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The Pendragon Cycle #1
Pendragon's Heir
Elaine Taylor has a stereotypical suburban a stay-at-home mom, an accountant dad, a normal start to her junior year of high school. Sure, sometimes images pop into Elaine’s head—images that stay with her until she draws them—but that isn’t weird. That’s artistic inspiration. But it turns out her “artistic inspirations” predict the future, and Elaine’s regular world falls apart. Having been identified as a powerful Seer and kidnapped from the school parking lot, Elaine finds herself trapped in a world of superheroes, secret government agencies, and terrorist groups. Now, instead of her typical suburban life, Elaine becomes the permanent house guest of the eccentric superhero Pendragon and his wife. Elaine’s days are filled with robotic Knights of the Round Table, combat training, and honing her psychic skills. Still, since Elaine plans on surviving her new life, she’ll do whatever it takes—even learn to fight in robotic armor and make friends with the too-hot for his own good spy assigned to her for her safety. And if she has to endure another kidnapping attempt? That isn’t weird. That’s the life of a superhero.
- GenresYoung Adult
328 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 31, 2019
From super heroes to Seers, Bond writes a story that encompasses legends and robots. It is a humorous action packed tale that will have you laughing one minute and on the edge of your seat the next.
July 11, 2021
This is a book I found in the local library. I didn't look for it. It just happened to be on the same shelf as another book that I was deliberately looking for. That's one of the fun things about a local library. You can browse the shelves freely, with nothing but the Dewey Decimal System arranging the books in front of you (no algorithms!).
Anyway, the premise of this book is a schoolgirl discovering that she has inborn powers of clairvoyance when a terrorist organization tries to kidnap her for them. This leads to a Meele a Tois between said terrorist organization (basically the Illuminati), an international crime-fighting organization known as L.A.N.C.E. , and the private army of robots commanded by superhero Arthur Keep. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it?
It it, kind of, but the way it is presented removes any feeling of info dump or confusion. The only confusion here is the budding Seer's own confusion. See, Elaine is a first-person narrator, so the reader experiences her confusion at the sudden 180 shift in her peaceful and boring life. The information provided to her (and thus the reader) comes in a steady and easily digestible stream, though she finds it frustratingly slow, which is understandable. Personally, I found it was surprisingly easy to keep track of everything.
There are a couple things I want to address. They are concerns I had when I started reading this book. 1.) Will Reddington, Elaine's love interest, would be a hot-seductive-dangerous stereotype, and lack anything else of a personality. 2.) Elaine's clairvoyance would never amount to much, and just serve as a macguffin to make people fight over her and keep her involved in the plot; she herself would just be an observer of the plot.
I have read a book with a similar premise to this: a girl with psychic powers who is involved with secret agent type schemes and whom the villain wants to recruit for her powers. It was one of the worst books I have ever read. Even now, years later, I can remember it clearly, and I use it as the standard for books that deserve an "F" by my grading scale. I am not joking at all. However, with this book, Pendragon's Heir, all of my concerns were unfounded.
Will Reddington has a full-developed character. He has an existence separate from Elaine. He never tries to seduce her, and has his own character arc unfold alongside hers. He has a purpose in the narrative beyond "being an attractive love interest".
Also, Elaine develops her powers over the course of the story, thanks to mentoring by a much older and experienced Seer (so she's not a unique special person either). At the start of the story, Elaine's powers are latent. They manifest as images that superimpose themselves over her literal eyesight. By the climax, she learns multiple uses for them, from spying on enemies to combat clairvoyance. Furthermore, all these uses have clear rules and limitations. So the clairvoyance is never used for an I Just Know sort of situation.
