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Pendragon #5
Black Water
Breaking the rules
Just when fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon thinks he understands his purpose as a Traveler -- to protect the territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane -- he is faced with an impossible choice. The inhabitants of Eelong are in danger of being wiped out by a mysterious plague. The only way Bobby can stop it is to bring the antidote from another territory. Since moving items between territories is forbidden by the Traveler rules, if Bobby chooses to save Eelong he could endanger himself, his friends, and the future of every other being in Halla.
Just when fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon thinks he understands his purpose as a Traveler -- to protect the territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane -- he is faced with an impossible choice. The inhabitants of Eelong are in danger of being wiped out by a mysterious plague. The only way Bobby can stop it is to bring the antidote from another territory. Since moving items between territories is forbidden by the Traveler rules, if Bobby chooses to save Eelong he could endanger himself, his friends, and the future of every other being in Halla.
452 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2004
273 people are currently reading
5538 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 506 reviews
August 1, 2024
Complete 5 Golden Stars
things have changed...
it's not simple anymore, not simple right and wrong, not games.
it's deeper and darker.
characters getting mature & wiser.
it might have Spoilers for the Previous books
after the last moment fiasco, things has changed, Pendragon was going to the next territory, the one his friend had not come back from, the one St. Dane might be there, plotting.
the most bizarre territory of all, Eelong.
On the other hand, in Second Earth, Mark & Courtney faced their new responsibilities to help Bobby. and they discovered something that caused them to do the forbidden, the thing Bobby insisted not to do, but what can they do? it's critical to let someone know. There is no other way.
from now on, the parts in the middle is not just an ordinary Second Earth linkers between Bobby's adventure.
each page filling with thrills, shocking information about the territory, constant dangers, unexpected bitter truths, adventurous events (for readers!) and Fun! (because it's Bobby, of course! just by using the right choice of words & comparisons he could make me laugh even when he was shocked, feeling dumb, acting dumb, being out of his mind, clueless or when the situation was not funny at all. he just can put his emotions into the right words, not just fun, I can also feel when he was angry or desperate or frustrated.)
& beside the normal territory business, there are problems that made Bobby seriously feel the burden as a Lead Traveler. the choice between what is right and what is necessary. (which might sound the same to you, but believe me, when you read this one, you see it's really really not.)
that's what Saint Dane do, bending the truths & his intentions buried deep down.
plus strange new characters
Excited & happy cat! my sweet little Boon (well, not so little...)
& another badass female character. (tho she has anger issues, but I can't blame her, it's reasonable.)
pleasant, thrilling, fascinating & quick read. I couldn't put it down, not even in my rereads & I didn't realize the pass of the time while reading it.
things have changed...
it's not simple anymore, not simple right and wrong, not games.
it's deeper and darker.
characters getting mature & wiser.
it might have Spoilers for the Previous books
after the last moment fiasco, things has changed, Pendragon was going to the next territory, the one his friend had not come back from, the one St. Dane might be there, plotting.
the most bizarre territory of all, Eelong.
On the other hand, in Second Earth, Mark & Courtney faced their new responsibilities to help Bobby. and they discovered something that caused them to do the forbidden, the thing Bobby insisted not to do, but what can they do? it's critical to let someone know. There is no other way.
from now on, the parts in the middle is not just an ordinary Second Earth linkers between Bobby's adventure.
each page filling with thrills, shocking information about the territory, constant dangers, unexpected bitter truths, adventurous events (for readers!) and Fun! (because it's Bobby, of course! just by using the right choice of words & comparisons he could make me laugh even when he was shocked, feeling dumb, acting dumb, being out of his mind, clueless or when the situation was not funny at all. he just can put his emotions into the right words, not just fun, I can also feel when he was angry or desperate or frustrated.)
& beside the normal territory business, there are problems that made Bobby seriously feel the burden as a Lead Traveler. the choice between what is right and what is necessary. (which might sound the same to you, but believe me, when you read this one, you see it's really really not.)
that's what Saint Dane do, bending the truths & his intentions buried deep down.
plus strange new characters
Excited & happy cat! my sweet little Boon (well, not so little...)
& another badass female character. (tho she has anger issues, but I can't blame her, it's reasonable.)
pleasant, thrilling, fascinating & quick read. I couldn't put it down, not even in my rereads & I didn't realize the pass of the time while reading it.
September 15, 2019
This series really is so well-plotted.
Book one: Bobby gets lucky
Book two: Bobby has help, suffers a loss
Book three: Bobby almost doesn’t make it, questions himself
Book four: They don’t win
Book five: The world starts falling apart
I don’t remember this book that well - though honestly I’m not sure how I forgot it - and I found it compelling and smart. The writing is serviceable, no better, but the plot steams ahead, pulling the characters and the world with it, asking all the right questions at all the right times. I don’t remember much in the way of specifics, but I see why I liked this series so much in the past.
Something to touch on when I get to The Quillan Games: potential similarities between The Reality Bug and Ready Player One.
