The Rivers of Zadaa
(Pendragon, Book Six)
by D.J. MacHale

Bobby Pendragon is growing up. As he continues to fight the war against Saint Dane over the fate of all the territories that have ever existed or will exist, Bobby and his friends back on Second Earth (“our” world) are beginning to grow apart. He is beginning to have feelings he never expected for one of his fellow Travelers, beautiful warrior Loor. And he needs to change some things about himself – and find out some things too – if he is going to continue to lead the Travelers and keep Saint Dane from sending everything spinning into chaos.

In this sixth Pendragon adventure, Bobby and Loor face a major crisis on Loor’s home territory of Zadaa. There, all civilization rests on the delicate balance between two tribes – the dark-skinned warriors who live above ground, and the pale technicians who live below ground. In the past, the two tribes were friends; but in recent years, their friendship has been strained to the point of an uneasy truce. In a mostly desertified world, the point of contention is, naturally, water. Tensions build as a drought worsens, and each side begins pointing suspicious fingers at the other, and both prepare for war.

As usual, Saint Dane has found a way to twist this situation so that one critical event could cause the whole territory to collapse. And this time, Bobby may be too distracted by the increasing demands of leadership, as well as his growing feelings for Loor, to head off Saint Dane before it's too late. That is especially so when first Bobby himself, then another Traveler are gravely injured.

Meanwhile, when the situation seems more than ever to be out of BobbyÂ’s control, things are not going well for Mark and Courtney back on Second Earth. Courtney was plunged into a serious depression after her bravado in Black Water resulted in the death of one Traveler and the marooning of two others. Now she is doing better, but she still canÂ’t bear to carry on her duties as a TravelerÂ’s acolyte.

Leaving Mark on his own to cope with Bobby’s terrifying journals and the strange new role his sometime nemesis Andy Mitchell is playing in his life, Courtney goes to a preppy summer school where a new romance may mean she is beginning to “get over” Bobby Pendragon. Or it may mean that she and Mark are in more danger from Saint Dane than ever before.

Half narrated in the self-deprecating, hip-dude voice of Bobby, half told in the third person from the point of view of Bobby and Courtney, this is another tale from D.J. MacHale that takes the Pendragon saga to a new level of danger and excitement. It reveals surprising new powers, brings together old characters, conjures mental images of awesome settings and fascinating cultures, and brings good and evil head-to-head in another explosive, suspenseful confrontation.

MacHale has lost none of his flair for the dramatic as the series has gone on – even though some of his gimmicks (such as opening a chapter by hinting at something huge that happens at the end of the chapter) are becoming familiar old friends. And we readers find ourselves torn. Do we want the series to continue for many, many more books – so long as they're as readable as this one? Or do we want Bobby and his friends to triumph once and for all, and soon, before he is so changed by his adventures that he can never again “belong”?

Maybe these arenÂ’t books for the ages, but they are smashing books for this moment right now. And they have plenty of energy to keep strung-out Harry Potter fans burning through the pages.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 14+

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