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Pendragon #7
The Quillan Games
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 that 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 to be a Traveler.
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 that 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 to be a Traveler.
486 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2005
220 people are currently reading
4855 people want to read
About the author
D.J. MacHale
96 books2,342 followersD.J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
November 1, 2024
Complete 5 Golden Stars
BOOM!
*Jaw droppedddddddddddddddddddddddd*
Shocked! that is one way to put it.
MacHale surly is the man of the last moments...
& this book Probably contains one Turning Point, the Second Climax that push the story more to the edge, the Beginning of the End (or whatever you call it) of the whole saga.
Quillan is not one of my favourite territories, but "the Quillan Games" is one of my favourites in this epic journey through time & space!
Fabulous! Fantastic!
we are near the end & things getting serious & dark & more complicated! *Joker's mad laughter*
Let the Games Begin....
in this territory,
You Play & You Pay...
First of all, if you are comparing this book to "the Hunger Games", I must tell you a few things:
1) this book originally published almost 3 years before the Hunger Games, in 2006.
2) Yeah, this territory is a future society under a choking pressure, but it's book 7, another level in Pendragon's journey through time & space. Its whole plot is totally different & complicated which categorized as sci-fi.
(Now I'm wondering that this book is my first encounter with Dystopia. though book 4 had a little Dystopian vibes too.)
3) this book is a lot funnier & lighter (which doesn't reduce the criticality or tension of the main story) than that series (& less brutal & disturbing.)
thank you
We shall continue:
to uncover the mystery behind the scene, to find Saint Dane, discover & neutralize his plans for this territory, Pendragon should beat the masters of these dangerous Games in their Mad Fun house!
Lots of FUN! (You can't rule that out with Bobby on the stage narrating the story, even in all this seriousness)
Lots of Games!
Lots of Riddles!
Lots of Craziness!
Lots of Mysteries!
in this Gray world of Games & Gambles
so much fun,
yet,
so much tension
& be careful of the Feelz attack!
but don't forget sweet Fourteen!
That beautiful almost-Ending & That Blasting, thrilling, emotional shocking Endings (two kinds of ending, because if you’re familiar with Pendragon, you know they usually have 2. Though in this book, you also could count 3)
MacHale totally knows how to throw something captivating.
I'm just glad I had the opportunity to know his works & his world.
I know it's crazy, but I just want to read it again!
BOOM!
*Jaw droppedddddddddddddddddddddddd*
Shocked! that is one way to put it.
MacHale surly is the man of the last moments...
& this book Probably contains one Turning Point, the Second Climax that push the story more to the edge, the Beginning of the End (or whatever you call it) of the whole saga.
Quillan is not one of my favourite territories, but "the Quillan Games" is one of my favourites in this epic journey through time & space!
Fabulous! Fantastic!
we are near the end & things getting serious & dark & more complicated! *Joker's mad laughter*
Let the Games Begin....
in this territory,
You Play & You Pay...
First of all, if you are comparing this book to "the Hunger Games", I must tell you a few things:
1) this book originally published almost 3 years before the Hunger Games, in 2006.
2) Yeah, this territory is a future society under a choking pressure, but it's book 7, another level in Pendragon's journey through time & space. Its whole plot is totally different & complicated which categorized as sci-fi.
(Now I'm wondering that this book is my first encounter with Dystopia. though book 4 had a little Dystopian vibes too.)
3) this book is a lot funnier & lighter (which doesn't reduce the criticality or tension of the main story) than that series (& less brutal & disturbing.)
thank you
We shall continue:
to uncover the mystery behind the scene, to find Saint Dane, discover & neutralize his plans for this territory, Pendragon should beat the masters of these dangerous Games in their Mad Fun house!
Lots of FUN! (You can't rule that out with Bobby on the stage narrating the story, even in all this seriousness)
Lots of Games!
Lots of Riddles!
Lots of Craziness!
Lots of Mysteries!
in this Gray world of Games & Gambles
so much fun,
yet,
so much tension
& be careful of the Feelz attack!
but don't forget sweet Fourteen!
That beautiful almost-Ending & That Blasting, thrilling, emotional shocking Endings (two kinds of ending, because if you’re familiar with Pendragon, you know they usually have 2. Though in this book, you also could count 3)
MacHale totally knows how to throw something captivating.
I'm just glad I had the opportunity to know his works & his world.
I know it's crazy, but I just want to read it again!
January 3, 2018
I mean... wow. Once I started really reading, I flew through this book. I read 200+ pages in my last sitting alone and man, what a read. This book was so intense from start to finish, I can honestly say whenever I was reading I was on the edge of my seat.
So much happened in this book, but on the flip side, so much was introduced and shit was blown open left and right leaving me with way more questions than I could ever have answers for.
The last little bit of Bobby's journal definitely gave me some hope for the future, but everything Saint Dane talked to him about only left more questions. Aghhh
This book reminded me a lot of a mix of The Hunger Games (which, in all honesty I think borrowed a lot from this book) but also a little with the competition from The Goblet of Fire in the whole last set of games. It's always interesting to see parallels between different books, it's always been something I enjoy.
But, because it was similar to those two books, it goes without saying that there were deaths, and it wasn't a walk in the park. Not that any of Bobby's adventures are, but this one went above and beyond anything he'd had to do before.
I knew there was something fishy about the games and where those two idiots came from, and I also called it with Green, but I won't get into too much of that.
I'm so glad that Courtney is okay, but I'm livid with everything happening with Mark. I want answers and I cannot wait to pick up the next book to hopefully have some stuff explained.
Yet again, I have to thank my boyfriend for introducing me to this series and prompting me to read it.
So much happened in this book, but on the flip side, so much was introduced and shit was blown open left and right leaving me with way more questions than I could ever have answers for.
The last little bit of Bobby's journal definitely gave me some hope for the future, but everything Saint Dane talked to him about only left more questions. Aghhh
This book reminded me a lot of a mix of The Hunger Games (which, in all honesty I think borrowed a lot from this book) but also a little with the competition from The Goblet of Fire in the whole last set of games. It's always interesting to see parallels between different books, it's always been something I enjoy.
But, because it was similar to those two books, it goes without saying that there were deaths, and it wasn't a walk in the park. Not that any of Bobby's adventures are, but this one went above and beyond anything he'd had to do before.
I knew there was something fishy about the games and where those two idiots came from, and I also called it with Green, but I won't get into too much of that.
