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Bionicle Chronicles #1
Bionicle Chronicles #1: Tale of the Toa
Six heroes. One Destiny.
Live the legend with a new line of books based on BIONICLE, the first-ever, best-selling LEGO action figure.
In the time before time, a great being watched over the ancient land of Mata Nui, protecting it from harm. But now a powerful entity, Makuta, has arisen, and a dark and evil shadow has fallen over the land. Just when all seems lost, six heroes emerge from the darkness.
These mighty warriors are the Toa, and they have a single Destroy Makuta and restore peace to the land. Theirs will be a difficult mission, filled with grave dangers.
The first BIONICLE CHRONICLE tells the tale of the heroes' arrival on the island and follows their difficult struggle to fulfill their destiny.
Live the legend with a new line of books based on BIONICLE, the first-ever, best-selling LEGO action figure.
In the time before time, a great being watched over the ancient land of Mata Nui, protecting it from harm. But now a powerful entity, Makuta, has arisen, and a dark and evil shadow has fallen over the land. Just when all seems lost, six heroes emerge from the darkness.
These mighty warriors are the Toa, and they have a single Destroy Makuta and restore peace to the land. Theirs will be a difficult mission, filled with grave dangers.
The first BIONICLE CHRONICLE tells the tale of the heroes' arrival on the island and follows their difficult struggle to fulfill their destiny.
126 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
22 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Hapka
433 books203 followersCatherine (Cathy) Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and adults, as a ghostwriter for series as well as original titles, including the Romantic Comedies Something Borrowed, The Twelve Date of Christmas, and Love on Cue. She lives in Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 22, 2018
Gali looked him up and down, feeling a chill ripple through the air as he came closer.
This one - this one has many layers, she thought uncertainly. He is cold. But I sense his frosty exterior may hide a blazing fire deep within...
At that moment, Kopaka turned his icy gaze upon her, catching her stare. He said nothing, but Gali quickly turned away. 39
This is a simply written children's book about Bionicles, a LEGO toy.
I can't really recommend it, the writing is not good. Just because a book is written for children doesn't mean the writing has to be bad. I hope that's clear.
Another flaw with the book is that unless you are well-versed in Bionicle vernacular you might be lost. The book pretty much just throws you into the deep end with language.
On a positive note, the use of Fijian and Maori words is very interesting. I know the Polynesians protested, and Bionicles had to change a lot of their words. But I found the original use of Fijian and Maori to be interesting and educational. I can understand why the Maori were upset about LEGO profiting on the gaming of their vocabulary, though.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
Six warriors (toa) come to a planet. Conveniently they all have severe amnesia. The island is being overrun by evil animals wearing masks. The masks control the animals and are created by the evil god Makuta.
Each toa represents an element
Gali - water (the only female toa)
Tahu - fire
Lewa - air
Onua - earth
Pohatu - stone
Kopaka - ice
The six meet up. They often bicker. They refer to each other as "Brother" and "Sister" (I'm assuming in comradeship since they never met before. Then again, we have no idea if they never met before, because they have amnesia).
There is very little character development, although Hapka seems to want to match the toa's personalities with their element. For instance, Tahu (fire) has a quick temper and is impulsive and bossy.
Gali (water) is calming and tries to keep peace. She is rational and has good ideas. She is thoughtful and compassionate.
"Thanks," Tahu said, wiping rainwater from his mask. "I didn't think the fire would spread."
"Right." Gali's voice sounded almost cold enough to have come from Kopaka. "I suppose you also didn't think about the birds who called that tree home, or the plants and animals that relied on it for shade. In other words, you didn't THINK." 85
Kopaka is logical, calculating, cautious, a loner, haughty, and judgmental. This tends to make a bad impression on the other toa.
He analyzed the information again and again. The depth and size of the spring. The distance to the island. The probable heat of the lava.
Still, he couldn't quite convince himself that it would work. The probability was fairly high, but nothing was certain..
Kopaka clenched his fists as he imagined Tahu's mocking laughter, Lewa's perplexed glance. Neither of them would have the patience to waste so much time worrying over probabilities. Perhaps just this once he should live by their example.
Besides, it's this or nothing, Kopaka reminded himself. Of that, he was one hundred percent certain. 67
...
"Why not team up? It might make things easier."
"I work alone."
"By choice?" Pohatu returned quickly. "Or just because no one can stand you?"
Kopaka almost smiled at that. Almost. This other Toa was irritating and far too chatty, but he also seemed to be quick-witted. And he was certainly strong. Perhaps he could come in handy after all. 29
Lewa, the air toa, is kind of weird and he often crams two words together to make new words, like clingtwiner, secondthink, mysteryking, know-nothingness, darkthought, answer-finding, happyluck, quicksecond, pairmaking, journeysearch, crazystorm, sorryoops, thoughttime, nastyugly, quickbreeze, quickstopped, panicfled, everquick x2, luckymet, learnfinding, searchquest, groupworking, teamplanning, wetdive, wateryuck, worrybother, sorryhate, timefoolery, safekeep, nowtime, uglypincher, plainsimple hunchthought, monsterpair, awaycarry, stoneblock, icebrother, planlost, powerfeeling, quicklook, hardluck.
Onua and Pohatu are probably the least developed. Pohatu is slated as loyal. And
"Ah, and this must be the famous Toa Pohatu, with a mind like stone," the mysterious voice cooed. "Always ready to wait and watch and ponder - even as Mata Nui crumbles around him." 112
However, we don't get much illustration of this in the book.
