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A World Without Heroes

(Beyonders #1)

Brandon Mull (Goodreads Author)

4.11 · Rating details · 36,134 ratings · 2,960 reviews

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who oppo ...more

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Hardcover, 457 pages

Published March 15th 2011 by Aladdin (first published March 1st 2011)

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Jun 04, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 21th-century, adventure, young-adult, fantasy

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1), brandon mull
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes is a 2011 fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Mull. It is the first in the Beyonders trilogy. Beyonders follows the exploits of a slightly neglected, thirteen-year-old boy, Jason Walker. Jason leads a relatively normal life until one day at the zoo, when he notices strange music coming from the mouth of a hippo. While leaning over the hippo tank's guard rail, he falls in. The hippo swallows him, but A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1), brandon mull
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes is a 2011 fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Mull. It is the first in the Beyonders trilogy. Beyonders follows the exploits of a slightly neglected, thirteen-year-old boy, Jason Walker. Jason leads a relatively normal life until one day at the zoo, when he notices strange music coming from the mouth of a hippo. While leaning over the hippo tank's guard rail, he falls in. The hippo swallows him, but instead of being digested, he's transported to a different world called Lyrian. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و چهارم ماه می سال 2016 میلادی
عنوان: سه گانه ماورایی ها - کتاب 1 - دنیای خالی از قهرمان؛ نویسنده: براندون مول؛ مترجم: سمانه امین پور؛ تهران، آذرباد، 1393، در 544 ص؛ شابک: 9786006225517؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیالی از براندون مول قرن 21 م
ترجمه ای دیگر با همان عنوان و مترجم: فرناز حائری؛ تهران، نشر بهنام، 1393، در 512 ص؛ شابک: 9786007132036؛
ماجرای پسری دانشجو، به نام «جیسون واکر» است؛ که در اوقات فراغتش در یک باغ وحش کار می‌کند. در باغ وحش یک اسب آبی وجود دارد که نمایش اجرا می‌کند. جیسون یک روز متوجه می‌شود که از دهان اسب آبی صدای موسیقی به گوش می‌رسد، به سمت دهان اسب آبی که می‌رود، ناگهان در دهان اسب آبی می‌افتد و به این ترتیب وارد دنیایی کاملا متفاوت به نام «لیریان» می‌شود. در لیریان به افرادی که از جهان دیگری وارد سرزمینشان شوند «ماورایی» می‌گویند. پیشترها مردمان سرزمین لیریان، از مهمانان ماورایی به گرمی پیشواز می‌کردند، اما پس از آنکه امپراطور جادوگری به نام: «مالدور»، به قدرت می‌رسد، اوضاع تغییر می‌کند، و افرادی که به مخالفت با امپراطور برمی‌خیزند، شکنجه شده، کشته می‌شوند. جیسون در سرزمین لیریان، با دختری به نام: «ریچل»، آشنا می‌شود، که او نیز به طور مرموزی از دنیای جیسون، به سرزمین لیریان رفته است، آن دو باهم همسفر شده، تصمیم می‌گیرند به کمک چند تن از مخالفان امپراطور، به جستجوی واژه‌ ای جادویی بپردازند؛ که قدرت نابودی امپراطور ستمگر را دارد؛ و لیریان را از چنگ مالدرو ستمگر نجات میدهد. ... نقل از متن: «شاهزاده با سری افتاده برای دقیقه‌ ای ساکت ماند. بعد از آنهمه نقشه کشیدن، تمرین، مقاومت و عهد جسورانه‌ ای که با خودش بسته بود، شکست خورده بود! آن کلمه را به یک طعمه گفته بود! حتی احتمال تقلب را حدس زده بود، ولی دست‌ آخر مالدور فریبش داده بود. نابودش کرده بود، درست مثل بقیه‌ ی دشمنانش. امید و ایمانی برای شاهزاده باقی نمانده بود. شاید باید تسلیم سرنوشت می‌شد. نمی‌دانست چقدر می‌توانست در آن فضای وصف‌ ناپذیر دوام بیاورد؛ بی‌آنکه عقلش را از دست بدهد. شاهزاده سرش را بالا برد: من هرگز بهت خدمت نخواهم کرد. تو من رو شکست دادی، ولی هیچوقت مالک من نمی‌شی. این سخنان را به آنهایی که جانشان را به خاطرش از دست داده بودند، مدیون بود. این سخنان را به خودش مدیون بود. نابود شدن یک چیز بود، تسلیم شدن چیز دیگر، و بدین ترتیب دست‌ کم تسلیم نشده بود.» پایان نقل از متن. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Younger readers and adults who appreciate young people fantasy

Shelves: audiobook, fish-out-of-water, quest, 2011-reading, middle-grade-juvenile, wizard-warlock-sorcerer, fantasy, alternate-dimension-or-world, library-checkout

A World Without Heroes is a 'grew on me' book. Initially, I was not sure I liked the tone at all. At first, I thought it would read more like a Disney film than a weighty young adult fantasy novel with potential. As I listened, my feelings started to change. The idea is not new, but the in- between steps of the journey proved interesting. While I am not extensively well read, not in the least, in epic fantasy, I appreciate the quest as a foundation for a story. Fairy tales (which I am very well- A World Without Heroes is a 'grew on me' book. Initially, I was not sure I liked the tone at all. At first, I thought it would read more like a Disney film than a weighty young adult fantasy novel with potential. As I listened, my feelings started to change. The idea is not new, but the in- between steps of the journey proved interesting. While I am not extensively well read, not in the least, in epic fantasy, I appreciate the quest as a foundation for a story. Fairy tales (which I am very well-read in) have a long, extensive history of putting your average, everyday (even if they are just a down on their luck prince or princess) hero in a situation where they have to survive by their wits and a little help, and achieve a certain objective. Quest stories usually make for good reading.