I'm so glad that Courtney is okay, but I'm livid with everything happening with Mark. I want answers and I cannot wait to pick up the next book to hopefully have some stuff explained.
Yet again, I have to thank my boyfriend for introducing me to this series and prompting me to read it.
November 16, 2008
Like always, the Pendragon series is full of twists and turns and good and evil. Espeically this one.
Book Seven; The Quillan Games.
Bobby travels through the flume to the territory of Quillan. What he sees there is not pretty: A company larger than the goverment called BLOK is controling everything. Litterally; everything.
BLOK creates thier own style and color of clothes, so people can only wear what BLOK gives them: black, dark green and grey. That's it. No more color.
Why can the people of Quillan only wear what BLOK gives them? Becuase it is the only bussiness; others closed down because citizens came like hungry sheep to the low prieces of BLOK.
People became so incredibly poor becuase when the worked for BLOK, BLOK payed close to nothing. Bottom line is: the people of Quillan are zombies; they obey every little thing BLOK tells they do to beucase they are terrifed they might get killed in the Games if they disagree. The Games are turnometns BLOK made to earn money; deadly fights and obsticle courses, tests of wit and will.
Booby must somehow stop these Games that are destorying the territory and its people...but then, he gets tricked into competing in the Games, and is suddenly everyone's simbol of hope; he is a symbol to the people telling them not to give in to the way things are.
"Rise up and fight BLOK, the company the is destoring your lives! Get revenge!"
Can Bobby help the devistayed people of Quillan?
I thought this book was wonderful, the author did a great job. And he occasonaly tosses in hilarious comments that make me laugh like crazy. A few paragraphsa were predictable, but all-in-all, it was a great book. His characters are memerable; good and evil, and he writes fight scense that stick in your head forever! And the ending was a pure cliffhanger!
I loved this book.
Book Seven; The Quillan Games.
Bobby travels through the flume to the territory of Quillan. What he sees there is not pretty: A company larger than the goverment called BLOK is controling everything. Litterally; everything.
BLOK creates thier own style and color of clothes, so people can only wear what BLOK gives them: black, dark green and grey. That's it. No more color.
Why can the people of Quillan only wear what BLOK gives them? Becuase it is the only bussiness; others closed down because citizens came like hungry sheep to the low prieces of BLOK.
People became so incredibly poor becuase when the worked for BLOK, BLOK payed close to nothing. Bottom line is: the people of Quillan are zombies; they obey every little thing BLOK tells they do to beucase they are terrifed they might get killed in the Games if they disagree. The Games are turnometns BLOK made to earn money; deadly fights and obsticle courses, tests of wit and will.
Booby must somehow stop these Games that are destorying the territory and its people...but then, he gets tricked into competing in the Games, and is suddenly everyone's simbol of hope; he is a symbol to the people telling them not to give in to the way things are.
"Rise up and fight BLOK, the company the is destoring your lives! Get revenge!"
Can Bobby help the devistayed people of Quillan?
I thought this book was wonderful, the author did a great job. And he occasonaly tosses in hilarious comments that make me laugh like crazy. A few paragraphsa were predictable, but all-in-all, it was a great book. His characters are memerable; good and evil, and he writes fight scense that stick in your head forever! And the ending was a pure cliffhanger!
I loved this book.
March 4, 2011
Spoilers!!!-----------
This would have been my favorite Pendragpn book. I loved the Quillan games. It made it so exciting and I couldn't wait for Bobby to compete and save the territory, but that never happened. Yes Bobby competed and Yes he won, but not really. Saint Dane that bastard had Winters under his thumb the whole time. She is so stupid I want to rip her head off. I just have to say the ending of this book made me so angry. I don't even want to read the next book, but I'm going to because I want to see what happened to Mark and the Earths. I was not expecting that twist at all. How could Nevva listen to Saint Dane and why didn't her mom do something? How thick could you be? Saint Danes theory of them not being real makes a lot of sense. Of course you can't trust him. I am really put out by this book. Bobby had won. Had finally beat and ended the games, then Nevva goes and screws it up. Way to go! Destory the rest of Halla for me why don't you! That stupid idiotic girl! She killed a fellow travler! I hope she gets it good later in the series!
This would have been my favorite Pendragpn book. I loved the Quillan games. It made it so exciting and I couldn't wait for Bobby to compete and save the territory, but that never happened. Yes Bobby competed and Yes he won, but not really. Saint Dane that bastard had Winters under his thumb the whole time. She is so stupid I want to rip her head off. I just have to say the ending of this book made me so angry. I don't even want to read the next book, but I'm going to because I want to see what happened to Mark and the Earths. I was not expecting that twist at all. How could Nevva listen to Saint Dane and why didn't her mom do something? How thick could you be? Saint Danes theory of them not being real makes a lot of sense. Of course you can't trust him. I am really put out by this book. Bobby had won. Had finally beat and ended the games, then Nevva goes and screws it up. Way to go! Destory the rest of Halla for me why don't you! That stupid idiotic girl! She killed a fellow travler! I hope she gets it good later in the series!
January 22, 2018
Still an excellent adventure.. but this one was a little violent for me. Also way too long. The descriptions are a tad excessive. Didn’t see that twist coming, but thank goodness for some questions being answered. Hobey-ho, next book!
January 13, 2015
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
April 28, 2022
There were some big punches. And author connected some dots that were never there. I did not like few boring parts here and there. Still, I would happily give it 4.5 for those surprises.
January 22, 2011
I started reading this series forever ago. Not even kidding. Remember those little leaflets of Scholastic books that you used to get in elementary school, which would prompt you to beg your parents for pocket money so you could order one? I'm pretty sure I bought the first 4 books out of one of those. Then stuff happened. Mostly, I bought other books instead. I read the next two from the library and then just didn't read the rest (I think this had something to do with the fact that I was reading them as they came out and by the time the next one came out, I was thinking about other books). Anyways, I saw this, and the next one, in the library the other day like a blast from the past and I decided to pick them up. It took me a while to finish, mostly because I'm not as invested in the series as I once was, but I am now prepared to (finally) review it!
This book, more than anything else, reminds me of The Hunger Games, though of course it was published many years earlier. Now before you rush out to buy it on that statement alone, let me remind you that this is the 7th book in a fairly long series, and you will probably be extremely lost if you start there (and the rest aren't even remotely Hunger Games ish. Sorry).