Onua is described as strong, reserved, and quiet.
The book also kind of borrows from Star Wars (although I'd like to point out there are no new plots). There does seem to be a dark side, there seems to be a dark force that encourages and tempts the toa to turn to rage and chaos and destruction. The book even has the toa . Kids who like Bionicles might grow up to enjoy Star Wars, Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, or Transformers. The toa . They find masks that give them special powers.
Bionicles seem to be alive - they breathe, they get winded, they experience pain. However, no one eats during this whole book. I'm not even sure toa do eat or need to eat. Unclear if they sleep. They can be knocked unconscious.
I was unsure whether to file this under science-fiction or fantasy. But they were created by a god, not a mortal being. I think fantasy. They aren't robots. If anyone wants to discuss this with me, I'm open to other opinions/ interpretations.
TL;DR The writing and plot could be better. But if these books get children reading, I am happy.
This one - this one has many layers, she thought uncertainly. He is cold. But I sense his frosty exterior may hide a blazing fire deep within...
At that moment, Kopaka turned his icy gaze upon her, catching her stare. He said nothing, but Gali quickly turned away. 39
This is a simply written children's book about Bionicles, a LEGO toy.
I can't really recommend it, the writing is not good. Just because a book is written for children doesn't mean the writing has to be bad. I hope that's clear.
Another flaw with the book is that unless you are well-versed in Bionicle vernacular you might be lost. The book pretty much just throws you into the deep end with language.
On a positive note, the use of Fijian and Maori words is very interesting. I know the Polynesians protested, and Bionicles had to change a lot of their words. But I found the original use of Fijian and Maori to be interesting and educational. I can understand why the Maori were upset about LEGO profiting on the gaming of their vocabulary, though.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
Six warriors (toa) come to a planet. Conveniently they all have severe amnesia. The island is being overrun by evil animals wearing masks. The masks control the animals and are created by the evil god Makuta.
Each toa represents an element
Gali - water (the only female toa)
Tahu - fire
Lewa - air
Onua - earth
Pohatu - stone
Kopaka - ice
The six meet up. They often bicker. They refer to each other as "Brother" and "Sister" (I'm assuming in comradeship since they never met before. Then again, we have no idea if they never met before, because they have amnesia).
There is very little character development, although Hapka seems to want to match the toa's personalities with their element. For instance, Tahu (fire) has a quick temper and is impulsive and bossy.
Gali (water) is calming and tries to keep peace. She is rational and has good ideas. She is thoughtful and compassionate.
"Thanks," Tahu said, wiping rainwater from his mask. "I didn't think the fire would spread."
"Right." Gali's voice sounded almost cold enough to have come from Kopaka. "I suppose you also didn't think about the birds who called that tree home, or the plants and animals that relied on it for shade. In other words, you didn't THINK." 85
Kopaka is logical, calculating, cautious, a loner, haughty, and judgmental. This tends to make a bad impression on the other toa.
He analyzed the information again and again. The depth and size of the spring. The distance to the island. The probable heat of the lava.
Still, he couldn't quite convince himself that it would work. The probability was fairly high, but nothing was certain..
Kopaka clenched his fists as he imagined Tahu's mocking laughter, Lewa's perplexed glance. Neither of them would have the patience to waste so much time worrying over probabilities. Perhaps just this once he should live by their example.
Besides, it's this or nothing, Kopaka reminded himself. Of that, he was one hundred percent certain. 67
...
"Why not team up? It might make things easier."
"I work alone."
"By choice?" Pohatu returned quickly. "Or just because no one can stand you?"
Kopaka almost smiled at that. Almost. This other Toa was irritating and far too chatty, but he also seemed to be quick-witted. And he was certainly strong. Perhaps he could come in handy after all. 29
Lewa, the air toa, is kind of weird and he often crams two words together to make new words, like clingtwiner, secondthink, mysteryking, know-nothingness, darkthought, answer-finding, happyluck, quicksecond, pairmaking, journeysearch, crazystorm, sorryoops, thoughttime, nastyugly, quickbreeze, quickstopped, panicfled, everquick x2, luckymet, learnfinding, searchquest, groupworking, teamplanning, wetdive, wateryuck, worrybother, sorryhate, timefoolery, safekeep, nowtime, uglypincher, plainsimple hunchthought, monsterpair, awaycarry, stoneblock, icebrother, planlost, powerfeeling, quicklook, hardluck.
Onua and Pohatu are probably the least developed. Pohatu is slated as loyal. And
"Ah, and this must be the famous Toa Pohatu, with a mind like stone," the mysterious voice cooed. "Always ready to wait and watch and ponder - even as Mata Nui crumbles around him." 112
However, we don't get much illustration of this in the book.
Onua is described as strong, reserved, and quiet.
The book also kind of borrows from Star Wars (although I'd like to point out there are no new plots). There does seem to be a dark side, there seems to be a dark force that encourages and tempts the toa to turn to rage and chaos and destruction. The book even has the toa . Kids who like Bionicles might grow up to enjoy Star Wars, Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, or Transformers. The toa . They find masks that give them special powers.
Bionicles seem to be alive - they breathe, they get winded, they experience pain. However, no one eats during this whole book. I'm not even sure toa do eat or need to eat. Unclear if they sleep. They can be knocked unconscious.
