| Title | : | A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 457 |
| Publication | : | First published March 15, 2011 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Middle Grade & Children's (2011) |
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.
A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1) Reviews
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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1), Brandon Mull
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes is a 2011 fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Mull.
It is the first in the Beyonders trilogy.
Beyonders follows the exploits of a slightly neglected, thirteen-year-old boy, Jason Walker.
Jason leads a relatively normal life until one day at the zoo, when he notices strange music coming from the mouth of a hippo. While leaning over the hippo tank's guard rail, he falls in.
The hippo swallows him, but instead of being digested, he's transported to a different world called Lyrian. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و چهارم ماه می سال 2016میلادی
عنوان: سه گانه ماورایی ها - کتاب یک - دنیای خالی از قهرمان؛ نویسنده: براندون مول؛ مترجم: سمانه امین پور؛ تهران، آذرباد، 1393، در 544ص؛ شابک9786006225517؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیالی از براندون مول - سده 21م
ترجمه ای دیگر با همان عنوان و مترجم: فرناز حائری؛ تهران، نشر بهنام، 1393، در 512ص؛ شابک9786007132036؛
ماجرای پسری دانشجو، به نام «جیسون واکر» است؛ که در اوقات فراغتش، در یک باغ وحش کار می‌کند؛ در باغ وحش یک اسب آبی وجود دارد، که نمایش اجرا می‌کند؛ «جیسون» یک روز متوجه می‌شود، که از دهان اسب آبی صدای موسیقی به گوش می‌رسد، به سوی دهان «اسب آبی» که می‌رود، با ضربه ای ناگهان در دهان «اسب آبی» می‌افتد، و به این ترتیب وارد دنیایی کاملا متفاوت، به نام «لیریان» می‌شود؛ در «لیریان» به افرادی که از جهان دیگری وارد سرزمینشان شوند، «ماورایی» می‌گویند؛ پیشترها مردمان سرزمین «لیریان»، از مهمانان «ماورایی»، به گرمی پیشواز می‌کردند، اما پس از آنکه امپراطور جادوگری، به نام «مالدور»، به قدرت می‌رسد، اوضاع دیگر می‌شود، و افرادی که به مخالفت با امپراطور برمی‌خیزند، شکنجه شده، کشته می‌شوند؛ «جیسون» در سرزمین «لیریان»، با دختری به نام «ریچل»، آشنا می‌شود، که او نیز به طور مرموزی از دنیای «جیسون»، به سرزمین «لیریان» آمده است، آن دو باهم همسفر شده، تصمیم می‌گیرند، به یاری چند تن از مخالفان امپراطور، به جستجوی واژه ای جادویی بپردازند؛ که توان نابودی امپراطور ستمگر را دارد؛ و «لیریان» را از چنگ «مالدرو» ستمگر نجات میدهد؛ ...؛
نقل از متن: (شاهزاده با سری افتاده، برای دقی��ه ای ساکت ماند؛ بعد از آنهمه نقشه کشیدن، تمرین، مقاومت و عهد جسورانه ای که با خودش بسته بود، شکست خورده بود! آن کلمه را به یک طعمه گفته بود! حتی احتمال تقلب را حدس زده بود، ولی دست آخر «مالدور» فریبش داده بود؛ نابودش کرده بود، درست مثل بقیه ی دشمنانش؛ امید و ایمانی برای شاهزاده باقی نمانده بود؛ شاید باید تسلیم سرنوشت می‌شد؛ نمی‌دانست چقدر می‌توانست در آن فضای وصف ناپذیر دوام بیاورد؛ بی‌آنکه عقلش را از دست بدهد؛ شاهزاده سرش را بالا برد: من هرگز بهت خدمت نخواهم کرد؛ تو من رو شکست دادی، ولی هیچوقت مالک من نمی‌شی؛ این سخنان را به آنهایی که جانشان را به خاطرش از دست داده بودند، مدیون بود؛ این سخنان را به خودش مدیون بود؛ نابود شدن یک چیز بود، تسلیم شدن چیز دیگر، و بدین ترتیب دست کم تسلیم نشده بود.» پایان نقل از متن
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/04/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
A World Without Heroes is a 'grew on me' book. Initially, I was not sure I liked the tone at all. At first, I thought it would read more like a Disney film than a weighty young adult fantasy novel with potential. As I listened, my feelings started to change. The idea is not new, but the in- between steps of the journey proved interesting. While I am not extensively well read, not in the least, in epic fantasy, I appreciate the quest as a foundation for a story. Fairy tales (which I am very well-read in) have a long, extensive history of putting your average, everyday (even if they are just a down on their luck prince or princess) hero in a situation where they have to survive by their wits and a little help, and achieve a certain objective. Quest stories usually make for good reading.
That's what Jason faces. He ends up entering a magical world in the strangest of ways, and I won't say how. Believe me, it's very strange. Initially, he just wants to get home, and he struggles to make sense of this bizarre land he's entered. The thing about this book that makes it worthwhile is the characterization. Without having a main character that drew interest and loyalty, this book wouldn't have worked for me. It might have come off as trite. Although I have to say that Mr. Mull is an inventive fellow, the major pull of this story was hearing about Jason's reactions to the many misfortunes and difficult situations he faces in this novel. I like that Jason is a normal kid. He's not overly brilliant (although he is quite intelligent), athletic (although he does play baseball), perceptive, or magical in the least. But he is determined and brave, and resourceful. And his sense of humor, often verging on ironic and sarcastic, really appealed. More than anything, Jason made this book appealing to me.
