For the penultimate book... this was very disappointing. Regardless of the great set up in the last chapter for the final book... there were problems with this one.

Number one, they found out about the evil new traveller on Second Earth and how he came to be. So... why did they try to stop him on Second Earth instead of going back to First Earth and preventing him from becoming what he does? Why did no one even mention that path?!

With that big issue (for me)... it became more an exercise of reading through the pages to get to the end of the book and see how it all wraps up. It's too bad, really. Had there been even a moment of someone saying "hey why don't we stop him this way?" with another character explaining why they had to stop him on the Second Earth turning point, it would have made all the difference.

So, now, everything is in turmoil and we head off into the Final Book. ( )

Bobby Pendragon is no ordinary teen. Since his literary debut in The Merchant of Death, young Bobby has ceased to be solely a figment of DJ MacHale’s imagination but an inter-dimensional hero, an American teen from Stony Brook Connecticut who carries the fates of the entire universe on his adolescent shoulders. In MacHale’s masterpiece, the young Stony Brook Point Guard is roped on an out-of-this world adventure with his Uncle Press who turns out to be a Traveler, an individual who is able to travel to different Territories: a sort of inter-dimensional/time-traveling/space-man who works with his fellow Travelers to preserve balance in the Territories in order to preserve balance in Halla, the connector of all the Territories. Halla, protected by Travelers is in the sights of one Saint Dane, a Traveler whose main goal is to instill chaos and havoc in the once peaceable Territories. It is in this plight that Bobby finds himself pitted relying on instinct good friends and all too familiar sense of adolescence.
In Raven Rise, the pieces of the Traveler puzzle begin to come together. Saint Dane’s incessant backhand references to the Convergence and the other loose ends MacHale has strung together, or in this case has yet to string, are finally becoming comprehensible. Whereas Bobby’s adventures, or disasters, on the Territory of Ibara were characterized in The Pilgrims of Rayne as part of a wider commentary on decision-making, the fallout, literally, of Bobby’s judgment is discussed in Raven Rise, probably not the best-written but certainly the most enthralling addition to these hallowed chronicles of Pendragon. As The Pilgrims of Rayne was a discussion of the means, Raven Rise is a commentary on the ends.
Bobby Pendragon’s dogged determination provides all readers with aspiration. Although they may not carry the Atlas-like burdens of holding the world on their shoulders, they can appreciate the struggles with which Bobby must contend. Pendragon and MacHale have both outdone themselves in regard to the series’ latest installment. Raven Rise is a great story full of twists and turns that keep readers of all ages on the edges of their seats. The critically acclaimed MacHale delivers once again with another Pendragon adventure.
Although Raven Rise could be considered its own literary entity, it would be advisable and beneficial to prospective readers to begin their Travels with Bobby and company with the first of the critically acclaimed series: The Merchant of Death.
All great journeys start with a single step, missing the first jump into Halla would be a mistake that would surely distort the bold, new vision of the world MacHale imparts on to his numerous, categorically fervent disciples.
Raven Rise pits Traveler Bobby Pendragon against unfathomable odds, odds that stem from his decisions. As Isaac Newton once said, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” For Bobby and those who relate to his struggles, it always seems like that reaction is much greater than the decision. It is up to people to understand the implications of their actions; Raven Rise, with its master helmsman D.J. MacHale, provides an invaluable addition not only to the Pendragon Adventures but also to readers’ understandings of the inner workings of decision making. ( )

A few comments...

First, I'm a little perplexed by the fact that he's releasing a spinoff series before this one is complete. The Travelers series is already underway, yet Halla still hangs in the balance with its fate undetermined in the Pendragon series.

Second, I'm quite anxious to read #10!!! ( )

it funny this book.

Bobby is getting older, and it is getting closer to the demise of Halla.