I was unsure whether to file this under science-fiction or fantasy. But they were created by a god, not a mortal being. I think fantasy. They aren't robots. If anyone wants to discuss this with me, I'm open to other opinions/ interpretations.
TL;DR The writing and plot could be better. But if these books get children reading, I am happy.
April 15, 2025
Wow. I mean, what an emotionally turbulent ride. A layman or amateur hobby reader may approach this text and ask, “What genre does this truly fit into? History? Religion? Poetry? Love letter? Fable? Mythology?” While the answer would be yes to all of these, a seasoned reader and avid lover of fine literature (such as myself) would know the true answer is this: this text is Unity. This text is Duty. This text is Destiny. And it is far deeper than first meets the eye.
Let’s break down this emotional roller coaster. From the first chapter, my head was in a spin. Imagine being dropped on some tropical island in the middle of nowhere and having NO CLUE who you are or what your purpose is. I mean, sure, as humans we all sort of start out that way from our birth, but we are largely unconscious and unaware of anything for the first few years of our lives. As we gain consciousness, we are gaining experience, bonding with our families, and creating memories and worldviews that shape our personal foundation for the rest of our lives. Not these charming little Bionicle fellows. From the moment of their birth, or “awakening”, as the text aptly describes it (40), they are alone, striving to discover who they are, BY THEMSELVES, MIND YOU, with no family, information, or previous knowledge to help construct their personal worldviews or sense of belonging to the world. It’s a perfectly terrifying Descartian scenario come to life. Can you imagine the physiological toll and turmoil this would cause, having complete consciousness but no previous memories upon which to construct your worldviews? We see this turmoil come to life on page 5 when Tahu, no doubt exasperated, laments as he, “lets the sword fall to his side, overwhelmed by despair. Why was he here? What was he supposed to do now? ‘Why—can’t—I—REMEMBER?’ he howled, swinging the sword over his head.” (5).
I certainly cannot imagine the freakish reality Tahu is in, but our strangely, our entire cast of protagonists seem to handle this situation with a uncanny serenity and nonchalant attitude, as if even though they don’t know WHO they are, they are able to deduce WHY they are. They innately realize their existence is not some fluke in the universe, but that they were made for greater things. In chapter 3, readers watch as Onua “couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow missing something—missing a piece of himself. But he pushed that worry aside. There was no use fretting over something he couldn’t control. All he could do was control what he could—like the digging”(9). This is pretty deep stuff. Are you reeling from this burden of glory yet? I certainly am, and I’ve only discussed the first chapters. Let’s move on.
The set up of this story is a long one, but necessary. Finally, in chapter seven, once all the characters are introduced and are accumulated into one setting, Gali, the token female character in this saga, gets the ball rolling with the storyline when she drops this absolute banger of a line: “Well, brothers…I suppose that’s enough talk of the past. We should start discussing what comes next, yes? For despite all the interesting elemental powers we have, I expect that our best weapon is our MINDS” (42). What a freaking boss babe. Wise beyond her years for sure. But that’s not all. Gali drops another great line when the other little Toas want to split up in order to find their fabled masks. She reminds them that they have been brought together for a reason and thus should stick together (43). Is this insight not powerful? Like, six minutes ago she had no clue who she was or what she was supposed to do with herself but now she understands somehow the importance of brotherhood and sticking together for the greater good. Gali’s a pretty smart cookie, that’s for sure.
Just as readers think these little hobbit-like toa fellows are going to hit the road with hopes to find these masks of power, the freaking GROUND “yawned open in front of them, splitting the clearing in half” (45), a startling occurrence that Gali expertly attributes to the work of the evil Makuta (46). I believe this is where the story starts to get good. We’ve been introduced to our protagonists, and now we have the first glimpses of evil creeping into our storyline. Sadly and strangely, especially after such a jarring event as the ground opening up beneath them, the buddies decide to go their separate ways after all. I personally wouldn’t have done that with an evil Makuta sneak running around causing mischief but we’ll see where this leads. In my expert opinion, it can only lead to tragedy.
The middle of the book plods by at a slower pace. Some interesting things happen like Tahu getting attacked by masked scorpions on a bridge which he escapes via a Lewa-inspired series of backflips (58). Kopaka discovers that water is in fact colder than lava (who knew?) and then goes on a bit of a spiritual trip, seeming to hit white light when he puts on the mask of strength.
By chapter ten, the toa are in such turmoil that they decide to do what they should have done in the first place which was listen to the advice of the only female in the group and search for the masks together as a team. Soon they find themselves in a sort of cave that Kopaka recalls from his vision. There, they find these strange carvings that look eerily like themselves and in a culty, entranced fashion, they all take their masks off and put them on the carvings as some sacrifice. To their dismay, their hard-earned masks disappear, but not to worry, because as soon as they dissolve, they reappear, this time more powerful and glorious than before. Now that the lil fellas have their Way Cooler Than the First Masks masks, they leave the cave feeler braver than before, until that dang sneaky Makuta opens up the ground AGAIN. You’d think he would move onto other tricks by now but no. Another tunnel scene ensues as the friends run around trying to find Makuta to no avail because they are being attacked by something called Rehi. Suddenly, at their darkest hour, Kopaka transcends into spiritual realms once again and remembers some words that a spooky and mysterious voice uttered to him…something about working together to defeat evil, which I thought they were already doing, but I guess now they are really actually doing it? Anyhow, I won’t spoil the ending, but the book essentially climaxes when Kopaka must decide whether he wants to be a special snowflake and not work with his team to defeat evil, or if he will heed Gali screaming “UNITY, DUTY, DESTINY” at him (103). I’ll give you two guesses which one he chooses. It’s so hard not to spoil the ending for you people, but I will say that if you read it, you will be absolutely FLOORED by the complex nod to the Christian Trinitarianism at the end. What the heck, I was not expecting that at all. THREE BECOME ONE??