That's what Jason faces. He ends up entering a magical world in the strangest of ways, and I won't say how. Believe me, it's very strange. Initially, he just wants to get home, and he struggles to make sense of this bizarre land he's entered. The thing about this book that makes it worthwhile is the characterization. Without having a main character that drew interest and loyalty, this book wouldn't have worked for me. It might have come off as trite. Although I have to say that Mr. Mull is an inventive fellow, the major pull of this story was hearing about Jason's reactions to the many misfortunes and difficult situations he faces in this novel. I like that Jason is a normal kid. He's not overly brilliant (although he is quite intelligent), athletic (although he does play baseball), perceptive, or magical in the least. But he is determined and brave, and resourceful. And his sense of humor, often verging on ironic and sarcastic, really appealed. More than anything, Jason made this book appealing to me.

The secondary characters are good too. You see a mix of folks. Some of them have very weird characteristics, such as the ability to detach their body parts at will. Others have the gift of immortality due to a cyst-like seed on the back of their necks that can be planted in soil in the event of their demise to allow them to be reborn as adults. Of course, there are plain old humans, all with distinct quirks. There is a tortured, deposed King who reminded me very strongly of King Arthur (post-Camlan). I liked him a lot. There is also an evil wizard to beat the band, truly not a nice man at all. And there is also a fellow Beyonder (from Earth). A young girl--Rachel--who also entered this strange world, and who makes a very helpful companion to Jason. She has her own list of skills and a different personality than Jason that complements him as a character. Admittedly, some of these characters show more depth than others, as most of this book is spent passing through various places and on to the next adventure. Some act as allies and friends to the two Beyonders, and some as formidable foes that the two kids must outwit to achieve their goals.

Earlier I mentioned the strange tone. This book is full of weirdness. To me that's not a bad thing. It elevated this book from being okay to being interesting and one I wanted to keep listening to. The narrator's choice of different vocal stylings for various characters added to the strange flavor in a good way.

I've had the discussion with others about how contentious some readers can be towards young adult/juvenile fiction and downright dismissive of its writers. In my opinion, it takes a lot of work to craft a book for younger readers. It takes some restraint and creativity to write a story that will attract their attention without going over the line into unsuitability. I can see that Mr. Mull faced that challenge here. I'm uncertain as to where I would place this book as far as rating it for young readers. The tone seems a bit adult, with some subject matter that is quite violent and intense in parts. On the other hand, some elements are approached on the surface level so as to appeal to a younger reader; this might turn off an older, more exacting reader. This story deals with the themes of tyranny, corrupt leadership and governmental organization. The people of this magical land face an emperor who is wholly evil, one whose evil has tainted the whole land, having destroyed, seduced, or attenuated all of his enemies. Like any country with corrupt leadership, the whole society seems on the brink of ruin in many ways, with injustice fairly rampant. Mr. Mull touches on these aspects in a way that I feel is accessible to a younger reader. An older reader who appreciates young adult/children's literature will likely see this story in a slightly deeper way and still find some resonance. Mull has a character make a statement that a man comes of age at twelve in this world, and I kept reminding myself of that fact as Jason seems to be put into situations that seemed much too mature, and he is expected for the most part to comport himself as a man. And I can say that as a young adventure-loving girl many years ago, I had that wish that I would be called upon to embark on a great quest and find myself in situations that demanded great heroism and fortitude from me (as an adult I now wish I was still a carefree kid with that life that seemed too normal and boring somedays). So I imagine this book would resonate with a pre-teen or a young teen who has those sort of ideals.

As an adult, I found the use of vocabulary impressive. I think this one is good for kids in the sense that it would encourage them to look up a lot of words. I think kids would also like the creepy, crawly, icky parts, and the adventure aspects. Kids will also appreciate the humor and the snark of Jason and Rachel and some of the other characters as they interact with them, particularly the quirky ones; and how they see the world as regular kids from our own world. Kids should be able to easily put themselves in both Jason and Rachel's shoes, and appreciate this story from the standpoint of all the strange situations, often uncomfortable and frightening, that these two Beyonders face. It probably would make for an exciting read for them. Some adult readers, especially those who don't care for literature for younger readers, probably won't find much of interest here. Especially if they consider themselves exacting when it comes to fantasy literature. For myself, I try to take each book as its own entity and appreciate the unique elements therein. In this case, I did like this book, and I found it worthwhile reading, although not spectacular. It has some interesting, funny, and strange bits that worked for me.

This is the first book in a series, and I will need to seek out the next story. I want to see what Jason and Rachel will face in the next installment. And what Mull can come up with to further this story.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars. ...more

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Aug 12, 2010 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, first-in-a-serie, finished-series, five-star-rating, read-2012, multiple-narratives

There are so many disappointing YA books lately, ever since the genre has grown so rapidly within a very short period of time. It almost seems like authors are writing books with only a stroke of a pencil. Not thinking hard enough. The plots are forgettable, unintelligent and always comes with an uncomfortable threesome.

