I am very late to this review. However, I can never say no to a Shannara novel. This book is quite different from others in the series. However, that is not a bad thing, it is more of a character study Paxon Leah than a typical Brooks "fantasy-suspense" novel. If you love all things Shannara you will undoubtedly find something to love here. Having said that, if you are new to the series this might not be the best book to start with, maybe go back to the book that started it all, The Sword of Shannara. In good faith, I must say that even if Mr. Brooks wrote a horrible book (this is not), I would still love it. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Brooks at a book signing and learned that he may be the nicest author alive. Literally! He went out of his way to make this fan's day and I can never part with my signed copies because of the experience. So, read this book, and read every book in the series (and the Magic Kingdom for Sale, Sold!) series as well - it will be well worth your time.

That old saying "You can't go home again" or however it goes apparently can apply to books and authors too. I loved Terry Brooks' Shannara books growing up but eventually moved away from them as they moved from high fantasy into a sort of gray area between fantasy and steampunk, eventually abandoning it altogether. In 2014, when I saw this book on Netgalley I had a fit of nostalgia and decided to go back.

It started off very badly. I couldn't stand the characters, hated the scenario, and generally couldn't get into the book at all. I tried again later and finally picked it up in 2016 with the intention of getting through it. I failed yet again. But then in August, I picked it up swearing I was finally going to read this book and knock it off my to-read list. And I did.

Even better, this time around I actually got into the story, enjoyed what was going on, and I liked Paxon and Grehling. The Ard Rhys and the Druid Council were not particularly interesting or truly central because they were rarely on the page. The twisting and turning of the plots and machinations are vintage Brooks. I'm glad I finally read it, but I don't see myself going back to Shannara to stay. I've lost the thread and the pleasure of this series.