The premise of the world (called "territory" in this series) Quillan is a world much like ours that has been taken over by a single company. This company controls everything, from what foods you eat to what television you watch. Similar to the Hunger Games, the main form of entertainment is the "games," most of which are deadly, and all of which are televised (on big screens in the street too, you can't possibly miss it). The people have forgotten their rich heritage and forgotten how to think. Our hero, Bobby Pendragon, is swept into the games and forced to fight for his life only minutes after arriving in the territory, without a clue what is going on.
It is interesting, to me, to pick up a series that you never finished as a kid. I can see why I loved it - it is very original and I still love that. There are so many different territories that it seems like MacHale gets to world build constantly, but that doesn't detract from the action. He somehow has figured out how to build his worlds in a way that is quick but gives a full sense of where you are.
Then, of course, there are the sections about Bobby's two friends Courtney and Mark, who still live in our world (Second Earth in the series). They are his acolytes, and we see Bobby's entire story through their eyes - he magically sends them journals that they have to read and keep safe for him... I forget why, it's very early on in the series, and hasn't been that important yet.
*SPOILER ALERT!*
But the thing that made this book stand out from the rest of the series, for me, is how twisty it has become. I don't remember how long Bobby has been traveling on his own, but he is now making decisions for himself, trying to figure out who to trust. He makes some definite mistakes in this one. We don't find out until the very end, but someone Bobby trusts basically screws him over. This is the novel, much like Book 4 of Harry Potter, that marks a turning point in the series. Bobby is becoming an adult. It's a really important part of the series, and I like how MacHale deals with it. It happens so fast that when Courtney sees him at the end, she doesn't recognize him.
Bottom line: If you liked Hunger Games and Harry Potter, this series is definitely for you. It'll be a little weird at first, but give it a chance and I can almost guarantee it'll grow on you.
This series is 10 books long and was finished in 2009. The first novel is The Merchant of Death and can be found in both novel and graphic novel formats.
This book, more than anything else, reminds me of The Hunger Games, though of course it was published many years earlier. Now before you rush out to buy it on that statement alone, let me remind you that this is the 7th book in a fairly long series, and you will probably be extremely lost if you start there (and the rest aren't even remotely Hunger Games ish. Sorry).
The premise of the world (called "territory" in this series) Quillan is a world much like ours that has been taken over by a single company. This company controls everything, from what foods you eat to what television you watch. Similar to the Hunger Games, the main form of entertainment is the "games," most of which are deadly, and all of which are televised (on big screens in the street too, you can't possibly miss it). The people have forgotten their rich heritage and forgotten how to think. Our hero, Bobby Pendragon, is swept into the games and forced to fight for his life only minutes after arriving in the territory, without a clue what is going on.
It is interesting, to me, to pick up a series that you never finished as a kid. I can see why I loved it - it is very original and I still love that. There are so many different territories that it seems like MacHale gets to world build constantly, but that doesn't detract from the action. He somehow has figured out how to build his worlds in a way that is quick but gives a full sense of where you are.
Then, of course, there are the sections about Bobby's two friends Courtney and Mark, who still live in our world (Second Earth in the series). They are his acolytes, and we see Bobby's entire story through their eyes - he magically sends them journals that they have to read and keep safe for him... I forget why, it's very early on in the series, and hasn't been that important yet.
*SPOILER ALERT!*
But the thing that made this book stand out from the rest of the series, for me, is how twisty it has become. I don't remember how long Bobby has been traveling on his own, but he is now making decisions for himself, trying to figure out who to trust. He makes some definite mistakes in this one. We don't find out until the very end, but someone Bobby trusts basically screws him over. This is the novel, much like Book 4 of Harry Potter, that marks a turning point in the series. Bobby is becoming an adult. It's a really important part of the series, and I like how MacHale deals with it. It happens so fast that when Courtney sees him at the end, she doesn't recognize him.
Bottom line: If you liked Hunger Games and Harry Potter, this series is definitely for you. It'll be a little weird at first, but give it a chance and I can almost guarantee it'll grow on you.
This series is 10 books long and was finished in 2009. The first novel is The Merchant of Death and can be found in both novel and graphic novel formats.
September 22, 2019
This is the high point of the series. It’s great.
It’s also the reason I started this reread in the first place - my memory of The Hunger Games being eerily similar to it - my memories of googling trying to find someone else who thought so (I was unsuccessful) - and that I remembered basically nothing else about it.
I found out a few things: this was a good series all along, and I see why my friends and I read it. Also, I don’t remember anything about The Hunger Games, which is a weird feeling.
So, The Quillan Games. It’s about Bobby ending up on a territory which is oppressed by a corporation controlling everyone’s lives, essentially forced into betting on a series of games which are broadcast throughout the territory. Bobby’s forced to be a challenger and play in the games, and he has a front row seat to the collapse of a territory. It’s good stuff. Bobby losing makes for a good story, and this is the book where the worldbuilding builds up to something really big, and it’s exciting and propulsive and compelling reading.
I’m not going to reread The Hunger Games to see if there really are similarities. But I’m happy I reread this.
I nearly forgot: this series tends to touch on big ideas in a way that makes the world feel bigger, and grounded, and also - weirdly influential? (Were these influential? I know they sold a lot, but I don’t think so.) And yet I can read stuff like this and wonder:
It’s also the reason I started this reread in the first place - my memory of The Hunger Games being eerily similar to it - my memories of googling trying to find someone else who thought so (I was unsuccessful) - and that I remembered basically nothing else about it.
I found out a few things: this was a good series all along, and I see why my friends and I read it. Also, I don’t remember anything about The Hunger Games, which is a weird feeling.
So, The Quillan Games. It’s about Bobby ending up on a territory which is oppressed by a corporation controlling everyone’s lives, essentially forced into betting on a series of games which are broadcast throughout the territory. Bobby’s forced to be a challenger and play in the games, and he has a front row seat to the collapse of a territory. It’s good stuff. Bobby losing makes for a good story, and this is the book where the worldbuilding builds up to something really big, and it’s exciting and propulsive and compelling reading.
I’m not going to reread The Hunger Games to see if there really are similarities. But I’m happy I reread this.
I nearly forgot: this series tends to touch on big ideas in a way that makes the world feel bigger, and grounded, and also - weirdly influential? (Were these influential? I know they sold a lot, but I don’t think so.) And yet I can read stuff like this and wonder:
You’re aghast at the fact that I’ll bring an animal from Cloral or a weapon from Eelong, yet you are quick to bring something that is far more intrusive. You bring ideas, Pendragon! You were raised on Second Earth, and you are all too quick to impose what you feel are the higher morals of that territory on all others. How is that any different from what I have done?I read that and marveled, I really did.
