The Merchant of Death

a great beginning adventure story with lots of growth in the main character. Shows promise for the sequals

The first book in the amazing series of pendragon. this book is the first of the mysteries of the travelers and the things that they do.

Good fast read. Great story, and great pace. Now I want the next in the series!

the writing is a bit hamfisted at times with some cartoonish characters and a formulaic, two-dimensional plot. MacHale also seems to have written this story without doing much research into things like warfare and mining and even class divisions and tyranny. it was a all very simplistically laid out without much depth.

however, it isn't a completely bad read especially for 9-year old boys like my son. i think that kids much older than that might roll their eyes like i did at certain parts but for the younger set, it is something that they can enjoy.

i won't be reading any more out loud to my son like i did this one but i will continue to support him in reading this series. maybe the writing will get better as the series goes on? who knows.

The promise in this book is not in the characters or the writing, but in the world-building and the possibility of a strong narrative over several books. Unfortunately, I'm informed by a thirteen-year-old who's read ten of the Pendragon series that this never develops.

Chinmay J. -This is a great book for people who read and like fantasy. It is like Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl (Some of you may not have heard of that one but its good) combined. It has fast paced action with suspense and a thrilling plot. A bit advanced. This is the first of a ten book series (Yes, I know it sounds exhilarating, but its good). The series is wicked epic.

The Merchant of Death is an exciting beinning for the Pendragon series. Bobby Pendragon is a traveler which means that he can go from one planet and time to another. I like this book because it is interesting towards the middle of the book and then I finish it and I'm like what will happen next. I can't wait to read the next book, but I will say that be aware of the mysterious people in this book. I recommend this book to those who are interested in a good book such are The Merchant of Death. Soak your teeth in a book like Pendragon, by D.J. MacHale.

This action-packed tale centers around Bobby Pendragon, a "typical" 14-year old, who discovers he is destined to be a traveler like his uncle, journeying to new worlds and saving humanity. It has a bit of a condescending attitude towards the other worlds (they do not realize the grave mistake they are about to make and the travelers must save them form themselves), but the voice of Bobby may be engaging for many readers, as he is as incredulous about the existence of these parallel worlds as they may be.

This is an entertaining adventure with lots of creative elements that work well together. The characters are likable and the shift between worlds adds variety. The ending leaves lots of room for sequels with the same antagonists and protagonists. Recommended.

I'm listening to this series on CD and it's quite good (except for the fact that the reader pronouces "short-lived" incorrectly MULTIPLE times). Sometimes the characters are unrealistically naive but overall I'm enjoying the premise.

Basically it's about this kid Bobby Pendragon who is a "traveler" who travels to different "territories" (worlds) and saves them from an evil guy named Saint Dane. This was the first series I really got into because unlike most series, the books get better and better, plus the books are always so unexpected. MacHale is an amazing author because he is so good at leading you in one direction, and then completely blowing away what you thought would happen, yet doing so in ways that make sense and can actually happen. This book (and the rest in the series) really keep you thinking. Its almost like a game trying to guess what will happen next.

After receiving a few recommendations to read this book and the rest of the series, I picked up a copy. I could not read past the first chapter. I put it down and tried it again recently and forced myself to read to the end of the second chapter, hoping that the book improved. It did not. The writing style, which I think was meant to help the reader relate to the protagonist, grated on my nerves. The overuse of slang did not help either. I found very little to like about the main character and, as the book is written in the first person, an engaging protagonist is required.

14 year old Bobby Pendragon has been leading a normal life until the day his Uncle Press shows up and takes him off to the territory of Denduron, where he finds out he's a Traveller. Great coming of age story and fantasy.

This book was very funny and kept me on the edge of my seat, well, bean bag.

fun fantasy read, this one is great, but the rest of the series is predictable and basically the same book with a different cover.

ok, this one is pretty good, but the rest of the series is exactly the same

I was afraid this would be another Harry Potter rip-off, but I enjoyed it. It's an interesting concept. Very exciting read. The reader on the audio CD captures the right voice and mood.

I wish I could say that this book were great. Unfortunately, it is merely a mediocre hanger-on of the Harry Potter genre. Meet Bobby Pendragon, our 14-year-old protagonist: he is often conceited, stuck-up, plagued by an inferiority complex, a whiner, and none too bright. Just before he is to play in his school's basketball game, as their "star player," he finds out that he is a Traveler, who will be swept into a tunnel across time and space to save another planet from destruction. His favorite phrase is "I can't, I can't, I can't!" The writing is uninspired, the action contrived, and the dialogue clumsy.