The secondary characters are good too. You see a mix of folks. Some of them have very weird characteristics, such as the ability to detach their body parts at will. Others have the gift of immortality due to a cyst-like seed on the back of their necks that can be planted in soil in the event of their demise to allow them to be reborn as adults. Of course, there are plain old humans, all with distinct quirks. There is a tortured, deposed King who reminded me very strongly of King Arthur (post-Camlan). I liked him a lot. There is also an evil wizard to beat the band, truly not a nice man at all. And there is also a fellow Beyonder (from Earth). A young girl--Rachel--who also entered this strange world, and who makes a very helpful companion to Jason. She has her own list of skills and a different personality than Jason that complements him as a character. Admittedly, some of these characters show more depth than others, as most of this book is spent passing through various places and on to the next adventure. Some act as allies and friends to the two Beyonders, and some as formidable foes that the two kids must outwit to achieve their goals.
Earlier I mentioned the strange tone. This book is full of weirdness. To me that's not a bad thing. It elevated this book from being okay to being interesting and one I wanted to keep listening to. The narrator's choice of different vocal stylings for various characters added to the strange flavor in a good way.
I've had the discussion with others about how contentious some readers can be towards young adult/juvenile fiction and downright dismissive of its writers. In my opinion, it takes a lot of work to craft a book for younger readers. It takes some restraint and creativity to write a story that will attract their attention without going over the line into unsuitability. I can see that Mr. Mull faced that challenge here. I'm uncertain as to where I would place this book as far as rating it for young readers. The tone seems a bit adult, with some subject matter that is quite violent and intense in parts. On the other hand, some elements are approached on the surface level so as to appeal to a younger reader; this might turn off an older, more exacting reader. This story deals with the themes of tyranny, corrupt leadership and governmental organization. The people of this magical land face an emperor who is wholly evil, one whose evil has tainted the whole land, having destroyed, seduced, or attenuated all of his enemies. Like any country with corrupt leadership, the whole society seems on the brink of ruin in many ways, with injustice fairly rampant. Mr. Mull touches on these aspects in a way that I feel is accessible to a younger reader. An older reader who appreciates young adult/children's literature will likely see this story in a slightly deeper way and still find some resonance. Mull has a character make a statement that a man comes of age at twelve in this world, and I kept reminding myself of that fact as Jason seems to be put into situations that seemed much too mature, and he is expected for the most part to comport himself as a man. And I can say that as a young adventure-loving girl many years ago, I had that wish that I would be called upon to embark on a great quest and find myself in situations that demanded great heroism and fortitude from me (as an adult I now wish I was still a carefree kid with that life that seemed too normal and boring somedays). So I imagine this book would resonate with a pre-teen or a young teen who has those sort of ideals.
As an adult, I found the use of vocabulary impressive. I think this one is good for kids in the sense that it would encourage them to look up a lot of words. I think kids would also like the creepy, crawly, icky parts, and the adventure aspects. Kids will also appreciate the humor and the snark of Jason and Rachel and some of the other characters as they interact with them, particularly the quirky ones; and how they see the world as regular kids from our own world. Kids should be able to easily put themselves in both Jason and Rachel's shoes, and appreciate this story from the standpoint of all the strange situations, often uncomfortable and frightening, that these two Beyonders face. It probably would make for an exciting read for them. Some adult readers, especially those who don't care for literature for younger readers, probably won't find much of interest here. Especially if they consider themselves exacting when it comes to fantasy literature. For myself, I try to take each book as its own entity and appreciate the unique elements therein. In this case, I did like this book, and I found it worthwhile reading, although not spectacular. It has some interesting, funny, and strange bits that worked for me.
This is the first book in a series, and I will need to seek out the next story. I want to see what Jason and Rachel will face in the next installment. And what Mull can come up with to further this story.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars. -
There are so many disappointing YA books lately, ever since the genre has grown so rapidly within a very short period of time. It almost seems like authors are writing books with only a stroke of a pencil. Not thinking hard enough. The plots are forgettable, unintelligent and always comes with an uncomfortable threesome.
Which is why I have turned my back to them for now and concentrating on "novel" and "Middle Grade lit".
This book had one of the most imaginative and amazing first chapter I have read in years!
I was immediately mesmerized by this world the author has created.
I won't say much about the story but it is definitely worth reading.
The creatures I have never thought to picture in my wildest dreams, adventures of true heroes, devious political schemes that are mostly read in 'thriller' books, and the list goes on!
I feel so satisfied right now. *sigh* -
Let me say...I liked Harry Potter. Garth Nix, most of his books I enjoy greatly. I have read a lot of YA books that I really enjoyed.
This isn't one of them.
While I can't say I hate this book or anything like that, I don't even intensely dislike it, mostly, I was just glad to get through it. I'd call this more of a juvenile book than a YA or even a Youth book. The characters in the book, the relationships in the book all are just very young.
