Fantasy

The Champion

The Champion

  • Downloads：9061
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-13 22:15:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Taran Matharu
  • ISBN：1444939033
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In a world far from our own， where enemies come in many forms， will the ultimate battle for survival be game over？

Don't miss the explosive final book in the epic Contender trilogy from the best-selling author of the Summoner series。

Cade and his friends are fighting for earth。

Cade has managed to survive the duel with the Hydra Alpha - barely。 But the Games are far from over。

By order of the cruel and mysterious alien overlord Abaddon， Cade and his friends are sent off to war against the Greys， a humanoid race that has far surpassed humans in technology on their home planet。

A glimmer of hope？

This attempt to move up the leaderboard leads Cade to a game-changing revelation: the Pantheon - the millennia-old alien masterminds behind the Games - have a weakness。

With the right artefacts scavenged from the land of Acies and a heavy dose of courage and luck， Cade has exactly one chance to end their tyranny for ever。 But if he fails， for the lives of his friends and the survival of Earth it will be。。。

Game over。

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Reviews

Amanda Bartoszek ，

So waited for。 So worth it。 I devoured it in just over a day。 So hard to put down。 Full of tension and fear， wondering who will survive and who won't。 An amazing ending。 Loved it。 So waited for。 So worth it。 I devoured it in just over a day。 So hard to put down。 Full of tension and fear， wondering who will survive and who won't。 An amazing ending。 Loved it。 。。。more

Sophie Scrivens ，

perfect

Jason ，

Great endingFantastic way for the series to end。 I was worried I。 The beginning because there were so much to close on but the author killed it。

donna ，

Full disclosure。 I love Survivor， Big Brother， and The Challenge because of the games。 Not surprised I loved this series。 It ended a little abruptly but was a satisfying conclusion。 I also love the friendships in this series and the history tid bits。 Not ready for it to end。

Desta ，

**SPOILERS**It was a good book （a very good book at that I enjoyed every second of it） but at the same time I didnt like how it ended theres to many questions left unanswered。。。 What happens now that the Paethons are dead？ Did Grace， Bea， and Trix end up back in the 80's？ or just get thrown somewhere in the middle of the UK？ Are Scott and Yoshi back at the bording School？ Do they regret leaving Cade， Amber， and Quintus behind？ Did anytime pass from when they where taken until they where sent bac **SPOILERS**It was a good book （a very good book at that I enjoyed every second of it） but at the same time I didnt like how it ended theres to many questions left unanswered。。。 What happens now that the Paethons are dead？ Did Grace， Bea， and Trix end up back in the 80's？ or just get thrown somewhere in the middle of the UK？ Are Scott and Yoshi back at the bording School？ Do they regret leaving Cade， Amber， and Quintus behind？ Did anytime pass from when they where taken until they where sent back？ Did anyone even relize they where missing or where they just thrown back into the point they where taken with atleast some from of severe ptsd？ And if so how are there parents suddenly reacting to this？ I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND NO ANSWERS！！！！ 。。。more

Allison ，

Notes: This was an extremely fitting end to the trilogy and something so well-paced that it shocked me。

Ricky ，

Taran Matharu brings his second trilogy to a terrifying， bloodydamn fast-paced， unpredictable， thrilling close in The Champion， in which I'd have a very hard time believing that Matharu didn't read at least one of Matthew Reilly's Jack West Jr novels for inspiration for this one。 HIstorical figures from all over the world， and their long-lost， long-storied tombs， play the most important part of all in Cade and company's quest to defeat the sinister Abbadon once and for all， even as this strange Taran Matharu brings his second trilogy to a terrifying， bloodydamn fast-paced， unpredictable， thrilling close in The Champion， in which I'd have a very hard time believing that Matharu didn't read at least one of Matthew Reilly's Jack West Jr novels for inspiration for this one。 HIstorical figures from all over the world， and their long-lost， long-storied tombs， play the most important part of all in Cade and company's quest to defeat the sinister Abbadon once and for all， even as this strange parallel world also fills with lost nukes from all across the 20th century and beyond。 Weapons some see fit to use no matter the consequences。 But Matharu， as always， doesn't let up for even a page， to the point where the only time you get to breathe again is when the acknowledgments come and you can finally bid the series ave atque vale。。。unless Matharu decides to go the route of the Summoner series with a prequel novel in the next year or so？ Who bloody knows。 。。。more

