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Beyonders, Book 2 By Brandon Mull Aladdin, 2012 $19.99, ages 8-12, 512 pages
Teens Jason and Rachel brave a deadly swamp and swarm of zombies as they continue an epic quest to save a parallel world, in Brandon Mull's exciting second book in the Beyonders trilogy.
At the end of the first book A World Without Heroes, Jason discovered that a magical word he'd spoken to destroy an evil wizard was a sham. But before he could tell Rachel or their allies, he was forced into a portal that took him home.
Now as Jason finds a way to get back to the imperiled world of Lyrian, he, Rachel and their band of heroes realize that the only way to defeat Lyrian's maniacal ruler, the wizard Maldor, is to take him on in battle.
But to have a chance at winning, they must convince the last remaining free people of Lyrian to join their army. And to do that, they'll have to prove to them that a rebellion could succeed -- in spite of mounting odds against it.
How can a ragtag group of rebels topple a wizard who already has the resources of twenty kingdoms at his disposal -- not to mention an army of displacers, manglers and torivors? And what other treachery might await these fearless heroes?
In this captivating second novel, Jason once more dives down the throat of a hippopotamus on a quest to save Lyrian -- this time more prepared for danger, yet unaware of just how treacherous his quest will become.
Along the way, he, Rachel and their crew will taken on a swamp creature with daggerlike teeth, soldier crawl through a deadly gap between mountains and race across a forbidden kingdom where a plague has turned people into walking dead.
In the first book A World Without Heroes, Jason, a volunteer at a Colorado zoo, accidentally fell into a hippo's mouth while cleaning its tank and was jettisoned through a portal into Lyrian. There, he learned that he and another Beyonder, Rachel, had been summoned by an oracle to help Lyrian's rightful king, a blind man, defeat Maldor.
After Jason and Rachel were brought together in a secret meeting with the blind king Galloran, they were sent on a quest to recover six syllables of the magic word, which when spoken to Maldor was supposed to destroy him. But upon using the Word, Jason discovered that it was a hoax created by Maldor to distract his enemies.
Before Jason could warn Rachel and Galloran that the Word was a powerless, a displacer named Ferrin pushed Jason into a portal that took him -- and part of Ferrin -- back to Colorado. As the two wrestled, Jason pulled loose one of Ferrin's hands. Displacers are a wizard-born race with removable body parts that live independent of their bodies.
Back home, Jason discovers that he can communicate with Ferrin through his severed hand. He also realizes he has to get back and be the hero he's been called on to become. First he'll need to warn Galloran of Maldor's deceit and find Rachel, who got separated from him during a chase by Maldor's soldiers.
But as Jason dives back into hippopotamus and returns to Lyrian, the task to defeat Maldor grows more dangerous. Maldor's been on rampage to slay the good people who guarded the syllables of the Word and now, it appears, the only way to defeat this ruthless wizard is to start a war that will result in widespread bloodshed.
With no time to waste, he reunites with Galloran, Rachel and his band of allies, and they enter a tenuous truce with Ferrin to be a scout. Ferrin now claims that he has turned against Maldor and is devoted to the rebel cause, though Galloran is weary and has taken a piece of his throat as leverage.
Also in the band of heroes are Galloran's bodyguard, the last living member of a suicidal band known as the Giddy Nine, an exiled seedman from the Amar Kabal, a smuggler who transforms into a giant and Galloran's daughter, one of the people who'd guarded the syllables.
Their first task is to convince the reclusive people of the Amar Kabal to join the rebellion before Maldor's armies realize what they're up to. To do this, they must embark on a dangerous trek to the living oracle in the Temple of Mianamon, in the hope that she will foresee that they have a chance of winning.
If they can convince the Amar Kabal that an offensive could succeed, the Amar Kabal could persuade other kingdoms of free people to join them. But would it be enough and what success could a small band of heroes really have in leading them?
Brandon Mull quickens the pace and packs in so many imaginative roadblocks on the quest that readers may feel as if they're catching their breath at every turn.
I loved this book even more than the first, especially now that the allies have pulled together and formed their fearless group, though I wouldn't recommend reading it before the first. There's just too much to piece together.
Mull, who also wrote the wildly popular Fablehaven series and is about to release his sequel to The Candy Shop War, is like a wizard pulling ideas from air -- with each new book and series, he seems to summon a host of new and fantastic creatures and strategies from his imagination.
Among my many favorites, Maldor's ability to secretly graft eyes and other body parts onto prisoners so that he can spy on his enemies and cannibalistic dwarves who swell in size when the sun goes down.
This is an outstanding fantasy series that even book-shy teens won't want to put down. Right now I'm reading the first book to my eight-year-old and he can hardly stand it when I have to stop for the night.
Please, please, please? Ok, maybe one more chapter…
0 Comments on Seeds of Rebellion as of 10/4/2012 1:32:00 PM
Guest blogger and teen girl reviewer reviews The Beyonders
Jason Walker has been thrust into a new world, a world full of cowards, fallen heroes and the malicious magician Maldor. His destiny has found him as he takes on an adventure to not only save himself, but this whole civilization from the kingship of the evil wizard. His plan: find the single word that can destroy Maldor.
Brandon Mull, author of the Beyonders as well as the best selling Fablehaven series, has created the beginning to a unique and entirely unpredictable trilogy. Full of excitement and sorrow, triumph and tragedy, Beyonders definitely entertains and meets expectations. It is well worth the read.
0 Comments on Review: The Beyonders as of 1/1/1900
In addition to #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull's lovely blurb (on the cover in the post below), I received another today that made me a little misty-eyed.
