The Transall Saga

by Gary Paulsen

Mark's solo camping trip in the desert turns into a terrifying and thrilling odyssey when a mysterious beam of light transports him to another time on what appears to be another planet. As Mark searches for a pathway back to his own time on Earth, he must make a new life in a new world. His encounters with primitive tribes bring the joy of human bonds, but violence and war as well—and, finally, a contest in which he discovers his own startling powers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Time Travel, Survival

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book years ago when I was much younger and thoroughly enjoyed it. A good paced novel with a interesting premise. The twist near the end was very interesting

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty impressed by this book. Considering that there were little to no books like this when I was young, my son has a wealth of books from which to choose. When I compare what was available to me 35-40 years ago to this book, I can't help but be impressed. Yes, the story can be a bit contrived at times, but it keeps you on your toes and keeps you wanting to know what happened. For a young-reader book, this one really delivers.

[Camie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A YA book loaded with the adventures of young Mark who slips through a blue light beam into the land of Transall and the frightening future.
Reluctant readers pre-teen and up have been reading this Gary Paulsen Classic since 1999.
I read it with my 10 year old Grandson who is not a RR, but was enthralled .
5 stars for him+ 4 stars for Gma = 4.5 stars

[Kevin Gusdorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. The plot was so interesting and cool. I loved the ending... And the way the author writes is just amazing. It was very fun to read and it just kept me engaged the whole time. I recommend this book for everyone!!

[Shane M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if life as you know it just vanished in the blink of an eye? All of your friends and family just gone. This books genre is fiction.
I think this was a really good book because it talks about adjusting to life in another world and trying to survive with nothing.

The setting of my book is Earth in the beginning, and a different planet the rest of the book. This is very important to the story because it is all about Mark trying to survive in a place with jungles, people that look so, futuristic and different then him. There is barely any civilization, or no food. Mark was walking in the desert, wanting a good night because he thought he needed a escape from home and wanted to camp there. He wanted to travel a little more before setting camp up, but he was interrupted by a big, blue shiny light. It was so bright he had to look away. So, he randomly felt like he was "running a mile" . He felt tired and exhausted, and was heavily sweating. Then he was just in a weird, jungle with weird noises and creatures. There was nothing but vines and tall, tall grass.

The 3rd person point of view affects this story because it makes you feel like you have something to do in this story and like you are watching it. A major event that changed Mark was when he saw humans, they didn't look like humans, but he knew they were. It gave him hope, soon however those people were Robbed that he was took as a slave everyone called, "the second one" or "the weird colored one". He was placed in a slave house, and was the last one sold, to the tribe leader. The narrator is reliable, because he talks about what Mark plans on doing, like when he trys to escape from slavery.

I liked how the author always made sure that their was action and suspense every here and their. I was surprised when I saw the ending, and it is so good. I don't want to spoil it because some of you might want to read this book, but it's amazing. I'd compare this author to Rick Riordan because they both love adventure.

I would rate this book 5 stars because of the great adventure in this book. I would recommend this book this to anyone who likes adventure books and like books with action. I liked this book for a lot of reasons, I picked it up in a rush and was definitely lucky that time.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. The story was new and original. It reached into all different genres of books. It isn't only a survival book, but also a drama, adventure, sci-fi. Each genre it was awesome in. It also makes you think about the future of Earth. What will become of it after the human race's mark. I kind of wonder why everything was a shade of red. I wonder why Paulsen didn't add some other old 'relics' because a lot of good things he could have put in to enrich the story even more.

[Emma Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun premise—what if a kid who liked to read survival books was sucked into another world and had to try to survive there?—but I feel like this book glossed over all the interesting parts of that idea. Like, really, what do you do when suddenly all of your book knowledge doesn’t apply anymore? How do you deal with that?

[Jayelee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book yes good
Sry Gary id say 4.5 not best but still relly good. Small bit inconclusive? Anyway 4.5 not opsion and not quiet full 5 like i said bit inconclusive but not in a 'another book soon?' sort of way and i like it but also dont.
Book yes good

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book -- but then, I've really enjoyed all the books by Gary Paulsen that I've read, be it as a kid/teenager or adult. It was quick and easy, but interesting and not completely predictable. I do agree with some of the other reviewers that it can be a bit contrived at times -- but another way of looking at it is that Mark just had an insane amount of good luck over all (kind of like Brian in Hatchet, when you think about it, actually). Even when Mark got hurt, luck was still in his favor (his avid reading of hiking and survival books certainly helped him survive when he first arrived though!). It is an excellent addition to the sci-fi/futuristic/post-apocalyptic genre, and I would highly recommend it to young readers. I think the ones that will get the most out of it would be 5th graders, or right around there.


