The Never War

“You want to know why we're the ones responsible?" Gunny asked.

I looked up into a pair of wise eyes that had seen far more than mine.

"Because there's nobody else," he said.

Well, now we know why 'our' Earth is called Second Earth. Turns out there is also a First Earth, which seems to be quite literally the past: specifically in the 1930s. Since we've been told a number of times that a traveler (somehow) always arrives when they need to, I'm not sure why these would be separate worlds at all, but so it goes.

The story itself is fairly interesting. It's much more grounded than what we saw on on Denduron or Coral, leaning on what that reader actually knows / has read previously about the 30s, including gangs and corruption throughout show more cities and the upcoming threat of World War II. I really like the ending, where (mostly avoiding spoilers) you end up with a somewhat standard time travel trouble of having to chose between the evil you know happened and possibly upsetting everything.

Characterwise, I like the new traveler from First Earthy: Gunny. It's interesting to see a different, much older viewpoint on the whole thing, that still hasn't spent as much time around anything other than his own world. Spader returns from Cloral. Throughout most of the story, I like what I liked last time around: he's fun loving and competent. Towards the end though, we really get a taste of what I was worried about last time around: he's passionate to a fault, willing to sacrifice quite a lot to do what he believes needs to be done--even when people he should trust tell him otherwise.

So it goes.

I don't like this as much as the previous stories. It's a combination of time travel just not feeling like it makes sense / something that's needed in a universe like this the aforementioned issues with Spader. Looks like he'll be taking the next book off though, so onward we go! It's still a fun enough read. show less

I think what I love most about this series is the different worlds. Every book, there's a completely new setting to lose yourself in, complete with a new cast of characters. But of course, sometimes the best ones from previous novels come along for the ride.

Bobby Pendragon now finds himself in a very familiar territory indeed; First Earth, his home planet in the 1930's. And he quickly discovers that the "tipping point" here has everything to do with time. Somewhere, someone, helped along by none other than Saint Dane, is going to set something in motion that may become the catalyst for an event that will change history: World War II. And in order to save First Earth, Bobby will have to unravel the web of the past, the present, and the show more future, as well as make one of the most difficult choices ever.

Accompanied by the complex, vengeful, charismatic Vo Spader from the previous novel, with the addition of First Earth's mellow and wise Traveler Gunny, Bobby has reached a personal tipping point of his own; the time when he will truly come to understand what it means to be a Traveler.

I loved that this book took place in our own past, with all the time-appropriate references. I honestly used Google a couple times just to see if some of the characters Bobby met in the past were based on real people! Reading Bobby's incredulous, wondering account of experiencing all the time-travel was very realistic and consistant with his unique narrative voice. And as usual, the cliffhanger leaves you just like Bobby's ever-loyal friends Mark and Courtney; waiting for his next journal and his next adventure in a new territory. show less

This third installment of the Bobby Pendragon series has the usual glitches--for example, as the whole second book made clear, Courtney and Mark are not the only people who know where Bobby is, since Mitchell does, too; Bobby worries briefly that Jinx might be Saint Dane but decides that "nothing about her set my radar off" (119) though his "radar" was highly inadequate in book two, etc. However, there are far fewer of these errors than in the first two books, and higher internal consistency.
In the present volume, Mark and Courtney are almost absent, relegated to just a narrative bracket around Bobby's story. Fortunately, Mark is dissatisfied, too, and at the end of the book begins to explore ways to support Bobby more directly. The show more conflict this time takes place on First Earth in the 1930's and involves an enjoyable alternate history of the World War II era. Star Trek fans may hearken back to the original series episode The City on the Edge of Forever at times.

Unlike the first two books, Bobby's internal emotional battles seem realistic and genuine. This inspires the reader identification and empathy that have been lacking to this point. The present volume is a bildungsroman. That couldn't be said for the previous two.This makes me cautiously optimistic about the direction of the series, and hopeful about reading further. show less

Another excellent adventure in the Pendragon series! This time, we're in the past - 1937 to be exact - and we battle with our inner demons on the right course to take. What will be the biggest impact on the planet? Saving the Hildenburg... or letting it crash?[return][return]The series continues to entertain as Saint Dane's machinations get more and more evil in his quest to take over Halla. The more I read, the more addicted I am to this series and can not recommend it enough!