Book one: Bobby gets lucky
Book two: Bobby has help, suffers a loss
Book three: Bobby almost doesn’t make it, questions himself
Book four: They don’t win
Book five: The world starts falling apart
I don’t remember this book that well - though honestly I’m not sure how I forgot it - and I found it compelling and smart. The writing is serviceable, no better, but the plot steams ahead, pulling the characters and the world with it, asking all the right questions at all the right times. I don’t remember much in the way of specifics, but I see why I liked this series so much in the past.
Something to touch on when I get to The Quillan Games: potential similarities between The Reality Bug and Ready Player One.
October 27, 2024
Excellent adventure, and even if we have no answers yet, I’m still intrigued
November 26, 2012
This book was amazing, the characters were great as well as the action and suspense. the fifth book in the pendragon series and probably the best one since the merchant of death. i especially like what he's done with this new world, the setting takes place in a jungle, a world filled with perilous dangers, extinct animals, vicious predators,and many other new things about the new territory. but its a really good read. and the abilities of bobby pendragon and the acolytes of his are completely new and unexpected. the traveler on this new territory is even more unpredictable. bobby pendragon just getting done with his training on zadaa with his traveler companion loor, is now on the journey to find and defeat saint dane again. this journey takes him to a jungle like world where the quigs (saint danes guardians of the flumes )are humans!!! usualy it would be a spider or a snake or even a wolf but not on this territory. the people here are even stranger, giant cats who can walk on two legs!!!they live in the trees in a village called alexandria. down below the trees is where only the brave can venture because the natural predators are the tangs, velocoraptor like creatures who only want one thing...meat. the cats of this territory have the humans as pets and laborers, they are the brave souls who go down below the village to gather food for the village. but there is more then just that village in that jungle world, beyond the mountains, there lies a place where the humans are the superior race, little does anyone know that both of their lives are about to collide and destroy the territory
December 11, 2017
It's officially hit a new level of "what the fuck" with this series. I think I probably yelled that at the book about ten times in the last 10 pages alone. Thank goodness I was home alone when I finished.
Aghhhhh. This book was so clever. I loved that the main species in this territory wasn't human, it made it even more interesting and the world building once again was fantastic. But then- surprise- humans still exist in this territory, but not quite as expected. Shines a lot of light on the way we treat some of the beings on our planet, but I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the book in all its glory.
MacHale is so good with character development and the characters truly being unique and *themselves* the whole time. I absolutely love all of these people and characters so much. And Saint Dane is one of the most incredibly evil, vindictive, and clever villains I've ever come across and my hate for him just increased exponentially.
Pendragon has got to be one of the most resourceful main characters ever and I love watching him learn as he goes. He's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't afraid to do what needs to be done. He's one of the least static and most progressive characters ever without it being overkill. He's still, after everything, under every layer, Bobby Pendragon and I admire that.
I'm really loving getting to see all the different travelers from all the territories and how they interact with each other. It doesn't always run as smoothly as it could, but that's realistic and I loved it.
I'm so upset that I have to wait a few hours to get my hands on the next book. I need it right now. Aghhhh.
Aghhhhh. This book was so clever. I loved that the main species in this territory wasn't human, it made it even more interesting and the world building once again was fantastic. But then- surprise- humans still exist in this territory, but not quite as expected. Shines a lot of light on the way we treat some of the beings on our planet, but I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the book in all its glory.
MacHale is so good with character development and the characters truly being unique and *themselves* the whole time. I absolutely love all of these people and characters so much. And Saint Dane is one of the most incredibly evil, vindictive, and clever villains I've ever come across and my hate for him just increased exponentially.
Pendragon has got to be one of the most resourceful main characters ever and I love watching him learn as he goes. He's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't afraid to do what needs to be done. He's one of the least static and most progressive characters ever without it being overkill. He's still, after everything, under every layer, Bobby Pendragon and I admire that.
I'm really loving getting to see all the different travelers from all the territories and how they interact with each other. It doesn't always run as smoothly as it could, but that's realistic and I loved it.
I'm so upset that I have to wait a few hours to get my hands on the next book. I need it right now. Aghhhh.
March 24, 2019
I now really feel bad that this series isn't famous as Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. The author has a wild imaganation. This book was thriling, fast paced, brilliant. There were very new things like gigs and zenzens. From now on this series will be equal to HP and PJO for me. I will highly recommend it to anybody. Looking forward for the next books in series.
May 11, 2016
-- Reread 2016 --
This one was always one of my favorites because it has almost all of the characters in one place at one point which has never happened before now. I also just absolutely adore the territory of Eelong and the way it is described; and especially the fact that the main beings are giant predator cat-people. Just fantastic.
Black Water is definitely a huge turning point for the series in the way that it ends, which I will not get into for fear of spoilers. But this is the last of the books that I remember clearly enough to predict the ending if I am remembering correctly. I do recall bits and pieces of books six and seven as well; but the last three in the series are a complete blur to me. I am excited to move forward and discover the fate of Halla for myself.
This one was always one of my favorites because it has almost all of the characters in one place at one point which has never happened before now. I also just absolutely adore the territory of Eelong and the way it is described; and especially the fact that the main beings are giant predator cat-people. Just fantastic.