September 25, 2009
"...he may find out what it means to be a traveler.", says the back of the book. Does he...? I guess we'll find out. :P
Still... just... awesome. Awesomer, in fact. I think that this is my favorite book of the series yet. It totally must be. Because. I. Am. Officially. Insane. Seriously. Lol.
I love Quillan because I hate it. Which sounds contradictary, but it really isn't. I hate clowns, so what's cooler to me than a place where clowns are mentioned/run into often? It's a truly freaky place- believe me. It gives me serious, and I mean SERIOUS, flash backs to 1984, not sure why. It also gave me flashbacks to the other Pendragon books, hehe.
The story is getting more interesting. The stakes have again been upped. And so we go. The final twist is a major final twist. MAJOR. Oh, YES! And I thought I felt lonely reading it before. It's so weird... it's such a friendly, social type of book, and at the same time- It's very lonely. It occasionally shifts into this opressive feeling of loneliness. This book does more than the others. For obvious reasons that will be discovered upon reading. Just know that you will enter into a world of loneliness for Bobby. The final twist reminds me of... Well, I can't remember what the main one was, but it reminds me of several stories. Final Fantasy X, the Kingdom Hearts series, etc. No more of that though.
The characters are still awesome. Mark and Courtney are all the better, as is Saint Dane. Have I mentioned how GREAT Saint Dane's personality is done? It's really, really well done. Saint Dane is like one of the top few best villains. Topped by only, like, Orpheaus because I hated the guy so much. Anyway, as far as the other travelers... Well, Remudi was ok, I guess. As was whats-her-name Nevva. Nevva reminded me of Cissnei from Final Fantasy 7:Crisis Core. She just... did. I pictured her looking like her sometimes, too. Notice that most of MacHale's girl characters are some odd twist on 'they think they can do everything and probably can do most'. Aja... Courtney... Loor... Kasha... all so different, but yet, such a similar concept. Nevva doesn't exactly break that pattern, but she's certainly different.
And HA! I knew it. Bobby was getting pretty confident. I just KNEW it would- Wait, minor spoilers past here. Bobby's personality was pushed to be over confident. He was a bit out of personality, and at the end, it was explained WHY MacHale bothered pushing Bobby out of his personality. I forgive him though, the twist at the end was good enough to release my bitterness of Bobby saying "I knew I could win this thing."
BTW... how will this all end? I've heard that the end is silly, but is the only thing that would've worked. This I heard from friends at the Youth Group :)
Anyway, I have an active imagination in this area, and am having fun dreaming of the Travelers, lol I am so excited to read the eigth...
HOBEY HO!!! Sorry, had to say that.
And so we go. (haha)
Still... just... awesome. Awesomer, in fact. I think that this is my favorite book of the series yet. It totally must be. Because. I. Am. Officially. Insane. Seriously. Lol.
I love Quillan because I hate it. Which sounds contradictary, but it really isn't. I hate clowns, so what's cooler to me than a place where clowns are mentioned/run into often? It's a truly freaky place- believe me. It gives me serious, and I mean SERIOUS, flash backs to 1984, not sure why. It also gave me flashbacks to the other Pendragon books, hehe.
The story is getting more interesting. The stakes have again been upped. And so we go. The final twist is a major final twist. MAJOR. Oh, YES! And I thought I felt lonely reading it before. It's so weird... it's such a friendly, social type of book, and at the same time- It's very lonely. It occasionally shifts into this opressive feeling of loneliness. This book does more than the others. For obvious reasons that will be discovered upon reading. Just know that you will enter into a world of loneliness for Bobby. The final twist reminds me of... Well, I can't remember what the main one was, but it reminds me of several stories. Final Fantasy X, the Kingdom Hearts series, etc. No more of that though.
The characters are still awesome. Mark and Courtney are all the better, as is Saint Dane. Have I mentioned how GREAT Saint Dane's personality is done? It's really, really well done. Saint Dane is like one of the top few best villains. Topped by only, like, Orpheaus because I hated the guy so much. Anyway, as far as the other travelers... Well, Remudi was ok, I guess. As was whats-her-name Nevva. Nevva reminded me of Cissnei from Final Fantasy 7:Crisis Core. She just... did. I pictured her looking like her sometimes, too. Notice that most of MacHale's girl characters are some odd twist on 'they think they can do everything and probably can do most'. Aja... Courtney... Loor... Kasha... all so different, but yet, such a similar concept. Nevva doesn't exactly break that pattern, but she's certainly different.
And HA! I knew it. Bobby was getting pretty confident. I just KNEW it would- Wait, minor spoilers past here. Bobby's personality was pushed to be over confident. He was a bit out of personality, and at the end, it was explained WHY MacHale bothered pushing Bobby out of his personality. I forgive him though, the twist at the end was good enough to release my bitterness of Bobby saying "I knew I could win this thing."
BTW... how will this all end? I've heard that the end is silly, but is the only thing that would've worked. This I heard from friends at the Youth Group :)
Anyway, I have an active imagination in this area, and am having fun dreaming of the Travelers, lol I am so excited to read the eigth...
HOBEY HO!!! Sorry, had to say that.
And so we go. (haha)
May 25, 2010
Finally I managed to get my hands on a copy of this, took me too long. Picking up where Rivers of Zadaa left off The Quillan Games is fast paced and really gets your head spinning. Especially as more about the Travelers are revealed to Pendragon. As usual Saint Dane is up to something but you won't find out what until close to the end, which makes it that much better because no matter how much you guess his intent chances are you'll be wrong.
March 11, 2014
بعد یه سال خیلی خوب بود این. :}
کلی چسبید خواندنش! بعد هم کلی ناراحت شدم که باید واسه کتاب بعدی صبر کنم.
پ.ن: تندیس دیگه ویراستار نداره؟ اصلا قبلا داشتش؟؟ چرا انقدر کتابای جدیدش غلط املایی داره خب؟ :\ آزاردهنده هست اصلا :|
کلی چسبید خواندنش! بعد هم کلی ناراحت شدم که باید واسه کتاب بعدی صبر کنم.
