The Beyonders Trilogy by Brandon Mull

I love the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.  The author has another series, Beyonders, and I read the summary of the first book at least a year ago.

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he’s ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

This summary did not make me want to read the book.  It's hard for me to explain exactly why, but I didn't get a good idea of the content of the story.  I couldn't figure out exactly what this place, Lyrian, was like, so I couldn't tell whether I would like the story.  I also saw no reason why I would care.

I have tried reading the first few chapters of a number of fantasy children's books online in order to try to figure out whether they would appear to me.  So often, I can't get into the books at all, and the summaries, like the one I posted above, do not help me make the decision.

I have learned that even books that have high overall ratings and many five-star ratings do not necessarily appeal to me.  Also, reading the reviews is always dangerous, since I have had the endings of books spoiled that way.  Some people don't know when to leave out certain information.

I took the plunge and decided to read the first Beyonders book, A World without Heroes.  It was hard to get into the book at first, because it was a bit hard to understand what was really going on.  I decided to write my own summary in an attempt to better explain the content of the book.  Here it is.

Strange music coming from nowhere... Jason works at the zoo on a normal day after school but that music continues to play.  Jason traces the music to the hippotamus tank.  He leans forward, losing his balance and falling into the hippo's mouth.  Suddenly, Jason is transported into the middle of a forest while the music plays on.  Jason soon discovers that the source of the music is a raft of suicidal musicians, who are floating down a river towards a waterfall.

It is not until later that Jason learns of a prophecy concerning the magicians.  The musicians had been told by a prophet that by floating over the falls while playing music, they would summon a hero from the Beyond.  That hero would somehow challenge Maldor, whose absolute rule of Lyrian is unquestioned.  Jason has the uncomfortable feeling that he is the hero who was summoned by the musicians.

Jason learns that a girl named Rachel also appeared in this strange new world at about the same time as he did, so her fate is intertwined with his. Jason and Rachel want nothing more than to find a way back home out of this unfamiliar place.  Jason unwittingly learns part of the Word, which is the one way to depose Maldor.  Unfortunately, the information was contained within a book that is linked to Maldor's agents through magic.  Maldor knows of the breach, so Jason and Rachel become outlaws on the run with no choice but to seek the Word in hopes of destroying Maldor and then finding a way home.

A World without Heroes is an excellent book once the reader understands the plot.  The second book in the trilogy, Seeds of Rebellion, is even better, and the final book, Chasing the Prophecy, is absolutely outstanding.  I mentioned recently that many series fall flat towards the end; this one improves with each book and delivers a satisfying conclusion.

The conclusion of Chasing the Prophecy is so well-crafted and so moving that as I read the final page I began crying.  I don't normally cry when reading books.  If you have read the book or ever decide to read it, you'll understand why. And understand that the crying was not devastated crying.  I was simply very moved by what I read, and few books affect readers that strongly.

Brandon Mull has created a fabulous world in Beyonders, and he has created some memorable, unique fantasy races, such as the Amar Kabal, the torivors, and the drinlings.  I am not going to explain what they are, but suffice it to say that they are fascinating.  I recall one reviewer on Amazon who hoped that some of Mull's creations would find their way into works by other authors. 

I highly recommend the Beyonders trilogy to anyone who has enjoyed series like Harry Potter and Fablehaven.

The Fablehaven Series Part 2

After finishing the first two books, I read the final three volumes in the Fablehaven series rapidly. Volume 3, Grip of the Shadow Plague, is a great book. Fablehaven is plagued by the spread of darkness, which turns the good creatures into evil creatures. The plot is harrowing, and this is the best book in the series.

In volume 4, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, one of the major characters betrays the rest. These books were not crafted as well as series such as Harry Potter and Nicholas Flamel, so the author gives few clues to the betrayal. For that reason, the betrayal is intensely shocking, to the point that I thought it was a joke at first. I paused in utter disbelief, and then continued. The entire passage has an unreal feeling which leaves the reader not feeling as much loss as should be felt.

Also in volume 4, a character is believed to be dead during part of the book, and the way the death and following events are handled are quite lacking.

In volume 5, Keys to the Demon Prison, the bad guys are getting close to opening up the demon prison and taking control of the world. As in the previous volume, Kendra, Seth, and their companions go after an artifact in order to keep it out of the hands of their adversaries. We get a character or two killed in the process, but the reader feels no loss.