Which is why I have turned my back to them for now and concentrating on "novel" and "Middle Grade lit".

This book had one of the most imaginative and amazing first chapter I hav ...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, fantasy

Let me say...I liked Harry Potter. Garth Nix, most of his books I enjoy greatly. I have read a lot of YA books that I really enjoyed.

This isn't one of them.

While I can't say I hate this book or anything like that, I don't even intensely dislike it, mostly, I was just glad to get through it. I'd call this more of a juvenile book than a YA or even a Youth book. The characters in the book, the relationships in the book all are just very young.

I mean let's face it. Our Hero gets to the magical land ...more

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Nov 23, 2013 Connor rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade

My Video Review:
https://youtu.be/WPFQmWqWAy8

2019: I'm leaving my rating at four stars from when I originally read it in 2013. I'm happy I decided my first novel of 2019 would be a reread of a series I really enjoy. I Plan to film a review of this when I get back home in a couple of weeks, so I'll post it here when all of that is done. I still really enjoyed this. I think it being his first written novel (not first published) peaks through in a couple of places, but I love Lyrian the most out of ...more

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May 26, 2017 Kristalia rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, dark, age-mature-young-adult, made-me-smile-or-laugh, dark-so-daaark, favorite-series, type-trilogy, own-physical-copy, me-likey-mucho, i-didnt-sleep-cause-i-read-this

Final rating: 4.25/5 stars
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.75/5 stars

I loved it. I finished it in a day.

Great worldbuilding, fantastic villain, and a world with no heroes. Literally.

Basically, as the name says, there is only one ruler, he's a mage, the last one, and he conquered everything. Instead of killing his enemies, he makes examples of them, or spares them in blissful prison, or he throws them into the cruel ones, or he ask them to join him. No killing unless necessary. No maps, a ...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade, own

Dang, but Brandon Mull's imagination is a weird place! In this first book in a new trilogy, he's created some of the most truly inventive and fascinating flora and fauna I've ever seen! Displacers, Seed People, three tailed rats whose kidneys taste like dessert . . . okay that last one made me gag a bit. But apparently our hero, Jason, liked it, so who am I to argue? And speaking of Jason, what a great lead character, a perfect depiction of the average jr. high age boy, thrown into this crazy ne ...more

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Nov 24, 2016 Jerecho rated it liked it

Want to be transported to another world? Just work in the zoo and be eaten by the hippopotamus...

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Jun 25, 2018 Kristen rated it liked it

Shelves: middlegrade

This was good! On to book 2.

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Mar 30, 2011 Matt rated it liked it

I'm normally a big fan of Mull's work. Especially the awesome Fablehaven series. He manages to ground the fantasy in realistic, honest characters...which is just the thing that's missing from the first book in the Beyonders series.

The story behind the Beyonders is interesting, but he plops a couple of characters into the action with essentially no exposition. We don't know the characters, we don't care about them, and we're not invested in their success or failure.

Beyond that, the story feels l ...more

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Apr 10, 2018 Tina ➹ the girl who lives in Fandoms rated it liked it

Shelves: reviews, 2018, favorite

2.5 Stars

it was okay. & boring sometimes. (I think it deserves more than 2 stars tho, so I give it 3)
I actually expected it be more young adult, by adult characters (judging by that interesting the prologue), but then I figured out it was middle grade & reminded me kind of Lord of the Rings in that field.
I had more expectations because of that chapter (which made me shocked when I saw this categorized as a middle grade) but all was going very plain & slow after that. it was more like a tour to s ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Amber rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dollar-tree-books

Jason Weaver is your average 13 year old in middle school. When he accidentally falls in the hippo tank at his volunteer job at the zoo and is eaten, he ends up in a brand new world called Lyrian where his adventure is about to begin. Can he save this new world and survive in it? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good read that I got at the dollar tree for $1 and am looking forward to checking the rest of this trilogy at my local library since this is my first book I have read ...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Heather rated it liked it

I LOVED Fablehaven, so was excited to see a new Brandon Mull book.

But I was disappointed that this was no Fablehaven. The book redeems itself in the end, and I am genuinely looking forward to a sequel, but my goodness the first third of this book is as bad as I've ever read. Besides a choppy pace and a character we know almost nothing about (and therefore care nothing about), the editor let sentences like, "He extended his hand probingly" and "The sand stopped his submergence." get by. Is 'subme ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 JJ rated it really liked it

Shelves: brandon-mull

4.3 stars, so, almost 5. Brandon Mull again proves to be worth being one of my favorite fantasy writers :), shoulder to shoulder with Brandon Sanderson, J.K. Rowling, Pat Rothfuss, and company. I will continue the series, of course. Here I come, Beyonders #2! Stay tuned for a review.

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Oct 30, 2012 Raechella rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, book-series, fantasy

To be honest, I haven’t read anything from Brandon Mull yet, notwithstanding his well-known children’s series Fablehaven (which I certainly would like to check out some time), not until Beyonders: A World Without Heroes. I’ve been seeing this on GR for a while now, so imagine my exhilaration as soon as I found this on Booksale’s crammed shelves; thus, I momentarily purchased it without any second thoughts.

The story kicks off when a 13-year old middle-grader, Jason, heard an unusual sound coming To be honest, I haven’t read anything from Brandon Mull yet, notwithstanding his well-known children’s series Fablehaven (which I certainly would like to check out some time), not until Beyonders: A World Without Heroes. I’ve been seeing this on GR for a while now, so imagine my exhilaration as soon as I found this on Booksale’s crammed shelves; thus, I momentarily purchased it without any second thoughts.

