Book One of the Travelers

Read and gave to grandsons to read. It is appropriate for their ages of 10 and 12. Action and concept of responsibility. Better than Pendragon series.

Pendragon is a great book series. This book is a prequel. If you haven't read any of them, stop reading this review and go get a copy. For those of you who have read the series, you should know that this book contains the stories of the other travelers who Booby meets over the course of his adventure. Specifically, Spader, Kasha and Gunny. These stories about them help provide a more in-depth look at what made these travelers who they are, and give the reader much appreciated insight into the minds of some of the more withdrawn characters, like Kasha. All the stories are well written, and tie in seamlessly to the main series. They don't answer any big questions, but for anyone who has learned to care about the characters in Halla like I have, it is a treat. My opinion: Buy it. It,s not just a quickly written book made just to tie us over until book 10. It is enjoyable and it really helps to make the world of Halla seem even more real. Hobey Ho

I give five stars to this book basically because the author accomplishes what she sets out to do. Working with three popular characters in the Pendragon saga, Carla Jablonski offers three short stories that show future Travelers as they encounter some of the major issues that will become contentious once the great story begins. We are of course dealing with "back stories", after all. "Pendragon" is a series written and created by D. J. MacHale, and can be classified as youth literature and fantasy. The series centers on Bobby Pendragon, who is 14 years old when the action begins, and his friends from his hometown and new friends, fellow travelers, whom he meets after he leaves his Connecticut suburban home. The three traveling friends that we meet in this volume are: Kasha, the enigmatic feline harvester of Eelong; the wise and prudent Vincent "Gunny" van Dyke of First Earth; the youthful aquaneer Vo Spader of the water-world known as Cloral. None of these heros suspect anything of Halla, but we understand they each of them is already fighting for justice and freedom for the people. Kasha must confront racism; Gunny defends the exploited against corruption and organized crime; Spader fights the bad guys, but finds his most important fight is against his own superficiality and quick temper. Author Carla Jablonski gives us credible, happy ending stories of characters created by D. J. MacHale. These characters are in every way consistent with what we will know of them when they meet Bobby Pendragon sometime later. They will be up against graver trials once the Pendragon saga begins.