The Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull is a newer author, but one of my new favorites (he wrote the Fablehaven series as well). "A World Without Heroes" is the first book in a three book series. When I heard about it I had to buy it and set aside the other book I was reading (A Woman in Berlin) to read it immediately. Mull did not disappoint me with this story, although I have to admit I didn't like it as much as Fablehaven. Although it is a very different type of story then Fablehaven. It is still a fantasy and one of the best things about this book was the originality of the whimsical characters and storyline. I have to admit, I'm not a guru of fantasy books, but it was new and interesting to me.
The basis is that the two main characters, Jason and Rachel, accidentally go through separate portals and end up in an alternate universe, making them Beyonders to the new world. In the new world, an evil wizard rules and the people live in fear. Jason and Rachel embark on a journey together to discover a magic word that will destroy the wizard, Maldor. Jason and Rachel meet many people and creatures along the way, including displacers and seed people.
The best part of the book, besides its originality, are the themes and the overall moral, which is that a real hero is someone who does the right thing even when it's really hard. There is much great imagery throughout the book to help solidify this theme.
My least favorite thing about this book is the character development. I just thought that the two main characters, Jason and Rachel, could have been more well developed. Perhaps this will happen in subsequent books, but for me character development is really important, so that is the only reason I can't give it 5 stars. BUT I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone. It is a must read in my eyes, and I will wait, impatiently as always, for the next book in the series.
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