As for being an observer to the plot, defying that idea is part of Elaine's personal conflict throughout the book. All four of her parents (two blood parents and two step-parents), want to keep her away from the fighting, because she is a civilian without training or experience in combat. So she is basically grounded in her father's tower for most of the story and surrounded by his army of robotic knights. She has to endure a good deal of combat training and physical conditioning, bond with her father to develop a level of mutual trust, and execute some covert maneuvers to prevent her caring-but-overprotective father from sidelining her. The climatic chapter is even titled, "Where I refuse to be sidelined no matter what". In other words, Elaine tries very hard to avoid being reduced to an observer.
Did you notice the phrases "father's tower" and "small army of robotic knights"? Yes, those are literal statements. Elaine's blood father is Arthur Keep, an eccentric gazillionaire inventor who is the world's biggest fan of the King Arthur Mythos. Arthur Keep lives in Keep Tower, which is styled like a medieval European fortified tower (albeit with modern construction and technology) and one of his inventions is a type of combat robot who can either become literal armor for a human or move independently. Also, they are named after the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's fatherly petname for Elaine is "princess", because that is basically what she is, legal heir to the Keep Incorporated kingdom.
Aside from that, Arthur Keep is definitely based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Tony Stark. He prefers working in his laboratory to doing anything business-management related, rarely takes anything seriously, is a public superhero in powered armor he invented himself and grabbles with trust issues, except when it comes to his wife, a very professional and business-savy woman to whom he delegates any and all CEO duties, to the point where she IS the CEO of Keep Incorporated. The book was published in 2019, after many MCU movies featuring Iron Man.
The first chapter is a bit slow and boring, but this is a necessity to show the contrast of her life before and after the initiation event of the plot. It is not a "make the protagonist a lowest common denominator" sort of chapter. It is actually more focused on introducing her budding clairvoyance, which becomes immediately relevant. It also leads to my final point.
This is a Like Reality Unless Otherwise Noted sort of fiction story. Just because it takes place in a fictional version of America does not mean that it is exactly like the real life version. At no point does Elaine state that clairvoyance itself is fake/impossible/fiction.
No. Elaine knows that clairvoyance is a real thing. Everyone in her setting, even and including the muggles, know that clairvoyance is a real thing. Superheroes and Fair Folk are real things too. There is no Masquerade at all. It is such a refreshing set up that I have to mention it.
When I was growing up, every single fantasy book I read that took place in the modern day included a Masquerade. Every fantastical thing had to hide from the non-fantasy humans for some reason, or no reason at all. It was some implied rule of fantasy literature that the modern era had to be exactly the same as real life, with all the fantasy elements partitioned into some hidden area. Mixing them was taboo, both in-universe and out. I think it had to do with some meta-idea of the reader "discovering" the hidden fantasy world as they read the story.
That is not the case here. When Elaine protests about having clairvoyance, it is because she doesn't believe that she, herself, has the power of clairvoyance. It is common knowledge in her setting that clairvoyance follows bloodlines, so if neither of your parents are clairvoyant then you aren't either. It is a rational idea, and I prefer it to a protagonist who denies a plainly visible truth (i.e. Flat Earth Atheist).
Aside from all that, it looks good on a technical level. I don't recall much in the way of spelling errors or grammar issues. I give authors more leeway on grammar when they use a first-person narration, because really, how many people think in perfect grammar?
Trickster Eric Novels gives Pendragon's Heir an A+
Anyway, the premise of this book is a schoolgirl discovering that she has inborn powers of clairvoyance when a terrorist organization tries to kidnap her for them. This leads to a Meele a Tois between said terrorist organization (basically the Illuminati), an international crime-fighting organization known as L.A.N.C.E. , and the private army of robots commanded by superhero Arthur Keep. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it?
It it, kind of, but the way it is presented removes any feeling of info dump or confusion. The only confusion here is the budding Seer's own confusion. See, Elaine is a first-person narrator, so the reader experiences her confusion at the sudden 180 shift in her peaceful and boring life. The information provided to her (and thus the reader) comes in a steady and easily digestible stream, though she finds it frustratingly slow, which is understandable. Personally, I found it was surprisingly easy to keep track of everything.
