The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) [Paperback]

D.J. MacHale (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pendragon

The third installment in an epic series of adventures

First Earth

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is a loyal friend, sports star, devoted pet owner -- and Traveler. Along with his uncle Press, Bobby has visited the alternate dimension of Denduron and participated in a civil war. He's also waded through the endangered underwater territory of Cloral. Now Bobby once again finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth.

Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral -- Spader -- have flumed to New York City, 1937. Against a backdrop of gangsters, swing music, and the distant sound of a brewing war, the two must uncover the evil Saint Dane's newest plot. But is Bobby ready for the difficult choices ahead?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This substantial third book in the quartet may not be great literature, but it does have a fast pace, suspenseful plotting, and cliff-hanger chapter endings that will make it popular. Readers who love video games, James Bond, Harry Potter, and Artemis Fowl will clamor for it. Bobby Pendragon and his friend Spader time travel by means of magical "flumes" to different parallel territories attempting to save them from Saint Dane, an evil shape-shifter who's determined to control the universe. In this installment, they go to Manhattan on the eve of World War II and find work in a fancy hotel full of celebrities and gangsters fighting turf wars. They must figure out what hand Saint Dane will play in world events of 1937 and whether they'll be able to stop him. This necessitates a trip 3000 years into the future. Along the way, they learn painful lessons about their role as saviors of the universe. Readers won't mind the lack of character development as they're drawn into the nonstop action, snappy dialogue, pop-culture references, and lots of historical trivia. It's advisable to read the books in order because, although each one has a stand-alone plot, frequent references are made to previous events.
Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

D.J. MacHale is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pendragon series. He has written, directed and produced many television series and movies for young people that have been seen on Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, HBO, Showtime, PBS, Discovery Kids and the broadcast networks. D.J. lives with his family in Southern California.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743437330
• ISBN-13: 978-0743437332
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,846 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best so far in the series..., May 22, 2003

By 

Justin Wright (Inside Your Mind) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) (Paperback)

Pendragon: The Never War is the third installment in the Pendragon series. You still have the same likable and believable characters, Bobby Pendragon, Mark, Courtney, Spader, and a new character, a traveler, that goes by the name of Gunny. This book's territory is First Earth, the year, 1937 of Bobby's home territory, Second Earth. The book starts on the brink of World War II with two gangsters ready to fire at Spader and Bobby. Filled with exciting scenes that make you want to read forever, Pendragon: The Never War is the best so far in the series. It takes you from a territory called Veelox to hotel in Uptown, New York City. I don't want to give out too much information about the book, but D.J. Machale has you re-think your history. I recommend it to anyone that is into the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre. A great read!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Adventure Continues...YESTERDAY!, February 8, 2008

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Never War (Pendragon) (Hardcover)

D. J. MacHale wrote for television for years before turning his attention to novels. He created ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?, a long-running series on Nickelodeon in the United States, but it also showed in Canada on YTV and Cinar.

For the last few years, he's been writing the adventures of Bobby Pendragon, a boy who's destined - hopefully - to save the world. Several worlds, actually. Bobby is a Traveler, one of those who have the power to "flume" from world to world. He's brought into the adventure by his Uncle Press. As Bobby was growing up, Uncle Press also took Bobby scuba diving, mountain climbing, to martial arts, driving, and several other things that gave him skills he needs to survive against enemies he encounters. All during that time, Uncle Press was training Bobby to be a Traveler.

Bobby's greatest foe is a villain called Saint Dane. Saint Dane has the ability to change his appearance at will and constantly hides in different worlds while working his nefarious plans.

THE NEVER WAR is the third book in this exciting series. In it, Bobby travels to First Earth, which takes place in the year 1937. The gangster era isn't new by any means, and I was slightly let down when I discovered I wasn't being taken to a new world. I especially loved Cloral, the world Bobby went to in the second book, THE LOST CITY OF FAAR, and I look forward to returning there hopefully in one of the later books.

Still, I'm older than the average Pendragon reader. The 1930s and the Hindenburg are familiar to me through several other books I've read as well as history I've researched.

For all the familiarity with the time period, though, MacHale tells a fascinating and fast-paced tale. Bobby and his new best friend Spader land in the 1930s while pursuing Saint Dane. They're immediately met by machine-gun toting thugs that try to kill them. Bobby figures out how to escape and gets Spader out as well. Spader is way out of his depth because he's never seen anything as "technologically advanced" as the 1930s.

One of the best things about the Pendragon books is that Bobby usually gets to save the day in a down-to-earth manner. He doesn't have any really special skills or powers that help him. At this point, he's fourteen years old and can do what most kids that age can. This makes the series more believable in some ways, and I think it draws the Pendragon audience in a little closer.

MacHale's sense of timing and pacing is excellent. The story moves quickly, and I got a real sense of urgency throughout the book as Bobby tries to figure out what Saint Dane is really doing. Many of the chapters end up on cliffhangers that will draw you rapidly into the next chapter. The dialogue is fantastic and sounds real.

One of the other facets of the series that I really enjoy is Bobby's friendship with Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. The closeness they share, even through Bobby's journals, feels real.

MacHale also mixes in adult heroes with his young champion. Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke was an excellent grown Traveler in this novel. He was kind and gentle, and guided Bobby and Spader throughout the adventure.

I did miss the world-building in this novel, but I know MacHale gets back to it in later volumes of the series. But for kids who haven't researched the 1930s much, this should be a fun book and on equal footing with fans of Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, March 11, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) (Paperback)

This book was a relife after I read the second book in the series. I was so suspensful, and I like that in a book. I like the whole back in time thing. It really worked. D.J. MacHale made a back in time city so real. I actually thought I was going with them back and through the flumes. He is so descriptive when he writes his books.