The story kicks off when a 13-year old middle-grader, Jason, heard an unusual sound coming from a hippo tank. He eventually realized that the strange sound was taking place inside the hippo’s mouth. And as curiosity killed the cat, Jason probed the tank and accidentally plunged straight into the hippo’s mouth, finding himself in a peculiar world very different from our own. Not a very appealing magical portal, eh? In this foreign world, which native folks call Lyrian, he also met a Beyonder named Rachel. Together, with the aid of helpful friends and allies, these Beyonders embarked on a perilous quest to recover the syllables for the solitary word that could defeat the evil emperor Maldor.

The hippo thingy as an enchanted aperture from our world to Lyrian is quite an ingenious device of fascinating readers—if not disgusting to some extent. Haha. Brandon Mull certainly established an interesting introduction to the world of Lyrian that greeted readers with a widening awe. Add to that the imaginative fabrication of characters that will amazingly capture every reader’s curiosity such as the displacers who can detach their body parts to function single-handedly then mend themselves back again, the Amar Kabal or People of the Seed who can live numerous of lives by replanting their seeds on the ground, carnivorous toads, constriptors, a blood-thirsty crab, and a whole lot more. Mull isn’t likewise afraid of killing off a few characters that had slightly impinged upon every reader’s heart and unpredictable character twists that I didn’t really see coming; or perhaps I’m just seriously slow-witted. LOL. Every chapter is chock-full of action and unnecessarily repetitive to the previous chapters; hence, readers get to taste a manifold of page-turning scenes without getting any familiarity.

I do not have a problem with the length whatsoever but some scenes just dragged on too long—I think the story would’ve been polished more without them. In the case of middle-graders, to whom this book was really intended for, I believe the length would be a challenge to them but think of the fulfillment you’ll earn otherwise; that would be quite worthwhile.

Gory scenes weren’t spared in here which would not be very welcoming for kids but they weren’t graphic enough to be that horribly gruesome. But still, recommended to older ones.

And because Rick Riordan gave a review on this book, I cannot refrain myself from comparing this to his Percy Jackson books. I don’t know why, but seeing his name on the cover gave me an idea. Haha. The main protagonists in here reminds me of the two main protagonists in the PJ books—Percy and Annabeth. Both Percy and Jason were geek kids who suddenly turned out to be heroes, while Annabeth and Rachel encompass the all-knowing female characters. There is also an oracle here and the quest reminded me much of Percy’s quests. Coincidences or not, my mind is certainly tainted with much PJ stuff.

I’ve seen a lot of lucky chances that befell on the protagonists all throughout the book. At times, it was considerably fine but a myriad of these can be quite irritating, too. They were totally doomed in a moment, but then a new character emerges and rescues them. And what with all of the things that they had encountered and lost already, Rachel still has her camera? Ugh.

My worst complain so far is the anti-climactic denouement. I’ve been placidly bearing to finally finish this 450-page book and then I get that? Screw you. (I didn’t really mean that last part.)

Overall, it was still a nice read despite some of my horrible remarks. If you’re a fantasy buff, you might as well try this one.
...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Michelle Isenhoff rated it liked it · review of another edition

I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with this book. It took me a week to really give it a chance. I thought the writing style rather rough, with awkward word choices and excessive adjectives and adverbs. But as I moved into the heart of the adventure, I became hooked. Once I really started, I finished it in just two days, and it’s a 450 page book. Here’s what got me:

Jason Walker happened upon the strangest portal between worlds ever. After an episode involving a hippopotamus and the musical I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with this book. It took me a week to really give it a chance. I thought the writing style rather rough, with awkward word choices and excessive adjectives and adverbs. But as I moved into the heart of the adventure, I became hooked. Once I really started, I finished it in just two days, and it’s a 450 page book. Here’s what got me:

Jason Walker happened upon the strangest portal between worlds ever. After an episode involving a hippopotamus and the musical group The Giddy Nine (you’ll have to read about it on your own), he found himself in Lyrian where he stumbles upon The Book of Salzared. “Be cautioned, Reader,” the book warns. “Some knowledge can never be unlearned. Such is the secret contained herein. Proceed only in defiance of this gravest warning, for the dire words that follow will set You in opposition to Maldor evermore.”

Jason keeps reading, and he’s handed a quest: find all six syllables of the word that will destroy Maldor, the evil wizard who holds all Lyrian in his power. “By reading these words You have nominated Yourself to recover the Key Word, the only hope of deposing my Lord and Tyrant. Move swiftly. The knowledge You now possess marks You for prompt execution. The first syllable is “a.” Now depart! Let not my sacrifice be in vain. Away!”

Brandon Mull may not be the smoothest writer, but he’s infinitely creative! Jason is aided by a “displacer” a wizardborn race who can remove their body parts and reconnect them at will, and by an Amar Kabal, a race that can die and grow anew from a seed at the base of their skull. He’s hunted by manglers, conscriptors, even a torivor, and he must duel an evil nobleman to the death with billiard balls. But with the help of another Beyonder named Rachel (from Washington), he perseveres. Ever he looks for a way home, but he also keeps in mind the words of Galloran, the noble Blind King who challenged Maldor and failed, “heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences.” Lyrian’s quest becomes his own.

