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hskey 's review for:
The High Druid's Blade
by Terry Brooks
The Elfstones of Shannara was one of the very first fantasy books I've ever read, and I've been hooked on Terry Brooks ever since. I haven't gotten back into Shannara for many years, but after reading the High Druid's Blade, it felt like coming home again.
It's fantasy comfort food - there are a ton of fantasy tropes here, but they're all FUN fantasy tropes. This book in particular is the definition of a classic adventure - a young village boy yearning for more, an evil sorcerer, allies to be found, betrayals and twists around every corner. None of it felt incredibly new, but it still felt fresh and exciting.
Two major positives for me were the pacing, and the callbacks. In the first 70 pages of the book, so much happens that I wasn't bored for a second. I read 160 pages in a single sitting and that does not happen very often to me anymore. There's not an ounce of fat on here.
The second are the callbacks to Shannara legends like Allanon, Walker Boh and a few others. To even see those names mentioned 25 years later after reading of their adventures in other Shannara books is thrilling. I always love a good callback and I'm glad Brooks' doesn't forget his own history.
I can't recommend this to non-fantasy fans, it's definitely intended for a young adult audience mostly, but this was one of the most fun reads I've had in a long time and I'll be crushing the (last?) six Shannara books with great delight.
It's fantasy comfort food - there are a ton of fantasy tropes here, but they're all FUN fantasy tropes. This book in particular is the definition of a classic adventure - a young village boy yearning for more, an evil sorcerer, allies to be found, betrayals and twists around every corner. None of it felt incredibly new, but it still felt fresh and exciting.
Two major positives for me were the pacing, and the callbacks. In the first 70 pages of the book, so much happens that I wasn't bored for a second. I read 160 pages in a single sitting and that does not happen very often to me anymore. There's not an ounce of fat on here.
The second are the callbacks to Shannara legends like Allanon, Walker Boh and a few others. To even see those names mentioned 25 years later after reading of their adventures in other Shannara books is thrilling. I always love a good callback and I'm glad Brooks' doesn't forget his own history.
I can't recommend this to non-fantasy fans, it's definitely intended for a young adult audience mostly, but this was one of the most fun reads I've had in a long time and I'll be crushing the (last?) six Shannara books with great delight.