RiverReads ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel - that glimpse of an alien ecosystem and culture was interesting and well written， however were quickly out of the picture。 The dinosaurs and historical artefacts popped up again but once again didn’t stick around for two long。 My biggest gripe was the unsatisfying farewell between Cade and his friends who simply left to go back home without much emotion or even discussion - basically just a see ya later alligator！ before disappearing from the plot。 Al I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel - that glimpse of an alien ecosystem and culture was interesting and well written， however were quickly out of the picture。 The dinosaurs and historical artefacts popped up again but once again didn’t stick around for two long。 My biggest gripe was the unsatisfying farewell between Cade and his friends who simply left to go back home without much emotion or even discussion - basically just a see ya later alligator！ before disappearing from the plot。 Also the ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ ending was a bit of a let down。 Overall thought - definitely worth a read。3/5 。。。more

Samantha Wood ，

A really great ending to this amazing trilogy。 I loved all these books and can't wait to read Taran's other work A really great ending to this amazing trilogy。 I loved all these books and can't wait to read Taran's other work 。。。more

Judith Chelekis ，

The series is great。 The ending left me feeling just a little let down。 Might be because I enjoyed the series so much。

Caleb Dillinger ，

The series is great。 The thrill and excitement marvelous。 But I HATE lack of closure。 Least favorite way to end a book。 That said， it's really exciting and great characters and world building。 A satisfying ending - other than it's missing a solid chapter or 2 for closure。 The series is great。 The thrill and excitement marvelous。 But I HATE lack of closure。 Least favorite way to end a book。 That said， it's really exciting and great characters and world building。 A satisfying ending - other than it's missing a solid chapter or 2 for closure。 。。。more

Pat ，

Satisfying endNot as good as the summoner series but a good sci-fi series。 Lots of fast paced action in this one

John Clark ，

A superb conclusion to this trilogy。 More challenges for the Earth team， new and strange territory to navigate， a big surprise following their victory over an opponent，and another clash with slavers that's complicated by carnivores and a tight timeline by Abaddon。 Just when Cade thinks they might catch a break， a new and very deadly challenge faces them， but he has a secret， one that makes the finale perfect。 I've really enjoyed these three books big time！ A superb conclusion to this trilogy。 More challenges for the Earth team， new and strange territory to navigate， a big surprise following their victory over an opponent，and another clash with slavers that's complicated by carnivores and a tight timeline by Abaddon。 Just when Cade thinks they might catch a break， a new and very deadly challenge faces them， but he has a secret， one that makes the finale perfect。 I've really enjoyed these three books big time！ 。。。more

Luc Berthelot ，

A great conclusion to the trilogy， that I’m sure I would have rated 5 stars if this was 2-3 years ago

Shauna （library_of_your_dreams） ，

Great ending to a great series！

Susan ，

Just a brilliant three years with characters I'm sorely going to miss。 Just a brilliant three years with characters I'm sorely going to miss。 。。。more

Simon Lee Bray-Cotton ，

So so good。 Brilliant end to a brilliant series！

Trigger Warning Database ，

Content & Trigger WarningsAbleismTraumaSuicidal ideationTorture， off-pageGun violence