On the downside, A World Without Heroes contains several bloody moments. Jason has undertaken a quest that sets him in opposition to a great evil, and there are casualties. Also, the book begins with the sounds of torture echoing through Maldor’s dungeon and with Galloran’s memories of suffering (both instrumental in turning me off). And The Book of Salzared is a little gruesome, bound with that man’s warm, living flesh and inscribed with his blood. Other than these squeamish moments, the book is clean, unobjectionable and infinitely intriguing.

In conclusion, I’ve never before recommended a book that took me five days to dig into. Yet after hating the first chapter or two, I fell in love with Mr. Mull’s imagination. I give his story a hearty thumbs up. 10+

The next two installments in The Beyonders series are due out in spring 2012 and spring 2013.
...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Librarysteph rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: teen boys, fans of adventure and fantasy, baseball fans,

Recommended to Librarysteph by: Simon & Schuster Canada

Shelves: high-fantasy

This is a fantastic book of adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls. Jason’s quest is interesting and full of cool creatures and characters. From the very first quote, full of irony, I knew I would enjoy Mull’s sense of humour. There was a chapter near the end of the book where I was laughing out loud in fits of giggles because it was so ridiculous and awesome.
I have mixed feelings about an enemy who has the power to kill instantly but prefers to toy with his victims. This is overly co This is a fantastic book of adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls. Jason’s quest is interesting and full of cool creatures and characters. From the very first quote, full of irony, I knew I would enjoy Mull’s sense of humour. There was a chapter near the end of the book where I was laughing out loud in fits of giggles because it was so ridiculous and awesome.
I have mixed feelings about an enemy who has the power to kill instantly but prefers to toy with his victims. This is overly convenient, like the bad guy who tells the hero the whole plan allowing him the chance to succeed. On the other hand I like devious villains who go for more than the obvious kill….
I’m concerned that this book is not being marketed to the right age group. The ARC indicates it’s for ages 8-12 but I strongly disagree with this for several reasons
• The vocabulary: I enjoyed the language, that sounded a lot more academic and sophisticated than many YA novels but I don’t know many 8 year-olds who know “engendered”, “endeavor”, “embittered”, “laced” as in poisoned, “meandered”, “auditory hallucination” and many more challenging words. I found the diction to be more appropriate to older teens or adults, certainly not 10 and under. With the exception of “super-cool” that was thrown in a few times and felt awkward and out-of-place, I thought the writing was smooth and elegant. Unfortunately throwing in the “super-cool” just seemed like trying too hard and didn’t accomplish making the book accessible to that audience.
• The violence: The book begins with a man being tortured. I think middle age novels can have some violence and a dose of reality but I think a lot of parents will object to their children reading about people being tortured to the point of breaking, even if the torture is not described in detail. I was having mord-sith flashbacks from Terry Goodkind’s novels and those are NOT FOR KIDS!
• Mature themes: addiction, gluttony and complacency were beautifully demonstrated. I loved the line, “most pleasures are best as a seasoning, not the main course”. The trouble is that I think a slightly older age group would better understand the addiction and apathy aspects of the novel.
An aspect of the book that appealed to my nerdy side was the power of words. The tyrant ruled by preventing learning and forbidding the organization of information (like drawing maps). I think his limitations on learning were more effective than his violence, and I am fascinated by this as one who promotes learning and sorting of info.
I did not have anything in common with the loremaster. I don’t understand how a librarian can believe that a text handed down from unknown origins is more credible than one with a known author. He said they were harder to dismiss but I disagree, if I don’t know who the author is I question the validity of anything in the material (when it comes to non-fiction). I like to know the education, work history ect. of a historian before I believe what he/she writes, and I would certainly not trust anonymous more than a specific source. I also disliked that he made the library inaccessible on purpose to make sure only serious scholars would come.
I would recommend this to teens, especially boys who like baseball, biology, or adventure stories. I would caution about the age discrepancies though, and put it in the YA section of my library rather than JR.

...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Erik This Kid Reviews Books rated it it was amazing

Thirteen year old Jason had a very unexciting life. He was just like any other teenager. He went to school and worked part-time at a zoo after school. One day, Jason thought he heard music coming from the hippo’s mouth (yes you read it right, music from a hippo’s mouth). When he leaned over the railing to investigate he thought the music was coming from INSIDE the hippo. He leaned too much and fell into the hippo’s mouth which wasn’t really any hippo’s mouth but a doorway to the world of Lyrian. ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Biz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: recs-strong-women, fantasy, all-time-favorite-series, smurfette-syndrome, five-star, underrated-series, reviews-im-pleased-with, auto-buy-authors

Audiobook readthrough review:

holy shit everyone who told me the audiobooks for beyonders suck literally were not joking,,, rip but this is still my all time favorite series and my review is yet to come

--

I literally have been working on a full-series review of Beyonders for a month, and finished it tonight. buuuuut when I pasted it into the review box, it was, like, twice the length that goodreads allows?? I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating but it's almost 12 pages on word and the longest thi ...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Cheri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s, wishlist

I just finished the advanced reading copy of Beyonders A World Without Heroes. This was a fast paced read, very hard to put down. The book will not be released until March 22, 2011. Although this book is geared for middle readers, it will be enjoyed by all ages from young to old. Brandon Mull is a great writer. I am a big fan of Fablehaven but I think this new series may just top Fablehaven, I can't wait for the next book in the series!!! ...more

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Jan 12, 2021 Kacie rated it liked it

2.5 stars rounded up because the ending surprised me :P

Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with this book. Most notable were the annoying characters, questionable word choices and speaking in general, the narrator, and of course: 14 year olds on a quest to save the world!

