Eric Book Review

What Is The Druid Of Shannara?

­By Eric N.

            The Druid Of Shannara is written by Terry Brooks. He has written several other fantasy books, all  based in the universe he created in the Sword Of Shannara. After the Sword, he wrote the Elfstones and Wishsong Of Shannara to complete the first series. Brooks also wrote The Magic Kingdom Of Landover series. He has since added upon his Shannara world by writing The Heritage Of Shannara series. This is the second book of said series. The unfortunate circumstance of every medieval fantasy book is that it will be very similar to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings series. However, after the first few books, Terry Brooks develops his own style of fantasy.

            Every book in these series have to do with a long dead character named Shannara and his birthright(s).  This book in particular follows the epic trek of four companions; Quickening, Walker Boh, Morgan Leah, and Pe Ell, the three men loosely bound to the others by Quickening. The company help Walker Boh to complete his quest from the previous book while trying to fulfill their own agendas. Along the way the way, they encounter many dangers; enemies from previous books, new enemies, and violence among themselves. Of course, the book doesn't officially end because Brooks has two more books he wrote for the rest of the series after this book.

             As with all action-related books, I enjoyed the pace. There were fast, dramatic parts to the story, but also slow deliberate grinding of the characters' nerves as their patience was tested on their journey and on each other. The edginess between them definitely made the slow sections feel fast. The plot is full of twists and tales of sorrow from past experiences in similar situations. It also jumped over to other, smaller storylines that were started in the previous book. All these elements combined to keep me on the edge of my seat as I read through the pages.

            I recommend this book for readers that enjoy stories across multiple books. However, those who do not enjoy long books might find the story to in depth to continue. Also, if the storyline changes are too confusing, they might draw away from the pleasure of the book. Nevertheless, it is a fine book to read and it offers another fantastical world beside Tolkien's. A definite 19 out of 20.