The High Druid's Blade (The Defenders of Shannara #1)
Legend has it that Paxon Leah is descended from the royals and warriors who once ruled the Highlands and waged war with magical weapons. But those kings, queens, and heroes are long gone, and there is nothing enchanted about the antique sword that hangs above Paxon’s fireplace. Running his family’s modest shipping business, Paxon leads a quiet life—until extraordinary circumstances overturn his simple world . . . and rewrite his destiny.
When his brash young sister is abducted by a menacing stranger, Paxon races to her rescue with the only weapon he can find. And in a harrowing duel, he is stunned to discover powerful magic unleashed within him—and within his ancestors’ ancient blade. But his formidable new ability is dangerous in untrained hands, and Paxon must master it quickly because his nearly fatal clash with the dark sorcerer Arcannen won’t be his last. Leaving behind home and hearth, he journeys to the keep of the fabled Druid order to learn the secrets of magic and earn the right to become their sworn protector.
But treachery is afoot deep in the Druids’ ranks. And the blackest of sorcery is twisting a helpless innocent into a murderous agent of evil. To halt an insidious plot that threatens not only the Druid order but all the Four Lands, Paxon Leah must summon the profound magic in his blood and the legendary mettle of his elders in the battle fate has chosen him to fight.
The Darkling Child (The Defenders of Shannara #2)
After taking up his enchanted sword against the dark sorcerer Arcannen, Paxon Leah has become the sworn protector of the Druid order. Now a critical hour is at hand, as a beloved High Druid nears the end of her reign and prepares to pass from the mortal world to the one beyond. There is little time for Paxon to mourn his friend and benefactor before duty summons him. For in a distant corner of the Four Lands, the magic of the wishsong has been detected. Paxon must accompany a Druid emissary to find its source—and ensure the formidable power is not wielded by the wrong hands.
But danger is already afoot in the village of Portlow. Gentle traveling minstrel Reyn Frosch possesses the uncanny gift, and curse, of the wishsong. And now his coveted abilities have captured the malevolent interest of none other than Arcannen—whose quest for power is exceeded only by his thirst for vengeance. The lone survivor of a brutal assault on a notorious pirate city, the sorcerer is determined to retaliate against the Federation’s elite military guard—and use the devastating power of the wishsong as his ultimate weapon.
The Sorcerer's Daughter (The Defenders of Shannara #3)
The daughter of a reviled sorcerer, Leofur is nothing like her dreaded father. When her life-partner, Paxon Leah, leaves on a dangerous mission, Leofur protects Paxon’s sister. When she is abducted Leofur is forced to choose between saving Paxon from a mission gone badly awry, or hiring the services of the best tracker in the world to go after her life-partner’s sister.
My Review:
As you will notice, this book review is a little different than my usual. I've decided to rate this trilogy by master-storyteller, Terry Brooks, in one review (with special emphasis placed on The Sorcerer's Daughter). Each book in this series, which is set in the world of Shannara, has its' own weaknesses and strengths. I will also be looking at the trilogy as a whole as well. For those who are new to the world of Shannara and are looking for a good place to start, this is definitely not it!! I recommend 'The Sword of Shannara' (Book 1) for newbies who wish to jump into this epic and utterly amazing series.
'The High Druid's Blade' (5 stars):
Bold, thrilling, chilling and just Terry Brooks at his best!!
This book received the full five stars from me, due to Terry Brooks' easy to read style, his attention to detail and for weaving a suspenseful tale. The characters are constructed very well and are three dimensional. When Paxon's younger sister is abducted by an evil sorcerer named Arcannen, we feel for the brother-sister duo. High action and wonderful magic with great suspense make for a fantastic read. In my eyes, the trilogy doesn't get any better than this book.
As far as the abduction of Paxon's sister: Fool me once, shame on you.
'The Darkling Child' (3 stars):
Unfortunately, I don't have much praise for the second book in this trilogy. In most parts this book felt drawn out and repetitive. It did have great action, suspense and good magic, but it felt a bit like a repeat of the first book and felt redundant on a few levels. I felt mislead by the title of this book. For those of you who have read 'The Dark Legacy of Shannara' trilogy, we came across a child referred to as a darkling (who was later locked away in the forbidding). I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes we had a bit more knowledge on what happened to this misunderstood individual. I felt the title awakened a false sense of hope in me.
As far as the second kidnapping of Paxon's sister: Fool me twice, shame on me.
'The Sorcerer's Daughter' (3 stars):
The third book in Mr. Brooks trilogy, was a lot more fun for me to read. We are introduced to a variety of new characters in this book. A Shapeshifter plays a large part in this book which was nice to see. Again, the book had good action and suspense, but I figured out certain things about what was happening behind the scenes maybe a bit before I was supposed to. At a point, it was only suspenseful because I was wanting to see if I was right and not actually because I wanted to know what would happen next. The growing relationship between two particular characters felt quite awkward to me, and I had trouble justifying the actions of those two to myself.
The part I enjoyed the most was the trek (rescue mission) into the Murk Sink (swamp). The description that went into this part was very enjoyable and made me feel like I was right in the middle of this humid, foggy, lightless and dangerous place. Unfortunately though, I felt this was a rewriting of many ideas and scenarios that have happened in the previous two books. Besides the Murk Sink, I didn't really feel that anything amazing happened in this book. Lastly, I was very troubled and unsatisfied by the ending. I believe the interaction of the two individuals at the end of the book was forced and very one-sided. I started to feel for these characters through the previous books and felt betrayed by their actions at the end. This might have been the intention of the author.
As far as the THIRD ABDUCTION of Paxon's sister: (I'm utterly speechless for it having happened a third time...)
Even though I feel the second and third books have some issues with them, taken as a whole this trilogy is very satisfying. Terry Brooks is a master story-teller that is already a part of fantasy history and I've been enjoying his work since the early 90's. 5 stars, 3 stars and another 3 stars should give an average that would normally be rounded up to a 4 star rating. I feel that the trilogy as a whole would be better left with a three star rating however.
As mentioned above, please check out 'The Sword of Shannara' as a good starting point if you are new to this author's Shannara books.
I'm excited and looking forward to the next (and last) trilogy by Mr. Brooks, 'The Fall of Shannara'.
Happy reading!
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