While visiting so many schools and bookstores, many of the same questions pop up. One of them is about what my favorite Pendragon book is. Since it’s been asked so many times, I thought I’d answer that here.
Looking at it one way, I don’t have a favorite because they all seem like different chapters in one big story. But I can come up with a few that stand out for different reasons. The book that was the most fun to write was “The Never War” because I loved going back into real history and doing the research about a time and place that fascinate me.  The book that was the most difficult to write was “The Quillan Games”. Coming up with all of those wild games, creating the rules, and then having Bobby play them was grueling. I certainly don’t have a LEAST favorite book, though I can say that my least favorite cover was the one I call: “Bobby the Blue-Eyed Reindeer”.  Yeesh.
But favorite book? Now that they’re all complete and I can look back on the whole story, I guess maybe there is one that stands out. I think I like it because it had a little bit of all the books in it and it tied up the whole story in a way that I had always planned on, but was never sure that it would actually work. The fact that it did work is very satisfying. There were a few scenes in that book (I won’t mention them here because I don’t want to write spoilers) that actually get me choked up. More than a few scenes. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to tie together all the loose ends, answer all the questions, and complete an epic story. So under pressure, I would have to say that my favorite Pendragon book is The Soldiers of Halla.
Joseph says:
Ahh! Yeah. “The Never War” was probably one of my favorites, too. I loved the not stop action in it. Then again, every book was really non-stop action.
I loved “Quillan Games” too. And “Reality Bug” because of all the stuff you came up with for that.
And of course “The Soldiers of Halla” was awesome because it was the end of an epic series.
You’ve got a great imagination, D.J. I’m looking forward to the many more adventures you’ll take me on!
THANKS!
Rebekah says:
my favorite book for sure was raven rise, then of course the soldiers of halla. dang….i love me alll!!! (:
Rebekah says:
i meaann…i love THEM all….not me…lol
Greg says:
My favorite was probably the Quillan Games because it was so creative… Which explains why it was the hardest to write!
Alex says:
My favorite book out of your series has to be “The Quillan Games”.
I remember reading books 5-9, and just becoming awed at how Bobby’s friends were becoming more intertwined with the story. There were some many twists and such that I found myself at shock when I’d actually mutter to myself “really..omg” when something surprising happened.
I started reading your 1st book in Junior High about 7 years ago or so. The character Mark reminded me of myself, so to see him have such an important role in the Seventh Book really made me happy. Now that I’m off of College courses for about a month or two, I’ll take this time to actually sit down and read your last book, the Soldiers of Halla. I neglected to read or even start it when I first purchased it the month it was released due to life’s many thrills and unfortunate happenings. But, as I read this last book, I’m going to remember all the memories I have of reading Books 1-9, how each character developed, and what made me cling to the series from the start.
I can’t say much more than that I am a really devoted fan; I’ve collected the three prequels and Graphic Novels, as well as the Guide to Halla and many bookmarks and posters. I have yet to read the three prequels, but will begin them as soon as I finish Book 10.
You’re probably tired of my fanboyism, heheh, but all-in-all, the book that made me the most happy, scared, suspenseful, and actually enveloped into the world of Halla is the Seventh Book. Thank you for the wonderful ride through the flumes; it’s been an honor reading your series. Anyway, until next time 🙂
(P.S. What made me take a liking to your books as well was your previous work on AYFotD. I can’t tell you the great childhood I had watching that TV series. Your show and this book series truly are a part of my childhood, so I again thank you being so influential in my life.)
krys 13 y old says:
the reality bug was my favorite book. how you came up with life light is beyond me here i am reading this incredible book which took me, 1 day 22 hours and 24 min to read,and just the thought of it is just amazing !! your imagination with The Barbician is just astounding , your mind just visulizes these images of the jungle part or jumping up into the circle of water switching the gravitational force and suddenly drying off walking into the slick shot place and just they way you described the things you did is just…. wow i strive to read all the wonder ful books to come thanks for being the great man you are inspirational and smart
krys 13 y old says:
the reality bug was my favorite book. how you came up with life light is beyond me here i am reading this incredible book which took me, 1 day 22 hours and 24 min to read,and just the thought of it is just amazing !! your imagination with The Barbician is just astounding , your mind just visulizes these images of the jungle part or jumping up into the circle of water switching the gravitational force and suddenly drying off walking into the slick shot place and just they way you described the things you did is just…. wow i strive to read all the wonder ful books to come thanks for being the great man you are inspirational and a smart writer.
Laken says:
My favourite no doubt would have to be the Quillan Games. No matter how many times I go through that one, it still stands as my absolutely favourite. I love the games and the plot of the story itself was so thrilling. Unlike the other territories, Quillan was truly a mess and reading about Blok was truly interesting and how similar it is to…”wink wink”
And the ending was so unexpected. Left me shocked.
I also loved Bobby’s characterization and how he developed while on Quillan. Very interesting.
The characters were great too…especially LaBerge 😀
He cracks me up every time.