This is because the evil characters are described much better than the good characters. Most of the good characters are given a name with little physical description and no information other than the fact that they are supposedly a trusted ally. Some of them end up not trustworthy or dead, but neither is a big deal to the reader since they all blend together.

These books tend to ignore characterization in favor of lots of nonstop action. I would have preferred far less action with a good bit more characterization.

In volume five, the good side attempts to prevent the opening of the demon prison. They come up with a plan, which I could see right off was flawed. I was not surprised when trouble arose from where I expected. Furthermore, Seth made an extremely stupid decision which made me want to quit reading. An adult character also made a stupid decision, and the adults are supposedly very experienced. I can understand Seth being stupid, but not the adults who have been fighting evil for decades.

The stupid decisions were simply the manner the author chose in order to set up the circumstances for the great final battle. The story was not bad after the stupid decisions had been made, thus giving the bad guys the upper hand. It could have been accomplished better.

I can hardly separate the events of books four and five in my mind, since both books are crammed full of nonstop action. In several parts of the fifth book, my mind began to wander, as I read the words. That is not a good sign. Both books consist of endless monsters, demons, and dragons attacking. As soon as one was defeated, two or three more would arrive. I grew weary of it.

The writing generally improved through the five books, but in the fifth book, the author took a step backwards at times. I have two examples, but I cannot give the exact pages since the Kindle version does not display the exact pages. In the chapter entitled "Vasilis," the faces on the totem pole are described as follows.

Some looked friendly, others furious, others wise, others ridiculous, others crafty, others ill, others smug, others frightened, others serene.

The following passage appears in the chapter "Knights of the Dawn."

Some walked on two legs, some on four, some on six. Others slithered. Others jumped. Others rolled. Others had wings.

I have now mastered the word "others" and can understand two-word sentences. To be fair, most passages are not written like the above examples. These two are the ones that stand out the most. The books do have complex sentences.

The series would have been stronger if books four and five had been condensed into one book with many of the battles removed. The characters deserved better descriptions. In spite of those flaws, I did enjoy the series. I loved the setting at the Fablehaven preserve and found the magical creatures to be very interesting. Most importantly, the series helped me quench my desire for the final Nicholas Flamel book. I can now wait nearly a year for it, and shortly, I will return to my usual vintage series books.

The Fablehaven Series Part 1

I read all five books in the Nicholas Flamel series a second time after I finished with the fifth book, The Warlock. Since I was facing an 11 month wait for the final book in the series, I was feeling at a loss as to what to read. I craved something similar.

I managed to find a place where someone asked for series similar to Harry Potter and Nicholas Flamel. The Fablehaven series was recommended. The series consists of five volumes and was written by Brandon Mull.

I checked out the reviews on Amazon and decided that spending $7.59 for the Kindle book would be worthwhile just to see what the book is like.

While not perfect, I enjoyed the first book, entitled Fablehaven. The book is not spectacular and mainly sets up the premise for the series. It is good enough that I wanted to read the next book.

Kendra and Seth visit their grandparents, who are the current caretakers of a secret preserve in which magical creatures are kept.  Soon, the children find themselves in the middle of a battle between good and evil, which is pretty much what happens in all of the series books from this genre.

This series uses some different magical creatures, such as fairies, which seemed stupid at first.  Once I got into the second half of the first book, I no longer thought that the fairies were stupid.

The first book has two scenes that are really stupid and annoy me as an adult reader. This happens sometimes with children's books. Children probably loved those scenes, but I could have done without them.

Near the beginning of the first book, the children, Kendra and Seth, are warned not to go into the woods because of ticks and Lyme disease. The tick excuse is false, since the woods are part of a preserve in which magical creatures run loose.

I greatly dislike it when people give false reasons for following a rule, although Seth is so stupid that he would have entered the woods even if he had been told the truth. Seth is very immature and obnoxious during the first book.  We get to see Seth gradually mature as the books progress.

The second book, Rise of the Evening Star, is better than the first book, since the action begins right off.  We don't spend half the book setting up the premise.

This passage from the second book summarizes the general idea nicely.

He placed a single finger beside his temple. "One last thought. Though secret, and in many ways quiet, the struggle between the Society of the Evening Star and those who manage the preserves is of desperate importance to the whole world. Whatever the rhetoric on both sides, the problem boils down to a simple disagreement. While the Conservators' Alliance wants to preserve magical creatures without endangering humanity, the Society of the Evening Star wants to exploit many of those same magical creatures in order to gain power. The Society will pursue its ends at the expense of all humankind if necessary. The stakes could not be higher."