After all this, people may ask if I have any complaints about the book. The issues I have a far and few between but I would be remised if I didn’t mention a few areas I thought the text lacked in. For one, the writing style is entirely elementary through the whole book, almost as if it were written for children. Truly, at times, it read like something straight out of the Scholastic Book Fair. I understand this is an ancient and primitive writing being revived and translated for us modern readers, but I did think that language lacked in many ways. This is likely just a deficiency in my understanding of the text, though. The chapters were also extremely short and to the point but I suppose I cannot complain about that as brevity is a virtue that few authors possess today. Another critique is the laundry list of characters. C.A. Hapka gives us as many characters and names as a Leo Tolstoy novel but no glossary or list of names to refer back to. Perhaps this is just me being finicky but I felt lost at times in the names of the characters. This is likely a flaw in my part, though. I also felt the characters lacked depth. Besides Gali being a girl, Kopaka being a pessimist, and Lewa being the comedic relief and saying funny words like “plainsimple” and “timefoolery”, there weren’t a lot of distinguishing factors between the characters. I am hopeful the next books will spend more time on character development because I just know there can be a lot of rich depth to these little guys.
In the end, this is a story of hope. Teamwork. Dream work, one might say. A beautiful and mystifying text sure to inspire readers for at least five years. When I started the book this morning due to my insomnia, I was a tenderfoot in the realms of excellent literature. Now I have seen what good literature truly is, and I am better for it. More burdened by the weight of good and evil, but a better person for it indeed.
Let’s break down this emotional roller coaster. From the first chapter, my head was in a spin. Imagine being dropped on some tropical island in the middle of nowhere and having NO CLUE who you are or what your purpose is. I mean, sure, as humans we all sort of start out that way from our birth, but we are largely unconscious and unaware of anything for the first few years of our lives. As we gain consciousness, we are gaining experience, bonding with our families, and creating memories and worldviews that shape our personal foundation for the rest of our lives. Not these charming little Bionicle fellows. From the moment of their birth, or “awakening”, as the text aptly describes it (40), they are alone, striving to discover who they are, BY THEMSELVES, MIND YOU, with no family, information, or previous knowledge to help construct their personal worldviews or sense of belonging to the world. It’s a perfectly terrifying Descartian scenario come to life. Can you imagine the physiological toll and turmoil this would cause, having complete consciousness but no previous memories upon which to construct your worldviews? We see this turmoil come to life on page 5 when Tahu, no doubt exasperated, laments as he, “lets the sword fall to his side, overwhelmed by despair. Why was he here? What was he supposed to do now? ‘Why—can’t—I—REMEMBER?’ he howled, swinging the sword over his head.” (5).
I certainly cannot imagine the freakish reality Tahu is in, but our strangely, our entire cast of protagonists seem to handle this situation with a uncanny serenity and nonchalant attitude, as if even though they don’t know WHO they are, they are able to deduce WHY they are. They innately realize their existence is not some fluke in the universe, but that they were made for greater things. In chapter 3, readers watch as Onua “couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow missing something—missing a piece of himself. But he pushed that worry aside. There was no use fretting over something he couldn’t control. All he could do was control what he could—like the digging”(9). This is pretty deep stuff. Are you reeling from this burden of glory yet? I certainly am, and I’ve only discussed the first chapters. Let’s move on.
The set up of this story is a long one, but necessary. Finally, in chapter seven, once all the characters are introduced and are accumulated into one setting, Gali, the token female character in this saga, gets the ball rolling with the storyline when she drops this absolute banger of a line: “Well, brothers…I suppose that’s enough talk of the past. We should start discussing what comes next, yes? For despite all the interesting elemental powers we have, I expect that our best weapon is our MINDS” (42). What a freaking boss babe. Wise beyond her years for sure. But that’s not all. Gali drops another great line when the other little Toas want to split up in order to find their fabled masks. She reminds them that they have been brought together for a reason and thus should stick together (43). Is this insight not powerful? Like, six minutes ago she had no clue who she was or what she was supposed to do with herself but now she understands somehow the importance of brotherhood and sticking together for the greater good. Gali’s a pretty smart cookie, that’s for sure.
Just as readers think these little hobbit-like toa fellows are going to hit the road with hopes to find these masks of power, the freaking GROUND “yawned open in front of them, splitting the clearing in half” (45), a startling occurrence that Gali expertly attributes to the work of the evil Makuta (46). I believe this is where the story starts to get good. We’ve been introduced to our protagonists, and now we have the first glimpses of evil creeping into our storyline. Sadly and strangely, especially after such a jarring event as the ground opening up beneath them, the buddies decide to go their separate ways after all. I personally wouldn’t have done that with an evil Makuta sneak running around causing mischief but we’ll see where this leads. In my expert opinion, it can only lead to tragedy.
The middle of the book plods by at a slower pace. Some interesting things happen like Tahu getting attacked by masked scorpions on a bridge which he escapes via a Lewa-inspired series of backflips (58). Kopaka discovers that water is in fact colder than lava (who knew?) and then goes on a bit of a spiritual trip, seeming to hit white light when he puts on the mask of strength.