Black Water is definitely a huge turning point for the series in the way that it ends, which I will not get into for fear of spoilers. But this is the last of the books that I remember clearly enough to predict the ending if I am remembering correctly. I do recall bits and pieces of books six and seven as well; but the last three in the series are a complete blur to me. I am excited to move forward and discover the fate of Halla for myself.
April 4, 2009
It was interesting, but all the books in this series are starting to get really depressing. None of them have happy endings. And seriously, who wants to keep reading books that end unhappily?
April 3, 2022
Incredible.
April 6, 2018
That was great. Sucks that Kasha died though. I wonder how everyone is gonna get out of Eelong though? Or if they'll get out. Can't wait for the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2023
کتاب: پندراگن؛ کتاب پنجم: آب سیاه
تا اینجا که جلد مورد علاقهی من از این مجموعه، جلد دومش بود. ولی این یکی لب مرز بود که رکورد بزنه و رتبه اول رو تو قلبم بگیره.
کلا مجموعهی پندراگن، تا اینجا که مجموعهی خیلی آندرریتدیه.
توصیفات کافی و زیبا
پلات جالب
دنیاهای متفاوت
شخصیتهای واقعی
نمادگذاریهای مهم
و پرداختن به مسائلی که هنوز که هنوزه معتقدم یک نوجوان باید بهش اهمیت بده و در قالب داستان باهاشون مواجه بشه.
واقعا مجموعهی کاملیه.
این کتاب طوری داشت جلو میرفت که احساس میکردم قراره یه فرایند تکراری باشه. اما از همون اول میخکوبم کرد.
نقطهی قوتش شاید پرداختن به مسائل مهم دنیا باشه. مثلا این جلد داشت با یه نمادگذاری جالب به پدیدههایی مشابه نژادپرستی و جنسیتزدگی میپرداخت.
فرایند معماهای داستان معمولیه. تکنیک نویسنده برای متعجب کردن خواننده همون تکنیکِ "چیز مشکوکی نشون نده ولی تفنگ چخوف رو رعایت کن" رو استفاده میکنه. ولی خوب دراومده و بهنظر من نقصی بهش نمیشه گرفت.
از اینجا به بعد میخوام ذوق کنم فقط:
واااااایییییی چقد دلم برا اسپیدر تنگگگگ شده بودددد😭😭😭😭😭
وایییییی کاشاااااا😭😭😭😭😭 کله خرااااب😭😭😭😭😭😭
مارک واقعا دیگه یه نقطه تکامل برای شخصیتش نیاز داشت.
چقدر داستان گارها دلنشین بود:)))))
واقعا خوندنش تجربهی زیبایی بود برام...
خرسندم:)
ولی در کل به افرادی که دنبال یه کتاب چندجلدی نوجوان هستن پیشنهادش میدم. قطعا هم پیشنهادش میدم.
یه ستاره کم میخواستم بکنم بخاطر ترجمه ولی پشیمون شدم:)
همون پنج ستاره خوبه براش.
تا اینجا که جلد مورد علاقهی من از این مجموعه، جلد دومش بود. ولی این یکی لب مرز بود که رکورد بزنه و رتبه اول رو تو قلبم بگیره.
کلا مجموعهی پندراگن، تا اینجا که مجموعهی خیلی آندرریتدیه.
توصیفات کافی و زیبا
پلات جالب
دنیاهای متفاوت
شخصیتهای واقعی
نمادگذاریهای مهم
و پرداختن به مسائلی که هنوز که هنوزه معتقدم یک نوجوان باید بهش اهمیت بده و در قالب داستان باهاشون مواجه بشه.
واقعا مجموعهی کاملیه.
این کتاب طوری داشت جلو میرفت که احساس میکردم قراره یه فرایند تکراری باشه. اما از همون اول میخکوبم کرد.
نقطهی قوتش شاید پرداختن به مسائل مهم دنیا باشه. مثلا این جلد داشت با یه نمادگذاری جالب به پدیدههایی مشابه نژادپرستی و جنسیتزدگی میپرداخت.
فرایند معماهای داستان معمولیه. تکنیک نویسنده برای متعجب کردن خواننده همون تکنیکِ "چیز مشکوکی نشون نده ولی تفنگ چخوف رو رعایت کن" رو استفاده میکنه. ولی خوب دراومده و بهنظر من نقصی بهش نمیشه گرفت.
از اینجا به بعد میخوام ذوق کنم فقط:
واااااایییییی چقد دلم برا اسپیدر تنگگگگ شده بودددد😭😭😭😭😭
وایییییی کاشاااااا😭😭😭😭😭 کله خرااااب😭😭😭😭😭😭
مارک واقعا دیگه یه نقطه تکامل برای شخصیتش نیاز داشت.
چقدر داستان گارها دلنشین بود:)))))
واقعا خوندنش تجربهی زیبایی بود برام...
خرسندم:)
ولی در کل به افرادی که دنبال یه کتاب چندجلدی نوجوان هستن پیشنهادش میدم. قطعا هم پیشنهادش میدم.
یه ستاره کم میخواستم بکنم بخاطر ترجمه ولی پشیمون شدم:)
همون پنج ستاره خوبه براش.