I mean let's face it. Our Hero gets to the magical land by falling down a Hippopotamus' throat. I mean next someone will use a rabbit hole or something...
While we have a good (if standard fantasy fare) idea the book itself will appeal more (I believe) to very young readers than to older youths or adults.
The ending is a frank set up for another book, no ifs, ands or buts about that... I don't plan to follow it up.
Sad. I had high hopes for this one, as I've said before about other books, I really wanted to like it, but I just didn't get into it much at all. Try it yourself, I see some like it. "To each" as they say.
Okay this is an update. I reviewed this first in 2011 and/but a lot of my friends liked it. So I decided I'd read it again and make my way through it in detail.
So, I've decided to up my rating. It's got some pluses and some minuses. You'll probably find a lot here you've seen before. You'll also find some wandering in the storytelling but I wasn't as..."stultified" as I was in my first reading. I plan to follow up and get the second out of the library and see how it goes.
Maybe try this one for yourself. -
My Video Review:
https://youtu.be/WPFQmWqWAy8
2019: I'm leaving my rating at four stars from when I originally read it in 2013. I'm happy I decided my first novel of 2019 would be a reread of a series I really enjoy. I Plan to film a review of this when I get back home in a couple of weeks, so I'll post it here when all of that is done. I still really enjoyed this. I think it being his first written novel (not first published) peaks through in a couple of places, but I love Lyrian the most out of his worlds. -
Final rating: 4.25/5 stars
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.75/5 stars
I loved it. I finished it in a day.
Great worldbuilding, fantastic villain, and a world with no heroes. Literally.
Basically, as the name says, there is only one ruler, he's a mage, the last one, and he conquered everything. Instead of killing his enemies, he makes examples of them, or spares them in blissful prison, or he throws them into the cruel ones, or he ask them to join him. No killing unless necessary. No maps, as it would be easier to revolt.
There are also interesting races "wizardborn", created by the wizards before they perished, including "displacers" who can detach parts of their bodies, unloved by everyone, and Amar Kabal who have multiply lives, as they cannot die unless their source of life is crushed, aka "seed". If someone plants it in the ground, the person will return to life.
So much interesting. Really. Especially the characters belonging to those races.
As for the characters themselves, I liked them all. Rachel, Jason, Galloran, Drake, Jasher, especially Ferrin are all well done. Including people who appear for like... one to two chapters...► OVERALL:
I just wish this wasn't a "kid's" book because there is nothing for them to see here. This series is pretty dark afterall. Because I just couldn't imagine the two main characters as 13 years old, but whatever. I loved it.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Part of a series.
⚠ Point of View: Third POV, 2 characters (although the switch is the prologue)
⚠ Cliffhanger: Yesssssssssss
⚠ Triggers: torture, group suicide, mind-fuck, gore?
⚠ Love triangle: No
⚠ Angst: Yes
⚠ Supernatural: Yes
⚠ Explicit content: No
⚠ Ending type:cliffhanger
⚠ Recommended: Yes
⚠ Note: pretty dark series► REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:
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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1)
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Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, #2)
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Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders, #3) -
Dang, but Brandon Mull's imagination is a weird place! In this first book in a new trilogy, he's created some of the most truly inventive and fascinating flora and fauna I've ever seen! Displacers, Seed People, three tailed rats whose kidneys taste like dessert . . . okay that last one made me gag a bit. But apparently our hero, Jason, liked it, so who am I to argue? And speaking of Jason, what a great lead character, a perfect depiction of the average jr. high age boy, thrown into this crazy new world and given a quest! I loved his confession, toward the end, of everything that scared him. Because really, aren't we all afraid of ventriloquist's dummies?!
There's a sense of childlike glee, mixed with wonder, in this book that just can't help but make the reader smile. A very fun adventure, and I can't wait for the next one! -
I'm normally a big fan of Mull's work. Especially the awesome Fablehaven series. He manages to ground the fantasy in realistic, honest characters...which is just the thing that's missing from the first book in the Beyonders series.
The story behind the Beyonders is interesting, but he plops a couple of characters into the action with essentially no exposition. We don't know the characters, we don't care about them, and we're not invested in their success or failure.
Beyond that, the story feels like an episodic television show. They have something to retrieve. They run up against some adversary. They overcome it (usually with very little difficulty), they retrieve their item, lather, rinse, repeat. This novel shows very little of the originality and effervescence of The Fablehaven series. It wasn't until the last 15% of the book before something out of the pattern occurred, and then the book ended abruptly in what feels like a very forced cliffhanger.
Had Mull put a little more work into developing the characters into full three-dimensional characters about which we could care, and varied the action a little bit, this would have been a fantastic novel. The mythology of the world is deep enough that there's a large canvas on which to draw, but without likable and fully-realized characters, it all just rings a little hollow. -
Want to be transported to another world? Just work in the zoo and be eaten by the hippopotamus...
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This was good! On to book 2.
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2.5 Stars
it was okay. & boring sometimes. (I think it deserves more than 2 stars tho, so I give it 3)
I actually expected it be more young adult, by adult characters (judging by that interesting the prologue), but then I figured out it was middle grade & reminded me kind of Lord of the Rings in that field.
