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cyanide_latte's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Genuinely just starting to lose interest in these. I really don't care about any of the characters any more outside of Mark and Courtney (and even Courtney's pushing it,) and I've really not cared about Bobby in ages. Might continue to push through with the rest of the series just to say I got through it, might not. I just really don't care. Even the unique world-building has reached a point where it's becoming underwhelming.
proffy's review against another edition
3.0
The Quillan Games stood out to me from the very beginning because of the odd sense of familiarity the territory had for me. On Quillan, a corporation has taken over, controlling the entire population by being the only place to work or to buy food. People are unhappy, hungry, cramped, and desperate. They can increase their station in life by a small amount or a large amount through gambling on games. Some of these games they must compete in themselves; others are staged games broadcast over televisions.
Sounds very Vegas, right? Unfortunately, it's not. People don't have money to gamble with so they fall back on things like slave labor, their children, or their lives. It is a horrifying society in a way that is oddly more real to me than the other territories we have seen. Technically, it's the same old story of Pendragon: two cultures exist, one of which is somehow 'superior' to the other and enslaves the rival culture. Badness ensues. The oppressed culture gets pissed. But this time the superior culture is one I can see in my own life. I would see the letters B L O K to refer to the mega-company, but my mind would say "Walmart".
This was probably my favorite in the Pendragon series; although I did finally figure out why I'm not as in love with these books as I should be - the repetition. The reader is bombarded with the same messages over and over again from Bobby - I shouldn't be here. I want to go home. I'm not worthy. I am worthy. blah blah blah. It's not just once a book that we here these things; it's more like once a chapter. I think if you cut out all of the unnecessary repetitions of Bobby's feelings, these books would probably be half as long as they are. But I'm willing to deal with this annoyance for the good points of the story.
Sounds very Vegas, right? Unfortunately, it's not. People don't have money to gamble with so they fall back on things like slave labor, their children, or their lives. It is a horrifying society in a way that is oddly more real to me than the other territories we have seen. Technically, it's the same old story of Pendragon: two cultures exist, one of which is somehow 'superior' to the other and enslaves the rival culture. Badness ensues. The oppressed culture gets pissed. But this time the superior culture is one I can see in my own life. I would see the letters B L O K to refer to the mega-company, but my mind would say "Walmart".
This was probably my favorite in the Pendragon series; although I did finally figure out why I'm not as in love with these books as I should be - the repetition. The reader is bombarded with the same messages over and over again from Bobby - I shouldn't be here. I want to go home. I'm not worthy. I am worthy. blah blah blah. It's not just once a book that we here these things; it's more like once a chapter. I think if you cut out all of the unnecessary repetitions of Bobby's feelings, these books would probably be half as long as they are. But I'm willing to deal with this annoyance for the good points of the story.
mlindsey441's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series. Each time I finish a book, I think I can't be surprised like that again. But over and over again, there are little twists and turns that amaze me. I like that each book reveals just a bit more about the territories and the travelers, but at the same time raises a whole set of new ones. I read these with my 11-year old daughter who is always one book ahead of me. We've had so many amazing conversations. If you can read these with a tweenager, your enjoyment will increase even more. I love hearing her perspective. This was her least favorite book so far, while it was probably my favorite because of the complexity of the relationships that are revealed in this one.
domenicfarinelli's review against another edition
3.0
I have slightly mixed feelings about this book. I discovered the "Pendragon Adventure" in junior high, and read the first six books by the time I reached sophomore year of high school. I tried reading the "Quillan Games" numerous times, but never got past the first chapter. Robot spiders really aren't my thing. However, if you give it a chance and push past Bobby's first journal, it does get better. The story has a very "Hunger Games" feel to it, although this one was actually published first, and I definitely appreciate MacHale's ability to tie in those little details from earlier books. He definitely has a plan for this series, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out.
Some aspects of the plot seem forced, such as the fact that Saint Dane is able to impersonate pretty much everyone Bobby and his friends come into contact with, and the majority of Bobby's story is very slow moving. The writing gets repetitive, and I wish that MacHale would vary his sentence structure every so often. Of course, he is writing through the perspective of a 17 year old boy, so I suppose this is forgivable; I just wish that the writing style would develop a bit. The other thing that I notice is that I am much more interested in Courtney and Mark and their story on Second Earth than I am in Bobby and his adventures through time and space. Unfortunately, the aforementioned duo appear in less than a hundred pages of every book, so I hope that as the series begins to culminate, we see more of these two, similar to their participation in "Black Water."
Overall, this is definitely a worthwhile read. It's not the best book ever, nor is it the best in its series, but I'm glad I've read it and suggest it to fans of the series.
Some aspects of the plot seem forced, such as the fact that Saint Dane is able to impersonate pretty much everyone Bobby and his friends come into contact with, and the majority of Bobby's story is very slow moving. The writing gets repetitive, and I wish that MacHale would vary his sentence structure every so often. Of course, he is writing through the perspective of a 17 year old boy, so I suppose this is forgivable; I just wish that the writing style would develop a bit. The other thing that I notice is that I am much more interested in Courtney and Mark and their story on Second Earth than I am in Bobby and his adventures through time and space. Unfortunately, the aforementioned duo appear in less than a hundred pages of every book, so I hope that as the series begins to culminate, we see more of these two, similar to their participation in "Black Water."
Overall, this is definitely a worthwhile read. It's not the best book ever, nor is it the best in its series, but I'm glad I've read it and suggest it to fans of the series.
kimal25's review against another edition
Let the Games Begin….
