The Merchant of Death

July 11, 2005
The popular fantasy time-travel series makes a smooth transition to audio with Dufris at the helm, using his upbeat delivery and believable teen rhythms to keep listeners enthralled. Bobby Pendragon, 14, thinks he's a pretty normal kid, worried about his next basketball game and his almost-girlfriend. But then Uncle Press changes everything by telling Bobby that he is a Traveler, capable of transporting through time via magical flumes. This first trip sends him to Denduron, a medieval realm in the middle of a revolution. Bobby's challenges there are dangerous and many, and he keeps his best friend at home (on "Second Earth"), Mark, apprised of his adventures with mystically relayed letters. Fans of the books will want to hear Dufris's gripping interpretation; newcomers will quickly get hooked. In addition to this recording, Brilliance has simultaneously released Pendragon titles two through six, just in time for summer listening. Ages 10-14.

November 1, 2002
Gr 5-8-In this hefty first episode of a projected quartet, suburban jock Bobby Pendragon discovers parallel universes and gets hero training while helping to resolve a civil war. Shooting Bobby through an inter-dimensional "flume" from an abandoned South Bronx subway station to three-sunned Denduron, MacHale (creator of Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark" series) proceeds to build his tale from prefabricated elements. Wise mentors utter a few obscure warnings before being whisked away; an evil shape changer works behind the scenes to grab ultimate power; two beautiful, well-muscled young women do Bobby's fighting; and there's even the hackneyed "fighting monsters in an arena" scene. Cryptic, arbitrary "rules," typecast characters with clear-cut roles, and frequent set-piece fights give Bobby's passage from scared, confused teen to scared, confused, and determined teen the distinct air of a computer game. Though Bobby does crack an occasional joke, and his lack of martial skills forces him to rely on wits to get out of various pickles, even veteran readers of doorstopper fantasy aren't likely to regard three more equally predictable, drawn-out episodes with much anticipation.-John Peters, New York Public Library

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.