January 12, 2021
God bless Bobby. I mean, does MacHale want us to be totally speechless? because if he was, he did a wonderful job. The last book leaves me unsatisfied and I think maybe I was overvaluing the series and I can say with the pain in my heart ... I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. By far the best of the series, referring to the first five books. There is a lot of information revealed and a kind of sequence structure from Dan Brown, talking about a lot of scenes and missions happening at the same time and on the other hand, the change of the writing point of view was very useful and fit perfectly into the plot, The last book (The Reality Bug) was that book that you think you will never finish and at some point I got really mad at the book (but I finished it). If you are a fan of the series, you will want to scream. Fantastic book, highly recommended.
Dios bendiga a Bobby. Quiero decir, ¿MacHale quiere que estemos totalmente boquiabiertos? porque si lo fue, hizo un trabajo maravilloso. El último libro me deja insatisfecho y creo que quizás estaba sobrevalorando la saga y puedo decir con el dolor de mi corazón ... ESTABA COMPLETAMENTE EQUIVOCADA. De lejos el mejor de la saga, refiriéndose a los cinco primeros libros. Hay mucha información revelada y una especie de estructura de secuencia de Dan Brown, hablando de muchas escenas y misiones que ocurren al mismo tiempo y, por otro lado, el cambio del punto de vista de escritura fue muy útil y encajó perfectamente en el trama, el último libro (The reality Bug) fue ese libro que crees que nunca terminarás y en algún momento me enojé mucho con el libro (pero lo terminé). Si eres fanático de la serie, querrás gritar. Libro fantástico, muy recomendable.
Dios bendiga a Bobby. Quiero decir, ¿MacHale quiere que estemos totalmente boquiabiertos? porque si lo fue, hizo un trabajo maravilloso. El último libro me deja insatisfecho y creo que quizás estaba sobrevalorando la saga y puedo decir con el dolor de mi corazón ... ESTABA COMPLETAMENTE EQUIVOCADA. De lejos el mejor de la saga, refiriéndose a los cinco primeros libros. Hay mucha información revelada y una especie de estructura de secuencia de Dan Brown, hablando de muchas escenas y misiones que ocurren al mismo tiempo y, por otro lado, el cambio del punto de vista de escritura fue muy útil y encajó perfectamente en el trama, el último libro (The reality Bug) fue ese libro que crees que nunca terminarás y en algún momento me enojé mucho con el libro (pero lo terminé). Si eres fanático de la serie, querrás gritar. Libro fantástico, muy recomendable.
October 21, 2010
Black water was a great book and this book was one of mny books that reminded me of the first book in the series. There are 2 sides the Klee (Talking cats) and the Gars (Enslaved humans). In this book Bobby has to stay low since Gars were slaves and Bobby is a Gar. Bobby hated this since there was going to be a law passed saying Klees could eat Gars and he also had to be tied/leashed like a pet. Thorogh out this book Bobby faces a difficult problem, using things from another territory and maybe saving this one or letting Saint Dane win.
"What can I say," I said after i finished the book. I kind of hated this book since Bobby went to jail many times and in much of the book he's helpless. All Bobby does is wait for help and with out the other travelers helping Bobby would all ready have lost. In this book Bobby know that no one's won since 1 traveler is dead and 2 are stuck on Eelong. I feel very compelled to read the next book since D.J. MacHale never leaves out the sespense and keeps the reader glued to the book wanting for more. I can't wait till they arrive on second earth where Bobby and his friends Mark and Courtney face off in a battle together against Saint Dane.
"What can I say," I said after i finished the book. I kind of hated this book since Bobby went to jail many times and in much of the book he's helpless. All Bobby does is wait for help and with out the other travelers helping Bobby would all ready have lost. In this book Bobby know that no one's won since 1 traveler is dead and 2 are stuck on Eelong. I feel very compelled to read the next book since D.J. MacHale never leaves out the sespense and keeps the reader glued to the book wanting for more. I can't wait till they arrive on second earth where Bobby and his friends Mark and Courtney face off in a battle together against Saint Dane.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2010
The fifth book in the Pendragon series, Black Water strays from the first four in one way which to me is very intriguing. Much like the past books, the central conflict revolves around two tribes of people, but on Black Water, the controlling group are human-sized, intelligent cats and the oppressed population are seemingly unintelligent mute humans. Fascinating.
Obviously, the conflict involves the human slaves rising up against their cat masters, but it is not that simple. The humans are not trying to destroy their masters, merely escape to a legendary, if not mythical, land referred to as Black Water. Saint Dane is of course there to wreak havoc and he does so by committing a Traveler sin - bringing items from one territory to another. Unfortunately, Saint Dane is not the only Traveler doing this. As a matter of fact, the "good guys" are doing something much worse.
I really enjoyed this story. The number of characters and their personalities were impressive, and the plot was interesting and more complex than I first thought it would be.
Obviously, the conflict involves the human slaves rising up against their cat masters, but it is not that simple. The humans are not trying to destroy their masters, merely escape to a legendary, if not mythical, land referred to as Black Water. Saint Dane is of course there to wreak havoc and he does so by committing a Traveler sin - bringing items from one territory to another. Unfortunately, Saint Dane is not the only Traveler doing this. As a matter of fact, the "good guys" are doing something much worse.