“Well…yes,” I said. “I told you, I’m not playing your games.”
LaBerge smacked his hand on the table and shouted, “You will!”
“Sit down!” Veego barked.
“He is making me very upset!” LaBerge yelled back at her.
LOVE it!
As a whole though, I love them all. They’re all so different and unique, which is what makes them so great.
Lead Traveler says:
you know Laken. when i read the Quillan Games LaBerge DID make me laugh, except when things were really serious and it was a horrible sense of humor he had. and i really got annoyed with him when he tried to rhyme stuff. anyway, my fav. book has to be…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………i’m going to do that till i think of one…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..um……………………………………………………………………………………..idk!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THEM All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lead Traveler says:
there’s an um a little in the dark or grayish spot. if you look closely you can see it. oh! i now i think i just thought of my fav. book. idk if it’s my REAL fav. book but it was the first one that popped into my mind. so, my fav. book might be Merchant of Death. and if it is then probably because it introduced Bobby to the whole Traveler business, Uncle Press hadn’t died yet. OOPS!!!!!!!!!! you didn’t read that!!! and D.J introduced Loor(who’s name i can’t pronounce even though i know how to.) i think that’s my fav. one. idk. it was the first one that sprang up.
Darkness says:
hey dj? i’m not going to beg but for the next MR book could you put Boise or Meridian on your schedule? my school is Heritage Middle School. i don’t know what street it’s on, though. so please come and if you don’t come to my school could you do some public signings and talks? i’m a young writer and i really need advice, BAD!!!!
Darkness says:
and do your public stuff have to have tickets? i hope it doesn’t.
LeBon says:
LOST CITY OF FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!
Pendragon Is Awesome says:
The Never War I like the thought about going back in time
A.P. Michael says:
Um… i really don’t know what my favorite book would be… probably Soldiers of Halla, because it just has the best story of how i got it behind it! I got it at a field trip, i dragged my parents and rest of my little group in with me and made my parents buy it for me! Yeah, D.J. I love them THAT much!
@Darkness
I may be able to give a little bit of advice, i’m a young author too, (i’m seriously hoping to be published!) but write down everything you think of that you may be able to use, just write, write, and write some more. Bring a little notebook with you everywhere and record random sights, or if you need help describing things, describe a place you know really well (like i do my public library), put down everything about it. And then you can do the same things with people how do they act? What do they look like? What are they wearing? Stuff like that. And keep a journal, or a little book of your thoughts, it’ll really help you discover your “voice” (what your writing sounds like, and how you word things) That’s just me but i hope it helps! And this one’s free!
Peace
A.P.M.
Johnny says:
I think my favorite book would have to be The Lost City of Faar. The Cloral people had such cool items like the globe and the jet ski like things. Out of all the territories, I would have loved to visit that one.
LiNk5070 says:
I agree with Johnny.
Lost city of Faar was awesome, because Cloral sounds like an impossible paradise. Ha, it is an impossible paradise.
Idolized machale says:
I love all of them. They’re all epic the only book/series that i like the best . but the most thrilling book I’ve read is “The Quillan Games” (I’ve only read up to book7
Markus says:
My favorite book was the never war. (Not because its your favorite DJ, Its been my favorite for over a year now…
6969 says:
My favorite book is Black Water. (spoiler warning***)The reason is because knowing that all the humans are animals and that kitty-kats are smart absorbs you into the plot, and all that stuff about how the gars win their freedom is really interesting.*** I know what D.J. meant when he said that thing about “Bobby the blue eyed reindeer” Has anyone noticed that Bobby’s eye color changes throughout the covers of the books? On the first book cover, one of his eye’s is blue, and the other is brown.second book: brown eyes, third book: blue I think, fourth book:Dark brown eyes, fifth book: greenish-blue, sixth book: brown, seventh book: BROWN, eighth book: BRIGHT BLUE, ninth book: brown, tenth book: I’m not sure
I was looking on the back of my three Pendragon books here (I’ve read 1-9) so please correct me if i’m wrong at all. Thank you.
Swiffy says:
My favorite was “The Quillan Games” up until “Raven Rise” came out. Then I read “The Soldiers of Halla”. So…
1. Raven Rise
2. The Soldiers of Halla
3. The Quillan Games
My top three.
Hoyt says:
My favorite had to be either Never War, Black Water, or Soldiers of Halla.
Julia says:
I’m only on the 3rd but so far I like the 2nd or 3rd the best. Which cover is “Bobby the blue-eyed reindeer”?
Kevin says:
My favorite was the Reality bug,. do you remember me? probably not, but when you went to Glen Rock New Jersey i was there with my little sis Delila and you gave her a Monster Princess card and i told you my favorite book was the reality bug
Andrew says:
D.J your Pendragon seires is awsome and epic I haven’t read any Pendragon books past the 4th one do you know where I can find them.My favorite books were all of them I read so far.Your Pendragon seires are so awsome you rock D.J
Andrew says:
your awsomeD.J
James says:
I LOVED the soldiers of halla, and the ending got me all teared up because I knew it was the last pendragon book you would make…
Stephon-gcb says:
I like book 5 for its story line the best but didn’t like the territory thant much. I liked the Never War for it’s territory the best.