The Never War
By D.J. MacHale
The Never War is the third book in the Pendragon series although I ended up reading the whole series this summer I decided to write about my favorite. To know about this book you have to know about the series in general. Bobby Pendragon is a kid who finds out that he is actually responsible for keeping the balance between worlds which they call territories (dimensions). In the first book he saves a territory, Denduron from crumbling. In the second book (which happens to be my second favorite in the series) he also saves this territory from crumbling but also meets a fellow traveler Spader. Now if you don’t know anything about the series you might be wondering why these territories are crumbling, well show more with every protagonist there has to be a villain and that villain is Saint Dane. He wants the territories to crumble so they can merge together in order for him to be able to pick up the pieces and rule them as one.
The third book starts out with Bobby Pendragon following Saint Dane into another territory this territory is first Earth. It is one of the three Earth territories Bobby being from second Earth. First Earth is set in 1937 and the major turning point of this territory is actually the crash of the Hindenburg. Spader goes with Bobby to help him save this territory but when they get there Bobby feels that Spader’s revenge will get the better of him (Saint Dane killed Spader’s father in the second book). When they arrive they find the traveler from First Earth, Gunny. Gunny is the bell captain at the Manhattan Towers Hotel. He finds them a room at the hotel where Bobby and Spader can plan their next move. This by far is my favorite part of the book when Spader and Bobby actually get to chill in the hotel. Because all of the books are filled with action 100% of the time and when you finally get to see Bobby have a little down time its pretty cool. So after that Bobby and Spader eventually find out that the turning point on the territory has to do with a New York mob boss Max Rose. See it turns out that Max has put every penny to his name into helping the Nazis create the atomic bomb before the U.S does. He is using his informants in the Manhattan Project to supply the Nazis with information.
The whole turning point is that the payment for all of this priceless information is on the Hindenburg in an assortment of cash, art and diamonds. But the whole objective of the turning point is that Bobby and Spader have to let the Hindenburg crash. Bobby finds this out when he goes without Spader to Third Earth to a scenario super computer. So Bobby has a choice to either save the future of three territories or save the lives of 37 people.
As I said before this is my favorite Pendragon book that they have come out with so far. I definitely give it two thumbs up. All of these books just are so easy to read not because they are simple but because the suspense that the author creates is amazing I ended up finishing this one at 4 o’clock in the morning and resting the whole day thinking of how amazing the book was. show less

The Never War is the third book in the addicting Pendragon series. The series is about a typical teenager named Bobby Pendragon who finds out he is chosen as one of many other Traveler. Travelers flume through time and space to defend various territories from another Traveler named Saint Dane. Saint Dane is an evil Traveler whose plan is to force the territories to crumble to his power, so he can rule Halla, which is everything and everyone that’s ever existed. After Saint Dane killed Bobby’s uncle, Press on the territory of Cloral, Bobby and his fellow Traveler, Vo Spader, follow Saint Dane back in time to the territory of First Earth. First Earth is set in New York City in 1937, the time of World War II. They meet the Traveler show more from First Earth, Gunny Van Dyke. He informs them about the gangsters lurking in NYC. The Travelers soon figure out that First Earth’s turning point involves the rivalry between Max Rose and Winn Farrow. If you are interested about U.S. history, you will certainly enjoy this book. The author does a great job of tying in the Hindenburg, the zeppelin, into a significant part of plot. The Travelers also travel to Third Earth, which is Earth in the future, to see if they changed something in history, what would happen in the future. Machale has brilliant ideas for the whole series. Out of the whole series, The Never War is, in my opinion, the book that will have you biting your nails the most. D.J. Machale foreshadows very well and leaves you wanting to find out about First Earth’s fate. I really recommend this book if you enjoy fantasies, historical, or just “on the edge of your seat” books. A.N. show less

Another excellent adventure in the Pendragon series! This time, we're in the past - 1937 to be exact - and we battle with our inner demons on the right course to take. What will be the biggest impact on the planet? Saving the Hildenburg... or letting it crash?

The series continues to entertain as Saint Dane's machinations get more and more evil in his quest to take over Halla. The more I read, the more addicted I am to this series and can not recommend it enough!