I really enjoyed this story. The number of characters and their personalities were impressive, and the plot was interesting and more complex than I first thought it would be.
October 17, 2011
Pendragon Book 5: Black Water is of course, another action-packed story from the series of Pendragon. As good as always, no flaws. My recommendation to this book is that: READ IT!!!! If you're bored of reading Harry Potter, then it's time that you take the power of the Pendragon books in your hand. Start with any one of it, but you'll soon get the feeling. If you want action-packed scenes, heart-thumping cliffhangers, and fictional violence, get your copy of the Pendragon Book 5: Black Water today!
October 28, 2013
MacHale delivered another fun book in the series. I particularly like the setting and the idea of a superior race of cats. I laughed out loud tons of times over the cat humor. On the plot, the struggle against Saint Dane is getting worn...I am looking for the author to mix it up in the next book in the series...which of course I have already started. Again, this is a great series for boys and reluctant readers.
April 27, 2018
In this adventure Bobby travels to Eelong to find out the status of his dear friend and fellow Travel Gunny from First Earth, right off the bat he encounters a shocking twist to this territory and an unwilling Traveler and helpful but over eager acolyte. Bobby has to deal with a whole new wrench thrown in the game when he finds out that Saint Dane has mixed the territories in a deadly way all while Courtney & Mark are faced with a decision that might change the game forever.
February 12, 2022
This was the longest book of the series so far by not much. Not that excited about the way things are heading. Really didn't like the involvement of Mark and Courtney. Would have been fine by me if they were left out of it. This book just made them seem like a bunch of punks. Hopefully they stay away for a few more.
March 24, 2015
First time ever, I guessed Saint Dane's disguise correctly.
April 2, 2020
This was a good installment in the Pendragon series. There were good plot twists, and layers that were added for the overall series story arch. Would recommend.
July 2, 2021
I love popping in my ear buds and listening to this series on Audible while I work or do chores! It adds to an already amazing story and hooks me in deeper to the world of Bobby Pendragon. The rules the travelers abide by are changing and they must now decide whether they'll stoop to Saint Dane's level or risk losing in order to maintain the balance of Halla
July 23, 2023
This is the one, the marvel crossover moment of Halla. 5 books in and everything came together on Eelong with the travelers, acolytes, and our big bad Saint Dane.
It seems like we're already pumping the brakes before we travel to Zadaa but I'm ready. Hobey ho, on to see my third favorite traveler Loor again!
It seems like we're already pumping the brakes before we travel to Zadaa but I'm ready. Hobey ho, on to see my third favorite traveler Loor again!
May 1, 2024
Second to least favorite. Loved the territory and plot. But the characters made bad decisions, some even felt made solely for the sake of plot.
November 15, 2021
After Saint Dane escaped to Eelong after winning his first territory, Bobby chased after him. Eelong is a wild jungle, and the quigs, are gars. And gars are humans. And the civilized people on this territory are some wild jungle cats that can talk! The traveler from Eelong, Seegan, is nowhere to be found, except when Mark and Courtney witness his death on Second Earth. And Seegan had important information for them. Saint Dane has mixed the territories. And the poison from Cloral was brought over to Eelong. Saint Dane is trying to poison the territory, but when the territories mix, strange things began to happen. After Mark and Courtney spent so much time hiding in the shadows, reading Bobby's journals, they became acolytes. And acolytes were now able to travel in the flumes. Mark and Courtney went to Cloral and got Spader. When they got to Eelong, there was already an attack on the legendary Black Water. Black Water was apparently the only place on Eelong that gars were civilized. The battle began and Bobby and Saint Dane were fighting for the sake of one thing: to win. After the battle, Eelong was saved, but at what cost? Saint Dane escaped to Zadaa, where Bobby knew Loor was. He chased after him, with the flume crumbling. And the book ends there. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way it teased your mind when there was a plot twist, trying to make you piece together things that would have led to the twist. It's an amazing book, 5/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2017
I finished my first re-read of Black Water and I must admit that I found it to be a much better novel than I recalled.
In Black Water, the Traveler Bobby Pendragon finds himself on the first territory where humans are not the prominent species. And no, Howard the Duck fans - the dominant creatures are not water fouls either. Rather, the most evolved class of beings on the territory of Eelong are cats - and not your average kitty cats either - BIG cats, like lions and tigers. As such, Bobby finds himself in the role that other humans, Gars, have on this territory - as a slave.
But that's not his only concern. After achieving victory on Veelox in the last novel, Saint Dane claims that the rules have changed. Bobby's friends, Mark and Courtney, have discovered that they too can now use the flumes, though they are not Travelers. To make matters worse, Saint Dane has brought the plague Bobby and his friends stopped on Chloral several novels back to Eelong - and only Mark and Courtney know it. They take matters into their own hands - travel to Chloral to obtain several quantities of the antidote and get it to Bobby before Saint Dane can use it against the Gars.
