Morpheus Road: The Light, by D. J. MacHale

Reading this kind of book really just makes me go... "WHOA!"

I love D. J. MacHale's writing style. I have compared his best-selling book series of 10, Pendragon, to the Harry Potter series a few times before, I believe. But after reading this new book, published just this year, I'm telling you this dude, without a single doubt, is in the stratosphere! He's in the leagues of J. K. Rowling and James Dashner here. I'm now certain that no matter what he writes, even if it's the farthest thing from Pendragon, (to tell the truth, this isn't that far from it 0,o) I will absolutely enjoy it.

I'm kicking myself for ever judging this book by it's cover. When I heard that MacHale would write a new horror series, I already thought "Oh, that's not for me," because as a rule, I don't pick up horror novels. I mean, maybe the books I read have some sort of horrors in them, but I never consciously think "I'm reading horror." Then when I started seeing this book in the store... well, look at it! Looked like a total creep fest to me. No way would I read this.

There where 2 things that gave me the confidence and curiosity to give this book a try. The first thing was Graham's review. He hasn't read as much Pendragon as I have (only the 1st book, in fact 0,o), but he liked MacHale's style as much as I did and he tested the waters for me. He gave it really positive marks and gave me the impression that I'd actually enjoy it. The second thing was the last time I was in the bookstore (this was after I read Graham's review). I saw the book on a shelf and I decided to take a small peek in it, see if I liked the beginning. I read the foreword by D. J. MacHale, which was as great as his Pendragon forewords. ^_^ Then I got to the prologue...

Which really hooked me in! You know why? Because this story actually seems to takes place in the same universe of Pendragon! The main character lives in Stony Brook! He eats fast food at the Garden Poultry! There's even a mention of Mark Dimond! Familiar territory, baby! ^_^ Now I've gotta read this thing. When I got home I reserved the book online, and the next time we go to the library, it's in my hands. Now I'm done with it. (Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be writing a review for it.)

Where to begin? Well, there's these 2 guys, Marshal and Cooper, who share a similar relationship to Mark and Bobby. One is shy, responsible and likes graphic novels, the other is more popular and outgoing and doesn't care what others think of him. Without giving too much away (you can see more details from Graham's review), Cooper (the wild one) gets in trouble and goes missing, and Marshal (the quiet one) has to save him, with the help of Coop's older sister, Sydney. What's the catch? Well, like I said, it's a total creep fest... but I actually liked that. ^_^

Marsh is an artist and drew this character he calls the Gravedigger (the psycho on the cover). One night, the Gravedigger comes to life and starts haunting Marsh, giving him the creepiest supernatural visions. Scared out of his life, he gets Sydney (who at first is pretty mean to him) to take him up to the lake where Coop is spending the summer. But that's just the beginning. What follows is a chilling, suspenseful mystery and crazy paranormal events that would drive lesser folks over the deep end. But not our heroes, Marsh and Sydney. They may be scared, but they're on a mission: save Cooper.

The whole thing was written like an awesome movie! I could honestly see the action unfolding in my mind, as if a camera was showing everything. I guess it's no surprise, since MacHale also writes for TV. My favorite scenes are when Marsh is being haunted for the first time, in his house, at night, all by himself (Dad is conveniently out of the picture on a business trip) and this bloody wave scene right out of the movie The Shining. Anyone know about that scene? Totally creepy, but a priceless scene nonetheless. A few chapters before it finishes, the mystery is solved and it seems like it's going to be a sad and bittersweet ending (there's a very touching funeral), but then the action comes back full-force. There is plainly a reason why this is going to be a trilogy.

If, like me, you fell in love with Pendragon, I see no reason why you shouldn't feel comfortable curling up with this book. It's just the kind of story that sucks you in on a wild ride you'll never forget!

Pendragon #10: Soldiers of Halla, by D.J. MacHale

I.......... AM.......... FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!

(10 dots for each ellipse and 10 exclamation points, all representing my triumph over the 10th and final Pendragon adventure! Also, this is the largest type I'm allowed to use. That's how excited I am. ^_^)

It's incredible! I can hardly wrap my mind around it! This was the moment I've been working towards for soooo long! And... now it's over. -,- That's just too bad. But I'm not going to dwell on that, because that would ruin my tirade of how truly awesome the last book was!