By chapter ten, the toa are in such turmoil that they decide to do what they should have done in the first place which was listen to the advice of the only female in the group and search for the masks together as a team. Soon they find themselves in a sort of cave that Kopaka recalls from his vision. There, they find these strange carvings that look eerily like themselves and in a culty, entranced fashion, they all take their masks off and put them on the carvings as some sacrifice. To their dismay, their hard-earned masks disappear, but not to worry, because as soon as they dissolve, they reappear, this time more powerful and glorious than before. Now that the lil fellas have their Way Cooler Than the First Masks masks, they leave the cave feeler braver than before, until that dang sneaky Makuta opens up the ground AGAIN. You’d think he would move onto other tricks by now but no. Another tunnel scene ensues as the friends run around trying to find Makuta to no avail because they are being attacked by something called Rehi. Suddenly, at their darkest hour, Kopaka transcends into spiritual realms once again and remembers some words that a spooky and mysterious voice uttered to him…something about working together to defeat evil, which I thought they were already doing, but I guess now they are really actually doing it? Anyhow, I won’t spoil the ending, but the book essentially climaxes when Kopaka must decide whether he wants to be a special snowflake and not work with his team to defeat evil, or if he will heed Gali screaming “UNITY, DUTY, DESTINY” at him (103). I’ll give you two guesses which one he chooses. It’s so hard not to spoil the ending for you people, but I will say that if you read it, you will be absolutely FLOORED by the complex nod to the Christian Trinitarianism at the end. What the heck, I was not expecting that at all. THREE BECOME ONE??
After all this, people may ask if I have any complaints about the book. The issues I have a far and few between but I would be remised if I didn’t mention a few areas I thought the text lacked in. For one, the writing style is entirely elementary through the whole book, almost as if it were written for children. Truly, at times, it read like something straight out of the Scholastic Book Fair. I understand this is an ancient and primitive writing being revived and translated for us modern readers, but I did think that language lacked in many ways. This is likely just a deficiency in my understanding of the text, though. The chapters were also extremely short and to the point but I suppose I cannot complain about that as brevity is a virtue that few authors possess today. Another critique is the laundry list of characters. C.A. Hapka gives us as many characters and names as a Leo Tolstoy novel but no glossary or list of names to refer back to. Perhaps this is just me being finicky but I felt lost at times in the names of the characters. This is likely a flaw in my part, though. I also felt the characters lacked depth. Besides Gali being a girl, Kopaka being a pessimist, and Lewa being the comedic relief and saying funny words like “plainsimple” and “timefoolery”, there weren’t a lot of distinguishing factors between the characters. I am hopeful the next books will spend more time on character development because I just know there can be a lot of rich depth to these little guys.
In the end, this is a story of hope. Teamwork. Dream work, one might say. A beautiful and mystifying text sure to inspire readers for at least five years. When I started the book this morning due to my insomnia, I was a tenderfoot in the realms of excellent literature. Now I have seen what good literature truly is, and I am better for it. More burdened by the weight of good and evil, but a better person for it indeed.
April 26, 2023
I considered not reviewing this book, since it was so short, but I have reviewed shorter books before, and I have several thoughts about this one.
What this book does really well is establish the characters we are following. This book features 6 Toa who are stranded on an island and have lost most of their memories. What they remember is that they are tasked with finding the masks and with stopping the ultimate evil: Makuta. We really get to know the 6 Toa, and they are fairly well balanced.
Lewa had the most distinctiveness to his character, meshing two words together and always being on the go. Kopaka was fairly arrogant, although he seemed like the primary viewpoint character. Tahu and Gali alternated between butting heads and agreeing, and Pohatu just wanted to be everyone's friend and everything to work out. Its definitely too early to say who is my favorite.
The book stumbles in its descriptions of the villains. Unless you've seen the actual Bionicle toys or the comics, it is hard to visiualize the enemies.
I will say I am mixed about the other worldbuilding aspects. Some aspects such as their purpose and the description of Makuta vs Mata Nui is very well handled, although some items and worldbuilding aspects were hard to know what I was reading about. I had to just asssume it would make sense, and most of it eventually did, but not as much as it should have.
With this being the first novel in the series, and appealing to perhaps a different audience than the comics, It is curious that they threw the audience in on the deep end and didn't provide more explanations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Its not a favorite of mine, but I certainly am interested in reading more, and hopefully my students will enjoy it. 7 out of 10.
What this book does really well is establish the characters we are following. This book features 6 Toa who are stranded on an island and have lost most of their memories. What they remember is that they are tasked with finding the masks and with stopping the ultimate evil: Makuta. We really get to know the 6 Toa, and they are fairly well balanced.
Lewa had the most distinctiveness to his character, meshing two words together and always being on the go. Kopaka was fairly arrogant, although he seemed like the primary viewpoint character. Tahu and Gali alternated between butting heads and agreeing, and Pohatu just wanted to be everyone's friend and everything to work out. Its definitely too early to say who is my favorite.
The book stumbles in its descriptions of the villains. Unless you've seen the actual Bionicle toys or the comics, it is hard to visiualize the enemies.
I will say I am mixed about the other worldbuilding aspects. Some aspects such as their purpose and the description of Makuta vs Mata Nui is very well handled, although some items and worldbuilding aspects were hard to know what I was reading about. I had to just asssume it would make sense, and most of it eventually did, but not as much as it should have.