There are a couple things I want to address. They are concerns I had when I started reading this book. 1.) Will Reddington, Elaine's love interest, would be a hot-seductive-dangerous stereotype, and lack anything else of a personality. 2.) Elaine's clairvoyance would never amount to much, and just serve as a macguffin to make people fight over her and keep her involved in the plot; she herself would just be an observer of the plot.
I have read a book with a similar premise to this: a girl with psychic powers who is involved with secret agent type schemes and whom the villain wants to recruit for her powers. It was one of the worst books I have ever read. Even now, years later, I can remember it clearly, and I use it as the standard for books that deserve an "F" by my grading scale. I am not joking at all. However, with this book, Pendragon's Heir, all of my concerns were unfounded.
Will Reddington has a full-developed character. He has an existence separate from Elaine. He never tries to seduce her, and has his own character arc unfold alongside hers. He has a purpose in the narrative beyond "being an attractive love interest".
Also, Elaine develops her powers over the course of the story, thanks to mentoring by a much older and experienced Seer (so she's not a unique special person either). At the start of the story, Elaine's powers are latent. They manifest as images that superimpose themselves over her literal eyesight. By the climax, she learns multiple uses for them, from spying on enemies to combat clairvoyance. Furthermore, all these uses have clear rules and limitations. So the clairvoyance is never used for an I Just Know sort of situation.
As for being an observer to the plot, defying that idea is part of Elaine's personal conflict throughout the book. All four of her parents (two blood parents and two step-parents), want to keep her away from the fighting, because she is a civilian without training or experience in combat. So she is basically grounded in her father's tower for most of the story and surrounded by his army of robotic knights. She has to endure a good deal of combat training and physical conditioning, bond with her father to develop a level of mutual trust, and execute some covert maneuvers to prevent her caring-but-overprotective father from sidelining her. The climatic chapter is even titled, "Where I refuse to be sidelined no matter what". In other words, Elaine tries very hard to avoid being reduced to an observer.
Did you notice the phrases "father's tower" and "small army of robotic knights"? Yes, those are literal statements. Elaine's blood father is Arthur Keep, an eccentric gazillionaire inventor who is the world's biggest fan of the King Arthur Mythos. Arthur Keep lives in Keep Tower, which is styled like a medieval European fortified tower (albeit with modern construction and technology) and one of his inventions is a type of combat robot who can either become literal armor for a human or move independently. Also, they are named after the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's fatherly petname for Elaine is "princess", because that is basically what she is, legal heir to the Keep Incorporated kingdom.
Aside from that, Arthur Keep is definitely based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Tony Stark. He prefers working in his laboratory to doing anything business-management related, rarely takes anything seriously, is a public superhero in powered armor he invented himself and grabbles with trust issues, except when it comes to his wife, a very professional and business-savy woman to whom he delegates any and all CEO duties, to the point where she IS the CEO of Keep Incorporated. The book was published in 2019, after many MCU movies featuring Iron Man.
The first chapter is a bit slow and boring, but this is a necessity to show the contrast of her life before and after the initiation event of the plot. It is not a "make the protagonist a lowest common denominator" sort of chapter. It is actually more focused on introducing her budding clairvoyance, which becomes immediately relevant. It also leads to my final point.
This is a Like Reality Unless Otherwise Noted sort of fiction story. Just because it takes place in a fictional version of America does not mean that it is exactly like the real life version. At no point does Elaine state that clairvoyance itself is fake/impossible/fiction.
No. Elaine knows that clairvoyance is a real thing. Everyone in her setting, even and including the muggles, know that clairvoyance is a real thing. Superheroes and Fair Folk are real things too. There is no Masquerade at all. It is such a refreshing set up that I have to mention it.
When I was growing up, every single fantasy book I read that took place in the modern day included a Masquerade. Every fantastical thing had to hide from the non-fantasy humans for some reason, or no reason at all. It was some implied rule of fantasy literature that the modern era had to be exactly the same as real life, with all the fantasy elements partitioned into some hidden area. Mixing them was taboo, both in-universe and out. I think it had to do with some meta-idea of the reader "discovering" the hidden fantasy world as they read the story.
