deefinglee's review against another edition
4.0
The only issue I have with the before the war books is how they have them set up, I wish they put them in order of the territories that bobby visited because I wanted to red them after meeting each character which cause me to have to jump between the 3 books. I just finished book 5 and am finally finishing one full of these books.
nannahnannah's review
4.0
These were some nice short stories. It definitely makes me more excited to get that last book in May!
Anyway, although I did enjoy them, I thought at some times that the author's tries at imitating D.J. MacHale's sense of humor . . . tried a bit too hard, but there were some lines that made me chuckle. And I felt like the character's strengths and weaknesses were really played up to be really too obvious.
It was really nice to see a more in-depth look at the worlds though, and I am looking forward to the next book of the Travelers. :)
Anyway, although I did enjoy them, I thought at some times that the author's tries at imitating D.J. MacHale's sense of humor . . . tried a bit too hard, but there were some lines that made me chuckle. And I felt like the character's strengths and weaknesses were really played up to be really too obvious.
It was really nice to see a more in-depth look at the worlds though, and I am looking forward to the next book of the Travelers. :)
anniemariek's review
3.0
Note: I can't review this like I normally do, because this book is actually three shorter stories. They revolve around the Travelers Kasha, Gunny, and Spader, from D.J. MacHale's Pendragon series. The stories are about what happened before the war began and Bobby dropped in. They aren't written by D.J. MacHale.
I picked this up at the library because I'm such a huge fan of the Pendragon Series. I loved every page of those books. So, naturally, I figured it would be awesome to get some insight into the lives of the Travelers.
I was disappointed.
First, I wasn't happy to find out that D.J. MacHale didn't actually write this. The writing in this book just didn't work for me. Words were repeated over and over, sometimes in the same sentence. Dialogue was a bit sloshy in places. There was a lot of 'telling'.
I was hoping for some pretty intense foreshadowing here. Like, for example, Gunny could make some reference to how he could never live without his hand. But the only real foreshadowing was that we got to see the beginning of Spader's anger problems.
I had a hard time getting into Kasha's story. Gunny's was alright, but I found a plot hole that is...currently escaping my mind, but it's there. I did like the insight as to where his name came from. I liked Spader's story best. Then again, how can you not love Spader? I could actually get into his story and was anxious to find out what happened next, but the whole I-hate-you-but-if-we-want-to-survive-we'll-have-to-work-together was really cliché.
I understand know why the stories were in the order that they are. First Kasha, then Gunny, and finally Spader. A lot of people will go into this just for Spader's story, so why not make them read all the others first to get there? If Spader was first, so many people would just put the book down.
Overall, this disappointed me. The characters were so much less in-depth than the actual series, especially since I was pretty much expecting 243 pages of character development. I didn't like the writing, and the plots just weren't that gripping. If you've read Pendragon, you can try this if you want to, but they don't add much to the series. Three stars.
Read even more reviews at http://anniesepicblog.blogspot.com
I picked this up at the library because I'm such a huge fan of the Pendragon Series. I loved every page of those books. So, naturally, I figured it would be awesome to get some insight into the lives of the Travelers.
I was disappointed.
First, I wasn't happy to find out that D.J. MacHale didn't actually write this. The writing in this book just didn't work for me. Words were repeated over and over, sometimes in the same sentence. Dialogue was a bit sloshy in places. There was a lot of 'telling'.
I was hoping for some pretty intense foreshadowing here. Like, for example, Gunny could make some reference to how he could never live without his hand. But the only real foreshadowing was that we got to see the beginning of Spader's anger problems.
I had a hard time getting into Kasha's story. Gunny's was alright, but I found a plot hole that is...currently escaping my mind, but it's there. I did like the insight as to where his name came from. I liked Spader's story best. Then again, how can you not love Spader? I could actually get into his story and was anxious to find out what happened next, but the whole I-hate-you-but-if-we-want-to-survive-we'll-have-to-work-together was really cliché.
I understand know why the stories were in the order that they are. First Kasha, then Gunny, and finally Spader. A lot of people will go into this just for Spader's story, so why not make them read all the others first to get there? If Spader was first, so many people would just put the book down.
Overall, this disappointed me. The characters were so much less in-depth than the actual series, especially since I was pretty much expecting 243 pages of character development. I didn't like the writing, and the plots just weren't that gripping. If you've read Pendragon, you can try this if you want to, but they don't add much to the series. Three stars.
Read even more reviews at http://anniesepicblog.blogspot.com
somasunshine's review against another edition
3.0
It's a nice book but a bit boring because I didn't know the characters of the Bobby pendragon series...
bibliocat4's review
3.0
Contains a bit of the pre-story of Kasha, Gunny & Spader. This book was not written by DJ MacHale but the story were action packed and entertaining.
alyssaarch's review
4.0
This was a cute collection of side stories of the various Travelers before Bobby became one. This edition features Kasha, Spader, and Gunny, and offers a little insight into their lives before Bobby and Saint Dane arrived. The stories go by quickly — I feel like they’re written at a much lower level than the main series, and offers interesting perspectives to each character. Kasha starts wondering that maybe the humans that serve her species are intelligent and capable of emotion after all; Spader finds common ground with a person who was his rival at the Academy; Gunny helps keep a young boy who’s just lost his father on track while also trying to track down a murderer. All very different stories!
It’s been a while since I’ve read these books, so it was a little hard to get back into the worlds. This was definitely written for someone who is already in the midst of the series, since it gives very little background information on the worlds or characters. Because of that, I can’t see anyone who hasn’t read the main series at all enjoying this series. It’s purely for nostalgic value and a way to revisit old friends before they become embroiled in a war with Saint Dane.
Overall, it’s a fun, fast read. Fans of the series will enjoy this, but they’re also not at all necessary to enjoy the main series as a whole.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
It’s been a while since I’ve read these books, so it was a little hard to get back into the worlds. This was definitely written for someone who is already in the midst of the series, since it gives very little background information on the worlds or characters. Because of that, I can’t see anyone who hasn’t read the main series at all enjoying this series. It’s purely for nostalgic value and a way to revisit old friends before they become embroiled in a war with Saint Dane.
Overall, it’s a fun, fast read. Fans of the series will enjoy this, but they’re also not at all necessary to enjoy the main series as a whole.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
megant713's review against another edition
2.0
The Pendragon series just really is not my thing. I struggled to get through this.
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