With this being the first novel in the series, and appealing to perhaps a different audience than the comics, It is curious that they threw the audience in on the deep end and didn't provide more explanations.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Its not a favorite of mine, but I certainly am interested in reading more, and hopefully my students will enjoy it. 7 out of 10.
March 1, 2025
It’s an okay start to the series. I don’t think Hapka quite had the grip on the plot, but there was a lot going on in Denmark in 2003, not sure if she got the best summary with which to work. I think the writing is decent. It’s probably on par with the Jedi Apprentice/Padawan which were contemporary with this release iirc. It’s at least nice to have a semi-canon depiction of the adventures of the Toa in 2001 since the videogame failed to launch. What’s lacking is real interaction with the Matoran and Turaga, which, since this was my first intro to the larger Bionicle story back in the day, made them little more than exposition-givers lacking much character. Especially since these books came out the same year as the Mask of Light movie, you’d think Takua and Jallet would get a greater mention. Ah well, it is serviceable.
October 22, 2018
It’s a nostalgic book with the toa having adventures through the perils that mata nui brings its a great read tho.
June 29, 2023
This was a fun read! I grew up on the Bionicle toy line but this part of the story came a few years before I got into it, so it was cool to actually read about these characters I’ve heard so much about. Speaking of the characters, they’re definitely the highlight. They all have unique personalities and qualities that separate them from one another (my favorite at the moment is probably Pohatu or Lewa). It also does a good job of establishing the world and overall storyline that this first arc of the story will follow. All the Toa main characters are introduced and spend the book having to figure out how to work together, in order to track down several Masks of Power to use in their quest to defeat the dark lord Makuta. It’s a good setup and a simple but enjoyable story.
Overall this was a good one. Solid introduction to the world and characters and an enjoyable read.
Rating: 8/10
Overall this was a good one. Solid introduction to the world and characters and an enjoyable read.
Rating: 8/10
November 1, 2023
Background: I had tons of Bionicles as a kid, and I still collect and curate my Lego collection pretty intensely. I never read any of these books as a kid, but I was familiar with the lore via movies, games, the internet, and occasional blurbs on the back of the canisters.
Biggest like: this is the first Bionicle book so I gave it to my wife after I finished reading so that she could brush up on the terminology for when I inevitably start buying little plastic robot pieces to relive this part of my childhood.
Biggest dislike: sometimes children's books are written in a way that adults can still enjoy them and find them engaging. This isn't that.
Biggest like: this is the first Bionicle book so I gave it to my wife after I finished reading so that she could brush up on the terminology for when I inevitably start buying little plastic robot pieces to relive this part of my childhood.
Biggest dislike: sometimes children's books are written in a way that adults can still enjoy them and find them engaging. This isn't that.
October 21, 2023
Sometimes you have to look outside of yourself and help those around you to help yourself. Unexpectedly pretty good lol 3.75 stars.
August 2, 2022
I'm gonna take a shot at reading through the Bionicle series, books and comics alike, and I'll be starting with the Chronicles series. Infinite Inspiration released an unofficial audiobook series for Chronicles on YouTube, which is what I used to read Tale of the Toa. The cast of the audio book did a fantastic job, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get into Bionicle. As for the story itself, it's admittedly pretty bare bones. It is a scholastic kids book for a Lego product line after all. But looking past that, the story, simple as it may be, sets the stage for 10 years of interconnected and complex Bionicle Lore.
October 15, 2014
The Bionicle chronicles and other series are all a fun and very quick to read. The basic storyline is that there are beings called Toa, who have magical powers based on the six elements (fire, earth, water, air, ice, and rock. And no, I don't know what the difference between earth and rock powers are, there doesn't seem to be one...). The Toa are destined to protect the islands that they inhabit. The start of this story is six Toa arrive on an island without any memory of what, or who they are, aside for their name. Eventually they learn more about their past and their destiny, and they go through many quests trying to reawaken the great spirit Mata Nui who was cast into a very deep sleep by his evil brother Makuta.
The story is fun to read, however it is geared towards younger readers, meaning that events will be glossed over to make the book shorter and less intimidating for kids to read. My biggest problem with the series though is the male dominance. Of the six heroes, only one is a girl, and neither the villain nor the great spirit are women either. Also, the leader of the group, Tahu Toa of fire, is a guy. Tahu is an interesting character for me just because when I was young, when I read these I really liked Tahu. My friends and I used to play superheroes and my power was fire, so I liked that his power was fire too. Now rereading this books, Tahu is a really annoying character. How, or why Lego decided to make a super stubborn, very prideful, impulsive person the leader of the group baffles me. Gahli, the only girl, is by far the best choice for being the leader. And not because she is a girl, but because she is by far the wisest of them all. And lots of bad things happen simply because people didn't listen to her... I also find it odd that with six heroes, Lego didn't think it obvious to simply have three girls and three guys but whatever. The stories are fun, the world is really cool and complex! I love the usage of masks being the sources of power, I think that's pretty unique. I highly recommend these series for ages 7+.
