Pendragon: The Rivers of Zadaa

Pendragon Book 6: The Rivers of Zadaa

By: D.J. MacHale

Two once friendly tribes are on the brink of war. What they don't realize is that they are necessary to one another in order to survive. It all started when the drought on Zadaa caused the rivers to dry up. But, is there more to this mysterious drought, like the fact that the Rokador tribe supplies water to the Batu? Or, could it have to do with the evil traveler Saint Dane?

In the sixth book of this ten-book fantasy series, Bobby Pendragon leads a group of people, called travelers, who can fly through space and time. Bobby goes to the place in space where his most trusted ally, Loor (yes, she is a girl), lives. Zadaa is a desert territory with a few intelligent tribes, like the Rokador and the Batu, and the rest are primitive cannibalistic tribes. Those tribes are so hungry they turn to killing and eating members of other tribes. Two of the more advanced tribes, the Rokador and Batu worked together to survive until a drought came over Zadaa. The rivers dried and the food ran out. The Batu got suspicious of the Rokador holding back the rivers that they control. Now, Bobby and Loor have to help make things right again between these two tribes before a war breaks loose.

As with all other books in the series, D.J. MacHale does a fantastic job describing the setting. He also made it so that you want to hear about Bobby's friends on Second Earth as much as the story on Zadaa. Plus, it is awesome how he includes multiple characters from other books. He has the uncanny ability to leave you hanging at the end of each book.

I think that the author is trying to say that you need to rely on others at times. The two tribes both give to each other in order to survive. When you need help, don't be afraid to ask, because if one tribe didn't have the other, they couldn't survive. Another moral is that war isn't the answer. War plunges people and societies into chaos. It still happens today. The strife in the Middle East is a great example of current day struggles caused by war.

This was a very well written book with great description and topics. This book has some questions that you don't have answers to and it drives you crazy... in a good way. I would rate this book an A+.