Hi, Guys! This is Doctor Proctor (more commonly known as OceanWave) reviewing the not-so-brand new chapter of Pendragon, by D.J. MacHale. This time, I'll be looking at Book Eight: The Pilgrims of Rayne. If you don't know the story of this ficticious series, here are the highlights.
Bobby Pendragon, the main character, is a Traveler, somebody destined to fly across space and time to stop Saint Dane from destroying Halla, also known as everything. Recently, Saint Dane convinced one of the Travelers to join his cause, thus decreasing the already dwindling amount of Travelers able to fight him. What does he do next?
Well, he does the most logical thing that an evil demon would do: He sets his sights on the next planet, Ibara. When Bobby tracks Saint Dane down to this tropical paradise, he finds that everything is not as perfect as it seems. These islanders know nothing about the outside world! He soon joins a group named the Jakills, a ragged team of young adults in search of the truth. They have no idea, however, how stunning the truth really is, and the terror it beholds. Bobby faces danger and trials, and eventually must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice to follow the rules of the universe.
Now that you're caught up with the story, I can begin the actual review. The first thing that I thought when I finished this book was, "Woah. I can't wait to get the next book." Seriously, this book has so many "wow" moments, you'll be second guessing yourself on the most simple of things! Just when you think you've got it all figured out, and you know how it's going to end, MacHale throws a curveball at you! It was extremely entertaining for this reason.
As engaging as this novel was, I had trouble agreeing with the author's opinions. Several themes come up frequently throughout the book, namely doubt and the greater purpose. Many a time Bobby finds himself doubting his abilities as a Traveler. While I think that it's a very interesting theme, it sets a slightly depressing tone for the whole book. Bobby also wonders why he's even fighting this battle with Saint Dane, and if it will ever end. These are certainly questions that I would be asking myself as well, but at least half of his story is simply of him battling his own emotions.
In retrospect, I realize that this book is very much like Harry Potter. Both Harry and Bobby end up fighting themselves as well as the bad guy, and in both novels their emotions tell most of the story. Harry feels like he's no match for Voldemort, and that he'll keep playing into his hands until the end. After several confrontations, he realizes that he has much more than the Dark Lord, and begins to have hope for victory. Similarly, Bobby thinks that this war against Saint Dane will never end. It takes many death-defying situations and battles before he sees how to triumph over his adversary, and end the struggle for Halla.
In a word, this book was awesome. It was full of action and adventure, and had some very creative ideas. Even though the themes were a bit on the dark side(heh, heh), and you still read Bobby's story after it happened, it stands out as one of the best books in the series. A deep story and thrilling adventure awaits you in the pages of this novel! This book has earned itself a solid A in my eyes. Until next time, folks! This is Doctor Proctor, signing off.
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