The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale is the first book in the Pendragon series. It's a sci-fi/fantasy novel, so those who are into any kind of fiction may like it. It's a unique series because there are two plots going on at once: Bobby writing journals in 1st person and the story of Mark and Courtney in 3rd person. The story begins with Bobby Pendragon, 14-year old basketball point-guard, getting ready at home to head off for a big game on a Friday night. His parents and sister are out of the house, and as he gets ready to walk out the door he hears a knock. He opens the door, and to his extreme surprise it is his crush, Courtney Chetwynde. She comes in and admits that she really likes him, and they have a short make out session before being interrupted by Bobby's Uncle Press (on his mother's side). Press doesn't seem too embarrassed about it, but Courtney jumps up and runs out, and calls to Bobby that she'll see him at the basketball game. Press asks Bobby to do a favor for him, and that he has never needed help more. Bobby reluctantly agrees to miss his game and he and Press get on his motorcycle and drive down to the Bronx. Press takes Bobby to an abandoned subway station, and they walk down the tracks to a hidden door in the wall, marked by a little star scratched into it. As they open the door though, a large man in a police uniform walks up to them with a pack of savage wolves behind him. He talks to Press and introduces himself as Saint Dane (he is the main villain of the series). Press yells for Bobby to run through the door and they both run into a small, cubic room made completely of stone. At the end opposite the door is a large hole in the wall. Press and Bobby dive into the hole, and it comes alive with sparkling lights and music. The tunnel turns into a crystal slide and outside the walls of the tunnel (it's called a flume) are images and sounds from all different times and places. They eventually fall out of the tunnel into a very cold cave. Press says he has no time to explain what's going on, and tells him to change into a pile of clothes in the corner. The clothes look like they are from medeival times, and Bobby decides to just go along with it. They walk out of the cave to find a snowy mountainside and a bobsled, two spears, and a whistle. They get on the bobsled and sled down the mountain, but are attacked on the way down by giant, spiky red bears. They manage to drive off the bears, but Press is kidnapped by a black knight and Bobby is left alone in the snow. He is later discovered and finds out that he is on another territory. There are ten different territories, each in a different space and time, and the only way to travel between them are the inter-dimensional tunnels called flumes. He learns he is a Traveler, one of the people randomly selected to be one of the ten peace keepers in Halla. Halla is everything and everyone that is, ever was, or ever will be. The travelers have a special ability to hear and speak any language as any other language. For instance, Bobby hears the Milago language as English. The territory he is on now is called Denduron, and there is about to be a huge war between the Milago and the Bedoowan tribes. The war could wipe out half of the planet's population, and it's up to him and two other travelers, Loor (15) from Zadaa and Alder (20) from Denduron, to stop it. All the while clues show up that Saint Dane has planned this whole war and is in fact right there in the village with them. Meanwhile, on Second Earth (our Earth) Courtney and Bobby's best friend, Mark Dimond, must deal with the fact that all traces that Bobby ever existed, including his family, his school records, and even his house have dissappeared while trying to keep a curious classmate from reading the journals Bobby sends to them to recount his adventures through his Traveler ring. It's a very exciting story and gets much more fast-paced as the story continues. I'd highly reccommend this book to anyone looking for something to read. There are 9 books out now: The Merchant of Death, The Lost City of Faar, The Never War, The Reality Bug, Black Water, The Rivers of Zadaa, The Quillan Games, The Pilgrims of Rayne, and Raven Rise.