Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen - Available

The Transall Saga

by Gary Paulsen
Johnny Heller
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

Mark's solo camping trip in the desert turns into a terrifying and thrilling odyssey when a mysterious beam of light transports him to another time on what appears to be another planet. As Mark searches for a pathway back to his own time on Earth, he must make a new life in a new world. His encounters with primitive tribes bring the joy of human bonds, but violence and war as well—and, finally, a contest in which he discovers his own startling powers.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 22, 1999

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781449881313
      • File size: 169510 KB
      • Duration: 05:53:08

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 630
    • Text Difficulty: 2-3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Time-travel, science fiction, survival and adventure: the plot prescription for a winning audiobook? Perhaps. While veteran narrator Johnny Heller ably recounts the story of 13-year-old Mark Harrison, time-traveler to a post-apocalyptic earth, he must endeavor to wring every fragment of feeling from a text mostly lacking in emotion. Paulsen's novel, with its tight, limited focus on plot at the expense of character, offers Heller little meat in its cast of stock characters. As a result, secondary characters are sometimes indistinguishable. Only Sarbo, a warrior and champion, is clearly drawn. While this recording isn't poorly executed, given the limitations of the text, it's simply lackluster. T.B. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 4, 1998
      Paulsen (Brian's Winter) works his magic with another wilderness adventure yarn. But the wilderness this time isn't in this world--or 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 matter--the 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.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 13, 1999
      Mysteriously transported to a strange place and time, 13-year-old Mark learns to survive. "Paulsen works his magic with another wilderness adventure yarn," said PW in a starred review. Ages 10-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:630
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

Loading