پ.ن: تندیس دیگه ویراستار نداره؟ اصلا قبلا داشتش؟؟ چرا انقدر کتابای جدیدش غلط املایی داره خب؟ :\ آزاردهنده هست اصلا :|
August 10, 2020
Another installment in the Pendragon series. This one is disheartening--but I think it is intended to be. I wouldn't recommend this book on its own--but as part of the series--you have to read it. The plot of Quillan isn't compelling--but the discoveries made in the broader story arch make the book worth the read.
January 16, 2020
Better than the others. Enjoyed the twist.
January 31, 2020
3.5* i really liked the worldbuilding and the pace on this one :D
April 27, 2018
In this adventure Bobby is thrown in a nightmare only a twisted mind could concoct. On this territory built on gambles playing games could either win you riches or the worst fate imaginable and Bobby finds himself smack in the middle of it all and forced to do the impossible.
June 15, 2011
Moving onto the next journal in the
Pendragron
saga is book
#7 The Quillan Games
. And the plot gets messed up.
Here is the summary:
Each new episode seems to raise the stakes of this action adventure series. In the seventh installment, Bobby Pendragon realizes that the Quillan Territory can be saved only by defeating game masters Veego and LaBerge in a fateful competition: Winning the Quillan Games could bring him a giant step closer to understanding the meaning of being a Traveler. Losing brings instant extinction.
In this one, Bobby Pendragon, the young hero of the series,travels to the territory of Quillan, a dark world with no emotion and is controlled by a company called BLOK. Bobby soon learns what the turning-point of this world may be, since he finds out that everyone on Quillan gambles on a series of sports and games called The Quillan Games. However the people of Quillan don't bet on the games with money....but with their own lives, and if they lose, they'll pay. Determined to stop the territory from colliding, Bobby ends up becoming one of the champions, under the control of two spectators named Veego and LaBarge, and competes in a series of deadly games and tasks, risking his life for the sake of all of Quillan and, even greater, all of Halla.
While Bobby is dealing with the insanity on Quillan, Mark and Courtney are trying to put their lives back together on Second Earth. Courtney is still recovering from her "accident" at the end of the sixth book, and Mark is spending a lot of time with Andy Mitchell, his ex-worst enemy. I don't want to say much more about the plot, other than, Saint Dane promises Bobby to reveal the "true nature" of the Travelers if he does......something for him. Like all the Pendragon books, the story is action-packed and very exciting. However, the book never becomes formulaic because of some unusual plot twists, and interesting, if slightly creepy, character development. The series has gotten much darker since the first book, but still has its funny moments.
The first 200 pages really dragged. I have never noticed that the author spent so much time describing every detail for us. Maybe it was excessive in this book. I thought at first it was maybe that there is so much backtracking in his books (why does he think that every book is being read by someone who has not read any of the other books of this series?) but it wasn't the backtracking. It was the endless descriptions of uninteresting aspects of Quillan. Saint Dane doesn't even begin to appear until mid-way through the book. Up till that point, I really didn't care what happened on Quillan. From then on, "Quillan" begins to shine as the other books have done so before it. The battle of wills between Boddy and Saint Dane really are the high points of the novels: will Bobby let himself be drawn in? Will Saint Dane gain a point against him? What is the plan for this territory?
Now I can't say much because this series is actually meant for the adolescent age-group and not for me and doesn't even appeal to me but my complain - the lack of background information - the major flaw this series suffers from - Mr. Machale, don't you think that by the 7th book it is time to start resolving some of the conflicts your previous books have introduced? Well, I do. And I can't help but think that a lot of other fans out there feel the same way, even though the reviews here are overly glowing. I'll admit that the book is action packed. This is no doubt responsible for the great reviews, especially from your biggest audience the adolescent. Still, at some point even the youngest fan is going to want to know the answers to their questions about travelers. How are they selected? Where are they really from? What happens to their parents? What does it really mean to be a traveler? This book promised to provide some of those long awaited for answers. What it gave is one statement from Saint Dane that travelers are an illusion. Gee, no kidding! I think we understood that about six books ago.
All of McHale's books have basically the same storyline with Saint Daine, the monstrous Travelor determined on destroying Bobby, appearing and attempting to destroy a Territory. Each and every time Bobby manages to foil him. Tip for the writer.. it's getting a little boring. The only inspiration I have to keep reading this series is the desire to find out how Bobby manages to survive this time. I don't know how McHale is going to keep up the suspense for another maybe 3 books. Let's wait an see shall we?
Here is the summary:
Each new episode seems to raise the stakes of this action adventure series. In the seventh installment, Bobby Pendragon realizes that the Quillan Territory can be saved only by defeating game masters Veego and LaBerge in a fateful competition: Winning the Quillan Games could bring him a giant step closer to understanding the meaning of being a Traveler. Losing brings instant extinction.
In this one, Bobby Pendragon, the young hero of the series,travels to the territory of Quillan, a dark world with no emotion and is controlled by a company called BLOK. Bobby soon learns what the turning-point of this world may be, since he finds out that everyone on Quillan gambles on a series of sports and games called The Quillan Games. However the people of Quillan don't bet on the games with money....but with their own lives, and if they lose, they'll pay. Determined to stop the territory from colliding, Bobby ends up becoming one of the champions, under the control of two spectators named Veego and LaBarge, and competes in a series of deadly games and tasks, risking his life for the sake of all of Quillan and, even greater, all of Halla.
While Bobby is dealing with the insanity on Quillan, Mark and Courtney are trying to put their lives back together on Second Earth. Courtney is still recovering from her "accident" at the end of the sixth book, and Mark is spending a lot of time with Andy Mitchell, his ex-worst enemy. I don't want to say much more about the plot, other than, Saint Dane promises Bobby to reveal the "true nature" of the Travelers if he does......something for him. Like all the Pendragon books, the story is action-packed and very exciting. However, the book never becomes formulaic because of some unusual plot twists, and interesting, if slightly creepy, character development. The series has gotten much darker since the first book, but still has its funny moments.
The first 200 pages really dragged. I have never noticed that the author spent so much time describing every detail for us. Maybe it was excessive in this book. I thought at first it was maybe that there is so much backtracking in his books (why does he think that every book is being read by someone who has not read any of the other books of this series?) but it wasn't the backtracking. It was the endless descriptions of uninteresting aspects of Quillan. Saint Dane doesn't even begin to appear until mid-way through the book. Up till that point, I really didn't care what happened on Quillan. From then on, "Quillan" begins to shine as the other books have done so before it. The battle of wills between Boddy and Saint Dane really are the high points of the novels: will Bobby let himself be drawn in? Will Saint Dane gain a point against him? What is the plan for this territory?