Lauren loves llamas ，

Content notes: （view spoiler）[violence （including death， and gun violence）， torture （off-page， but wounds are described）， genocide， minor suicidal ideation， trauma， PTSD， ableism （from bad guy） （hide spoiler）]I picked up the first book in this series on a whim， not sure what to expect， but the history geek action-adventure with a scifi twist hit the exact right note for me。 And this final book in the trilogy is no slouch in terms of any of that！Cade， Amber and Quintus （and the rest of the teens） Content notes: （view spoiler）[violence （including death， and gun violence）， torture （off-page， but wounds are described）， genocide， minor suicidal ideation， trauma， PTSD， ableism （from bad guy） （hide spoiler）]I picked up the first book in this series on a whim， not sure what to expect， but the history geek action-adventure with a scifi twist hit the exact right note for me。 And this final book in the trilogy is no slouch in terms of any of that！Cade， Amber and Quintus （and the rest of the teens） have had a short reprieve after defeating the Hydras， but Abaddon isn’t done with them yet。 But Cade’s darkest moment yet leads to the startling revelation that he could end the Pantheon once and for all – if he’s willing to sacrifice everything。“You think it’s bad enough being Abaddon’s puppet？ It’s worse when we’re yours too。” From the very first book， I’ve loved the way Cade relies more on his brain than on his fighting skills， not that they’re too shabby after all that time in the gladiatorial training in New Rome。 He’s not the passive kid we first met， either， but the true leader of the group。 And with the addition of new characters – and a new twist to the competition – one of the main themes explored is leadership。 Cade’s tendency to make decisions for the group without consulting them cropped up in the last book， and it’s even more of an issue here。 It’s not that he sets out to do that， but Cade always seems to end up in a situation where he needs to act quickly and decisively。 It’s a huge weight on him and a wedge between him and the other teens， and seeing what happens when that leadership style goes to extremes causes him to question himself repeatedly。 And， keep in mind， even with all of his experiences， Cade’s still just a kid – a gladatorially-trained but still hesitant to kill， severely traumatized kid。As before （and depicted on the cover） this book revolves mostly around Cade and his relationships with Quintus and Amber。 Quintus is unfailingly loyal， even when Cade makes some questionable-looking decisions， and I’m glad he had that kind of friend。 Amber， on the other hand， is still romantically involved with him （though， again， not much more than kissing and holding hands） but also willing to be critical of him when she thinks he’s being a jerk。 They’re opposites that balance Cade nicely。“Well， you find yourself in quite a predicament，” Abaddon said， gesturing behind him。 “Slavers， dinosaurs， and mummies， oh my！” The book is jam-packed with action from almost the first page， whether it’s hunting dinosaurs for food （yum？） or preparing an assault on a seemingly impregnable fortress。 With that being said， it almost feels like two books， as there are two distinct “epic battles，” one that comes about halfway through the book and the other at the actual end。 The pacing steadily builds throughout， though， so it did work for me。 The book is impossibly engrossing， and it’s a hard book to put down。 It’s the sort of book you pick up intending to read just a few pages and then look up and oops， it’s an hour later。 The world-building and the history involved continue to be delightful， too。 As for cons， I found some of the plot elements a bit deus ex machina， and I would’ve liked an epilogue， but all in all they didn’t affect my enjoyment too much。Overall， this is a superb ending to the trilogy， and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next！ Recommended for anyone looking for YA adventure with a geeky twist！I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more