First off, the characters: When I first met Rachel, she was sooooo annoying. And so was Jason towards her and in their interactions. Rachel was slightly--ok a lot concerned (putting it mildly)--about justice, fairness, and wom 2.5 stars rounded up because the ending surprised me :P

Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with this book. Most notable were the annoying characters, questionable word choices and speaking in general, the narrator, and of course: 14 year olds on a quest to save the world!

First off, the characters: When I first met Rachel, she was sooooo annoying. And so was Jason towards her and in their interactions. Rachel was slightly--ok a lot concerned (putting it mildly)--about justice, fairness, and women's rights. While that's great and all, the way she went about it was to the point of absolutely bugging me to the point that I didn't like her. That being said, I feel like she had some good character growth throughout the book. Jason for the most part was okay but he made one comment that rankled me. He said "That's the problem with homeschoolers. They haven't learned how to interact with their peers." ;-; Thanks a lot Mull, jump on the bandwagon of stereotyping homeschoolers. Sure, it's for the purpose of the book and the characters, since Rachel was homeschooled, but it still bothered me a lot. Being homeschooled for most of my life, I don't appreciate comments like this because they're not true. It's not true! At least for most homeschoolers. I think it depends on the individual person. Not the group. Individuals in public school all their life may act like the "stereotypical homeschooler." I guess Mull used this comment and Jason and Rachel's bickering to start the road of their growth as friends. Of course, Jason comes to understand Rachel, Rachel comes to understand Jason, and they become really really good friends. I'd hope so since they come face to face with death almost every day!

Next, the questionable word choice and overall speaking: Disclaimer, this is all just a matter of opinion. Some people may love this style of writing, and that's great! It just wasn't for me. Now I understand that the purpose was probably to set apart this strange world that Jason gets dropped into (quite literally), but the way the people interacted in the book was just....weird to me. Let me give a few examples: "Bringing urgent tidings." "...had perished." "Elected to join him." To me it felt like Mull was either trying a little too hard, or he was writing with Thesaurus by his side XD. I guess that's just how he chose how to portray the Lyrians' way of speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. Waaaaay on the other side of the spectrum is 14 year old Jason saying things like the room was full of "super cool weapons." Super. Cool. Weapons. I have never had such a bland description in my life!

I feel bad not liking the narrator, but I didn't. I can't imagine how many hours he put into this book, as well as Brandon Mull of course, so I definitely commend them for this book. The narration is just another matter of opinion. I felt like some of the inflections were incorrect for the situations presented. Even though this narrator wasn't for me, I'm so grateful for everyone who puts so much work into audiobooks so that I can listen to them at work when I'm doing mindless tasks :P

And of course, we have our 14 year old heroes!! Woohooo!! No. No. Yes, this is middle-grade/YA, and yes, books need to be written for certain audiences, but it's just a little too much for me when this 14 year old comes in and is able to accomplish what no other person in the world could succeed in. What's more, in one of the situations, he figured the problem out in like 3 seconds. Sometimes this bothers me more than others, but it was just a little too much in The Beyonders. He definitely didn't act like an 8th grader. And I mean, getting suddenly shoved into a new world, he's going to have to make some hard, mature decisions. But still, I think it was a little too easy based on his age and experience (or lack thereof). That's why I prefer reading middle grade contemporary over middle grade fantasy; it's a little more realistic and believable.

Ok so I've rambled enough about everything I dislike about this book, I'd better also talk about what I did like! I liked the concept of the story. It was really unique. I liked the ending a lot--I didn't really expect it. I liked all of Jason's and Rachel's companion travelers, especially Ferrin. He was such a morally flawed character that he was almost likable XD. (I was kind of disturbed by the detaching body parts.....especially the heads....but that's besides the point). I definitely thought the book got better as it went along. Despite my rating, I'm definitely going to listen to the rest of the books because I really need to know what happens--especially after that cliffhanger!! I'm dying to know!!

Sorry for my very long and likely tedious review, but if you got to this point then thank you for sticking around:P And of course, happy reading everyone! ...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Shannon rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, the-sweeping-epic, books-reviewed, young-adult-fiction

MINI-REVIEW: Disappointing.

A rehash of the familiar fantasy stories of a kingdom in peril and that people from our world need to save it.

Although I loved Mull's FABLEHAVEN series I won't be continuing with this one. Too many other stories to read.

OVERALL GRADE: C to C plus. ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 ~TARDIS_Erin~ rated it it was amazing

OH MY GOD I loved this book! It kept me on edge the whole time with all its twists and turns!!! Highly recommended this and any other books by Brandon Mull

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Apr 08, 2017 Donna Weaver rated it it was amazing

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

MY TAKE
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator does a much better job than the one who did the Fablehaven series. Those audiobooks are a total pass, but the books were very fun.

Now, for this series. It's middle grade, so the main character Jason is only 13. MG isn't my normal genre of preference, but Mull does a great job with his characterization and makes me care about his characters. This series begins with a darker tone than the Fablehaven series did, and I think I liked it better for the seriousness.

I really liked Jason and Rachel. They poked at each other a bit in the beginning, but got to rely and trust each other. The ending is cliffhangerish, but not the kind that had me throwing the book against a wall. It may have helped to know that I already had the next two books in the series. I'm usually death on cliffhangers, but the story had enough resolution that it didn't make me angry.