I had more expectations because of that chapter (which made me shocked when I saw this categorized as a middle grade) but all was going very plain & slow after that. it was more like a tour to see this world, introduction to characters & premises & cities.
& I mostly don't like when the chapter titles named Only after the characters or the names of the places. it felt inauthentic & boring & give the impression that every character was important. (which was not true) it could have had a short dramatic expressions of what might happen in the chapter & keep my mind busy theorizing about how this going to happen. but nope...
not any favourite character either.
but in general, I'm curious about what will happen next. -
Jason Weaver is your average 13 year old in middle school. When he accidentally falls in the hippo tank at his volunteer job at the zoo and is eaten, he ends up in a brand new world called Lyrian where his adventure is about to begin. Can he save this new world and survive in it? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good read that I got at the dollar tree for $1 and am looking forward to checking the rest of this trilogy at my local library since this is my first book I have read by Brandon Mull. If you like, action, adventure, and fantasy books then definitely check this book out as you will enjoy it. This book is available to borrow at your local library and to buy wherever books are sold. -
I LOVED Fablehaven, so was excited to see a new Brandon Mull book.
But I was disappointed that this was no Fablehaven. The book redeems itself in the end, and I am genuinely looking forward to a sequel, but my goodness the first third of this book is as bad as I've ever read. Besides a choppy pace and a character we know almost nothing about (and therefore care nothing about), the editor let sentences like, "He extended his hand probingly" and "The sand stopped his submergence." get by. Is 'submergence' even a word? When the language distracts from the story, you know it's poorly done. Again, disappointing, because Fablehaven is and remains one of my all time favorite series, and I recommend it often.
Still, the last half, or really the last 3rd of the book is full of adventure, and as soon as Jason's adventuring partner, Rachel, shows up, things pick up a bit. I decided that you really need to have more than one adventurer along for the ride---in Fablehaven, there are almost always 2 or three people paired together, and even when one of them is only a troll, it still works better than a lone adventurer. Even Harry Potter was always with his peeps, and the weakest part of book seven is when he loses his trusty sidekick, Ron. Harry just isn't as fun without Ron, and while this is definitely no Harry Potter, Jason alone just doesn't work without Rachel.
So if you're looking for a light read, this one is okay. But if you haven't read Fablehaven, pick up that one first. -
A World Without Heroes was recommended to me by my friend and I actually quite enjoyed it. I haven't been into fantasy these days so reading an easy middle grade fantasy definitely could push me to having fun with fantasy again. All in all, if you're a middle schooler or around the middle grade age range, I highly recommend A World Without Heroes.
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To be honest, I haven’t read anything from
Brandon Mull yet, notwithstanding his well-known children’s series
Fablehaven (which I certainly would like to check out some time), not until
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes. I’ve been seeing this on GR for a while now, so imagine my exhilaration as soon as I found this on Booksale’s crammed shelves; thus, I momentarily purchased it without any second thoughts.
The story kicks off when a 13-year old middle-grader, Jason, heard an unusual sound coming from a hippo tank. He eventually realized that the strange sound was taking place inside the hippo’s mouth. And as curiosity killed the cat, Jason probed the tank and accidentally plunged straight into the hippo’s mouth, finding himself in a peculiar world very different from our own. Not a very appealing magical portal, eh? In this foreign world, which native folks call Lyrian, he also met a Beyonder named Rachel. Together, with the aid of helpful friends and allies, these Beyonders embarked on a perilous quest to recover the syllables for the solitary word that could defeat the evil emperor Maldor.
The hippo thingy as an enchanted aperture from our world to Lyrian is quite an ingenious device of fascinating readers—if not disgusting to some extent. Haha. Brandon Mull certainly established an interesting introduction to the world of Lyrian that greeted readers with a widening awe. Add to that the imaginative fabrication of characters that will amazingly capture every reader’s curiosity such as the displacers who can detach their body parts to function single-handedly then mend themselves back again, the Amar Kabal or People of the Seed who can live numerous of lives by replanting their seeds on the ground, carnivorous toads, constriptors, a blood-thirsty crab, and a whole lot more. Mull isn’t likewise afraid of killing off a few characters that had slightly impinged upon every reader’s heart and unpredictable character twists that I didn’t really see coming; or perhaps I’m just seriously slow-witted. LOL. Every chapter is chock-full of action and unnecessarily repetitive to the previous chapters; hence, readers get to taste a manifold of page-turning scenes without getting any familiarity.
I do not have a problem with the length whatsoever but some scenes just dragged on too long—I think the story would’ve been polished more without them. In the case of middle-graders, to whom this book was really intended for, I believe the length would be a challenge to them but think of the fulfillment you’ll earn otherwise; that would be quite worthwhile.
Gory scenes weren’t spared in here which would not be very welcoming for kids but they weren’t graphic enough to be that horribly gruesome. But still, recommended to older ones.
And because
Rick Riordan gave a review on this book, I cannot refrain myself from comparing this to his Percy Jackson books. I don’t know why, but seeing his name on the cover gave me an idea. Haha. The main protagonists in here reminds me of the two main protagonists in the PJ books—Percy and Annabeth. Both Percy and Jason were geek kids who suddenly turned out to be heroes, while Annabeth and Rachel encompass the all-knowing female characters. There is also an oracle here and the quest reminded me much of Percy’s quests. Coincidences or not, my mind is certainly tainted with much PJ stuff.