"Reading Lisa McMann's THE UNWANTEDS was like discovering a brilliant, lost children's classic - except it's never going to be lost, because the readers will never, ever forget the magic they'll experience in its pages. Wonderful." - James A. Owen, author and Illustrator of HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS
To know that these two middle grade fantasy heroes of mine have read and enjoyed this middle grade fantasy newbie's book is so meaningful. If you haven't read these authors yet, Check them out -- Brandon's first book in the BEYONDERS trilogy is out now, or you can try his FABLEHAVEN series. James' HERE THERE BE DRAGONS is the place to start in his series, or, if you're looking for inspiration, check out his newly published non-fiction e-book DRAWING OUT THE DRAGONS, which will move you, I promise. Only $4.99.
0 Comments on Praise for THE UNWANTEDS as of 1/1/1900
In case you missed it, last week I reviewed the latest middle reader fantasy, Beyonders, from best-selling author Brandon Mull.
Simon & Schuster is celebrating this exciting release today with a launch party! Check out the details below:
GIVEAWAY:
As part of this celebration, Simon & Schuster has graciously provided 5 copies of Beyonders along with tote bags for a giveaway here on Book Dads!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing these great prizes for the giveaway! To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below.
The contest is open to U.S. residents only and will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, March 21st at 11:59 p.m. EST. All 5 winners (each will receive a copy of Brandon Mull’s Beyonders along with a Beyonders tote bag) will be chosen at random and have 48 hours to respond to my message. If they do not, another winner will be selected in their place.
To get you motivated to participate, watch the trailer:
6 Comments on Beyonders Launch Party and Giveaway, last added: 3/18/2011
We’re so excited for the book. We’re lucky enough to live in Salt Lake City and are taking our avid book-reading nephew to the launch party tonight! (Also, this is the first I’ve seen your page. It’s great. I’m going to have to pass it on to my soon-to-be stay-at home-dad husband.)
Chris Singer said, on 3/15/2011 7:57:00 AM
Wow Melissa! Thanks so much for visiting Book Dads! I’ve been a SAHD since my daughter was born. We’ve enjoyed our time together reading lots of books.
Your son will enjoy this book – I spent one night reading over 250 pages of it!
Cindi said, on 3/15/2011 12:25:00 PM
I visit your site quite often for book reviews! I am doing all that I can
to make our two sons, readers! They would love the “Beyonders!”
The book trailer is fabulous…The tote is an extra special prize!
Many thanks, Cindi
Chris Singer said, on 3/16/2011 6:43:00 PM
Thanks Cindi – Good luck!
The1stdaughter (Danielle) said, on 3/16/2011 8:13:00 PM
Okay, seriously, this is a very cool contest! I have read the book already and loved it, but it was an eBook and is already gone! I’d love to have a copy to give to my in-laws who are HUGE Brandon Mull fans! Thank you so much for hosting this Chris!
Tommy Batchelor said, on 3/18/2011 8:26:00 AM
Love to win this book for my Granddaughters, sounds great!!!
Brandon Mull resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. He spent two years living in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned Spanish and juggling. He once won a pudding eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house, earning a gold medal. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven series and The Candy Shop War.
About the book:
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank into a strange, imperiled world. Lyrian holds dangers and challenges unlike anyplace Jason has ever known. The people all live in fear of their malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. The brave resistors who once 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.
My take on the book:
Brandon Mull’s Beyonders is the latest addition to an already crowded fantasy genre for middle readers. Seasoned readers of fantasy will definitely recognize Beyonders theme of a hero’s journey, and has many elements reminiscent of some classic fantasy stories such as Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Homer’s Odyssey.
Beyonders is packed with action from the get-go. Middle readers will be engaged immediately by the circumstances in which Jason finds himself. Thirteen-year-old Jason takes on challenge after challenge and lives up to the billing of a hero throughout. Although I found myself rolling my eyes over Jason’s good fortune in overcoming these challenges (he’s only 13!!), middle readers will still enjoy this fast-moving adventure, which despite the length of the book (over 450 pages), finds each chapter moving along quickly.
Beyonders has good messages for young readers as bravery, self-worth and determination are characteristics of many of the story’s heroes and their allies. Despite being thrust into a world devoid of bravery and heroes, Jason’s high quality of character helps attract the few people who wish to stand up to Maldor.
Throughout the adventure, Jason is paired with another “Beyonder,” Rachel, who happened upon the world of Lyrian in a similarly bizarre incident. Despite Jason’s pairing with Rachel, there isn’t the same sort of equal billing given to her. This may turn off female readers as Rachel is pretty consistently left behind in much of the story, often forced to stay out of sight in the paranoid and suspicious world of Lyrian due to her being a girl. As Beyonder
0 Comments on Book Review: Beyonders as of 3/10/2011 10:26:00 PM
We’re so excited for the book. We’re lucky enough to live in Salt Lake City and are taking our avid book-reading nephew to the launch party tonight! (Also, this is the first I’ve seen your page. It’s great. I’m going to have to pass it on to my soon-to-be stay-at home-dad husband.)
Wow Melissa! Thanks so much for visiting Book Dads! I’ve been a SAHD since my daughter was born. We’ve enjoyed our time together reading lots of books.
Your son will enjoy this book – I spent one night reading over 250 pages of it!
I visit your site quite often for book reviews! I am doing all that I can
to make our two sons, readers! They would love the “Beyonders!”
The book trailer is fabulous…The tote is an extra special prize!
Many thanks, Cindi
Thanks Cindi – Good luck!
Okay, seriously, this is a very cool contest! I have read the book already and loved it, but it was an eBook and is already gone! I’d love to have a copy to give to my in-laws who are HUGE Brandon Mull fans! Thank you so much for hosting this Chris!
Love to win this book for my Granddaughters, sounds great!!!