A Knight of the Word

Rating:
Summary: A Winning Sequel
Review: A Knight of the Word takes place 5 years after the events of Running with the Demon and one of the things I liked about it was how the characters have moved on. Nest has gone off to college and has kinda lost touch with her old life, like a lot of folks do in real life. Her one true friend remains Pick, the six inch sylvan twig man that keeps balance to the magic in the park. I like how Brooks shows her dealing with these feelings, it's very natural.

The roles here are flip flopped from "Demon", in that this time it's up to Nest to go to and help out John Ross, who's lost his faith. The main thing I liked about this book was how sympathetic Ross was. You just start to feel bad for the guy, the things he's gone through and had to endure. More than one man should ever have to. This makes his fall from faith all the more believable and real, in fact, considering the event that triggers it, I'm forced to admit that I probably would have too were I him.

Throughout the book, Ross deals through this problem. He can't just give up, it just doesn't work that way. It's just amazing watching him ignore the totally obvious signs and warnings that he can't give it up because he's blinded by his new life and how good he feels and how right it feels to him. It's amazing, because I've seen people do the same thing in my life, so this book kinda hit me personally there.

The mystery of who the demon is is kind of easy to figure out, and not too much of a shock when it reveals itself, but that's of little consequence, what is of the most consequence is how it effects the characters in the book. You knowing makes it that much more painful knowing how it'll probably effect Ross.

And let's not forget poor Nest, how does she go about helping this man who she has mixed feelings about. But she does, and her relationship with Ross develops further (not in THAT way, you sickos! :). A complicated relationship it is, but a real one that will stand the test of time.

Of course I would be remiss to go through the review and not mention Two Bears! This guy is just plain cool, I could probably read a whole novel on Two Bears, but I'm afraid that would undo what is so cool about him.

And let's not forget Terry Brooks, who has created two characters in John Ross and Nest Freemark that I will probably remember for a long, long time. Plus, he weaves an excellent story around them that deals with important issues such as friendship, strong characters, and the whole homeless situation, which you can see he has some real concern about (and rightly so!) So, in conclusion, Terry Brooks continues to do no wrong in my book.

Rating:
Summary: A far cry from "Running with the Demon"
Review: If you are looking for the action and suspense that you found in "Running with the Demon", you won't find it here. Terry Brooks drastically changed his writing style from the first book in "A Knight of the Word". This book is about John Ross' rejection of his faith. After witnessing a terrible massacre at a school, that he was unable to prevent, John Ross decides that he can no longer be in service to the Lady or the "Word". He returns to Wales to return his staff, and finds that leaving his office is not a choice that the "Word" will allow him to make. John stops acting as a knight in an act of defiance. He moves to Seattle and tries to regain his life as a "normal" human being. Summoned by the Lady, Nest must travel to Seattle to help John regain his faith, and to reclaim his life as a Knight of the Word. The book is mostly dialogue and several of the characters that Mr. Brooks spends many chapters building are not necessary to the story line beyond being peripheral characters. Terry does a good job of building the mystery of the demon's identity right until the very end. However, the trick is to read chapter twenty-four and move on to "Angel Fire East".

Rating:
Summary: Better than you'd think!
Review: Now when I read Running With the Demon, I can't say I was terribly impressed. If it wasn't for the fact that Brooks has such a good way with words, and spins a good story dispite a somewhat bad plot, I wouldn't have finished it. So I wasn't exactly pumped about A Knight of the Word, but I read it anyway and was quite impressed! The way Brooks deals with looking into the darker side of humanity is very deep and moving. He moves you to the side of the Word without making it seem goody goody, but by showing how much humanity is in need of hero's like Nest and John. Reading about the homeless and the state in which people live forces you to look to yourself and admit that you too have never put much thought into their state, if its not one you share. But while he is managing to make you find faults in the government, Brooks also weaves a tidy little mystery, with just enough twists and climax that I'm forced to admit this was a very good book. While I think Brooks is being silly for stepping out of the traditional fantasy realm (cause he's so darn good at it!) he proves a solid point that if he wants to, he can. Read this! Do not be discouraged!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read, but way too predictable. Not his best.
Review: Terry Brooks is one of my favorite authors, and I thouroughly enjoyed the Shannara series, and Running With the Demon, and this book continues the tradition of easy, fun reading that made the other books such great sellers.

On the other hand, though, this book was WAY too predictable, with the major antagonist being obvious early on in the book. In fact, I was getting really annoyed when Brooks didn't reveal who the demon was. I mean, is there anyone out there that completely suspended thought, and didn't have a good clue as to who it was?

Personally, I would have enjoyed it more if the book would have focused around the suprises to the characters, rather than to us.

All in all, it was a fun read, but nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Sequel
Review: Where as most of "Running with the Demon" was centered around Nest Freemark. This one turns it attention to John Ross, a Knight of the Word. Just in case you didn't get that from the title.

"Knight" takes place five years after the first book left off. John Ross is suffering from a crisis of faith after a botched rescue which makes him a prime target for the demons that he was fighting against to turn him into one of them.
The Lady enlists the help of Nest freemark along with a tatterdemalion Ariel to save him.

Really a good sequel. Nothing as far as continuity was forced and you can see that the author has more to tell with this series. Once again Brooks provides us with some likable and readable characters, and it proves, like it's predecessor, to be the heart of the book. For those who like quick paced action, look elsewhere. However there is one of the best chase scenes I've read hands down. Not being dramatic, but man it was good!

The book provides more insight to John Ross and makes him more of a sympathetic character. But surprisingly the Lady and Two Bears more ambiguous. I never really caught on to Two Bears in the last one, thinking he was just an awkward plot device. In this book, it's more of the same. Fans of the native american veteran should be happy, though. The one fault in the book is the author manages to be a bit magnanimous when it comes to talking about the homeless. It was well intentioned, but it was almost too much. He also comes short as a mystery writer as well.

Faults aside, this still is a good book and fans of the first installment will not be dissapointed. It definiteley makes you want to get the third in the series. Brooks again proves that he is still one of the best writers of his genre.

Rating:
Summary: Better than the 1st in this Series
Review: While Running with the Demon did not get a high vote from me (the first book in this series), I could tell it had great potential and Terry Brooks did not disappoint. Again, this wasn't his best but worth the time to read. The characters are more developed and you can see huge potential for more in the future.

The one annoying thing this author did was to have the characters all figure out who the demon is but don't tell the reader. While I was pretty sure who it was, I felt stupid. The author writes things like "and then I figured out who did it. So I told him who did". Next Chapter!

Nevertheless, this was a great read. In the next book I'd like to see Nest gain more insight into her magic and a teaming up of her and John to fight more than just a demon -- introduce a few more Word characters.

Hurry up Terry -- your fans are waiting!