LISA JACKLING ，

3。5☆

Joseph ，

Do you like dinosaurs？ Sure you do。 Do you like space？ Damn rightRealistic YA characters who aren't emotionally invulnerable to the countless atrocities around them as the world implodes？ Where am I taking this？Imagine all three mixed in with swords， cannons， nukes， aliens， and the ninth legion of Rome and we essentially get the Contender trilogy。 AND I ADORE IT。 Did I forget the lost artefacts from our history all end up here？？？？ Maybe。 This book starts out reading like The Lights of Isarn and Do you like dinosaurs？ Sure you do。 Do you like space？ Damn rightRealistic YA characters who aren't emotionally invulnerable to the countless atrocities around them as the world implodes？ Where am I taking this？Imagine all three mixed in with swords， cannons， nukes， aliens， and the ninth legion of Rome and we essentially get the Contender trilogy。 AND I ADORE IT。 Did I forget the lost artefacts from our history all end up here？？？？ Maybe。 This book starts out reading like The Lights of Isarn and ends up feeling like the climax of Morning Star。 From swords to。。。。 well that's for the spoiler portion ;）（SPOILER FREE PORTION）-------------------------Honestly， after spending enough time thinking on my initial rating of this book， 3。5 stars feels about right。 It feels like it COULD have been two books and given everything more depth rather than making everything shoot by far too fast。 And it further needs to be lowered because after discussing it with a friend， the slaver arc started in book 2 just went。。。。 Nowhere in this book。 New Rome could literally not be a thing and other than some shield wall training （which they would have gotten from the 9th legion anyway）， nothing would change。 ----------------------//As always， I stand proven wrong。 Going into this book I thought 'how is this man wrapping this up in any way that is at all satisfying' and then I remembered。。。 The Battlemage exists， and from that moment I had ultimate faith in Matharu。 Not only does he maintain the quality of the other books in the series （with particularly exceptional character work on Cade's part）， but he absolutely exceeds it in every way possible！The plot？ An unpredictable rollercoaster of emotions， betrayal， and action。 Did I mention there were dinosaurs and an army of ants？ （That better interest you）The characters？ Loveable as always， each dealing with their own trauma。 Abaddon？ Still an absolute douche but my GOD do I love reading Abaddon。 There's just something fascinating about watching a literal sociopath have the powers of a God！ （And I'm still not over the plot twist of the first book）I have a few things to say before diving into some juicy juicy spoilers:1） I read this thing in a day。 Not quite one sitting， but a singular day as a buddy read！ （which was awesome）2） There is one thing I've noticed with the books of this series that rings true after thinking about it。 Book one is about the world， about the threats， stakes and setting them。 Book two， rather than being about Cade， feels much more like its about his friends， those that surround him， for a while it ceases being his story。 And I LOVE THAT！ Book 3 then。。。 well I think this is just Cade dealing with the world that built itself up around him and reminding the reader， yeah， he's done all this awesome shit， but at the end of the day， he's still a kid。 A kid who didn't ask for this and is deeply traumatised as a result and is forced to make some HARD decisions in this book that I'm honestly unsure I would have been able to。3） A while ago， when first reading the summoner books， I coined a term called 'the law of taran' this being that everything you THINK is going to happen in the book will have literally NOTHING on the insanity of the last five chapters of said book。 Those 5 chapters in each of his works are always the most insane， adrenaline-fueled parts of them， and I will stand by this law until I DIE。 The thing is， what I expected the law of Taran to be。。。。 happens by page 160。 So needless to say， the insanity trebles what I thought it would be， and that is wholly unprecedented and why this man will be an insta-buy author for me until I die！！！！And before we reach spoiler territoryIf you have not read this series yet， or anything by Taran Matharu， I cannot stress enough how much you NEED to。 You are missing out！------------------------------------------------------------------------------（SPOILER SECTION: You have been warned）RIGHTThe plot of this book is absolutely wonderful。 I'll admit， in book one of the series I was weary of Matharu's craftsmanship， coming off of the high of Summoner I was worried that it would just fall。。。flat。 No。 This book literally just rises。 Book two sets the bar for some of the best character work I have seen in all of fiction！ Beaten out only by the likes of Red Rising， The Unanswered Questions， and The Stormlight Archive， which since there are only three series here。。。 THAT'S A GOOD LIST！The way Matharu approached the PTSD of Cade was masterfully done and really shows the effects of war on a teenage mind that most YA would try to glorify or simply not even approach， yet he does it with such care that even WE want to hug Cade， and he'd just committed xenocide。 Well of course， all except for Song。 Speaking of that xenocide。 I genuinely think that part of the book will haunt me for a good few weeks。 Seeing Cade look through the artefacts of the culture he had just doomed to die and massacred the remnants of in a hallway was one of the most gut-wrenching parts of the book， watching him come to terms with it all was sobering， beautiful， and utterly soul-destroying。 The fact we're constantly reminded that he doesn't take pleasure in the killing is one of the best recurring themes of the book as Cade tries to hold on to what humanity he has left before having to kick into action hero mode at I THINK chapter 64？I honestly wish we could have seen more of Song， but I think he definitely served his role well within the book in a very Ender's Game esc manner when he told Cade that he would have to sacrifice himself to destroy the pantheon。 This is also something I thought was handled extremely well！！Speaking of characters。。。 Quintus as always was my stand out favourite。 I love mah boi。 He is honestly one of the sweetest characters I have ever read！ I would follow this man to hell and even a little bit further！Also， in the politest way possible。 Fu*k Atticus。 One thing that certainly persists throughout the book is Matharu's writing style。 I don't know。。。 something about it just feels comfy to me。 He is one of the easiest authors to pick up and just say 'yeah， I'll knock this out today'。 His writing feels like a literal blanket and I love it。 The only gripe I take with the writing is that some words get repeated a FAIR amount （though I may be noticing this more for my binge） but 'abate' was definitely one of them。 Though of course， this did not detract from the reading。All in all， I'd recommend this book to literally everyone！I don't know what the author plans to do next， but my Waterstones account is primed and waiting for the pre-order！Per Audacia Ad Astra！J---------------------------------------------------------------If you want to see more of me， I'm @Josephellis_author on instagram！ 。。。more

