this book), the ring that glows and expands and acts as a mail carrier. Actually the book itself was written in a very clever way, with Bobby “writing” journals to Mark, and with occasional “commercial breaks” from the action where we get to see Mark and Courtney reading them. I rather liked that format, even though it was a bit unrealistic that Bobby could remember that much detail and dialogue about what happened to him, not to mention write like a novelist with the whole withholding details and adding suspense thing.
Okay, I always end with shiptalk (if appropriate) and I have to say, this book didn’t have too much in the way of shipping. There was the canon Bobby/Courtney - for the first page at least, it kind of died after that, understandably I suppose. Well, actually, it wouldn’t be interesting if Bobby had spent enough time on Earth to kiss Courtney again. It’s always good to keep the reader waiting. So we’ll see what happens with that in later books, plus if Mark and Courtney get to do more world-saving stuff. But yeah, no other ships even possible. Except I totally think Mark is gay, or he should be, but that’s hardly my jurisdiction.
And, Ginny's end-of-summer ETA: Dude, these books are nowhere. This is unfair. They are always checked out from the library, with many holds. I'm starting to think it's amazing I even got the first one. May even consider buying the 2nd one, cause otherwise I'll never end up reading it. I always knew they were popular, but wow. Not this much.
posted by Taira @ 1:18 AM
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