The Lost City of Faar (Pendragon (Quality)) [Paperback]

D.J. MacHale (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 1, 2003 | Age Range: 10 and up | Series: Pendragon (Quality) (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 650L (What's this?)

CLORAL

The second installment in an epic series of adventures

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is not like other boys his age. His uncle Press is a Traveler, and, as Bobby has learned, that means Uncle Press is responsible, through his journeys, for solving interdimensional conflict wherever he encounters it. His mission is nothing less than to save the universe from ultimate evil. And he's taking Bobby along for the ride.

Fresh from his first adventure on Denduron, Bobby finds himself in the territory of Cloral, a vast world that is entirely covered by water. Cloral is nearing a disaster of huge proportions. Reading the journals Bobby sends home, his friends learn that the desperate citizens of the endangered floating cities are on the brink of war. Can Bobby -- suburban basketball star and all-around nice guy -- help rid the area of marauders, and locate the legendary lost land of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral's survival?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this second adventure in the Pendragon Quartet, readers find 14-year-old Bobby Pendragon traveling through the "flume" to Cloral with his Uncle Press, in pursuit of Saint Dane. This waterworld with a vague Australian/Atlantis air will likely intrigue fans who enjoyed the aquatic world of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the teamwork escape aspect of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Bobby is still uncertain about what happened to his family after he was recruited as a "Traveler," a heroic role that first pitted him against the shapechanging monster, Saint Dane, in the series' debut, The Merchant of Death. It's a radically different life from that of junior high student in Stony Brook, Conn., where his friends Mark and Courtney eagerly await the journals in which he updates them with the latest events from various colorful "Territories." In the fabled city of Faar, beneath the waves, Bobby meets Spader, who is also a Traveler, and quickly becomes his first mate. Unbeknownst to Spader, his submerged city is partially responsible for the peace felt above the surface in the floating habitats. When Saint Dane decides to annihilate Faar, Bobby and his Traveler buddies must race to outwit the villain. MacHale embellishes his science fiction with just enough silly touches to leaven the mood; for instance, when the magic ring that Bobby gave Mark twitches (which means it's about to "deliver" Bobby's journals), it expands so that Mark must remove it, and the glowing stone transforms into a "black hole," spewing musical notes and light. Next up: The Never War, which will feature First Earth, circa 1937. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Just back from saving the population of Denduron from the evil shape-changer Saint Dane in The Merchant of Death (Aladdin, 2002), 14-year-old Bobby Pendragon and his Uncle Press are fluming off again, this time to Cloral, where Saint Dane is again causing mayhem. In this beautiful blue-green world covered with water, Bobby learns to navigate via water sled, lives and works on one of the giant floating habitats that serve as farms and factories as well as homes, and makes friends with Vo Spader, an expert aquaneer. The mission is to find the legendary lost city of Faar before Saint Dane can use it in his quest to control the universe. The story is long, the action is fast and furious, and things aren't exactly calm back on Second Earth, as Bobby's Connecticut friends follow the story via the journals he sends back. The town bully has discovered one of the pages and is threatening to expose Bobby's secret mission to the police (who have no idea why Bobby and his family have disappeared) if Mark and Courtney don't share the journals with him. The science is thin but the ideas are clever and the descriptions inviting and easy to picture. Character development is minimal and limited to fairly stereotypical good guys and bad guys. However, the teenaged protagonists enlist readers' sympathy and involvement and the nonstop plot developments keep the many pages turning and readers wanting more. As the situation on Cloral is resolved, the stage is set for the next book in the series.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780743437325
• ISBN-13: 978-0743437325
• ASIN: 0743437322
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

D. J. MacHale is a writer, director, and producer of several popular television series and movies that include Flight 29 Down; Are You Afraid of the Dark?; Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective; Tower of Terror; and Ghostwriter. Pendragon, his first book series, is a #1 New York Times bestselling series. He lives in southern California with his wife, Evangeline; his daughter, Keaton; a golden retriever, Maggie; and a kitten, Kaboodle.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! An excellent read! November 14, 2003

By James Sefcik

Format:Paperback

In my opinion, Pendragon-The Lost City of Faar, by D.J. MacHale, is definitely the best book in the series so far. The story is about a 14 year-old boy named Bobby Pendragon. Bobby "flumes" to different territories to help them through their "turning point." In this book Bobby flumes to Cloral, which is a territory entirely covered with water. There, he finds the evil Saint Dane who attempts to push territories into chaos. In this story, Saint Dane is attempting to throw Cloral into total chaos by poisoning their food supply. During the course of the story, Bobby encounters many unforeseen dangers. However, the real question is, can Bobby help to save Cloral and restore the territory back to peace?

This book was a very exciting book to read. I loved how it starts up right from where the first book, The Merchant of Death, left off. The author describes all of the new territories and characters in EXCELLENT detail. I felt as if I was in the story experiencing everything Bobby was. The author also keeps the reader in suspense throughout the entire book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an action-packed fantasy with a "futuristic" feel to it. I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read the third one in the series!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book April 7, 2003

By Andy

Format:Paperback

I'll admit that this book is aimed at a little lower reading level then I am at(I'm 15 in an Honors English class)but I love the Pendragon series. The Merchant of Death was a great book and it would have been hard for another book to beat it, but Faar does so, and with flying colors. The locations are fantastic, the action intense and the suspense high. The only complaint I have for this series is that the events that happen around Mark and Courtney seem boring compared to the story Pendragon is expirencing. Mark's character is kind of unbelievable and lame. However don't let that discourage you from reading this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Series Gets Better February 8, 2005

By Jarrod T Thompson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The Pendragon series gets better with the second book. Bobby Pendragon begins to accept his role as a traveler and is forced to become a mentor as well. The traveler role becomes clearer in this book, and Cloral is a very interesting world with all of its high-tech water-based technology. MacHale keeps the series interesting by continuing to surpass his creativity with each new world that Bobby and the travelers encounter while trying to foil Saint Dane's plans to destroy Halla(The Universe).

I also liked the newer element of time travel that relates to a realm we all understand--Second Earth(Earth).

This book is fast-paced and intriguing--those are the two elements I look for when reading a book. The Pendragon series has satisfied those conditions thus far.

I hope the rest in the series are as good as the first two are.