D.J. MacHale says:
Kevin: I do remember you, and your sister.
Julia: The Pilgrims of Rayne
Andrew: You can get them anywhere! (Or anywhere they sell books)
Zadaa Ghee says:
Yeah, I mentioned that his eyes were blue on the post about the pendragon covers. I don’t know which one is my favorite. my least favorite might have been the 5th one, because it was kind of disappointing, as it has astounding likeness to the 2nd one. I want to say the 6th one is my favorite, but it is pretty matched with “The Soldiers of Halla”, and, you know, all of the other ones, but I still want to say “The Rivers of Zadaa”.
Zadaa Ghee says:
P.S. D.J., you should come onto your blog more often. Everyone likes to hear what you have to say. (Especially me.)
6969 says:
I’m surprised that no one said anything about what I said earlier. You know, Bobby’s eye color changing on the covers. The Merchant of Death cover is an epic fail if you look at the Bobby’s eye.Oooh, I also saw the NEW cover of The Soldiers of Halla.
6969 says:
eyeS. eyeS. I meant eyes.
Emily says:
My favorite was “The Quillan Games.” Though the last book, “Soldiers of Halla” was very good, it was bittersweet for me, it revealed everything that was kept secret throughout the series, but it was an end to what was (and still is) a great saga.
Kaden says:
It is a fasinating series. The way you make up all the things like the Ravinians and all the different Territories is amazing! But my favorite books have to be Ravan Rise and The Soldiers of Halla.
Stuck-On-Rayne says:
I was stuck when Merchant of Death came out…it is by far my favorite because of the stuggle between the Bedoowan and the Milago miners. BOOM goes the castle and most problems are fixed. I do like Black water…what a spin that book was.
But in all honesty, none of the books would have been good if it wasn’t for your amazing ability to create characters that reminded us of those we knew in our own lives to take those roles. It almost made the whole story a reality for me.
AND I BEG YOU! TURN PENDRAGON INTO A MOVIE…but don’t let the directors change it like they do to so many other movies. I say, take a break after Morpheus Road finishes and start to write screenplays for Pendragon.
And get off of tour soon. I want to email you. I always seem to email you when you are on tour. Either way, I think that San Diego is your last stop. Can’t wait to meet you.
-Stuck-On-Rayne
Lead Traveler says:
I’M FINALLY GETTING ONE OF MY FRIENDS TO READ THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she asked me to give her the 1st book to borrow since i own it but i forgot and i feel really bad about that because i’ve been pestering her to read them. oh well. i told her i would get it to her on Mon. anyway, I FINALLY GOT ONE OF THEM TO READ THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR BOOKS ARE AWESOME D.J!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please don’t make a movie of Pendragon, PLEASE, the books are too awesome to be ruined by some stupid director and the movie just couldn’t give you that feeling of what the characters are feeling like you do in your books.
Hannah Joy Brown says:
hmmm…. I would have to say that The Lost City of Faar (and of course, SoH) are my favorite books. I like SoH for obvious reasons, and I like LCoF because Spader is just about the awesomest character, besides Courtney. and Bobby. Whenever my friends and I are racing somewhere, we always say, “Last one to Grolo’s buy’s the sniggers!” It’s hilarious!
6969 says:
A few times, I said, Hobey-Ho let’s go during tennis lessons.
‘ 😀
6969 says:
for the face I meant to do apostrophe, capital d and colon.
it would have looked better.
RS Lover says:
I love the whole Pendragon Saga and own all ten books… but at the end of the day, The Soldiers Of Halla is my favorite one
Ciera Rose Bernal says:
I love all of them my sister and my mom convinced me to read them about…. hmmm 5 weeks ago and now finally im on the last on The Soldiers of Halla but so far my favorite would be The Rivers of Zadaa.
Isabeau says:
Oh my gosh, this is such a tough question. I LOVE all of the Pendragon books, but the first 4 were probably my favorite because of they’re plots. Actually, I really don’t know because then the others were so good. ARGH! such a hard decision! I love them all, bottom line.
spade5 says:
Raven Rise!!!!!
Andrew says:
thanks D.J your awsome
Jake says:
Personally, the best book was “The Never War.” I usually don’t get so inspired by history; however as soon as I finished the book I got on the computer and started researching the LZ-129 (Hindenburg). I am on the ninth book and I have to say they are all amazing. You should seriously consider making movies of them. Keep up the good work!
Swiftpelt13 says:
Jake, if someone made a movie out of Pendragon, it would suck like Harry Potter & Percy Jackson. And my favorite book though, was The Soldiers of Halla
Shadik64 says:
i can’t choose they are all awesome + no movies thet would suck …sorry Dj
Nicholas says:
I love all of them.. But if i had to pick. “Quillan Games”
Lead Traveler says:
IDK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry felt like saying that.