But what effect will non-Travelers using the flumes have? And even though they are doing it to in response to Saint Dane, is bringing the antidote from Chloral - mixing the territories as Bobby was warned against - the right thing to do?
You know... for once, I would like for novels or movies involving other sentient species NOT to be about prejudice or slavery. Planet of the Apes, Avatar... I mean... don't get me wrong. I know that they're perfect environments for authors wanting to address these issues... It's just... a part of me is just yearning for someone to take the Douglas Adams approach and make the story about something else entirely. Then again, perhaps the world will be be destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway if that should ever happen.
This novel is highly entertaining for any number of reasons. The first is it has great characters - it makes Mark and Courtney active members in the fight against Saint Dane, not merely 'librarians' as Courtney puts it at one point. It also sees the return of Spader, the Traveler from Chloral, and Gunny, the Traveler from First Earth - both great companions of Bobby. It also introduces another great Traveler, Kasha - a black panther-like cat or Klee, as they call them on Eelong - and her acolyte, Boone.
The second is it really brings the reader into the overall battle for Hallah that the extremely devil like character Saint Dane is waging. All the other novels were very territory-centric - they defeated Saint Dane on Denduron, Chloral, and First Earth and they lost on Veelox, but those victories and that loss seemed localized. In this novel, while he appears to be battling for victory on Eelong, it becomes obvious, more so than ever, that the overall war is his true objective - and that Bobby will have to keep that in mind moving forward if he intends on winning out in the end.
I found the novel extremely difficult to put down, despite having any number of reasons for needing to do so in my personal life these past couple of weeks. As such, I award Black Water 4.25 out of 5 stars. Thanks for the novel, D.J.! And so we go on to The Rivers of Zadaa.
Hey, did I mention that there are dinosaurs in this novel? No? Well, they're are dinosaurs in this novel. So if you like dinosaurs... :-)
In Black Water, the Traveler Bobby Pendragon finds himself on the first territory where humans are not the prominent species. And no, Howard the Duck fans - the dominant creatures are not water fouls either. Rather, the most evolved class of beings on the territory of Eelong are cats - and not your average kitty cats either - BIG cats, like lions and tigers. As such, Bobby finds himself in the role that other humans, Gars, have on this territory - as a slave.
But that's not his only concern. After achieving victory on Veelox in the last novel, Saint Dane claims that the rules have changed. Bobby's friends, Mark and Courtney, have discovered that they too can now use the flumes, though they are not Travelers. To make matters worse, Saint Dane has brought the plague Bobby and his friends stopped on Chloral several novels back to Eelong - and only Mark and Courtney know it. They take matters into their own hands - travel to Chloral to obtain several quantities of the antidote and get it to Bobby before Saint Dane can use it against the Gars.
But what effect will non-Travelers using the flumes have? And even though they are doing it to in response to Saint Dane, is bringing the antidote from Chloral - mixing the territories as Bobby was warned against - the right thing to do?
You know... for once, I would like for novels or movies involving other sentient species NOT to be about prejudice or slavery. Planet of the Apes, Avatar... I mean... don't get me wrong. I know that they're perfect environments for authors wanting to address these issues... It's just... a part of me is just yearning for someone to take the Douglas Adams approach and make the story about something else entirely. Then again, perhaps the world will be be destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway if that should ever happen.
This novel is highly entertaining for any number of reasons. The first is it has great characters - it makes Mark and Courtney active members in the fight against Saint Dane, not merely 'librarians' as Courtney puts it at one point. It also sees the return of Spader, the Traveler from Chloral, and Gunny, the Traveler from First Earth - both great companions of Bobby. It also introduces another great Traveler, Kasha - a black panther-like cat or Klee, as they call them on Eelong - and her acolyte, Boone.
The second is it really brings the reader into the overall battle for Hallah that the extremely devil like character Saint Dane is waging. All the other novels were very territory-centric - they defeated Saint Dane on Denduron, Chloral, and First Earth and they lost on Veelox, but those victories and that loss seemed localized. In this novel, while he appears to be battling for victory on Eelong, it becomes obvious, more so than ever, that the overall war is his true objective - and that Bobby will have to keep that in mind moving forward if he intends on winning out in the end.
I found the novel extremely difficult to put down, despite having any number of reasons for needing to do so in my personal life these past couple of weeks. As such, I award Black Water 4.25 out of 5 stars. Thanks for the novel, D.J.! And so we go on to The Rivers of Zadaa.
Hey, did I mention that there are dinosaurs in this novel? No? Well, they're are dinosaurs in this novel. So if you like dinosaurs... :-)
December 31, 2018
I want to give this book a four because of the ending, but I have to judge the book as a whole and so I have to give it a three.
However, with that in mind I will say that this book (aside from the ending) just fell lackluster for me. Now, after reading the twist ending, I feel like MacHale was just trying to get us to this great twist he had in mind.