**Spoiler Alert below**


I'm really intrigued about the Tsook language, and I wonder if Mark wrote it down or anything when he went back. I would hope he did, and that he remembered the language even though there was no one else to speak it with. It was something that had become a necessity for him to know, living with the Tsook, and it could also be his "connection" with Megaan, even though he will most likely never see her again. (I have a feeling he never gets/will never get married. I wonder what happened to Megaan and Barow after Mark never comes back?) Plus, after having spent a good 2 years immersed in communicating in nothing but Tsook, it must have been really jarring for him to suddenly hear English. I wonder how he re-adapted to our/his time. We know he did well for himself, but how did he catch up? He essentially missed the high school years, and he had adapted to a completely different way of life during those crucial years. It must have been a culture shock of some sort, even if it was a return to what he grew up with before. But still -- at least his coworkers realize that there's "something about him" that is different :)

[Polka-Dot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning got me hooked right away, but then things took a twist that I did not expect. This was a very unique idea for a story.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books in middle school, and I read it multiple times. I recently stumbled across it at the library and decided to revisit Mark's adventures in Transall. No wonder I loved it so much. Constant action combined with the thrill of exploring a new world and its inhabitants was just as exciting as an adult. (Bonus points that it's now a super easy and quick read!) It reminds me of the John Carter of Mars books--just pure fun.

[Frankie Navarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

may contain spoilers viewers descrition is advised ;) Transal saga The story begins with Mark Harrison a 13 year old kid, when he is hiking through the mountainous Magruder Missile Range ( a militarized zone) when he is struck by a mysterious blue beam of light. He wakes up in a strange world that he believes is an alien world :0 with things that are like Earth. He uses his survival skills to live on this mysterious place and, while exploring the forest he discovers a camp with a group of human like creatures. He also hears a creature called the howling thing (Creepy). A tribe which Mark calls Arrow People (yesss its kinda stereotypical but its just a book) .they allow him to live with them. He meets a girl named Leeta, who he becomes friends with. Soon after, he is trapped by the Tsook another tribe I'm guessing,.... naw but there another race of humans. Over the next three months, he learns their language and he starts to have feelings for Megan, the chief's daughter ,uhmm... this kinda sounds like another episode of start trek , when cpt Kirk finds another alien girlfriend . Megan and mark tryied to leave the village, but as they are trying to escape, they learn that their village will be invaded. Mark and Megan return to warn the tribe about an invasion that will take place. Mark is gifted with freedom and he could join their tribe yay we are all happy \^.^/ party *

Mark then discovers that Earth is ruined sometime in the futureeeeee . Megan's brother gives Mark a shard of a coca colaaaaaa and the Merkon guy (leader of The Tsook) reveals the events between Mark's time and this future, also telling him that he was sent there by the beam of light. Sometime in the near future, a strange, highly contagious form of the virus Ebola wipes out most of the human race. Those remaining used nuclear nukes and bombs on each other making civilization to start over with sticks and stones (sounds familiar??). After mark wound the Merkon in a swordfight, Mark asks Megan to marry him (That was pretty quick and especially because he's only 13????....!!). the Merkon's son wants revenge on mark. and Mark leaves the village..... He leads the Merkon's army to the jungle, away from his new home. in the jungle, Mark systematically kills the army but didn't kill the son mark is probably hating himself at this point . Mark hides behind a boulder for protection and then the boulder is struck by lightning and sends off a charge which brings Mark into his normal time . Twenty years later, Mark has becomes a scientist working to find a cure for the Ebola virus. BEAUTIFUL ENDING <3 I LOVED THIS PART I recommend this book for everyone who loves adventure thrillers

[Niels Louwes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love this book, back when I read it in middle school. I read it three times, I was enamored by this book. The adventure the main character goes on kept me glued to my seat back then. I recently read it again and I had a hard time liking it. The pacing is wrong in many parts of the book, especially in the beginning where he goes from meeting the first tribe to being captured by the Tsook, a more powerful tribe. No time is spent on character development or emphasizing the struggle of the MC in his new environment. That also goes for his encounter with the beast when he first lands on Transall. He easily kills this great big beast with no prior weapon or combat training, at the age of 15. There was no sense of struggle from the MC at all. Overall, the story lacks pacing and the dialogue is often stale and unimaginative. I finished this for the final time for the sake of finishing.

