The Merchant of Death

These books are Fantastic! The characters are very believable and easily loved and relatable. The villains main objective is to conquer Halla. Which is everything that was, is and yet to be. This means total control of all realities and experiences. The main hero and his most trusted friends have to use their best judgment to prevent the destruction of literally everything! I definitely recommend reading these books

I can most definitely see how this book caters to boys. It’s practically filled with action from cover to cover, and Bobby as the main narrator does a good job to keep you interested. I still have to say, I find him hard to like. He’s a bit arrogant and cocky, and at times stupidity seems to come into his head and he makes the wrong decisions when the right ones are necessary (and life saving). However I can’t help but also be caught up in the story. I suppose the way he narrates it was good and engaging enough to keep my attention. I do like the concept and the idea of this book. It was interesting and very different from what I’m used to reading. The concept actually reminds me of the television show Sliders (of course with obvious differences) which is one of the main reasons why I thought this book was good. Some chapters also take place on “Second Earth” (supposedly where we live) and features Courtney (Bobby’s girlfriend) and Mark (Bobby’s nerdy but very reliable friend). They’re two typical sidekicks to the story but it adds more substance to the plot and goes to show you how the fantasy element works in the book. It’s also a nice secondary storyline and gives you an insight on what happens when Bobby is away from home. Life goes on on Second Earth but I’m sure questions will be raised when Bobby and his family have extended their absence for a very long time. Although I like the action in the book, there just seems to be something missing. I liked it but felt that I did not enjoy it as much. Although the characters are well thought out they just did not have any “feel” to them and were like wooden puppets. Except for Bobby (obviously, as he’s the main character). It would help if there’s more substance and depth to the supporting cast as well. I’d say give this book a go if you want an action packed read without anything too complex. The worlds are well written, the fantasy element is different, and I’m going to be picking up the second one for sure. There’s lots of unanswered questions (like the whereabouts of Bobby’s parents) that I want to know the answers to.

D.J. Machale uses his common plot twists to keep the reader guessing. He also makes good use of his young characters to intrigue younger audiences interested. Though it's mixture of slang, and adult plots makes it a good book for all ages. This book, told from Bobby’s point of view through journals, is constantly changing. It is also told from Mark, and Courtney's point of view but more directly, and not through journals, and is not yet changing as much as Bobby' side of the story which is understandable due to the fact that ther're only trying to understand what happened to their friend. That will change with time. Overall I would give Pendragon (my new favorite book series) 5 stars. Enjoy the rest of the series, and congratulations to D.J. Machale for creating such a great book.