My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this second installment of the Fall of Shannara quartet, we find Drisker Arc still imprisoned in the banished Druid stronghold of Paranor, and he is getting weaker as time goes on. If Paranor is not restored, he will eventually fade to nothing more than one more ghost haunting the halls of the fortress. And, worse, without the Druid magic he commands, there may be no defense against the invaders who, with their unknown and powerful magic, are threatening to overthrow the whole of the Four Lands. Tarsha Kaynin, with her shaky command of the Ohmsford legacy Wishsong is still trying to find her brother, who has sunk even deeper into his delusions and madness, aided in that fall by the sinister Druid Clizia Porse. Tarsha is also determined to free Paranor and Drisker, aided by Dar Leah. But Dar has seen the face of the enemy, and he is drawn to their leader in a powerful way.
This second book takes off almost immediately where the first left. The story of the invasion of the Four Lands by the Skaar moves into its next phase, with the enemy also facing betrayal and upheaval from within. As always, Brooks delivers a fine story, with a sweeping panorama of the Four Lands, characters who are in ways familiar but still their own personalities, and all the intrigue and action, both magical and mundane. There are some slow spots, but that has been true throughout the series, though there are less here as we are (or should be) quite familiar with the world, politics, and magic from earlier books. A lot of the story mimics Brooks’ familiar quest theme that has dominated the series through over 30 books and shorter pieces books, but there are some twists and character developments that make this a dependable addition to the series. Despite the similarities the books have, Brooks is still a good storyteller, and this second book in the concluding Shannara quartet is certainly a good tale.
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And So On... 