I’ve seen a lot of lucky chances that befell on the protagonists all throughout the book. At times, it was considerably fine but a myriad of these can be quite irritating, too. They were totally doomed in a moment, but then a new character emerges and rescues them. And what with all of the things that they had encountered and lost already, Rachel still has her camera? Ugh.
My worst complain so far is the anti-climactic denouement. I’ve been placidly bearing to finally finish this 450-page book and then I get that? Screw you. (I didn’t really mean that last part.)
Overall, it was still a nice read despite some of my horrible remarks. If you’re a fantasy buff, you might as well try this one. -
I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with this book. It took me a week to really give it a chance. I thought the writing style rather rough, with awkward word choices and excessive adjectives and adverbs. But as I moved into the heart of the adventure, I became hooked. Once I really started, I finished it in just two days, and it’s a 450 page book. Here’s what got me:
Jason Walker happened upon the strangest portal between worlds ever. After an episode involving a hippopotamus and the musical group The Giddy Nine (you’ll have to read about it on your own), he found himself in Lyrian where he stumbles upon The Book of Salzared. “Be cautioned, Reader,” the book warns. “Some knowledge can never be unlearned. Such is the secret contained herein. Proceed only in defiance of this gravest warning, for the dire words that follow will set You in opposition to Maldor evermore.”
Jason keeps reading, and he’s handed a quest: find all six syllables of the word that will destroy Maldor, the evil wizard who holds all Lyrian in his power. “By reading these words You have nominated Yourself to recover the Key Word, the only hope of deposing my Lord and Tyrant. Move swiftly. The knowledge You now possess marks You for prompt execution. The first syllable is “a.” Now depart! Let not my sacrifice be in vain. Away!”
Brandon Mull may not be the smoothest writer, but he’s infinitely creative! Jason is aided by a “displacer” a wizardborn race who can remove their body parts and reconnect them at will, and by an Amar Kabal, a race that can die and grow anew from a seed at the base of their skull. He’s hunted by manglers, conscriptors, even a torivor, and he must duel an evil nobleman to the death with billiard balls. But with the help of another Beyonder named Rachel (from Washington), he perseveres. Ever he looks for a way home, but he also keeps in mind the words of Galloran, the noble Blind King who challenged Maldor and failed, “heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences.” Lyrian’s quest becomes his own.
On the downside, A World Without Heroes contains several bloody moments. Jason has undertaken a quest that sets him in opposition to a great evil, and there are casualties. Also, the book begins with the sounds of torture echoing through Maldor’s dungeon and with Galloran’s memories of suffering (both instrumental in turning me off). And The Book of Salzared is a little gruesome, bound with that man’s warm, living flesh and inscribed with his blood. Other than these squeamish moments, the book is clean, unobjectionable and infinitely intriguing.
In conclusion, I’ve never before recommended a book that took me five days to dig into. Yet after hating the first chapter or two, I fell in love with Mr. Mull’s imagination. I give his story a hearty thumbs up. 10+
The next two installments in The Beyonders series are due out in spring 2012 and spring 2013. -
قهرمان بودن یعنی انتخاب راه درست بدون درنظرگرفتن عواقبش.
گاهی قهرمان بودن سخت نیست. جیسون نیروی خاصی نداره. نه جادوهای ماورایی، نه توان جسمی ویژه. فقط یک پرتاب کننده خوب بازی بیسباله. با این وجود، شجاعت به خرج میده و سعی می کنه دنیایی رو که کسی جرئت مقابله با امپراتور ظالمش رو نداره، نجات بده. -
This is a fantastic book of adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls. Jason’s quest is interesting and full of cool creatures and characters. From the very first quote, full of irony, I knew I would enjoy Mull’s sense of humour. There was a chapter near the end of the book where I was laughing out loud in fits of giggles because it was so ridiculous and awesome.
I have mixed feelings about an enemy who has the power to kill instantly but prefers to toy with his victims. This is overly convenient, like the bad guy who tells the hero the whole plan allowing him the chance to succeed. On the other hand I like devious villains who go for more than the obvious kill….
I’m concerned that this book is not being marketed to the right age group. The ARC indicates it’s for ages 8-12 but I strongly disagree with this for several reasons
• The vocabulary: I enjoyed the language, that sounded a lot more academic and sophisticated than many YA novels but I don’t know many 8 year-olds who know “engendered”, “endeavor”, “embittered”, “laced” as in poisoned, “meandered”, “auditory hallucination” and many more challenging words. I found the diction to be more appropriate to older teens or adults, certainly not 10 and under. With the exception of “super-cool” that was thrown in a few times and felt awkward and out-of-place, I thought the writing was smooth and elegant. Unfortunately throwing in the “super-cool” just seemed like trying too hard and didn’t accomplish making the book accessible to that audience.
• The violence: The book begins with a man being tortured. I think middle age novels can have some violence and a dose of reality but I think a lot of parents will object to their children reading about people being tortured to the point of breaking, even if the torture is not described in detail. I was having mord-sith flashbacks from Terry Goodkind’s novels and those are NOT FOR KIDS!