[Keldrick Hines]

The Book Transall Saga is about a Man named mark that was next found in a world named Transall and he tries to escape this crazy world with weird human-creatures. The author, Gary Paulsen has wrote many other books like Hachet, Lawn Boy and Brian's Hunt. Mark is a yound adult that likes to hike and camp, Leeta, Megaan and Barow are his friends he has met on the way. I think this book is well written because the author makes you feel like you are in the book. He describes tastes, looks, smells, and more. This book is not what I expected it to be from the different kinds of events that happened throughout the story. I would recommend this book to those who like dystopia and like thrilling attack books.

[Karina Escajeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is the one book of 22 that I didn't end up finishing for my adolescent literature class. I chose it because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and I did that with a few other authors. However, I'm still pretty comfortable on the 'dislike' side of the Paulsen fence. This is just SO predictible, and as a woman, I just cannot justify placing books in boys or girls hands that do not elevate women to interesting roles, as foils, protagonists, whatever. The whole 'white boy has adventure, learns about self' trope has been SO overdone. I just need less of this in my life, and certainly less of it in my classroom collection.

[Michael M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book and I think people who really like adventures and something that is always happening in the book and nothing's boring. READ THIS BOOK!

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways Gary Paulsen has gone an entirely new route in this book. The Transall Saga takes place mostly in a sort of futuristic society, though one that differs greatly from the cultures found in most science fiction tomes. This land (called "Transall") to which Mark Harrison has been unexpectedly transported is far inferior to our modern world in terms of technology and personal development, placing more emphasis on war and looting than nobility of character.

Mark, age thirteen, has suddenly left his world (considering that The Transall Saga was published in 1998, I'd say "his world" is right about at that same time period) and become immersed in this new culture. It is in these initial rough times that Gary Paulsen's famed wilderness writing finds its niche, with Mark trying to learn the lay of the land and the ways of its terrifying creatures just to survive to the next day. He learns to feed and clothe himself, and avoids being eaten by the vicious animals that roam the bizarre planet he now calls home.

Mark eventually find his way, and finds native people in this new land, too. Complications come and go as he moves from tribe to tribe, earning honors and enemies, until one day he confronts the man whose pathway to Transall has mirrored his own, a man who might be able to send Mark back to his own time.

There are examples of pretty good descriptive writing in this book, and I laud Gary Paulsen for branching out and trying something new. Mark runs the full gamut of emotions in The Transall Saga, and finds that even in a seemingly new world true love can be found. This adds further complications to his challenging journey.

The book is slow-paced and often dull, though, a slog to make it through all two hundred forty-eight pages. For that reason I give it one and a half stars, perhaps the full two.

[Cougar Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Paulsen's The Transall Saga is about a kid named Mark who is on a solo camping trip in the desert, when suddenly he is transported to a strange planet by a blue light. Mark must then defend him self from alien elements, and figure out the mystery of the strange primitive tribes that inhabit the world. When he discovers the village of the arrow people as Mark calls them, he is soon taken captive by a enemy tribe called the Tsook. He is taken as a slave and must work for the village's leader and find a way to escape. But when a warring tribe plans on attacking the village, Mark warns the town and fights of the invaders and is promoted to a warrior.
Mark is a brave, adventures child who lives in the city. He is a hard working boy who spends all his money on camping gear and survival books. He is very knowledgeable on the wilderness and nature.
I enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons, because I am a fan of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, and because I like the outdoors. This would probably be a good book for all three type of people.

[Robby R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen has been the best book I’ve read in a long time. There were an abundance of exciting moments and action-packed moments that keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time and make you want to turn to the next page as quickly as possible.
The Transall Saga is a book broken up into three parts about a fifteen-year-old boy named Mark who seeks adventure and loves camping. One day, Mark was out hiking in a desert in Colorado- after convincing his parents - and spots a giant blue light shooting out of the sky. Mark investigates and ends up falling into the light and is transported to another world called Transall. In Transall, the grass and trees are red and there are crazy creatures wandering the odd, alien, land. Mark has to learn the way of this world and try and survive, but more importantly, he has to find the blue light to return to his world.
Mark meets many strange looking people and a major plot twist was revealed during the end of the second section of this book. This book was a real page turner and I would extremely recommend reading it.

