Pillage [Hardcover]

Obert Skye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008 | Age Range: 10 and up | Lexile Measure: 670L (What's this?)

When fifteen-year-old Beck Phillips travels by train to the secluded village of Kingsplot to live with his wealthy but estranged uncle, Beck discovers some dark family secrets. A buried basement, a forbidden wall, an old book of family history with odd references to... dragons? Beck's life is about to be changed forever in this suspenseful tale about the destructive nature of greed and the courage to make things right. Pillage is filled wtih Mr. Skye's signature humor as well as some very intense moments. including a surprising ending, that will keep readers young and old engrossed and entertained.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pillage has been nominated for the Cybilis Award 2009. Now in the third year, the Cybils are an international series of book awards selected by a talented panel of children's and young adult book bloggers. The award seeks to find books that strike the balance between literary quality and kid appeal. Nominations were open to the public, and anyone could nominate a book published in the current year. --Cybilis.com

About the Author

Obert Skye is the author of the award-winning Leven Thumps series. This bestselling children's fantasy adventure series has sold more than 400,000 copies to date. Leven Thumps fans will be anxious to read another tale from the one-and-only Obert Skye.

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain; 1 edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590389220
• ISBN-13: 978-1590389225
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #692,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Obert Skye was born on a stormy night in the back of a fast-moving taxi. Obert spends his time telling all who will listen about the existence of Foo and the importance of dreams. Obert is a fairly ordinary fellow who says he is simply hoping to repair what he has mistakenly undone. You can visit him online at www.leventhumps.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Youth Fantasy! July 2, 2008

By SciFiChick TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Beck Phillips is a troubled teenager with a special gift. When his mother dies suddenly, he finds himself shipped off to an unknown uncle who lives outside a strange village called Kingsplot. But Beck's family holds a deep, dark secret. Why is the backyard forbidden? Why did they bury the basement? And why do plants seem to act strangely around Beck?

This young adult fantasy had me hooked from beginning to end. The mystery and suspense were enthralling, and the build-up was incredibly engaging. Obert Skye has created a wonderful legend with characters that pull you into the story. He has a real gift of creating suspense. And thankfully, the reveal was just as exciting. One of my favorite details was the addition of pages from a mysterious family book that Beck stumbles upon, which precede each chapter. We get glimpses of the family secret as the story unfolds.

Pillage is a wonderful book for all ages containing a fun mystery, adventure, interesting characters, magic, surprises, a climactic battle, and a moral about the negative aspects of greed.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Dragon-lovers, beware!!! September 23, 2009

By Alassë

Format:Hardcover

First of all, for anyone who doesn't really care that much about the dragon aspect of the book, it was a great story. The characters were awesome, the mystery kept me hooked, and there were plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep me on my toes. Although, those plot twists did confuse me a lot towards the end of the book, as they started popping up all over the place, and I got a little lost... I feel like the ending was rushed. But other then that (and the comment about dragons below), it was a great book.

*If you DO NOT CARE so much about the dragon part of the book, STOP READING HERE (minor spoilers)*

Now, that being said...

I read this book because it was by the same author as Leven Thumps (which I *love*), and there was a dragon covering practically the entire front cover. I thought, "Oh, awesome! A book by Obert Sky about dragons!!"

Sad to say, though, this is NOT the type of dragon story I was hoping for. I personally like to think of dragons as creatures who can, like humans, be either good or evil. I can, however, enjoy a story that uses the view of dragons being totally, 100% evil (like in The Hobbit). The problem with *this* book (in my opinion), is that Mr. Skye doesn't take *either* of these sides. On the one hand, he presents and introduces the dragons in a way that makes them seem like big, scaly dogs, which gets the reader kind-of attached to them. Then, he turns around and says that they are inherently evil and cannot control their greedy nature, and must be destroyed. So, on the one hand, the reader is emotionally attached to these dragons because of the pet-like way they've been portrayed, but then the dragons are revealed to be uncontrollably greedy, and must be killed, even though their lovable personalities haven't changed. It's like watching a beloved pet be euthanized because they're over-protective of you and your immediate family (actually happened to me once...).

As an avid dragon-lover, this was an EPIC FAIL for me. Had this not been part of the book, I would've given it four stars instead of three.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Dragon Adventure! July 15, 2008

By L. Guerrero

Format:Hardcover

Beck Phillips is an average though mischievous teenager. With a shift in family circumstances, he is sent to live with his reclusive and slightly crazy uncle in a secluded mansion. The expansive house and grounds provide endless exploration for Beck and his new friends, Kate and Milo, but he is given strict warnings to avoid the basement and the back yard - which of course provoke him to seek out those places first. Beck uncovers some strange family secrets involving his ancestors, a bizarre curse, and most unbelievably - dragons!

Pillage was an interesting and entertaining book. I liked the unique twists that Obert Skye placed on traditional dragon mythology. The story was built to uncover the mystery at a decent pace, and the action and adventure were maintained from cover to cover.

I also really liked the characters that Skye created. The dialog and narration were written with a good mix of youthful sensibility and humor that added realism to Beck and his friends. The story wraps up nicely in the end, making Pillage a great stand-alone fantasy novel and yet, readers will surely crave more of this great adventure!