The Transall Saga [LARGE PRINT] (Hardcover)

by Gary Paulsen (Author) "The desert was unusually quiet..." (more)
Key Phrases: howling thing, buffalo creature, arrow people, Death Sand, Master Sarbo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Gary Paulsen, author of several books of high adventure and survival--including the Newbery Honor winners Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room--this time brings readers a science fiction tale reminiscent of Planet of the Apes. The Transall Saga follows 13-year-old Mark on his first solo desert camping trip. After stepping into a mysterious beam of light, Mark is transported to another place--a strange and hostile world. As Mark tries to find his way back home, he learns to survive in this dangerous jungle, calling on reserves of strength he didn't know he had. Encountering wild creatures, primitive tribes, and a more advanced and warlike group of humans, the young protagonist is forced to grow up before he can return to the life he once knew. In the process, he becomes a slave, a warrior, and falls in love--all before the mystery of exactly where he is becomes clear.

As an adventure story and coming-of-age tale, The Transall Saga makes for gripping reading. While the account of Mark carving a new life in a place both strangely familiar and totally alien is cleverly imagined, the science fiction elements are, unfortunately, not nearly as well thought out. Still, fans of Paulsen's other works will find much to enjoy here, including vivid characters, exotic locations, and feral beasts that will not soon be forgotten. (Ages 10 to 15) --Neil Roseman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Paulsen (Brian's Winter) works his magic with another wilderness adventure yarn. But the wilderness this time isn't in this worldAor is it? That's what 13-year-old Mark tries to discover. On his first solo backpacking trip, crossing an old missile range in a desert out west, a mysterious blue light transports him to a thick red jungle under a sulfurous sky. There the struggle for survival soon supersedes the quest for the route home. Paulsen draws on such Saturday-matinee staples as poisonous insects, deadly quicksand and murderous beasts; Mark even swings on vines with a friendly monkey-like creature (and this is just the first 30 pages). Yet the plot feels fresh, thanks to the author's taut, unsentimental storytelling (Mark's Tarzan-esque antics, for example, result in broken ribs). Mark grows to manhood in the four or so years of his sojourn; the narrative, meanwhile, continues at a hurtling pace. The teen saves a girl's life, then joins her tribe of forest-dwellers; later, he is captured with them and enslaved by the more technologically advanced Tsook people. There are raids, escapes and brushes with the Tsook overlord, the Merkon, who takes a frighteningly keen interest in Mark. Readers may figure out who the Merkon is long before the protagonist does, but no matterAthe action along the way (including just the right dash of romance) is never less than enthralling. While the story is self-contained, the end points to a sequel, so, with any luck, another installment is on the way. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786221879
• ISBN-13: 978-0786221875
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,581,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Transall Saga, March 30, 2000

By	Scott (el Cajon, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Transall Saga (Mass Market Paperback)

The Transall Saga by Gary Paulson is a great book that anyone should read. This book is full of thrilling adventure and mind compeling events. This book is about a "city boy" named Mark that convinces his parents to let him go camping by himself in the desert. While camping he discovers a strange blue light. He fell through it and found himself in a strange world with many alterations. There are different animals and plants. Colors of things are different too. some how he has to survive in this world, as he is learning he is also growing in many ways. Read this book to find out how he survives in this wilderness. This is an awesome book in my point of view.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Transall Saga by: Gary Paulsen, May 4, 2000

By	"anime-freak" (Pennsylvania, U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Transall Saga (Mass Market Paperback)

Now I don't read much, in fact I almost hate reading! But I saw this book and a decided to read it because I have to read a book for school. I started to read and it started out with action and that made me read more. Each page I read, I wanted to read more and more. It had a lot of action and the story had several exciting twists and turns. It starts out like this. A boy convinced his parents to let him on a hiking trip alone in an old military missile range in the dessert. He rarely goes on trips and he mostly reads hiking magazines. Mark, the boy, starts to sleep after a long days hiking when a fireball falls right next to him and flickers out. He goes to investigate and sees this strange blue light. He thought it was some old military experiment. He goes to touch it. Suddenly, a rattle snake snaps and he falls into the light... He awakens and searches his hand for bite marks from the snake...Nothing... He looks at his surroundings and finds himself to be in a field. He walks a bit and finds himself sinking in quicksand! He manages to get himself out and lies down. Suddenly, he feels himself getting pinched by the red bug creatures! He shook them off and took off his clothes to see if they're all of. Ant then a buffalo creature comes by he climbs up a tree but the buffalo creature took one of his boots and ripped his shirt to shreads. He climbs down, puts onhis remaining clothes and moves into a jungle. He meats a creature that looks like a cross between a teddy bear and a monkey. At night he hears the noises of the jungle and a loud howl. He gets used to the jungle. One time when he was out hunting he saw a puddle of something on the ground...Blood... He heres shreaks outside and tries to find them. He sees a wolf creature, a.k.a. the howling thing clawing at someone in a tree. Mark shoots an arrow in the back of the animal. It turned around and attacked... And that's just the beginning. Read it for yourself. You'll love it, I did.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Books, March 8, 2001

By	Mr. X (Colombus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Transall Saga (Hardcover)

This book is the best! If you haven`t read it you have to. A boy named Mark decides to go on a camping trip across an abandonned missle range. When he sets up camp for the night a strange light appears. Mark wonders into the light, BIG MISTAKE! He was transported to another world, or it seemed. This world is inhabited by many strange species of animals. He meets these people who live in tribes. Since he`s pretty big compared to them, he`s considered a leader, almost. He meets another human like him. His name is the Merkron, and he is wierd. The Merkron is like the god of the world which the tribes call the Transall. Mark ends-up killing the Merkron because the Merkron is trying to kill him, and escapes his soldiers. But one day the soldiers find Mark and corner him, but all of a sudden the light appears again! I`m not tellin you anymore because your going to have to read it to find out.