The story is fun to read, however it is geared towards younger readers, meaning that events will be glossed over to make the book shorter and less intimidating for kids to read. My biggest problem with the series though is the male dominance. Of the six heroes, only one is a girl, and neither the villain nor the great spirit are women either. Also, the leader of the group, Tahu Toa of fire, is a guy. Tahu is an interesting character for me just because when I was young, when I read these I really liked Tahu. My friends and I used to play superheroes and my power was fire, so I liked that his power was fire too. Now rereading this books, Tahu is a really annoying character. How, or why Lego decided to make a super stubborn, very prideful, impulsive person the leader of the group baffles me. Gahli, the only girl, is by far the best choice for being the leader. And not because she is a girl, but because she is by far the wisest of them all. And lots of bad things happen simply because people didn't listen to her... I also find it odd that with six heroes, Lego didn't think it obvious to simply have three girls and three guys but whatever. The stories are fun, the world is really cool and complex! I love the usage of masks being the sources of power, I think that's pretty unique. I highly recommend these series for ages 7+.
August 16, 2015
This is my favorite book-chain series-ever! It was one of the first series of books I've ever gotten completely attached to for some strange reason. However, this was not the first one I read. I actually read the first and second one of the series after the chronicles. But then I stopped and backed up to read this one.
This was a moderately good introduction to the BIONICLE world. Of course the lego company saved the good ones for later, but if you are ever going to read these books, this would be the best place to start, and if you think the characters in the first four books were "Okay" that's alright, because there's a deeper plot the further you read through all 28 novels--a plot that is dramatically connected to these first six heroes by the end of the series. So it's a good idea to keep reading if mystery still shrouds you after the first five novels.
Just for kids? You'd be surprised at how dark they get. The turn these stories take 3 books after the first five is what drew me in further into that world. But don't get me wrong, the message of friendship and teamwork plays all throughout this series, but is vaguely hidden by emotion and logical planning in defeating the villains, so it may take a little explaining to those who don't wish to over think.
So don't put it down halfway through this one and skip to the interesting stuff, because it all has a purpose.
This was a moderately good introduction to the BIONICLE world. Of course the lego company saved the good ones for later, but if you are ever going to read these books, this would be the best place to start, and if you think the characters in the first four books were "Okay" that's alright, because there's a deeper plot the further you read through all 28 novels--a plot that is dramatically connected to these first six heroes by the end of the series. So it's a good idea to keep reading if mystery still shrouds you after the first five novels.
Just for kids? You'd be surprised at how dark they get. The turn these stories take 3 books after the first five is what drew me in further into that world. But don't get me wrong, the message of friendship and teamwork plays all throughout this series, but is vaguely hidden by emotion and logical planning in defeating the villains, so it may take a little explaining to those who don't wish to over think.
So don't put it down halfway through this one and skip to the interesting stuff, because it all has a purpose.
July 11, 2019
Hard to believe that twelve-year-old me thought this was THE BOMB dot com.
June 8, 2020
Buena historia de introducción, pero a medida que avanza la historia se siente un poco de desorden.
February 26, 2023
I would definitely say that this is an enjoyable book, though I'm not sure if that's because of my nostalgia for Bionicle and its story or due to the merits of the book itself. There are massive glaring issues with this book, namely the fact that chunks of the story are cut out due to their coverage in other forms of media such as MNOG or the comics. I can't entirely blame Hapka for these issues considering the fact that the story of Bionicle is dense and fitting it all into a single book wouldn't be an easy task, but certain things such as the lack of turaga or the way much of the search of the kanohi were glossed over can be problematic. There is also the issue of the fact that this story is very clearly aimed at children. Now again, that isn't entirely a fault of the book, Hapka is primarily a children's author and around the time Bionicle was yet to venture off to be a darker story but regardless it didn't feel right how the toa would occasionally throw out a corny, oftentimes element based quip in the midst of very serious situations. Not only that but the pacing of the story was also poor, which again is likely due to the difficulty of adapting the entire 2001 storyline into a single book but I think even children would feel jarred at how quickly the toa goes from collecting kanohi and fighting rahi to facing shadow clones of themselves in Makuta's lair. I feel the characterization of the toa was biased as well, Kopaka and Tahu seemed to get more page time than any of the other toa and the only characterization the other toa would get either seemed to come from other toa literally describing them or through lines of dialogue that very obviously imply a certain characteristic on behalf of the toa. I will however admit that overall I enjoyed my read of this book, though I'm not sure if I can exactly explain why considering all I've said about it so far has been negative. I suppose it was nice to sit down with a quick read I could skim through and basque in the nostalgia of a simpler time, a time when six canisters washed up on a golden beach.
July 21, 2022
While I really like the story of the original Bionicle the telling of it here seems very rushed and many parts of the story that I enjoyed as a kid seem glossed over. There are many characters we don't meet, we only see a few of the masks recovered.
Part of it is because it's a story that's meant to facilitate toy launches and the other part is because it's designed for kids. So it starts with the toa arriving and in only 120ish pages they are in the final confrontation with the main enemy. It all needs to be resolved in time for the next line of toys and so the story never seems to linger very long in these story concepts that deserve to be fleshed out more. For example the toa are supposed to be heros and guardians of their respective villages but none of them spend any time in their village. Some toa never meet their village Turaga. The way the story speeds through events it seems like they were born and fought Makuta on the same day.
So it's hard to evaluate the book because I really like the Bionicle story but this young reader book doesn't do it justice...but not because it is badly written or anything. It's just that Bionicle is a strange story that's told in pieces through these books, the comics, the movies, old javascript videos, video games, webcomics and mini comics that came with the toys.