• Mature themes: addiction, gluttony and complacency were beautifully demonstrated. I loved the line, “most pleasures are best as a seasoning, not the main course”. The trouble is that I think a slightly older age group would better understand the addiction and apathy aspects of the novel.
An aspect of the book that appealed to my nerdy side was the power of words. The tyrant ruled by preventing learning and forbidding the organization of information (like drawing maps). I think his limitations on learning were more effective than his violence, and I am fascinated by this as one who promotes learning and sorting of info.
I did not have anything in common with the loremaster. I don’t understand how a librarian can believe that a text handed down from unknown origins is more credible than one with a known author. He said they were harder to dismiss but I disagree, if I don’t know who the author is I question the validity of anything in the material (when it comes to non-fiction). I like to know the education, work history ect. of a historian before I believe what he/she writes, and I would certainly not trust anonymous more than a specific source. I also disliked that he made the library inaccessible on purpose to make sure only serious scholars would come.
I would recommend this to teens, especially boys who like baseball, biology, or adventure stories. I would caution about the age discrepancies though, and put it in the YA section of my library rather than JR. -
Di luar dugaan...
buku ini ternyata LEBIH BAGUS daripada ekspektasiku (yang memang sudah menduga kalau ini akan bagus)! xD
Untuk standar sebuah novel bagi middle grade and children, buku pertama Beyonders ini layak dapat 5 bintang. Top.
Ceritanya, twist-nya, humornya, pesannya... Hai(n)yaaa~ <3
Juga yang menarik adalah karena cara bercerita di buku ini, apalagi dialognya, justru mengingatkanku pada game-game adventure di PC, khususnya serial Monkey Island (which is one of my favorite games ever!).
Dialognya lugas. Tanya-jawabnya konyol. Berasa seperti dikasih opsi pilihan mau membalas pernyataan NPC dengan kalimat A, B, atau C. xP
Apalagi sampai muncul juga pertanyaan:"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" (hal. 252)
Guybruuush~!!! <3
Jadi ceritanya apa?
Alkisah Lyrian, sebuah dunia di mana orang-orang udah malas bersikap pahlawan dan banyak pahlawan yang akhirnya udah terpatahkan semangatnya. Akhirnya, semua hanya hidup dirudung kepasrahan di bawah opresi sang penguasa, Maldor, satu-satunya penyihir yang masih hidup di sana.
Namun suatu insiden misterius yang melibatkan pengorbanan nyawa sejumlah penghuni Lyrian berhasil memanggil Jason, tokoh utama kita, dari Bumi ke Lyrian lewat mulut seeokor kuda nil. xD
Jason jelaslah bukan pahlawan karena notabene dia cuma pengen pulang ke Bumi.
Masalahnya adalah gak ada yang tahu bagaimana caranya supaya Jason bisa pulang ke Beyond (istilah warga Lyrian untuk Bumi), dan sialnya, Jason malahdipaksaterpaksa terlibat dalam rentetan peristiwa yang membawanya ke posisi menjadi musuhnya Maldor dan, untuk pertama kalinya setelah sekian lama, mungkin menjadi pahlawan baru bagi Lyrian.
Tapi ini bukanlah kerugian juga bagi Jason berhubung Maldor, sebagai satu-satunya penyihir yang juga penguasa Lyrian, mungkin aja memang tau caranya supaya Jason bisa pulang ke Bumi kan?
Maka Jason pun terlibat dalam suatu quest mencari sebuah kata rahasia, kata berkekuatan sihir, yang kalau diucapkan di hadapan Maldor bisa menghancurkan Maldor untuk selama-lamanya.
;)
Aah, sejujurnya, di pertengahan cerita, aku sempat meragukan buku ini karena ada banyak sekali plot hole krusial yang bisa meruntuhkan premis cerita buku ini secara keseluruhan.
Tapi berhubung ceritanya seru dan konyol (apalagi pas tanding biliar, lol xD xD xD), aku pun terlarut membaca terus sampai tiba di klimaks di ending yang ternyata sangat cerdas dan malah berakhir menjawab semua keraguan, serta seolah-olah melempar balik semua plot hole itu ke wajah para peraguseperti saya!
Somehow, saya bisa membayangkan Om Brandon Mull ngomong begini:
"Loe kira loe pinter?? Makan nih plot hole!!"
*makan*
...
(.__.)
...
Aku harus segera baca lanjutannya!!! >__<
PS.
Saya belum membaca serial Fablehaven, jadi gak bisa membanding-bandingkan Beyonders dengan buku-buku lain Om Mull itu. Tapi, imo, ini lebih bagus daripada buku2nya Om Riordan dan Om Scott. Hehehe. ^^ -
Thirteen year old Jason had a very unexciting life. He was just like any other teenager. He went to school and worked part-time at a zoo after school. One day, Jason thought he heard music coming from the hippo’s mouth (yes you read it right, music from a hippo’s mouth). When he leaned over the railing to investigate he thought the music was coming from INSIDE the hippo. He leaned too much and fell into the hippo’s mouth which wasn’t really any hippo’s mouth but a doorway to the world of Lyrian. Jason learns that Lyrian is a world ruled by Maldor, an evil wizard who wants there to be no heroes in Lyrian so he can continue his terrible rule. In Lyrian, Jacob finds another Beyonder (someone NOT from Lyrian), Rachel. Jason finds a book in which he learns of a secret word that can destroy Maldor. There are six syllables to the word and they are hidden all throughout Lyrian. Rachel and Jason have to find all of the parts to the word and face all of the creatures that work for Maldor as they try to solve to puzzle.
