The Transall Saga Review

Okey dokey, so here is a book I did not really expect to read. It was given to me by a friend about a year ago and it sat on my shelf looking lonely while I read all these new and exciting books. I reached a day where I was like hmm...I'm looking for a quick read that will suck me right in and not let me go until the story is over. And that is just what I got from this book. The book is The Transall Sage by Gary Paulsen. Now I haven't read anything by Gary Paulsen since about fifth grade when I had to read Hatchet and Dogsong; both of which I do remember enjoying. So I figured I would give this a shot.

The story starts out with a boy, Mark, who is camping in the desert by himself for the first time when he discovers this beam of blue light coming from the sky, so naturally, he falls into it. Very stereotypical I know. He wakes up on what seems to be another planet in the middle of a strange jungle. The grass is red and there are crazy creatures. Wait until you meet Willie (he was my favorite character). Mark learns how to survive on his own in this foreign world and attempts to track down the blue light to get home. Through his travels he discovers another human-like race that lives in this world. He is cautious at first but eventually joins them and learns that there is even more civilized life in this world...along with war. As the story progresses he learns just how strong of a person he really is. A great coming of age tale. But wait! There is a twist! Ohh...intrigue. :) Without giving any spoilers, I will say there is a twist that happens about halfway through the book that changes the plot line of this book.

In conclusion, this book turned out to be exactly the type of book I was looking for at the time. Enjoyable and fast-paced, even has a hint of romance in it. At least as much romance as you can squeeze into a children's lit book without grossing out the reader. I would give this book about 4 stars and about middle of the bookshelf range. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a quick read that will plunge you to another world and leave you exhausted by the end.