When Bobby got to Eelong and discovered that humans (read gars) were actually the inferior race and klees (big cats) were rulers I initially was ecstatic but, it just took too long to develop and Kasha (the new Traveler for Eelong) just was too hard to like and feel sympathy for. It's almost as if he keeps recreating the same girl in different costumes. Take the first one we're introduced Courtney, Bobby's bad-ass, don't-take-crap-from-no-one, beautiful, and killer competitive love interest was extremely interesting. Then he goes to Denduron and meets Osa and Loor (Osa's daughter and future traveler of Zadaa) she's hard nosed don't-take-crap-from-no-one bad-ass, beautiful and another love interest for Bobby. Fast forward to his adventure in Cloral and he meets Spader's friend and boss Wu Yenza who is a middle-aged beautiful, straight forward don't-take-crap-from-no-one bad-ass that helps the Traveler's (as Spader's acolyte). Then fast forward to First Earth and he meets along his adventure a gorgeous twenty-something year old pilot named "Jinx" who again doesn't-take-crap-from-no-one. And then we fast forward once more to Veelox and he meets the traveler in charge Aja who is pretty in her own right, hard nosed, stubborn and guess what? Doesn't take crap from anyone.
My point, I'm tired of this character. Granted I understand that MacHale wants to empower (perhaps?) his female characters or maybe he just isn't a fan of the damsel in distress model, however, I don't approve of his other extreme. There are more complex characters, yes? But perhaps that's asking for too much.
But like I said, if you can power through and get to the ending - it's totally worth it - where
However, with that in mind I will say that this book (aside from the ending) just fell lackluster for me. Now, after reading the twist ending, I feel like MacHale was just trying to get us to this great twist he had in mind.
When Bobby got to Eelong and discovered that humans (read gars) were actually the inferior race and klees (big cats) were rulers I initially was ecstatic but, it just took too long to develop and Kasha (the new Traveler for Eelong) just was too hard to like and feel sympathy for. It's almost as if he keeps recreating the same girl in different costumes. Take the first one we're introduced Courtney, Bobby's bad-ass, don't-take-crap-from-no-one, beautiful, and killer competitive love interest was extremely interesting. Then he goes to Denduron and meets Osa and Loor (Osa's daughter and future traveler of Zadaa) she's hard nosed don't-take-crap-from-no-one bad-ass, beautiful and another love interest for Bobby. Fast forward to his adventure in Cloral and he meets Spader's friend and boss Wu Yenza who is a middle-aged beautiful, straight forward don't-take-crap-from-no-one bad-ass that helps the Traveler's (as Spader's acolyte). Then fast forward to First Earth and he meets along his adventure a gorgeous twenty-something year old pilot named "Jinx" who again doesn't-take-crap-from-no-one. And then we fast forward once more to Veelox and he meets the traveler in charge Aja who is pretty in her own right, hard nosed, stubborn and guess what? Doesn't take crap from anyone.
My point, I'm tired of this character. Granted I understand that MacHale wants to empower (perhaps?) his female characters or maybe he just isn't a fan of the damsel in distress model, however, I don't approve of his other extreme. There are more complex characters, yes? But perhaps that's asking for too much.
But like I said, if you can power through and get to the ending - it's totally worth it - where
November 5, 2018
Reading through the author, DJ MacHale's introduction (do you do that? read introductions? try it out if you don't do it already. they're a wealth of information), he pointed out that "[we're] halfway home", and I realized that yes, what I had in my hands was the Fifth book out of the Ten intended for the series. And immediately, I had mixed feelings.
First, excitement because I was halfway through a long series of books. Which is no small feat, regardless of what book series it is.
Second is, of course, the dread for the end of a series I legitimately enjoyed.
Pendragon: Black Water came at me with some pleasant surprises, like the kind of characters, enemies, and points of view! The merging of POV's in one (or more chapters) is a breath of fresh air, as the switch between the Pendragon Journal POV and the Mark+Courtney POV can get a bit...routinary, especially on its fifth book. And how the POVs merged wasn't just the author suddenly changing styles; it was done fluidly, in my opinion. And although I expect the original format of POV for the next books, I hope the author finds more ways to combine them again. Especially since I wasn't that big a fan of the Journal POV to begin with.
The Journal POV isn't a bad style, mind you. But sometimes, Bobby seems like he's talking to the reader, (who doesn't know much about Bobby's pre-book life) more than he's talking to his best friend and girlfriend (who know more about him than the reader does). And that disrupts the immersion a bit.
The ending was quite intense, and reminiscent of the first significant death, which I found very effective in making me want to grab the next book and jump right back into the world.
But there are, unfortunately, other books that demand my attention. And I have to admit that my return to Pendragon's universe is much more enjoyable if I've had a book or two before then.
This book gets: 💀💀💀💀 Dorian Skulls, a mark of recommendation, especially for people who enjoy YA, and are looking for other good ones, or people who want to get into YA and don't know where to start.
First, excitement because I was halfway through a long series of books. Which is no small feat, regardless of what book series it is.
Second is, of course, the dread for the end of a series I legitimately enjoyed.
Pendragon: Black Water came at me with some pleasant surprises, like the kind of characters, enemies, and points of view! The merging of POV's in one (or more chapters) is a breath of fresh air, as the switch between the Pendragon Journal POV and the Mark+Courtney POV can get a bit...routinary, especially on its fifth book. And how the POVs merged wasn't just the author suddenly changing styles; it was done fluidly, in my opinion. And although I expect the original format of POV for the next books, I hope the author finds more ways to combine them again. Especially since I wasn't that big a fan of the Journal POV to begin with.
