So I am on a role at the moment. Actually I was going to my other job and that involves 2 hours on various public transport at either end of my day, so I read a lot! It actually only took me two days to read this which is surprising. Usually I take a lot longer to read Terry Brooks because they are complex with many characters as well as different viewpoints and strange names.

This book felt a little bit boring, it is the second in the High Druid of Shannara Series so it is the book where the characters are getting together their little group to finally face the evil, and making sure they have their talismans. Factions loose people so that they can gain new leadership and change their format to help in the final battle. So this is the transitioning novel, which makes it a little lacklustre. I think this series is my least favourite in what I have read thus far. (I will be doing Terry Brooks page sometime soon, I will also upload a table to show what I have read and haven’t, I might even edit it into this post.)

So Penderrin Ohmsford son of Bek and Rue Ohmsford is out on his own with Dwarf Tagwen, Elf Khyber Elessedil, Rover girl Cinnaminson and Troll Kermadec. A standard unruly band of misfits out to save the world, but in this case they are just trying to save Ard Rhys Grianne Ohmsford (formerly known as the Ilse Witch, she is in Antrax, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara novel, click here for that review) who has been banished to the forbidding by fellow Druid Shadea a’Ru. They must battle adversity, druids and creatures that track them, to gain a Darkwand which will allow Pen to open a gateway into the forbidding to save his aunt. Whilst being kept prisoner Grianne meets the “Straken Lord” who one can assume the third novel (Straken) is named after. He has swapped her for The Moric and seems to take an interest in her wishsong magic.

Whilst it isn’t the most interesting novel in the Shannara series it is not a long read so definitely worth doing! I am reading them as much in chronological order as I can so I know the whole history of the Shannara world, but you do not have to do this, each series will sit on it’s own quite nicely, but a few like this one has characters carried over from the previous series so it can be advantageous to read that series first, but not necessarily.