Thsi book is about a boy who needs to save Halla ( the whole universe) from St. Daine. St. Daine is a evil person who wants Halla to crumple. This book is the first adventure of Bobby Pendragon

Normally I like my books a bit longer, but this one had teeth. Believable characters, attention to detail and an original plot all combine to make one fast paced fantasy that will keep you up late turning the pages (or at least clicking the next page button on your kindle). I'm looking forward to book two!

I absolutley LOVE this book and the rest of the series. I really get into these books and it feels like I am in the adventure myself. Although there are only going to be ten books, I wish there were going to be more.

The book is good and I like it. The reason I picked this book was because it looked interesting to me and that others suggested it for me. I think that others should read this book as well. I think that is all pretty good and it sometimes makes me laugh a little, but it could use a little more action in it because it is fun when there is action in it. Although it is still pretty good without the action because you get more information about the problems when they're talking. I think it funny when they invade the Bedoowan castle and use the laser pointer to distract the gaurd. I think that someone who likes to read or likes funny adventures would like this book. I gave this book four and a half stars because it is a really good book even though reading isn't one of my favorite things to do. I find this book to be one of the best ive read so far and will probably use the others for future things. Its basically about a 14-year-old boy who is transported to another world, who then tries to save his uncle from certain death and to save that world from doom. Im still currently reading it so i dont have much information about the book quite yet. But I think that it is going to be fun to read.

I read this book almost a year ago and totally forgot about it. I expect you'll do the same.It's appallingly-written in a lot of ways and off the charts filled with rehashed elements from other stories, but MacHale has a good sense of pacing and suspense.This book reads like a summer movie, but not one of the great blockbusters, more like the one that opens the weekend prior to Harry Potter or Dark Knight that you see just for the hell of it and find yourself enjoying. I'll read the next one, I guess.

I just finished this book, and I thought it was very spectacular. It was funny, action-packed, romantic and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole way. The characters are endearing and feel very real. I'd highly reccommend this book, and I can't wait to read the rest of this series. Kudos, D.J.

A great adventure story filled with interesting characters who truly "breathe". I appreciate young reader books that don't talk down to their audience. Based on that, plus the energy of the story (and the fact that my own 14-year-old son has read this book more than once) I heartily recommend it!

This was ok....not my usual genre but it was free on the kindle. The story moved along well but sometimes I got tired of the immature writing. Not sure I'll read any more in this series

This book is obviously written for early teens, but I enjoyed it. It is the story of a teen who finds himself transported to another world to "save" it. Other reviews will give you more of the plot. I haven't raced out to find the second in the series, but if I come across it, I will definitely pick it up.

Don't get me wrong - it's a good book, but I just COULD NOT get into it. I have a feeling I would have inhaled this serious had I discovered it in high school, but right now the book actually made me procrastinate in my reading. I suppose my only real gripe is the characters. They lacked authentic characterization and seemed to act merely as vessels for the action and plot, rather than being equal to and holding up the book as much as the action and plot (I'm using action and plot to refer to the fighting/intrigue and actual story progression respectively - I know some people use action and plot interchangeably).

VOYA (December 1, 2002)Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon has a perfect life. He lives in a beautiful house, his parents are cool, and his dog is terrific. He has dozens of friends, excels in school, and stars on his school's basketball team. To add icing to the cake, he has just kissed the hottest girl in the entire eighth grade. Bobby's ideal world is about to be shattered, though, when mysterious Uncle Press comes begging him for help. Bobby finds himself whisked off through a wormhole to the world of Denduron, where a major civil war is about to erupt. There he discovers that he is a Traveler, a being who can move with ease between alternate earths. Has his whole former life been a lie? How can he save anyone else when he can barely save himself? There is little original plot in this first volume of a projected quartet and no genuine literary merit. Nevertheless, MacHale, creator of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? television series, certainly knows what young readers want: breathless pace, nonstop action, snappy dialogue, and a touch of romance. He delivers these qualities and more, wrapped around a wish-fulfillment hero that boys will want to emulate and girls will want to date. MacHale is currently pitching this book to Hollywood executives, and the novel reads like a movie. Even without the television connection, this book will be easy to sell to middle school readers, especially those hard-to-please boys who claim to hate reading. They will love Bobby Pendragon.-Arlene

This was my favorite book series as a kid and I'm so excited to find it on here and be able to enjoy them again as an adult. The voice actor I feel liked did a very good job with this book. Even though I didn't really enjoy the voice he did for young bobby in this first book, I completely understand why he made the choice to do the voice that way. My only gripe is with the way he pronounced "Bedoowan", which was not at all how I read it in my head, but as it's a made-up word, it's not something that really matters at all.