Now I can't say much because this series is actually meant for the adolescent age-group and not for me and doesn't even appeal to me but my complain - the lack of background information - the major flaw this series suffers from - Mr. Machale, don't you think that by the 7th book it is time to start resolving some of the conflicts your previous books have introduced? Well, I do. And I can't help but think that a lot of other fans out there feel the same way, even though the reviews here are overly glowing. I'll admit that the book is action packed. This is no doubt responsible for the great reviews, especially from your biggest audience the adolescent. Still, at some point even the youngest fan is going to want to know the answers to their questions about travelers. How are they selected? Where are they really from? What happens to their parents? What does it really mean to be a traveler? This book promised to provide some of those long awaited for answers. What it gave is one statement from Saint Dane that travelers are an illusion. Gee, no kidding! I think we understood that about six books ago.
All of McHale's books have basically the same storyline with Saint Daine, the monstrous Travelor determined on destroying Bobby, appearing and attempting to destroy a Territory. Each and every time Bobby manages to foil him. Tip for the writer.. it's getting a little boring. The only inspiration I have to keep reading this series is the desire to find out how Bobby manages to survive this time. I don't know how McHale is going to keep up the suspense for another maybe 3 books. Let's wait an see shall we?
August 4, 2023
"There are two types of people in this world. People who hate clowns...and clowns."
^ I identify very strongly with this quote.
Also, let's just get it out of the way right now that I've been pronouncing the title of this book "The Killin Games" and it's given me a lot more giggles than it probably should.
This is the 7th book in D.J. Machale's Pendragon series, which revolves around Bobby Pendragon, the Traveler from Second Earth (there are three Earths cause we're just the most important territory obviously). Bobby has spent the last three years or so traveling through the ten territories of Halla, which comprise all of time and space. The big bad in this series is Saint Dane, a demon traveler who wants to bring all of Halla into chaos so he can rule over it himself. But don't worry, he's doing it all for the best.
I remember beginning this series when I was around 13 - we were on a vacation to Disneyworld and all I really wanted to do was sit on the patio and read The Merchant of Death. What a dork. Now, 10 years later, on a beautiful weekend, all I wanted to do was finish The Quillan Games (heh. Killin). What's really obvious to me, reading this after The Hunger Games was published, is the striking similarities between the two. This book was published in 2006, while The Hunger Games came out in 2008, but it's a bit uncanny how many ties there are between the two.
On this territory, Quillan, a huge corporation owns pretty much everything and everyone, and forces people to compete in games in order to survive or have enough food to eat. The games are publicized, and the only source of entertainment for the people. Of course, their darker purpose is to keep the people under control and distracted. Bobby is a challenger in the games, and rebels from the territory want him to be a symbol of hope for the rebellion, even calling him "a tribute" to the people of Quillan. "We want a symbol. A spark. It doesn't have to be huge, but it must be stirring." So, yeah. D.J. Machale did it first, y'all.
I found this installation in the Pendragon series pretty thrilling and intriguing, but I do think a good 100 pages could have been cut out, and none would have been worse for the wear. The books are all written in the form of a journal from Bobby to his friends back home on Second Earth, which means lots of recap and introspection opportunities, and the author makes heavy usage of these. MacHale does great with the action scenes, but his writing tends to be a bit choppy, i.e. "At least I thought it was a wall. It sure felt like one. It was hard. It was flat. It stretched out on either side of me. You know... wall." When the action is going, you don't notice the choppiness as much, but it's really evident with the amount of downtime in this book.
Saint Dane is always a great villain, and I think it's because of his persuasive powers. He really has a way of making Bobby and the other travelers question their purpose and what the "right thing" is to do. He reminds me of an intellectual, but evil genius - the things he says make complete sense, but when you actually look a little deeper, it's just fancy words on top of violence and greed. There's a pretty big betrayal in this book on account of Saint Dane's power to manipulate.
I do wish that there had been more secrets revealed about the nature of the travelers themselves in this book. It was hinted and teased at, but no new information really appeared, which is a shame. I've been wanting to know what happened with Bobby's family since the first book, but we're still no closer to discovering the dealio. This book does a great job at setting up for the next one though, and there are some great storylines I can see forming up ahead. I may have started this series 10 years ago, but I won't be taking that long to finish them. They're thrilling, action-packed, and are finally beginning to mature enough to where I don't feel embarrassed reading them in the privacy of my home.
For more of my babblings, please visit my blog, Snug Shelf
^ I identify very strongly with this quote.
Also, let's just get it out of the way right now that I've been pronouncing the title of this book "The Killin Games" and it's given me a lot more giggles than it probably should.
This is the 7th book in D.J. Machale's Pendragon series, which revolves around Bobby Pendragon, the Traveler from Second Earth (there are three Earths cause we're just the most important territory obviously). Bobby has spent the last three years or so traveling through the ten territories of Halla, which comprise all of time and space. The big bad in this series is Saint Dane, a demon traveler who wants to bring all of Halla into chaos so he can rule over it himself. But don't worry, he's doing it all for the best.
I remember beginning this series when I was around 13 - we were on a vacation to Disneyworld and all I really wanted to do was sit on the patio and read The Merchant of Death. What a dork. Now, 10 years later, on a beautiful weekend, all I wanted to do was finish The Quillan Games (heh. Killin). What's really obvious to me, reading this after The Hunger Games was published, is the striking similarities between the two. This book was published in 2006, while The Hunger Games came out in 2008, but it's a bit uncanny how many ties there are between the two.
On this territory, Quillan, a huge corporation owns pretty much everything and everyone, and forces people to compete in games in order to survive or have enough food to eat. The games are publicized, and the only source of entertainment for the people. Of course, their darker purpose is to keep the people under control and distracted. Bobby is a challenger in the games, and rebels from the territory want him to be a symbol of hope for the rebellion, even calling him "a tribute" to the people of Quillan. "We want a symbol. A spark. It doesn't have to be huge, but it must be stirring." So, yeah. D.J. Machale did it first, y'all.
I found this installation in the Pendragon series pretty thrilling and intriguing, but I do think a good 100 pages could have been cut out, and none would have been worse for the wear. The books are all written in the form of a journal from Bobby to his friends back home on Second Earth, which means lots of recap and introspection opportunities, and the author makes heavy usage of these. MacHale does great with the action scenes, but his writing tends to be a bit choppy, i.e. "At least I thought it was a wall. It sure felt like one. It was hard. It was flat. It stretched out on either side of me. You know... wall." When the action is going, you don't notice the choppiness as much, but it's really evident with the amount of downtime in this book.
