The Soldiers of Halla

Love the Book. Hate, Really Hate, the Epilogue

The Soldiers of Halla (Pendragon)

I have been infatuated with the adventures of Bobby Pendragon since I bought the first books in the series and read them to my son back in 2005. Even after my son decided he was too old to read YA books, I continued buying every one of them as soon as they came out, and devouring them all by myself.

I don't know exactly why I love these books. I love the characters and I love the complexity of the story. Each book is a complete adventure and stands on its own. But at the same time each book advances a story arch, bigger in scope than any of the individual stories. You could say each book is a block, together they build a castle.

I found the "castle", the show more complete picture of Halla that emerges in this tenth volume quite satisfying. I totally bought into the premise of Halla and Solara and of Saint Dane's origin and self-delusion.

Pendragon: The Soldiers of Halla works well as an independent book too. In the year that took for this final volume to be published, my recollection of many of the events in the previous ones was sketchy at best. Yet, I never got lost. D.J. MacHale does a great job bringing the reader up to speed, giving the information needed to follow the story in a timely, not intruding way. He also provides the right balance between fast-paced adventure and metaphysical explanations.

Thus my five stars.

SPOILERS ALERT

Only once I lost my suspension of disbelief and that was when several thousands of people disappeared suddenly from Black Water. I don't mean through the flume. I get that. I mean, how could Pendragon miss their leaving?

My other complain, and this one is huge, is that I hate, really hate, the Epilogue.

Yes, I wanted Bobby and Courtney to end up together, but not like that. Not in Second Earth, because you see, according to the story, Second Earth changed from the moment Bobby became a traveler at age 14. Which means Bobby, Mark and Courtney's lives in Second Earth could never have continued as it is described in the epilogue. and Courtney's lives in Second Earth could never have continued as it is described in the epilogue. And what about Bobby's parents and sister are they allowed to go back to Earth too?

The spirits of Solara, we have been told repeatedly in this last book, do not change the real world. So where does this "fake" Second Earth come from?

So D.J. MacHale, if you ever read this, please, please, cut this epilogue in future editions.

If you want to give Bobby and Courtney a future together why not let Bobby live his human life on Third Earth after the battle has been won? It would make much more sense and they would be themselves. Because, you see, the characters we have grown to love are not the two kids we met in the first book, but the people they have become because of their struggle to save Halla and their confrontation with Saint Dane. Without their memories of these events, they are as good as dead. show less

You know what makes a great book? Authors who aren't afraid to get dirty; authors who don't hold back on tragedy. This is especially true in adventure books -- if your characters are frequently put in dangerous situations, bad things should happen. Yes, maybe they're able to get out of those bad situations and rise above it, but it shouldn't be easy for them. D.J. MacHale is one author who definitely doesn't hold back and definitely doesn't make it easy for his characters in the final battle.

I am very satisfied with the conclusion of this series. All the characters showed tremendous growth and the final battle was pretty awesome. MacHale did some careful planning with this series, because I noticed things that tied back to clues given show more in previous books, which was fun. This is the point I was waiting for throughout the entire series, and like I said, MacHale doesn't hold back. The stakes are high and it gets dangerous for Bobby and his friends.

The only thing I didn't like was the explanation of what makes them all Travelers and how the gates were formed. I know it's a fantasy/science fiction novel, but it was just a little too far-fetched for me. I'm not going to go into detail due to spoilers, I'll just say that I think there could be far better explanations to the one MacHale chose.

However, this was a satisfying ending. It got kind of shaky for me around book 6 (The Rivers of Zadaa), but I continued with it because I was invested in the characters by that point. Around book 8 (The Pilgrims of Rayne), I was feeling it again, and now I'm glad I stuck with it. Soldiers of Halla is a great book full of excitement, danger, adventure, friendship, and everything that I love about the Pendragon series. Honestly, I think it's the best book of the series because the stakes are raised so high and the characters really have to struggle.

I recommend this entire series to lovers of young adult adventure/fantasy. They're imaginative, exciting books that don't disappoint.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

This book was interesting in that it broke the mold for a "finale" novel. It wasn't exactly an epic conclusion...but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. It didn't all depend on a rush of action and emotion and a climactic explosion of power and force...but it was it was still striking.