[Wendi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark is a 14 y.o. boy avidly interested is backpacking, survival skills and hiking. His parents have allowed him to take a one week solo camping trip in the desert.
One night he investigates a mysterious blue light and finds himself knocked unconscious and wakes in a world with a strange sky, red grass, weird jungle and creatures he has never seen before. He puts his survival skill reading to work in real life.
Eventually he finds a primitive tribe of humans, albeit different from him and he has to work on some new survival skills, all while trying to figure out what's happened, where he is, and if he can go home again.

Fun stuff.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. My son is on a Gary Paulsen kick, and I said I'd read anything he read (if he wanted to discuss) so that's how this one got on my list. It REALLY reminded me of a book I read a bit ago (published 10 years after this) A Door Into Time which only got 1* from me.

SPOILER both start off with a very quick shift from the present to the "alternate earth" where our MC struggles to survive as he encounters creatures. He then comes across some other people, and one who has also come across the portal (from his time/Earth) too. Both have the reveal that this IS Earth, and while it seems primitive, it's actually far in the future, but life/tech has devolved.

It also reminded me of Heirs of Prophecy and it's sequels ... as two boys and their parents get sucked in through a portal to another world, and there they learn to live, and the boys end up getting married to girls they meet there.

This started off pretty rough - just wham/bam and he's in this other place - lots of self-talk (which is true of the Hatchet books too). Immediate dangers of quicksand (good thing he'd read that article in Hiker magazine) and strange creatures. I preferred the "reality" of the Hatchet books though, this was a little over the top and silly, although it did improve a bit the further on it went. By the end I was slightly connected to the characters and cared about them some. While it had some strange names, at least nothing super annoying like A Door Into Time... and at least this wrapped up, without any sequels. I rather liked the ending, even though again, it was a very abrupt transition.

The mystery of the blue light - reminded me a little of Kindred with perhaps danger/life-threatening situation being the impetus to the "shift" between times. The shift resetting whatever had just happened ... a rattlesnake bite at the start, and arrow at the end ... in Kindred, it's the MC almost dying that triggers her shift between times

A really disliked A Door Into Time, and as this reminded me of it, I think I carried some of that dislike as soon as I made the comparison (which was early on). Ironically, as I like Paulsen's Hatchet series, I like Inmon's "Middle Falls" series a lot, and the style (young boy, talking to himself, some time travel) felt familiar ... and it is the same narrator as the first in that series The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver ... and he does sound exactly the same! So familiar on more than one front.

Easily available from the library to borrow (Libby & Hoopla for audio).

[ixelallmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

even though this book is fast paced, i really enjoyed it. i tend to put down books that are written in 3rd person, but i couldn’t stop reading this book. it was written really well and the storyline kept me interested.

[Papa Carozeria · Rating 1 out of 5]

An easy 1 star ⭐️

I was going to be nice and round it up to a 2 stars, but I’m 99% sure the author has fake accounts defending this book and that is just a giant ick

The plot was boring, predictable and just not it… I could see a 10 year old (or even younger) enjoying this but it’s just not that good. I also didn’t get attached to any of the characters at all.

I like the Macmillan cover though, that’s the best thing about this book lol

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Understanding that I wasn't the demographic this book is targeted at, I just couldn't get onboard. The main character was quite annoying, the ending too simple and all in all I wasn't impressed.

[The Jesus Fandom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It was entertaining, sure… it just wasn’t very special in any way.

[Sarah Griffeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book in middle school, and I really enjoyed it!!! It’s one I remember to this day, especially the plot twist

[Katie Rhine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this novel up from a bookshelf at a campground, and blazed through it in a weekend. The story was good, although I was left wishing the timeline and some details had been better developed. Overall the story kept me engaged and was a great book to enjoy on a camping weekend.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like Gary Paulson’s books. Not so much this one.

[Trevor Angst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic 5.

FFO: Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, survival stories, LOTR

[RiggaD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark is a young man on a camping trip by himself when a strange light takes him away from everything he knows. He must struggle to survive in a mysterious yet familiar world.

This book is just so good! It was really captivating the entire time and all the characters felt so important. There was an amazing twist and a very poignant ending that made my jaw drop. It's about growth, trusting yourself, and making connections in unlikely places. I loved it and the monkey bears.