The Journal POV isn't a bad style, mind you. But sometimes, Bobby seems like he's talking to the reader, (who doesn't know much about Bobby's pre-book life) more than he's talking to his best friend and girlfriend (who know more about him than the reader does). And that disrupts the immersion a bit.
The ending was quite intense, and reminiscent of the first significant death, which I found very effective in making me want to grab the next book and jump right back into the world.
But there are, unfortunately, other books that demand my attention. And I have to admit that my return to Pendragon's universe is much more enjoyable if I've had a book or two before then.
This book gets: 💀💀💀💀 Dorian Skulls, a mark of recommendation, especially for people who enjoy YA, and are looking for other good ones, or people who want to get into YA and don't know where to start.
March 12, 2022
So off we flume again to the territory of Eelong, where cat people live and humans are enslaved. Cool. I think that this book had a decently interestint premise, but it just took me so long to read. I think there was a cool twist ending, and it was nice to both meet some new characters and catch up with some old ones. Yay. I think this is a good kids book, but you can defitely tell that it's for a younger age demographic than the one that I belong to.
427 pages
TW: blood, death, enslavement, fighting
427 pages
TW: blood, death, enslavement, fighting
June 28, 2009
Grade: 4/10
Pages: 448
Thoughts: The book opens up with the line “Kitties for Keaton”, and that’s exactly how it felt. It was made for MacHale’s daughter, Keaton, and not for his audience. The book over all felt weak. The plot was almost identical to that of The Merchant of Death, thus leaving the audience bored. The events that happen are necessary for the over all series, but one can only wish that it was delivered in a more creative manner. It was hard to read and get through. Granted, there are good and creative moments within the book but over all, one feels that after MacHale’s girl was born, he gave up creating a quality book and instead giving out a book that a high school creative writing class could do better.
Final Thoughts: Don’t be intimidated by my hard review of this series. This book is the worst of them all, but once you get past this you will be rewarded ten fold. The plot is necessary to the whole series, so you have to buckle down and get through it or else the rest of the series will leave you confused. There are fun scenes, so look forward to those.
Favorite Scenes:
--Pendragon singing in jail
--the little girl with the flowers
Pages: 448
Thoughts: The book opens up with the line “Kitties for Keaton”, and that’s exactly how it felt. It was made for MacHale’s daughter, Keaton, and not for his audience. The book over all felt weak. The plot was almost identical to that of The Merchant of Death, thus leaving the audience bored. The events that happen are necessary for the over all series, but one can only wish that it was delivered in a more creative manner. It was hard to read and get through. Granted, there are good and creative moments within the book but over all, one feels that after MacHale’s girl was born, he gave up creating a quality book and instead giving out a book that a high school creative writing class could do better.
Final Thoughts: Don’t be intimidated by my hard review of this series. This book is the worst of them all, but once you get past this you will be rewarded ten fold. The plot is necessary to the whole series, so you have to buckle down and get through it or else the rest of the series will leave you confused. There are fun scenes, so look forward to those.
Favorite Scenes:
--Pendragon singing in jail
--the little girl with the flowers
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2019
Another amazing Pendragon adventure. This installment gets into acolytes and the bigger picture of Halla. But it also includes some minor flaws.
The book itself is awesome, and Pendragon fans won’t be let down. I enjoyed reading about Eelong and it brought very interesting new challenges as well as political dynamics, and even if all the possibilities of those dynamics were not fully explored. It was a great and fun read, and all the characters are developed very well.
The acolyte business brings in more questions - who were Alder’s and Gunny’s acolytes all this time, and why didn’t they help in previous books? And when Mark and Courtney decide to risk the structural integrity of Halla by traveling, they didn’t think through all of their options. First of all, why didn’t they call up Press’ acolyte to get advice? He literally told them they could call him. Secondly, they could have sent Wu Yenza their message asking for Spader to do the work for them. Then, once they got Yorn’s name from the journal after that, they could have tried messaging him. I’m sure there were other options as well, such as reaching someone on Eelong indirectly by first contacting someone else such as Evangeline on Veelox. Oh well. It all still made a great adventure.
The book itself is awesome, and Pendragon fans won’t be let down. I enjoyed reading about Eelong and it brought very interesting new challenges as well as political dynamics, and even if all the possibilities of those dynamics were not fully explored. It was a great and fun read, and all the characters are developed very well.
The acolyte business brings in more questions - who were Alder’s and Gunny’s acolytes all this time, and why didn’t they help in previous books? And when Mark and Courtney decide to risk the structural integrity of Halla by traveling, they didn’t think through all of their options. First of all, why didn’t they call up Press’ acolyte to get advice? He literally told them they could call him. Secondly, they could have sent Wu Yenza their message asking for Spader to do the work for them. Then, once they got Yorn’s name from the journal after that, they could have tried messaging him. I’m sure there were other options as well, such as reaching someone on Eelong indirectly by first contacting someone else such as Evangeline on Veelox. Oh well. It all still made a great adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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