I think one of the story's strengths is the secondary characters. You might be introduced to a character early on, like Tark, who turns out to have a lot more to him than you originally thought. I liked how that gave these secondary characters depth.

4 1/2 stars ...more

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Aug 21, 2020 Kate added it

Shelves: book-sort-2020

HAHAHAHA OK I LEGITIMATELY THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK ALL THE TIME

not only did it really disappoint me after reading fablehaven and the candy shop war, but the main character??? his dad wants him to be a dentist? he's like thirteen and he feels trapped because his dad wants him to be a DENTIST and go into the family dentistry profession and he's like, "no, dad, i want to be a zoologist" and then he gets SWALLOWED BY A HIPPO and taken to another world.

what.

i think at some point there is purple frui ...more

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Oct 15, 2016 Kimberly Bartholomew rated it it was amazing

Jason, a 13-year-old boy with the love of baseball, led a pretty normal life, but when he heard music coming out of a hippopotamus, his whole world was turned upside down. He wasn't going crazy or hearing things because of a concussion he had gotten from hitting his head with a baseball, the music was coming from a completely different world. Leaning forward to investigate, Jason fell into the hippopotamus’ mouth, and landed in the middle of the forest.
Finding help from a strange lore master, Jason, a 13-year-old boy with the love of baseball, led a pretty normal life, but when he heard music coming out of a hippopotamus, his whole world was turned upside down. He wasn't going crazy or hearing things because of a concussion he had gotten from hitting his head with a baseball, the music was coming from a completely different world. Leaning forward to investigate, Jason fell into the hippopotamus’ mouth, and landed in the middle of the forest.
Finding help from a strange lore master, Jason discovered the first syllable to a dangerous word that was supposedly the only thing that could destroy the evil wizard who rules most of Lyrian. Unbeknownst to Jason, knowledge of the syllable was more dangerous than he assumed, and he was forced to leave the Repository of Learning to find the mysterious Blind King. Upon arriving at the disappointing ruin of the castle, Jason learns that he wasn't the only Beyonder on Lyrian. In fact, Rachel, a girl his age, had accidentally wound up in Lyrian on the same day as Jason. Coincidence? I think not. Galloran, the Blind King, didn't think so either. Knowing that finding the word was the only way to keep Jason and Rachel safe from Maldor, Galloran sent them off. Jason wasn't so sure he was the hero of the Lyrians were looking for, so Galloran said,
“So many misconceptions surround the notion of heroism. Far too many categorize a hero as a champion on the battlefield, a commander of legions, a master of rare talent or ability. Granted, there have been heroes who fit those descriptions. But many men of great evil as well. Heed me. A hero sacrifices for the greater good. A hero is true to his or her conscience. In short, heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences. Although any person could fit that description, very few do. Choose this day to be one of them.”
This was very important for the storyline because, obviously, anyone is going to be a little self-conscious (especially when the fate of the whole world rests in your hands), and this was a driving force for Jason. Of course, he also wanted to get home, but he knew that it is always better to choose the harder right than the easier wrong. I think that was what Brandon Mull was trying to say. Even if you are afraid, you need to have the courage to stand up for what's right. In this case, it was trying to take down a huge, evil wizard, but it doesn't always have to be as big as that. It could be standing up for your religion, or facing a bully. Really, those are both just as big. Either way, we always need to do the right thing regardless of the consequences.
Jason and Rachel had to go on a huge adventure to find the word, but when we face our problems, the biggest adventure we probably have is with in ourselves. I think this book was a great metaphor for life. Not only was it a captivating story, it had many moral and physical dilemmas that took intuition, wit, and great wisdom to overcome. I loved this book, and although it left off with a HUGE cliffhanger, I found it to be very intriguing, and it had very well-rounded plot. Jason was given the choice of paradise or prison, and he was able to resist temptation because he knew what was right. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure, because, trust me, this book is full of adventure. It had a great balance of action, traveling, and dialogue. I think it had a great pace, and I don't feel it had any boring sections. It was definitely worth reading. This book was so amazing that the ending was so surprising and unexpected that I almost dropped the book, and endings almost never surprise me. I can't wait to finish the series, and find out what happens to Jason and his friends. ...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Daniel (Attack of the Books!) Burton rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, juvinile-fiction, adolescent-fiction

Exciting, clever, and perfectly suited for the twelve-year old boy in your home, A World Without Heroes is the first of three in Brandon Mull's Beyonder series.

The Goodreads blurb for A World Without Heroes is pretty blase and underwhelming, summarizing a plot that sounds not unlike a dozen other adolescent books. A child or teen, at a crossroads in life, stumbles upon a portal or passageway to another world. Adventures ensue. A way home is found, the child older and wiser.

For example, try C.S Exciting, clever, and perfectly suited for the twelve-year old boy in your home, A World Without Heroes is the first of three in Brandon Mull's Beyonder series.

The Goodreads blurb for A World Without Heroes is pretty blase and underwhelming, summarizing a plot that sounds not unlike a dozen other adolescent books. A child or teen, at a crossroads in life, stumbles upon a portal or passageway to another world. Adventures ensue. A way home is found, the child older and wiser.