I liked the way Bobby returned to so many of the worlds we've come to know and love over the course of the series and interacted with all the Travelers again; I almost wish more time could have been spent revisiting everything. I was vastly relieved at the way Bobby rediscovered his friends; it was fun seeing where everyone popped up. And I did have my heart knocked around a bit with those close calls...I've really grown to love these characters. And show more everyone got a couple awesome hero moments, some even more than others, and that was great.

The final revelations of the Travelers gave me mixed feelings. I was okay with the whole Solara and spirit thing...but it kind of contradicted the message, I felt. If it was truly up to the ordinary people of Halla to destroy Saint Dane, than I thought Bobby and his fellows should have been ordinary beings chosen from among those, or maybe ordinary beings that showed extraordinary promise. But for such a huge and potentially ruinous concept, MacHale handled it fairly well, despite the fact that it was kind of a lot for a last book reveal.

The book might have been a touch shorter; it seemed like there was a lot of buildup for a single conflict, and a lot of that preparation and running around could have been shaved out.

And then of course, the big ending. I actually liked the way Saint Dane's defeat didn't have a ton of fanfare; it was cool how he brought himself to ruin and all the ordinary masses turned on him. It just goes to show that even the greatest tyrants can fall like paper when the right mindset and the right pressure has arrived. What kind of spins your head around is the last couple chapters. I felt that could have been a lot less convoluted. I understood about the whole "stay on Third Earth" thing, but what was with the ambiguous time travel, mind wiping, dimension jumping, etc. in the epilogue? Don't get me wrong, I loved that Bobby and Courtney got to be together, but I think the same general ending feel could have been accomplished by everyone just staying on Third Earth and helping rebuild it together.

But all in all, there was a feeling of peace in the ending that I liked, and the series as a whole is no doubt a great fantasy that's more creative and engaging than many things I've read. I definitely recommend all of the Pendragon novels.

And so we go, Bobby. :) show less

A bad way to end a series that feels more like the book equivalent of contractual obligation than actual writing. I lost interest in Bobby around book 3, which was probably part of the problem. This series would have been a lot more interesting from the perspective of Courtney or Loor, who are both far more interesting characters. Also, Mark's ending is a really bad plot hole.

If you would like to read good young adult fantasy, pick up Tamora Pierce's "Circle of Magic" series or Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea Cycle". "Runaways" (the comic) is a good young adult science fiction series. Unfortunately I haven't read much YA SF, but I know there's better stuff out there.

This was the final book in the Pendragon series and MacHale did a very good job finishing the tale. I can't think of a moment that I wasn't glued to the story! Just when I thought things might start getting comfortable, there's another wrinkle or twist.

There were some very powerful scenes and it was hard not get caught up in everything. After following these characters for the last nine books or so, I've really gotten attached to them. Some of their antics are amusing and some of their trials are heart-wrenching. All in all, this was a very good finale for a very good series!

I've been following the Pendragon series from the start- it has been one of my favorite series since i was a kid. Each novel has supplied wonderful mystery and action to the overall series. I actually saw D.J. on the very first day the book came out, for my local book store was his first tour stop. He is extremely nice and very creative- it is no shock such a well developed series was his workings. The final novel is probably one of the best books i have read, and definitely the best of the series. Questions are answered, fights are lost and won, and punches are not pulled. It is a fantastic adventure novel that delves in moral standpoints on elitism. If i could re-live this adventure, i surely would, for it has been an amazing ride.

This is the final (10th) episode of the Bobby Pendragon Series, which I found very entertaining and relaxing to read. This last book gathers all travelers together, now all of them being prepared to give Saint Dane the final blow. DJ MacHale introduces us to the world of Solara, a spirit-filled world which thrives on the spirit of mankind. The battle for mankind will take place on 3th earth, now changed forever. Surprisingly, former co-baddie Nevva Winter, is fundamental in the last battle against Saint-Dane, convinced mainly through the outreach of her mother Elli Winter. When the battle is over, and rebuilding of society can begin, the reader is treated with a 'what if' gift from the writer, in which we see Bobby Pendragon growing old show more together with Courtney, before returning to Solara. An exciting read. show less