That is not the case here. When Elaine protests about having clairvoyance, it is because she doesn't believe that she, herself, has the power of clairvoyance. It is common knowledge in her setting that clairvoyance follows bloodlines, so if neither of your parents are clairvoyant then you aren't either. It is a rational idea, and I prefer it to a protagonist who denies a plainly visible truth (i.e. Flat Earth Atheist).
Aside from all that, it looks good on a technical level. I don't recall much in the way of spelling errors or grammar issues. I give authors more leeway on grammar when they use a first-person narration, because really, how many people think in perfect grammar?
Trickster Eric Novels gives Pendragon's Heir an A+
September 18, 2021
3.5/5
What really got me into reading this book was that my local librarian had told me it is an underrated superhero story. Me, being me and loving superheroes in literature I tried to get my hands on it ASAP. The relationship between author and Elaine reminded me of Iron Man and Morgan from Marvel. I loved the main cast, especially Will. This book did have some round blocks though. I loved Elaines power but I felt like the book spent way too much time on the fighting part of being a superhero, rather than the lore. I wanted to know more about these heroes and their history in this world. All I ended up getting was “a daily routine of a superhero’s daughter”. I loved Will and Elaine, I wish it was there was more romance between them. Speaking of romance, author had the part of being the overprotective dad, which kind of got on my nerves. On top of all this, the epilogue seemed super rushed and it was almost a cliffhanger. By the looks of it there won’t be a sequel anytime soon..
What really got me into reading this book was that my local librarian had told me it is an underrated superhero story. Me, being me and loving superheroes in literature I tried to get my hands on it ASAP. The relationship between author and Elaine reminded me of Iron Man and Morgan from Marvel. I loved the main cast, especially Will. This book did have some round blocks though. I loved Elaines power but I felt like the book spent way too much time on the fighting part of being a superhero, rather than the lore. I wanted to know more about these heroes and their history in this world. All I ended up getting was “a daily routine of a superhero’s daughter”. I loved Will and Elaine, I wish it was there was more romance between them. Speaking of romance, author had the part of being the overprotective dad, which kind of got on my nerves. On top of all this, the epilogue seemed super rushed and it was almost a cliffhanger. By the looks of it there won’t be a sequel anytime soon..
August 22, 2020
I was really interested in the premise of the book, but it quickly got very strange. Instead of a slow descent into the more out there aspects of the book, you are immediately confronted with elements that make you scratch your head. I did not enjoy this read
February 15, 2020
Ok read, I wont go on. I needed more backstory. There are superheros? How, why? What do they do? Toss in the King Arthur legend and away we go.
June 22, 2021
Action packed adventure! Interesting mix of knights of the round table with futuristic technology.
August 27, 2021
I enjoyed the premise of this book, and the idea of robot knights inspired by King Arthur's legends was very creative and well thought out. However, the rest of this book, especially the characters, felt generic and flat. Elaine is a cliched heroine, grew up normal, has a secret past with special parentage, has magic powers and is plucked out of her average life by a super-hot, young guy who works for the government. The romance was cheesy and dragged the story down. 3 stars for the great world building, but not for originality. I would still recommend it, but don't expect to be wowed or learn anything. This book is pretty but has no soul.
March 26, 2020
It was fine! At first I was disappointed that it didn't have more connection to actual Arthurian mythology, but it was an enjoyable premise on its own. I could have done with less angst about boys, but yeah, whatever. There were a lot of things I appreciate. But.
BUT.
Y'ALL, THE PUNCTUATION IS ATROCIOUS. sUbOrDiNaTe cLaUsEs nEeD cOmMaS!!!!!!!!
BUT.
Y'ALL, THE PUNCTUATION IS ATROCIOUS. sUbOrDiNaTe cLaUsEs nEeD cOmMaS!!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews