The Transall Saga

It is a fact that without water in severe conditions, you could last less than 24 hours, but may last as long as 3 or 4 days. Food depends on your body type, of course. Generally, heavier people last longer – assuming that they store more water – than most people can go for at least a week without food though. However, will Mark learn to survive on his own in the desert, or is his life suddenly faced against life or death? The Transall Saga is a speculative/science fiction written by Gary Paulsen. When Mark goes out on a hiking trip in the desert, he is enclosed in an abnormal blue light and transported to what appears to be another world. He’s injured in the tribulation, and must recover while trying to stay alive. Once he’s well enough to move around more freely, he makes discoveries, namely monkey-like creatures and fruit, as well as evidence of people. One day, he is seized and imprisoned by a group of indigenous people. As time progresses, Mark takes on other roles in the society, and discovers something rather unnerving about his new world. My only real criticism is of the conclusion. It was very abrupt, and didn’t clean up all the loose ends. For that reason alone, I gave The Transall Saga four stars instead of five.

The novel circulates largely around a boy called Mark Harrison, who has a passion for hiking. Mark undeniably had an effect on the book as the protagonist. The story could not have taken place without him. For instance, there would not be any individual who would come face to face with a bizarre sight. Let alone, the blue light would not have used its ability to transport people across time. In addition, if the indigenous people had not have been included in the novel, Mark would have one less thing to deal with. He could have straightforwardly found his way out of the position he was in. Everything and anything Mark had, he acquired with his own hands. Life was quite simple for him, until he meets then antagonists of the novel – a group of natives – who enslave Mark. Mark’s adventure to find his way home brings him head to head with the threat of death on several occasions. However Mark’s cunning lets him survive. Just when he comes to terms with his new life, Mark finds himself suddenly back where he always wanted to be.

The setting in this story is out in the desert on an old missile range. This story takes place during the afternoon on a desert-hiking trip. The setting is vital to the story because this is where a major event takes place. The story could not have taken place anywhere else. For the reason that in order for the major event to take place to set the story in motion the main character must be bitten by a snake, and there aren’t snakes that bit in a lot of different locations.

The most important themes of the novel are the following: hope, perseverance, and survival. The moral of the novel is that even though we may encounter extreme or dramatic changes in our lives that we can still grow to survive them. I believe that the author is trying to tell us that even though people may look different and live different lives we still have the same basic needs. The main thing that I have learned from this book that I could apply and use are some of the great survival techniques. I could apply these if I was ever in the wild, or in a life-threatening situation.