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Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon)

D. J. MacHale

Cover of Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon)

Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon)

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War

by D. J. MacHale

Reading Level 8 12ME Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

Bobby races through a wild, alien jungle, heart pounding as unseen enemies close in. Suddenly, everything changes—what he discovers next could save or destroy entire worlds. But can he outrun the shadows chasing him?

Quick Assessment

This boxed set contains the first three books of the Pendragon series, following Bobby Pendragon's thrilling adventures across different dimensions as he confronts dark forces threatening multiple worlds. Suitable for readers aged 13 and up, it features fantasy and science fiction elements with themes of heroism and moral choices. Parents should note some suspenseful and action-packed scenes but no explicit content.

Why we rated Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon) 12ME

Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon) is written at a Level 8 reading level across 1136 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon) works for readers up to grade 10.0.

We rate Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon) as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War (Pendragon) explores adventure, fantasy world-building, science & nature, coming of age, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
  • Kids drawn to stories about adventure, fantasy world-building, science & nature.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

12ME — Moderate — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Moderate
Social
Clear
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
7
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

1,136 pages
ISBN
9780689038082
Pages
1,136
Publisher
Aladdin
Published
September 28, 2004
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

FantasyScience FictionScience Fiction, Fantasy, & MagicFantasy FictionAction & AdventureBoysMenAdventure and Adventurers