Beth Mendelsohn ，

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。The final book in The Contender series picks up as Cade is recovering from his battle with the Hydra Alpha。 Unfortunately， Abaddon is throwing the humans into another battle on another world。 There they find the missing Roman legion whom they enlist in their battle with the Greys （Tritons）， a humanoid species that is more technologically advanced than Cade and his friends。 Any more information here wo Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。The final book in The Contender series picks up as Cade is recovering from his battle with the Hydra Alpha。 Unfortunately， Abaddon is throwing the humans into another battle on another world。 There they find the missing Roman legion whom they enlist in their battle with the Greys （Tritons）， a humanoid species that is more technologically advanced than Cade and his friends。 Any more information here would be a spoiler so proceed at your own risk。 （view spoiler）[After the battle with the Greys， Cade find a lone survivor who has a plan to defeat the pantheon once and for all。 Of course it’s dangerous and Cade keeps this information from his friends and the Roman army。 I was a tad disappointed in the ending （felt rushed） but otherwise enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it for readers of the series。 （hide spoiler）]#TheChampion #NetGalley 。。。more

Gretchen ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I didn't really like the ending to this series overall。 I am sad that Cade didn't get to go home， and that his story wasn't really resolved。Two months after his victory over the Alpha， Cade and the other contenders are starting a new round。 They are guided to a fort in the middle of the desert and the next morning they have been transported to a different world。 They must kill everyone there to win the round， but they have help。 They find about 200 of the missing Romans。 Cade must deal with thei I didn't really like the ending to this series overall。 I am sad that Cade didn't get to go home， and that his story wasn't really resolved。Two months after his victory over the Alpha， Cade and the other contenders are starting a new round。 They are guided to a fort in the middle of the desert and the next morning they have been transported to a different world。 They must kill everyone there to win the round， but they have help。 They find about 200 of the missing Romans。 Cade must deal with their power struggles as well as figure out how to breach the enemy's fort。 Once the enemy is defeated， Cade meets a member of their species that has been working to kill Abaddon and the rest of the gods。 He gives Cade the means to end them。 Cade struggles with not being able to tell his friends about the plan as the Codex （Abaddon） is always there and will overhear the plan。 Ultimately， Cade is able to gather everything he needs， but what will it cost him？ Who will go home？ Will Earth be saved？ #NetGalley 。。。more

Jennifer ，

I love this series and the third book did not disappoint。 I gave the first two books in the series five stars。 This book I gave four and there are two reasons for that: 1） I felt like the character development wasn't as strong in this book and 2） for a series that had such innovative world building and storytelling， I wish the ending was a little more unique。 That said， I still couldn't put it down and I will absolutely encourage others to read this series。。 Frankly， the first two books were som I love this series and the third book did not disappoint。 I gave the first two books in the series five stars。 This book I gave four and there are two reasons for that: 1） I felt like the character development wasn't as strong in this book and 2） for a series that had such innovative world building and storytelling， I wish the ending was a little more unique。 That said， I still couldn't put it down and I will absolutely encourage others to read this series。。 Frankly， the first two books were some of my favorite reads in the last year so I had huge expectations for this one。 Thank you so much to the publisher for providing a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Liz Winhover ，

A bittersweet but realistic ending to such a historically interesting and action packed story。 One of the best series I’ve read recently！ Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Champion

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Champion&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Champion&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0