Saint Dane is always a great villain, and I think it's because of his persuasive powers. He really has a way of making Bobby and the other travelers question their purpose and what the "right thing" is to do. He reminds me of an intellectual, but evil genius - the things he says make complete sense, but when you actually look a little deeper, it's just fancy words on top of violence and greed. There's a pretty big betrayal in this book on account of Saint Dane's power to manipulate.
I do wish that there had been more secrets revealed about the nature of the travelers themselves in this book. It was hinted and teased at, but no new information really appeared, which is a shame. I've been wanting to know what happened with Bobby's family since the first book, but we're still no closer to discovering the dealio. This book does a great job at setting up for the next one though, and there are some great storylines I can see forming up ahead. I may have started this series 10 years ago, but I won't be taking that long to finish them. They're thrilling, action-packed, and are finally beginning to mature enough to where I don't feel embarrassed reading them in the privacy of my home.
For more of my babblings, please visit my blog, Snug Shelf
May 1, 2022
This one is weird because I know I read it back when I first read the series, because I read the next book (and then didn’t read the last two). But I honestly don’t remember any of it. At first I thought I vaguely remembered the Courtney and Mark plot but upon reading this it turns out what I remember is largely from the next book. And regardless I didn’t remember anything about the actual Quillan Games or the major events of this book.
So for the first time in this reread I got to come to a book completely fresh. And at first I wasn’t really getting into it. Quillan is probably the most dystopian of the territories Bobby has visited so far. It’s a bland gray cityscape where the people have been beaten down by Blok, the megacorporation that runs the planet. It’s basically if Amazon or Walmart ruled the world. The only bit of excitement comes from the games - there are various video arcades where people can make life or death bets, and then there’s the big nasty gladiator style death games broadcast on TV across the planet. Veelox was a mess too, but that was because everybody lived in their own personal paradise rather than facing reality. On Quillan everyone faces reality and for anyone other than the leaders of Blok, it sucks.
Which is a reasonable set up for a story and anticipates the YA dystopia boom that would hit a few years after this was published. But I had trouble getting in to the story at first because it just wasn’t grabbing me. Bobby usually spends a certain amount of time disoriented, trying to adjust to the new territory and figuring out what Saint Dane’s scheme is. But I felt like he was even more of a pinball protagonist than usual and for a book called The Quillan Games, there was a surprising lack of life and death games. Bobby sees one on the TV early on, and then fights in two that are pretty exciting, but from there things slow way down on that front. Instead a lot of time is spent emphasizing how much it sucks to live on Quillan and dealing with the wacky hosts of the games.
Thing did begin to pick up a bit around the halfway mark where Bobby is brought before the Trustees of Blok, basically the board that controls the territory. Of course Saint Dane turns out to be one of them, and in addition to dropping a big block of exposition about Blok, he makes Bobby an offer: fight in the Grand X, the biggest game of them all, and Saint Dane will reveal the true nature of the Travelers. It’s nice to see Bobby struggle with what to do, because he really wants answers (and at this point so do I), but he’s not sure he can trust Saint Dane. The whole thing is a little ruined when at the end of the book Saint Dane’s answer just raises way more questions.
The plot then turns into a pretty typical join the resistance and find a way to spark an uprising, feeling a bit like it’s speedrunning the Hunger Games and other YA dystopias. The Grand X is generally entertaining, though again it feels a bit too short.
The Courtney plot this time, and it is mainly Courtney’s plot, focuses on her recovery from her terrible accident in the previous book and the fallout of Mark’s new friendship with Andy Mitchell. It’s okay when it starts, but things really get shaken up when there’s a plane crash and Mark’s parents are both killed. I’m a little surprised I forgot that this happened, but then again Mark’s parents have never really had much of a presence in the story so it doesn’t impact me much. Mark quickly disappears, and the rest of Courtney’s story is her reacting to Bobby’s journals and trying to figure out what’s going on.
Overall, this started out weak but had a pretty good ending that sets up a lot of mysteries and adventure for the next installment, so while I was thinking it would be two stars early on I think it’s managed to crawl up to three. I admit the one question answered five more asked thing is starting to get tiring, as is the Saint Dane was somebody all along thing. But the ending is enough of a cliffhanger that I feel like I need to read the next book soon to see where the story goes. I do remember a few of the big twists of book eight, but a lot of the details have faded from my memory, and I’ve never read the last two before so this promises to be an interesting journey.
So for the first time in this reread I got to come to a book completely fresh. And at first I wasn’t really getting into it. Quillan is probably the most dystopian of the territories Bobby has visited so far. It’s a bland gray cityscape where the people have been beaten down by Blok, the megacorporation that runs the planet. It’s basically if Amazon or Walmart ruled the world. The only bit of excitement comes from the games - there are various video arcades where people can make life or death bets, and then there’s the big nasty gladiator style death games broadcast on TV across the planet. Veelox was a mess too, but that was because everybody lived in their own personal paradise rather than facing reality. On Quillan everyone faces reality and for anyone other than the leaders of Blok, it sucks.
Which is a reasonable set up for a story and anticipates the YA dystopia boom that would hit a few years after this was published. But I had trouble getting in to the story at first because it just wasn’t grabbing me. Bobby usually spends a certain amount of time disoriented, trying to adjust to the new territory and figuring out what Saint Dane’s scheme is. But I felt like he was even more of a pinball protagonist than usual and for a book called The Quillan Games, there was a surprising lack of life and death games. Bobby sees one on the TV early on, and then fights in two that are pretty exciting, but from there things slow way down on that front. Instead a lot of time is spent emphasizing how much it sucks to live on Quillan and dealing with the wacky hosts of the games.
Thing did begin to pick up a bit around the halfway mark where Bobby is brought before the Trustees of Blok, basically the board that controls the territory. Of course Saint Dane turns out to be one of them, and in addition to dropping a big block of exposition about Blok, he makes Bobby an offer: fight in the Grand X, the biggest game of them all, and Saint Dane will reveal the true nature of the Travelers. It’s nice to see Bobby struggle with what to do, because he really wants answers (and at this point so do I), but he’s not sure he can trust Saint Dane. The whole thing is a little ruined when at the end of the book Saint Dane’s answer just raises way more questions.