Quillan is a territory on the verge of destruction. The people have lost control of their own future and must struggle simply to survive. The only chance they have of finding a better life is by playing the Quillan Games. Hosted by a strange pair of game masters, Veego and LaBerge, the games are a mix of sport and combat. They use the people of Quillan as pawns for their amusement as they force them to enter competitions that range from physical battles, to impossible obstacle courses, to computer-driven tests of agility. To triumph in the games is to live the life of a king. To lose is to die.
This is the dangerous and deadly situation Bobby Pendragon finds on Quillan. He quickly realizes that the only way to save this troubled territory is to beat Veego and LaBerge at their own games and dismantle their horrible fun house. But there is more at stake for Bobby. The prize for winning the Quillan Games may be discovering the truth of what it really means a Traveler.
I love this because I feel like this is exactly like Hunger Games, but this came first.
Quillan is a territory on the verge of destruction. The people have lost control of their own future and must struggle simply to survive. The only chance they have of finding a better life is by playing the Quillan Games. Hosted by a strange pair of game masters, Veego and LaBerge, the games are a mix of sport and combat. They use the people of Quillan as pawns for their amusement as they force them to enter competitions that range from physical battles, to impossible obstacle courses, to computer-driven tests of agility. To triumph in the games is to live the life of a king. To lose is to die.
This is the dangerous and deadly situation Bobby Pendragon finds on Quillan. He quickly realizes that the only way to save this troubled territory is to beat Veego and LaBerge at their own games and dismantle their horrible fun house. But there is more at stake for Bobby. The prize for winning the Quillan Games may be discovering the truth of what it really means a Traveler.
I love this because I feel like this is exactly like Hunger Games, but this came first.
korrinamoe's review against another edition
5.0
While I was reading this book, I know Pendragon wouldn't die, because he's the main character, but I was so scared over and over again he'd make one mistake and not be able to succeed. I kept guessing who could be the "bad guy" but again got a surprise.
dwheeler88's review against another edition
4.0
Even though I don't think all the things in this series are well thought out, it does address some huge human downfalls. Both Veelox and Quillan could very well futures of our own world. That further reminds me that we humans are inherently sinful, greedy, and prideful. It takes much to overcome that. I am very curious as to how the series will end.
kristenbooks's review against another edition
4.0
First read: May, 2007
Re-read: July 22, 2014
Although this is technically a fantasy novel, the world of Quillan definitely has a dystopian feel. I absolutely love dytopians, but the one thing that I typically complain about is that the world wasn't developed enough. I love learning all about the worlds that dystopians are set in. What most people call an "info dump" I think of as a really interesting learning section. Fortunately, what DJ MacHale does best is world-building. And this world is incredibly interesting and well-developed. It's one of my favorite territories in the series. And the plot is really exciting too. I love seeing all of the different challenges and competitors. Going into this book the 2nd time, I considered it to be my favorite in the series. It's fallen a couple slots, but that's mostly because there were a couple books that I ended up liking more than I remembered the first time. Overall, I really like the plot and the world.
9/10 (4.5/5)
Re-read: July 22, 2014
Although this is technically a fantasy novel, the world of Quillan definitely has a dystopian feel. I absolutely love dytopians, but the one thing that I typically complain about is that the world wasn't developed enough. I love learning all about the worlds that dystopians are set in. What most people call an "info dump" I think of as a really interesting learning section. Fortunately, what DJ MacHale does best is world-building. And this world is incredibly interesting and well-developed. It's one of my favorite territories in the series. And the plot is really exciting too. I love seeing all of the different challenges and competitors. Going into this book the 2nd time, I considered it to be my favorite in the series. It's fallen a couple slots, but that's mostly because there were a couple books that I ended up liking more than I remembered the first time. Overall, I really like the plot and the world.
9/10 (4.5/5)
nannahnannah's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time I have lost sleep worrying about what will happen in a book. I should have just read the whole thing and stayed up the whole night! Yeesh!
But this book is just amazing. This whole series is amazing. Each book goes to a new territory that has a problem and each problem is something we can all relate to. This book actually got me terrified--because its situation reminds me of what might happen if a huge company like Wal-mart takes over everything.
And the characters in this series are hugely complex and developed, and really seem like real people. There is no "one-faced" characters. And because of that it's even easier to relate to them and to be gripped by the story.
There are so many things in this book that throw you off-balance. D.J. MacHale includes so many mind-blowing twists and turns you feel positively overwhelmed! I think it's this, the feeling like you are going through the same troubling feelings as Bobby does, that makes this series so popular. It's incredibly addicting, and it does not let you go.
This book is one of the best in the series.
And this series is the best. xD
But this book is just amazing. This whole series is amazing. Each book goes to a new territory that has a problem and each problem is something we can all relate to. This book actually got me terrified--because its situation reminds me of what might happen if a huge company like Wal-mart takes over everything.
And the characters in this series are hugely complex and developed, and really seem like real people. There is no "one-faced" characters. And because of that it's even easier to relate to them and to be gripped by the story.
There are so many things in this book that throw you off-balance. D.J. MacHale includes so many mind-blowing twists and turns you feel positively overwhelmed! I think it's this, the feeling like you are going through the same troubling feelings as Bobby does, that makes this series so popular. It's incredibly addicting, and it does not let you go.
This book is one of the best in the series.
And this series is the best. xD