Honestly, it was much like reading the final book of Harry Potter, only... well, I can't say it was better, since I love Harry so much and would hate to see him topple off his perch in my number one spot of best loved series, but Bobby is too good to be content with second place. So let's just say that Potter and Pendragon are holding hands at the finish line of their stories. Because it's the finale of a series that makes a reader decide whether it had all been worth it. The suspense. The adventure. The romance. The slight humor that you can't help smiling at, maybe even laugh at. The heartaches. The turmoil. The challenges. The cliff-hangers. The victories. The surprises. The characters. The villains that emulate every spirit of evilness in the world in one persona. The heroes you would follow to the ends of their worlds, cheering them on every step of their way to make things right for their people, risking everything. And of course, the universes of the stories themselves, sprung from the imaginations of two wonderful people, which are filled with the most amazing, mind-blowing, unbelievable, and yes, even magical, worlds I could never have imagined on my own. This is why I love reading so much.

I cannot give enough praise to D. J. for what he's published for the whole world to see. It's just terrific. (Graham, I'm talking to you. If you weren't convinced before to get into Pendragon, you've absolutely got to get started now! This series is too exciting to miss!) It is sooo hard to believe that I started this "journey through time and space" less than a year ago. Now I'm done.

I'm so glad I decided to just finish it already. I had a feeling that all the other books I borrowed from the library could definitely wait for another time. I wouldn't mind if Pendragon would be the last book I reviewed this month. I need to get back to writing my own incredible tale. I shouldn't be distracted by the hopes of fictional worlds that will seem hollow for a while after what I've just read.

Yes, I know. I've managed to reveal absolutely nothing about the plot-line of The Soldiers of Halla. Well, as much as I loved this book, I'd sure hate to be the one to ruin it for those who haven't yet read it. Funny, I thought I'd have a much harder time keeping the story a secret. But you know what? 

...I can't resist. ^,^

Here's a few things you can expect from this book, without any worry of spoiling the story. Sorry to tease and torture you like this, but I think it'll be fun for me:

• You may have thought it was over from the end of the last book, but in reality, Bobby and his friends are so far from over that they're on the far side of Pluto, it's so far. ^,^ (No! Not literally! Shut up! They don't go to Pluto. *snort* It's in a metaphorical sense. Duh!)
• There is much jumping between territories. You'd never believe it. And you thought the flumes were destroyed, right? Well, the Travellers still have a way to travel...
• The stakes are higher than ever before. It's not just about saving Halla. It's saving the spirit of Halla... (I'll let you think on that. ^,*)
• The military-like planning and fighting scenes are awesome! Not to mention the final battle. So appropriate!
• All you really have to know is that all the other books were a prelude compared to this epic! I swear, I could never have predicted it would come to this when I first picked the series up. Not in a million years!

Okay, enough of those vagueties (if that's actually a word). I still have a couple things I'm dying to share about the final book. Please forgive me if these secrets spoil your reading experience:

• A few people you thought were dead? They're not. Doh! I'm so sorry! That's a big one to give away. But trust me. It'll still be a relief to find out why they're not dead.
• Saint Dane's demise is sooo cool! Yes, I'm sorry about not putting you through the suspense, but Saint Dane is beaten for good. He completely deserved what he got. It was almost cooler than reading about Lord Voldemort's final defeat. Almost. ^,~
• The last chapter, what I'd call the epilogue (even though it doesn't say "Epilogue," that's ultimately what it is), I'd have to say is just a mite better than Harry Potter's. It's honestly all worth it in the end. Yes, it takes place in Bobby's future. (Uh-huh, sorry to spoil it, but Bobby has a future.) And what a future it is! It's completely worth it in the end. It truly comes full circle. To the very... last... sentence.

If you have any comments to share, I hope they're long ones. Please don't play concise with me. If you've read the book, please tell me if you can add anything to MacHale's pile of compliments. I hope all my friends can enjoy what I've just enjoyed to the fullest.

So glad I decided to buy it and not wait for it to come in the library!!! ^,^