The plot then turns into a pretty typical join the resistance and find a way to spark an uprising, feeling a bit like it’s speedrunning the Hunger Games and other YA dystopias. The Grand X is generally entertaining, though again it feels a bit too short.
The Courtney plot this time, and it is mainly Courtney’s plot, focuses on her recovery from her terrible accident in the previous book and the fallout of Mark’s new friendship with Andy Mitchell. It’s okay when it starts, but things really get shaken up when there’s a plane crash and Mark’s parents are both killed. I’m a little surprised I forgot that this happened, but then again Mark’s parents have never really had much of a presence in the story so it doesn’t impact me much. Mark quickly disappears, and the rest of Courtney’s story is her reacting to Bobby’s journals and trying to figure out what’s going on.
Overall, this started out weak but had a pretty good ending that sets up a lot of mysteries and adventure for the next installment, so while I was thinking it would be two stars early on I think it’s managed to crawl up to three. I admit the one question answered five more asked thing is starting to get tiring, as is the Saint Dane was somebody all along thing. But the ending is enough of a cliffhanger that I feel like I need to read the next book soon to see where the story goes. I do remember a few of the big twists of book eight, but a lot of the details have faded from my memory, and I’ve never read the last two before so this promises to be an interesting journey.
January 29, 2012
The further I get into this series, the more annoying I'm finding it. It's just exhausting to read for the tenth time about the back story of all the preceeding books (and yes, I do understand that some geniuses pick up book 5 first and they need to be brought up to speed, but christ, this is a TEN book series. I'm half sure the tenth book is so large just because it needs an extra 25 pages to recount the previous nine books) and all of Bobby's philisophical OMG WHAT ARE WE HERE FOR WHY ME HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS bullshit. And then, and then, all of the million and one conversations between Bobby and Saint Dane about HAHAHA I know everything and I'm going to destroy the universe, HAHAHA you only think that and you won't succeed because I won't let you. Rinse. Repeat. AD NAUSEUM.
It's possible I've been reading these books too closely together and that if I'd had a few months at least between one book and the next I wouldn't be so utterly irritated by all of it, but here we are. (Actually, where we currently are is three-quarters of the way through the next book, which is more of the same. This time in a tropical world!)
It's possible I've been reading these books too closely together and that if I'd had a few months at least between one book and the next I wouldn't be so utterly irritated by all of it, but here we are. (Actually, where we currently are is three-quarters of the way through the next book, which is more of the same. This time in a tropical world!)
June 27, 2015
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)
August 13, 2020
“This territory is a nightmare” (245)! Welcome to Quillan! Hope you like clowns! 🤡 Pendragon does NOT like clowns! “In my opinion there are two kind of people: those who fear and hate clowns...and clowns” (100). 🤡
I read the entire Pendragon series some years back, so this is my second time. This is my favorite of the 10 book series. Think The Hunger Games for kids. “...a full wager will provide you with enough nutrition to feed you and another citizen of your choice for the unheard-of time span of four quads” (180)!
This is definitely not a stand alone book. There is simply too much information in the preceding books you need in order to fully appreciate this one.
A few quotes to ponder:
“It’s amazing how easy it is to take something for granted” (302).
“Hope is a fragile thing. It’s easy to lose, but it’s possible to get it back” (474).
I read the entire Pendragon series some years back, so this is my second time. This is my favorite of the 10 book series. Think The Hunger Games for kids. “...a full wager will provide you with enough nutrition to feed you and another citizen of your choice for the unheard-of time span of four quads” (180)!
This is definitely not a stand alone book. There is simply too much information in the preceding books you need in order to fully appreciate this one.
A few quotes to ponder:
“It’s amazing how easy it is to take something for granted” (302).
“Hope is a fragile thing. It’s easy to lose, but it’s possible to get it back” (474).
March 12, 2014
This is the 7th book in a 9 book series about a kid who is chosen to become a hero between worlds. The main character, Bobby Pendragon is someone who is traveling through space and time in order to stop the antagonist, Saint Dane from bringing chaos to all the worlds. In the Quillan Games, Pendragon travels to a world called Quillan in order to stop Saint Dane.
Throughout the whole series, which I enjoy a great deal, MacHale keeps all the characters dynamic and brings new surprises with every book. As this book is nearing the end, the climax is reaching a critical point, making this book important to the story.
I recommend the entire series, as it is a great and original story.
Throughout the whole series, which I enjoy a great deal, MacHale keeps all the characters dynamic and brings new surprises with every book. As this book is nearing the end, the climax is reaching a critical point, making this book important to the story.
I recommend the entire series, as it is a great and original story.
May 18, 2016
Reread 2016
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I definitely did not remember any of the plot twists from this book besides one that had begun to be revealed at the end of the previous book. I didn't recall really anything about Quillian; that territory reminded me strongly of a more psychotic hunger games situation.
The rules of Halla and the travelers have changed so many times on the last few books that I don't even know what to believe anymore. I am beyond excited to get to the next book because I don't even recall which territory it takes place on.
Hobey ho lets go.
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I definitely did not remember any of the plot twists from this book besides one that had begun to be revealed at the end of the previous book. I didn't recall really anything about Quillian; that territory reminded me strongly of a more psychotic hunger games situation.
The rules of Halla and the travelers have changed so many times on the last few books that I don't even know what to believe anymore. I am beyond excited to get to the next book because I don't even recall which territory it takes place on.
Hobey ho lets go.
May 20, 2019
It was a interesting read. I am now really very interested in the adventures of Bobby. The matter is turning serious. Mark Dimond, I really feel bad for him. Quillian was very strange planet with a little touch of earth. I likes the author's imagination. He is really very creative. This book was very amazing just like the last. Now everything depends on Mark Dimond.
January 22, 2023
This one was praxis. I reserve fives for books that keep a long-term foothold in my mind, and this one nudged middle-school me into thinking more critically about consumer culture and the power of monopolies, while also being a fun exciting ride in its own right. The bleak and stifling world Bobby gets dropped into felt so much more frightening than the more outlandish horrors in other books of this series.
May 23, 2020
MacHale did an excellent job at making you love to hate Saint Dane. It was hard to put it down because the reader was kept in the dark like pendragon. You wanted to know what was going on but you were forced to wait as things unfolded. There were some sections that were slow, but it was quickly brought back to a good speed every time.
April 13, 2012
Probably one of the best in the series so far. Leaves off with such a cliffhanger.
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January 19, 2023Review Coming Soon
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