Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Quillian Games (Pendragon #7)


Author: D.J. MacHale
Goodreads rating: 4.18/5
Pages: 496

Quillan is a territory on the verge of destruction. The people have lost control of their own future and must struggle simply to survive. The only chance they have of finding a better life is by playing the Quillan Games. Hosted by a strange pair of game masters, Veego and LaBerge, the games are a mix of sport and combat. They use the people of Quillan as pawns for their amusement as they force them to enter competitions that range from physical battles, to impossible obstacle courses, to computer-driven tests of agility. To triumph in the games is to live the life of a king. To lose is to die. This is the dangerous and deadly situation Bobby Pendragon finds on Quillan. He quickly realizes that the only way to save this troubled territory is to beat Veego and LaBerge at their own games and dismantle their horrible fun house. But there is more at stake for Bobby. The prize for winning the Quillan Games may be discovering the truth of what it really means a Traveler. 


Once again I am reminded of why I love this series! The suspense kills me every time. Once again we find Bobby fighting for his life and the life of the territory of Quillian. There are sooo many surprises and twists in the story I could hardly stand it! I will say there may be some small spoilers so please read ahead with caution. I NEVER give away anything big, but some people are picky.

First, I want to discuss Blok, the company that is running the lives of everyone in Quillian. My first thought was, oh my goodness.... this is Walmart! It offered a bunch of products at such low prices that it became the only company around. I thought it was an interesting analogy and I wonder if the author sees it as well... hmm.

Next, the games that go on in Quillian, reminds me a lot of the Hunger Games. Not so much as the people offering up children to play in games that could kill them, but more of the challengers having to fight for their lives in dangerous games. Parents betting away their children to try and get food also greatly reminded me of the Hunger Games and kind of really saddened me.

Speaking of which, the book itself was kind of sad. There are a lot of devastating things that happen that make you feel for the characters, but that's not a bad thing! I never diss a book that makes you feel, especially one that can make you sad. Bobby's adventure on Quillian probably isn't my absolute favorite but it definitely is up there and isn't one of your ho-hum repeat "Bobby saves the day hooray!" adventures. A LOOOOT happens in terms of the story line that really boggles your mind.

My only issue with the book, which is why it got 4.5/5 stars... a lot of the book talks about Bobby's story, which I know is the purpose of the whole book. But I found myself trying to power read through Bobby's parts to return to Mark and Courtney to see what was going on there. Ever since the last book, Mark and Courtney parts have been just as adventurous as Bobby's parts and I would have liked to see a more even switch between them.



Overall, LOVE this series :) Can't wait for the next adventure! Hobey-Ho let's go!
The Courts Decision:

Nicole

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