For example, try C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, or even, if you will, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J.M. Barry and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

And that's not counting anything else written in the last half a century, like Neil Gaimen's Coraline or Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Fortunately, Mull's story avoids falling victim to the cliches created by a century of the genre, obliterates the blurb and unfolds into a tale that both entertains and satisfies. Perfectly designed for both the young and the young at heart, Mull's first installment in the Beyonders series starts slow as it builds its characters, then picks up speed as both the plot and stakes climb to exciting levels.

Jason Walker is star pitcher for his baseball team, a good student, is nursing a crush on a cute girl, and has the fortune to volunteer for the local zoo. Fortune, that is, until one day a strange moment at the hippo cage ends with him sliding through a magical portal to another world: Lyrian.

It doesn't take long for Jason to figure out that the people of Lyrian are under the thumb of a malevolent master, the evil wizard-emperor Maldor. Almost by accident, he sets himself on a path to defeat the wizard, and, with the help of another girl from our world, will find himself fighting strange and fantastical creatures and people to end the Maldor's cruel reign.

Starting off slow, A World Without Heroes grew on me with each chapter and plot twist. By the time Jason reaches the apex of his quest, I knew that Mull had me.

While A World Without Heroes is aimed at teen or pre-teen boys, the story has a little something for everyone in the family. More, Mull keeps it clean, making it a great pick to read aloud. ...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-magic, 2020, 2012, young-adult, audio

I read this book for the second time because I needed a refresher before I read Book #2. It was a good thing too, because I realized that I had forgotten so much. I didn't even really remember the biggest point of the story - the climax - until I was nearly done.

Second time through was still fun. I was a little impatient, though, because I was anxious to start the second book. Therefore, I didn't find it as fascinating as the first time, but still enjoyable. Still leaving it with a four star ra I read this book for the second time because I needed a refresher before I read Book #2. It was a good thing too, because I realized that I had forgotten so much. I didn't even really remember the biggest point of the story - the climax - until I was nearly done.

Second time through was still fun. I was a little impatient, though, because I was anxious to start the second book. Therefore, I didn't find it as fascinating as the first time, but still enjoyable. Still leaving it with a four star rating.

The story is about 13 year olds, but they did not act like 13 year-olds, at least not any I know. In the end, I was grateful for this because, lets be honest, 13 year-olds can be overly obnoxious.

Excited to start the second book!

1st Review: (March 28, 2011) I loved this new series by the author of Fablehaven. I'm just sad that I have to wait till next year for the next installment. While I don't love it as much as I love Fablehaven, it is still a page-turner and I relished every word.

I was surprised by the ending of the story, totally not what I was expecting, but perfect. The characters are likable and the world they live in is believable and fascinating. The book compiles timeless values of heroism, adventure and loyalty in a dynamic plot. I loved the unique and unpredictable perils faced by Rachel and Jason and the fact that it was their bravery combined with the help of friends that pulled them through. We can't go through life alone.

Review #2 - March 2020
I randomly decided to listen to this audiobook when I saw it on the available list. It took me a very long time to get through. I even had to return in and then put it back on hold. Some parts were fun and I couldn't stop listening. Other parts just seemed to drag on. I'm not sure I'll finish out the series.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 26, 2014 Mairéad (is roaming the Undying Lands) rated it it was ok

{December 8th, 2014} MINI-REVIEW

“In short, heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences.”

2.5 stars (ouch much?).

Apparently I never did the review or update for this one, my bad. Been so scatterbrained lately with all the preparations for Christmas and my trip that will beginning on December 21st. It has been absolutely insane as of late! And I think another reason why I hadn't done anything about this book was because it felt so meh. And here it started out so promising ...more

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May 29, 2010 Erica (storybookend) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: made-me-laugh, lds-authors, 2011-reads, original-creative-premise, love-love-it, i-own

Well, quite a fantastic adventure I must say! A World Without Heroes is certainly a very imaginative, creative story in a very intriguing, strange world. It will definitely appeal to all Fablehaven fans (and if it doesn’t, well something must be wrong with you ;), and pretty much any young teenager looking for a fantastical adventure. I really enjoyed reading it.

The two main characters, Jason and Rachel, are two teenagers who unintentionally get sucked from our world into a whole new, magical w ...more

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Brandon Mull Fan ...: Beyonders	6	11	Dec 23, 2020 01:47AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Fantasy or Young Adult: The opening of the book is about a boy who works at a zoo, falls into a Hippos mouth, but a gateway takes him to a far off magical land. [s]	6	28	Mar 14, 2019 08:52AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA portal fantasy trilogy. Spoilers ahead. [s]	5	47	Jan 27, 2018 12:37AM

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About Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull

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Brandon Mull resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. He spent two years living in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile where he learned Spanish and juggling. He once won a pudding eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house, earning a gold medal. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven series and The Candy S ...more

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Beyonders (3 books)

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Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven, #3)

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“A lie twice believed is self decieved” — 66 likes

“You're just a character in my dream."
"You wish."
"I didn't mean my love interest," she replied defensively. "You'd have better hair. You're the character I dreamed up because the rest of the dream was making me homesick."
"Maybe you're the character I dreamed up to scare myself awake."
"That's not very nice!"
"You made fun of my hair. I like it this way. Short and simple."
I don't mind short. Mine is short."
"Then what's wrong with mine?" Jason challenged.
"Maybe we should talk about something else."
"Like the guy on a horse coming to kill us?"
"It needs more style," she muttered.
"The horse?"
"Your hair."
"I forgot to bring my gel when I got eaten by a hippo.” — 62 likes

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