I REALLY liked this book. Now that I have said, that I have to tell you that I started to read this book a while ago but I stopped reading it because I really didn’t get into the story. I read a review of the book on Michelle Isenhoff’s blog Bookworm Blather where she said the same thing but unlike me she kept reading and really fell in love with the story. So I figured I’d give it another try, and I am so happy I did! I liked the book because of all the adventure and excitement that Jason and Rachel go through. Mr. Mull creates some AMAZING creatures in the land of Lyrian like the gigantic Titan Crab! The whole land of Lyrian is described very well and I could “see” what I was reading. There is some violence in the book but there is nothing graphic. I liked Jason and Rachel as characters. They are very different people but I like them both. Put this one on your Christmas Wish list! -
Audiobook readthrough review:
holy shit everyone who told me the audiobooks for beyonders suck literally were not joking,,, rip but this is still my all time favorite series and my review is yet to come
--
I literally have been working on a full-series review of Beyonders for a month, and finished it tonight. buuuuut when I pasted it into the review box, it was, like, twice the length that goodreads allows?? I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating but it's almost 12 pages on word and the longest thing I've ever written lol here's a screenshot:
I just can't help it or contain myself when I want to rant about my special interests??
Maybe I'll just write "please read beyonders" 200 times and call it good.
but for now I have to edit it down. :(
Full rtc -
2.5 stars rounded up because the ending surprised me :P
Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with this book. Most notable were the annoying characters, questionable word choices and speaking in general, the narrator, and of course: 14 year olds on a quest to save the world!
First off, the characters: When I first met Rachel, she was sooooo annoying. And so was Jason towards her and in their interactions. Rachel was slightly--ok a lot concerned (putting it mildly)--about justice, fairness, and women's rights. While that's great and all, the way she went about it was to the point of absolutely bugging me to the point that I didn't like her. That being said, I feel like she had some good character growth throughout the book. Jason for the most part was okay but he made one comment that rankled me. He said "That's the problem with homeschoolers. They haven't learned how to interact with their peers." ;-; Thanks a lot Mull, jump on the bandwagon of stereotyping homeschoolers. Sure, it's for the purpose of the book and the characters, since Rachel was homeschooled, but it still bothered me a lot. Being homeschooled for most of my life, I don't appreciate comments like this because they're not true. It's not true! At least for most homeschoolers. I think it depends on the individual person. Not the group. Individuals in public school all their life may act like the "stereotypical homeschooler." I guess Mull used this comment and Jason and Rachel's bickering to start the road of their growth as friends. Of course, Jason comes to understand Rachel, Rachel comes to understand Jason, and they become really really good friends. I'd hope so since they come face to face with death almost every day!
Next, the questionable word choice and overall speaking: Disclaimer, this is all just a matter of opinion. Some people may love this style of writing, and that's great! It just wasn't for me. Now I understand that the purpose was probably to set apart this strange world that Jason gets dropped into (quite literally), but the way the people interacted in the book was just....weird to me. Let me give a few examples: "Bringing urgent tidings." "...had perished." "Elected to join him." To me it felt like Mull was either trying a little too hard, or he was writing with Thesaurus by his side XD. I guess that's just how he chose how to portray the Lyrians' way of speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. Waaaaay on the other side of the spectrum is 14 year old Jason saying things like the room was full of "super cool weapons." Super. Cool. Weapons. I have never had such a bland description in my life!
I feel bad not liking the narrator, but I didn't. I can't imagine how many hours he put into this book, as well as Brandon Mull of course, so I definitely commend them for this book. The narration is just another matter of opinion. I felt like some of the inflections were incorrect for the situations presented. Even though this narrator wasn't for me, I'm so grateful for everyone who puts so much work into audiobooks so that I can listen to them at work when I'm doing mindless tasks :P
And of course, we have our 14 year old heroes!! Woohooo!! No. No. Yes, this is middle-grade/YA, and yes, books need to be written for certain audiences, but it's just a little too much for me when this 14 year old comes in and is able to accomplish what no other person in the world could succeed in. What's more, in one of the situations, he figured the problem out in like 3 seconds. Sometimes this bothers me more than others, but it was just a little too much in The Beyonders. He definitely didn't act like an 8th grader. And I mean, getting suddenly shoved into a new world, he's going to have to make some hard, mature decisions. But still, I think it was a little too easy based on his age and experience (or lack thereof). That's why I prefer reading middle grade contemporary over middle grade fantasy; it's a little more realistic and believable.
Ok so I've rambled enough about everything I dislike about this book, I'd better also talk about what I did like! I liked the concept of the story. It was really unique. I liked the ending a lot--I didn't really expect it. I liked all of Jason's and Rachel's companion travelers, especially Ferrin. He was such a morally flawed character that he was almost likable XD. (I was kind of disturbed by the detaching body parts.....especially the heads....but that's besides the point). I definitely thought the book got better as it went along. Despite my rating, I'm definitely going to listen to the rest of the books because I really need to know what happens--especially after that cliffhanger!! I'm dying to know!!
Sorry for my very long and likely tedious review, but if you got to this point then thank you for sticking around:P And of course, happy reading everyone! -
*berusaha mengabaikan tampilan baru gutrits yg ngeselin (SUMPAH BIKIN BAD MOOD orang yg lagi bahagia habis nemu buku bagus aja!)*
Aku bingung menggolongkan buku ini kemana. Distopia iya (demi apa pun Lyrian itu dunia desperate. Aku ga akan mau kalau2 sampai terpental ke sana!), fantasi juga iya karna ada unsur sihir dan makhluk2 ajaib seperti Sang Pemindah (yang bisa mutus2in anggota tubuh kayak cicak) dan Kaum Amar (yang bisa hidup lagi kalau benihnya ditanam di tanah yg subur). Okelah gabungan kedua genre. Tapi kesannya beda!
Seperti judulnya: dunia tanpa pahlawan, beneran di sini nggak ada pahlawan. Orang paling kuat sekali pun akan susah ngelawan musuh yang merupakan penyihir terakhir sekaligus penguasa hampir seluruh dunia Lyrian.
Jadi, siapa yg bakal nyelametin Lyrian dari pengaruh si penguasa jahat yg dikenal sebagai Maldor?
Beberapa musuh Maldor mendengar ramalan dan berniat mewujudkan ramalan tsb meski nyawa mereka taruhannya, yaitu mendatangkan orang dari Luar, bahasa lain Bumi bagi penduduk Lyrian. Here they are... Jason and Rachel!
Poin kesatu, aku suka petualangan mencari Kata yang dapat menghancurkan Maldor di buku ini. Beneran seru!
Poin kedua, aku suka hampir setiap tokoh di sini, dari Jason, Rachel, Galloran, Ferrin, sampai pengemis bernama Aster. Porsi mereka sama dan nggak ada tokoh yang dilebih-lebihkan. Meski Jason diharapkan sebagai pahlawan di sini, dia hampir sama rapuhnya dengan yang lain. Masuk akal untuk anak berumur 13 tahun kebingungan jika tiba2 dilempar ke dunia yang aneh. Aku bakalan langsung melempar buku kalau2 si Jason bersikap dewasa layaknya pahlawan. xD
Poin ketiga, meski menegangkan, jujur aja ada beberapa selipan humor yang bikin aku geli. Baik mereka pas lagi disiksa atau tertekan musuh, pasti ada aja lelucon yg dilontarkan. Baru ini aku mengiyakan komentar di sampul depan buku kalau buku ini berisi humor yg cerdas.
Poin keempat, endingnya nggak biasa. Dan aku suka! Sejauh ini ending terbaik dari buku distopia atau fantasi yang pernah aku baca. Cliffhanger ending mah udah biasa untuk ukuran buku berseri. Untung udah punya lengkap! *langsung baca buku 2*
Poin terakhir, untuk Brandon Mull yang berhasil memanipulasiku agar menyukai trilogi ini. (?)
#okepointerakhiragakgeli
Review di blog menyusul. Kalau nggak per buku, ya sekaligus satu post isinya tentang trilogi Beyonders ini. XD -
I just finished the advanced reading copy of Beyonders A World Without Heroes. This was a fast paced read, very hard to put down. The book will not be released until March 22, 2011. Although this book is geared for middle readers, it will be enjoyed by all ages from young to old. Brandon Mull is a great writer. I am a big fan of Fablehaven but I think this new series may just top Fablehaven, I can't wait for the next book in the series!!!
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MINI-REVIEW: Disappointing.
A rehash of the familiar fantasy stories of a kingdom in peril and that people from our world need to save it.
Although I loved Mull's FABLEHAVEN series I won't be continuing with this one. Too many other stories to read.
OVERALL GRADE: C to C plus. -
Imagination has no limits. This book was new and fresh. I enjoyed this book very much and I will have to read the final two books. By reading these words you have nominated yourself to recover the key word. Try it, you'll like it.
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OH MY GOD I loved this book! It kept me on edge the whole time with all its twists and turns!!! Highly recommended this and any other books by Brandon Mull
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WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.
MY TAKE
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator does a much better job than the one who did the Fablehaven series. Those audiobooks are a total pass, but the books were very fun.
Now, for this series. It's middle grade, so the main character Jason is only 13. MG isn't my normal genre of preference, but Mull does a great job with his characterization and makes me care about his characters. This series begins with a darker tone than the Fablehaven series did, and I think I liked it better for the seriousness.
I really liked Jason and Rachel. They poked at each other a bit in the beginning, but got to rely and trust each other. The ending is cliffhangerish, but not the kind that had me throwing the book against a wall. It may have helped to know that I already had the next two books in the series. I'm usually death on cliffhangers, but the story had enough resolution that it didn't make me angry.
I think one of the story's strengths is the secondary characters. You might be introduced to a character early on, like Tark, who turns out to have a lot more to him than you originally thought. I liked how that gave these secondary characters depth.
4 1/2 stars