Part of it is because it's a story that's meant to facilitate toy launches and the other part is because it's designed for kids. So it starts with the toa arriving and in only 120ish pages they are in the final confrontation with the main enemy. It all needs to be resolved in time for the next line of toys and so the story never seems to linger very long in these story concepts that deserve to be fleshed out more. For example the toa are supposed to be heros and guardians of their respective villages but none of them spend any time in their village. Some toa never meet their village Turaga. The way the story speeds through events it seems like they were born and fought Makuta on the same day.
So it's hard to evaluate the book because I really like the Bionicle story but this young reader book doesn't do it justice...but not because it is badly written or anything. It's just that Bionicle is a strange story that's told in pieces through these books, the comics, the movies, old javascript videos, video games, webcomics and mini comics that came with the toys.
October 23, 2020
Eh, it’s ok. These early couple of books really killed my interest in the series as a kid. Tale of the Toa, The Borohk Cometh, and Makuta’s Revenge are snorefests, even for the intended audience. Hapka isn’t good at capturing the whimsy of this mythical world. Sentient tribal robots on a strange tropical island fighting off the weird minions of their sleeping god’s evil brother should be more interesting than this. It’s not awful, but it’s really missing that spark. Farshtey improves things a bit.
September 1, 2023
I can safely say that I would not be the storyteller I am today without Bionicle - the books, the comics, the games - the whole lot of it. Tale of the Toa is mostly a retread of the first run of Bionicle comics, with Hapka admirably and creatively expanding out the stories hidden between the frames, and it totally rocks.
July 18, 2025
as a major lego bionicle builder, finding the reading the first four books was a treat for my younger self and finding them again years later to revive my love for the story behind the toa and their adventures across Mata Nui.
Read
June 21, 2019I remember my dad reading this book to me for my bedtime story. He was absolutely confounded by the fictional names, and looking back I can see why! I have fond memories of these books.
Read
October 19, 2022it is so funny i read all these books as a kid. were they good? I don't remember. thats not important!
Read
January 10, 2023i won a used copy of this book in a third grade trivia game
January 27, 2023
not me skipping tahu chapters in this like i once skipped jason grace chapters in pjo. i think that says something. anyways here’s to my real bionicle girlboss gali <3 catherine gets you
June 21, 2023
4-star sorry hampered by 2-star writing. 2.75 stars overall, with some weight for nostalgia.
But you know what hurts nostalgia? Inconsistent writing.
But you know what hurts nostalgia? Inconsistent writing.
November 30, 2023
a really great introduction to this world and characters. finale was a bit of a let down though.
September 7, 2025
Lowkey peak
December 17, 2020
3 Star - Well rounded, all around decent.
I grew up playing with LEGO's Bionicle action figures. I was absolutely obsessed, like many of my friends. Unlike them, however, I also was enthralled with the world that LEGO created for their characters. This first novel is concise and quick. It introduces its characters quickly, and immediately jumps into a fun tale of adventure. I've read 'Tale of the Toa' probably a dozen times between elementary school and now (15 years later), and I always find myself enjoying it because it clearly develops its six main heroes. While it's rather basic, and doesn't delve into any serious questions or lore as much as I wish it did, it really doesn't do anything wrong in terms of character development and plot progression. It manages to present a cast of characters that play well off one another throughout an hour long read.
I grew up playing with LEGO's Bionicle action figures. I was absolutely obsessed, like many of my friends. Unlike them, however, I also was enthralled with the world that LEGO created for their characters. This first novel is concise and quick. It introduces its characters quickly, and immediately jumps into a fun tale of adventure. I've read 'Tale of the Toa' probably a dozen times between elementary school and now (15 years later), and I always find myself enjoying it because it clearly develops its six main heroes. While it's rather basic, and doesn't delve into any serious questions or lore as much as I wish it did, it really doesn't do anything wrong in terms of character development and plot progression. It manages to present a cast of characters that play well off one another throughout an hour long read.
March 21, 2016
Amazon Book Description:
In the time before time, a great being watched over the ancient land of Mata Nui, protecting it from harm. But now a powerful entity, Makuta, has arisen, and a dark and evil shadow has fallen over the land. Just when all seems lost, six heroes emerge from the darkness.These mighty warriors are the Toa, and they have a single destiny: Destroy Makuta and restore peace to the land. Theirs will be a difficult mission, filled with grave dangers.The first Bionicle Chronicle tells the tale of the heroes' arrival on the island and follows their difficult struggle to fulfill their destiny.
In the time before time, a great being watched over the ancient land of Mata Nui, protecting it from harm. But now a powerful entity, Makuta, has arisen, and a dark and evil shadow has fallen over the land. Just when all seems lost, six heroes emerge from the darkness.These mighty warriors are the Toa, and they have a single destiny: Destroy Makuta and restore peace to the land. Theirs will be a difficult mission, filled with grave dangers.The first Bionicle Chronicle tells the tale of the heroes' arrival on the island and follows their difficult struggle to fulfill their destiny.
April 12, 2015
This is a great book series with a wonderful tale that requires bravery and wisdom. It is a legend that tells the ways of the toa and how they learned to be heroes in a world that needed them most. I would like to use this book for an independent read for my students because I know most boys, and potentially girls, would be interested in this book series. Also this is a great example of fiction that they can learn from to one day write in.
January 5, 2011
I read this with Cougar, he liked it. I wanted to claw my eyeballs out. I couldn't follow it, I guess you have to already know and understand things about Bionicles to enjoy this book because the author gives no information or descriptions. Anyway, Cougar enjoyed it, that is what's truly important, but I definitely don't recommend it.
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