Home > Categories > Books > Young Adult > The Last Thirteen #10 - 4 review
Sam must travel to Cambodia to find the last 13 tenth Dreamer. Can Sam outwit the ancient traps at the legendary temple of Angkor Wat.
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If I have said before, I will say it again, this series is going through the roof out out into space, it has gone farther than I had ever expected it too. With most series, the excitement factor dies out just after midway, after which my only drive to complete the series is just a pathological need for closure. This series, however, has captured my attention for 10 months now, almost a whole year, and while the 39 Clues series has been going on since it started around the time I first became a reviewer, it has now just gotten redundant, a bit boring, and now into the closure phase, so I hope it dies out after the current sub-series has finished; so, as you can see, the achievement of holding my attention for a year is one I do not often give out to book authors!
The storyline was great, it takes place in a mysterious and unordered land of Cambodia in South Asia, connected directly to Thailand and Vietnam. This series has introduced an entire new dimension reality, and consequently a new branch of technology that has been created by geniuses for centuries to study and use this new dimension. The plane of reality in question: the one we all enter when we dream. This book, and the series, has brought about the prospect of using the dream dimension as a window into the near (or in some cases far) future, as well as the only people who have this premonition ability, a branch of humans known as "True Dreamers", also being able to use special technology to enter the Dream dimensions, and thus a true dreamer could, in some circumstances, draw the connected person into that dream.
Also, there is also a mystical aspect to the dream dimension, or as it is referred to in the series, the "Dreamscape", some form of advanced science akin to magic, and I find this whole premise quite inspiring, exciting, and fascinating. Also, this story has been exciting particularly as it gives an inside look at the work of the rogue Guardian (the F.B.I of for the Academy institute) Hans, from the perspective of young True Dreamer and potential member of the Last 13, Alex. I was quite intrigued at young Alex's decision to become a double agent of sorts, reporting back to the Enterprise agency about Hans' work, which has shed a little light on the work of a persistent nemesis.
The story flowed well, it kept me on the edge the whole time, never knowing what was going to happen on the next page, which is evidence that the story is so well written that it is unpredictable, and thus can't be spoiled by the constant confirmation of various predictions. There was one point in the story where things got a bit hard to visualize, just after Sam finds the next dreamer and begin the hunt for the next gear of the Bakhu device, which is a mechanical map leading to the Dream Gate, some mysterious artifact which will allow complete control over the dreamscape. This small tangle period was a bit annoying, but it soon passed, rest assured, it hasn't affected my overall opinion of this book.
A particularly interesting twist in the storyline was brought about in this book, all I can say without spoiling things too much is that it involves an earlier discovery which has taken place across several books in the series of a 13th zodiac constellation, which only appears once a year and is crucial to the use of the Bakhu machine. So it has introduced a time limit to find the Dream gate, which has now brought about a period of anticipation and pressure which I expect will reach supernova levels over the next 3 books, and the mere excitement of this is currently giving me the urge to giggle like a maniac, oops, and now that urge has become action!!!!
The book price is great, I have noticed that it is $1.00 cheaper than the last book, so perhaps this price change is a good thing, and if I were you, I would take advantage of this and get this book, now, before the global rush for the conclusion of this series runs ahead of you. When this series is over, I will be tempted to go ahead and reread the entire series again, as the other books I have had to review have interrupted the series so many times that things have gotten a little broken up in my head. To sum things up in a few words as possible, GET THIS BOOK NOW!
Wow only 3 books to go and still so much at stake I can't believe this book again was another breathtaking installment and I am more excited than ever to receive the next book. This was a real nail biter with action and drama on every page turn, it truly was very intense with the battle raging on a bigger scale than ever before. The stakes are getting higher and every one is battling ahead with more and more enemies around every turn.
Not one person was left out of the danger in this book with the enemies finding their way against every one of the last thirteen dreamers. With those back at the academy finding themselves under attack from within the dreamscapes three corners competion, and Alex finding himself under threat from Hans no one is immune to the danger. More and more clues are being uncovered so the stakes are very high as people are learning more and more about the race and where it is headed next.
Sam travels to cambodia to find the next dreamer Poh and finds himself in an ancient temple full of danger. It was a really sad installment with the death of one of Sam's most trusted companions and guides, this was really upsetting as they had been there since the begining and I was sure they would be there to guide Sam until the very end so was a bit of a shock to see him die. So definitely many twists and turns still to be had in the final installments and this has made me even more eager for Sam and the rest of the dreamers to defeat solaris and the others and win the race to the dream gate.
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Joan Didion (1934 - ), 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem'