Rating: 
Summary: An Exciting Beginning to a New Series
Review: In this first installment of the High Druid of Shannara series, author Terry Brooks picks up where the events of the "Voyage" series ended. It is now twenty years after the survivors of the battle with the Morgawr have returned, and Grianne Ohmsford, the former Ilse Witch, is now the Ard Rhys, or High Druid. However, not everyone at the Druid's keep at Paranor is supportive of her. Shadea a'Ru, a rival druid, has devised a scheme to remove Grianne from Paranor and place her in another dimension. Using a potion called liquid night, Shadea manages to sneak into the Ard Rhys' chambers and administer it to her. When Grianne awakens, she is no longer at Paranor, but trapped inside the Forbidding.Tagwen, Grianne's faithful dwarf assistant, realizes she is missing and immediately suspects Shadea and her accomplices. Immediately, he decides to find Grianne's brother Bek Ohmsford, because his use of the wishsong may help in finding Grianne. Unfortunately upon arriving, Tagwen discovers that Bek has gone away on an expedition and Pen, Beck's son, is the only one home. However, the druids have also thought of it to search for Bek and arrive almost at the same time as Tagwen. Pen and Tagwen flee and begin a journey to Emberen in search of Ahren Elessedil, the Elven Druid who survived the battle against the Morgawr twenty years earlier. With information given to them by the King of the Silver River, the companions begin their journey to find the Tanequil, a tree which has branches that will enable Pen to cross over into the Forbidding and bring Grianne back to the Four Lands. Will the companions make it to the Tanequil? Will Grianne survive inside the Forbidding? Brooks has written another fine book which is surely to become a fantasy classic. As with each of Brooks' preceeding books, this one immediately draws the reader in with characters that the reader genuinely cares about and a plot that will definitely keep the pages turning. I'm only sorry that I'll have to wait until next year for book two to be released. I highly recommend this book. Its a great beginning to a new and exciting Brooks series.
Rating: 
Summary: Back to the basics again for Brooks
Review: This latest in a long series of Shannara books uses similar plots and character development as his original book, and the many other Shannara books he has written in the past 25 years. The plot usually goes something like this: A great threat has come to the "four lands", and a random group of unsung and unprepared heroes sets out against all odds to defeat the evil threat. The group is always comprised of "normal" characters who possess unique powers they are reluctant to use. Expect lots of introspection every time the gifts are used to protect the others or further their quest. While this adds a sense of realism from a psychological aspect, it is often frustrating at the same time. So, if this is just another of the same formula, why the four stars? Because quite simply, the formula works. The stories capture your imagination and quickly draw you in. Lot's of exciting action, tense situations, and camaraderie that made the reading an enjoyable escape. Some of the highlights in this latest example include the new dimension introduced. The lead from the previous series, Grianne, is now in a position of power and is challenged from within her ranks by those who oppose her past and her policies. Aided by an unknown and powerful ally, her adversaries literally send her into the Forbidding (see Elfstones of Shannara for reference). This launches several concurrent storylines as we track Grianne, those who are trying to destroy her, and those trying to save her. Another great installment to the Shannara world by Terry Brooks, let's hope the next two books in this series bring more new surprises and continue the fun and exciting action. If you are unfamiliar with the genre, please see his first book "Sword of Shannara" or check out a similar series "Lord of the Rings".
Rating:
Summary: Good, but too short
Review: I love Brooks writing. I've never been disappointed...well, some of that Wizard at Large series was a bit silly, but I digress. My disappointment lies in the length of the books in his latest endevours. All three installments of the VJS trilogy were fairly short, by fantasy novel standards. I fear that this latest series will be the same. So, my review is, "It's a fun read, and a good set-up for the next couple of books, but I finished it in like three days!" Whatever happened to the big fat stories like "Sword of Shannara" that you started us out on? Surely, it's not a money issue?! Hmmm....
Rating:
Summary: More of the same, yet different enough
Review: Terry Brooks revisits the land of Shannara, where he earned his fame and fortune. High Druid of Shannara: Jarka Ruus is the beginning of yet another three-book series set in this world. After the lackluster Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series (Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr), I had hoped Brooks wouldn't visit Shannara again for awhile, as that series was very similar to all of his other books and didn't offer very much new. I'm very pleased to say, however, that while it's not the most original book around, Jarka Ruus is actually a very entertaining book to read. While Brooks hasn't knocked one out of the park with this entry, he has certainly stabilized the Shannara franchise after the free-fall that was Jerle Shannara. The characters are interesting in this one, with Grianne's redemption and the temptation of her old life actually making her a fascinating character. She knows she must never go back to the person she was, but it makes dealing with the plots against her very difficult. Her first instinct is to blast back. Her determination to better herself and to continue on in the face of such diversity is really nice to see. In addition, it makes her a different character than most of Brooks' other ones, which is refreshing. The other main characters, Pen, Tagwen, Ahren, and Khyber (Ahren's niece) are also nicely done, though less distinctive. Pen is an Ohmsford, and he isn't much different from the Ohmsford heroes of old from all of the previous books. He has his own little piece of magic (though the magic itself seems to be dying out as it's diluted along the Ohmsford bloodline) that is seemingly useless but becomes appropriate for the mission at hand. That does seem a little convenient and arbitrary, one of the faults with the premise of the series. He's young and impetuous, easily falling in love with the daughter of the airship captain they hire to take them on their journey. The others have some nice characterization as well, though they do not stand out The saving grace of this novel is the world and the fact that Brooks seems to be trying something a little different. Redemption has never been one of his main themes, but this time he tackles it with full force. Grianne is put in a situation that will require her to make choices between her old self and the new, and the consequences of those choices could mean her life. There is a parallel between this series and Jerle, in the fact that another male relative of Grianne's has to save her. However, Jarka Ruus shows us that Grianne is more than capable of taking care of herself while she's waiting to be rescued. This is clearly her story even as it's Pen's coming of age. Brooks handles the two plot lines with effortless ease, never letting us grow tired of one before switching back to the other one. Another strength of the book is the use of Shannara continuity. I've always loved this world, even as I've disliked some of the books, and Brooks takes us on another travelogue around it. He uses just the right combination of old and new to season the book without overpowering it. There are references to almost every previous book, but either they are just for the fans and aren't really necessary, or he explains them well enough that the new reader will not be confused. Brooks has been known to wallow in this stuff, so seeing the light but firm touch he has on continuity in this book was great. We even get to see places that have been referred to but never actually seen (the Forbidding, where demons have been locked away for millennia, and the far northern areas of the world). Only a couple of things bring the book down, though. First, Brooks continues to have his characters brood as a way of thinking about the things happening to them. There are times when this goes on for a page or two, with the character just thinking about their situation, how they got there, and what they should do next. At least they didn't do this in the middle of combat, which was one of my criticisms of earlier books. It still got monotonous, though. Secondly, there is a bit of an internal logic problem that gnawed at me. During the run from the other druid airship, much is made of the fact that Ahren cannot use his druid magic or else the bad guys would be able to trace them. They are constantly talking about this. Then, once when he is forced to use his magic, they don't seem to express any worry about it. They settle down in a city waiting for the storm to abate so they can cast off again. They are then surprised by the druid ship. Shouldn't they have been expecting and worrying about this? However they should have reacted, it should not have been with surprise. Jarka Ruus is a very promising first entry in the High Druid of Shannara series. I hope that Brooks can maintain this quality, or even exceed it. He does seem to have a winning formula, but this time he's not trying to sell us more of the same in a different package. It's familiar enough for regular Brooks readers, but not so familiar that you feel you just shelled out more money for the same book. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating and suspenseful story!
Review: In this first of the series, author Terry Brooks brings us back to his world of the Shannara series. Having fulfilled Walker Boh's dream of rebuilding the Druid Council, High Druid Grianne Ohmsford (erstwhile the Ilse Witch) finds that the Council has developed into a nest of vipers. When a cabal of power-seeking druids uses foul magic to banish Grianne to a different dimension, their attention turns to Bek Ohmsford and his son Penderrin, the only ones who might be able to bring her back. With Bek off on a voyage, Pen must run from the druids and towards a place where he is told that he can find the magic to return Grianne, and along the way he must do everything he can to keep himself alive. Even though this is the first book in a series, Terry Brooks succeeds in building a fascinating and suspenseful story. Unlike the first book of the The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, this one is much more than mere introduction and character development. I found this to be a gripping and fascinating story, one that I highly recommend to all fans of fantasy literature!
Rating: 
Summary: Is the Shannara magic is fading? Maybe...
Review: The writing style and readability of this book are not in question--they are both great. What has left me disappointed is that, for the first time in ANY Shannara book, we are left with NO intriguing characters. Each book in this extensive series has been colored with the personality and special abilities of very interesting side characters that accompany the Shannara kin. And it has been a necessary part because the Shannara kin are usually cut out of the same mold, worrying about their ability to perform the task. But having airship captains, weapons masters, good trolls, daughters of the King of the Silver River (haven't we seen this guy in every book so far?), or villains walking along their side has been the best part of the series, in my opinion. Here we are left with nothing. There are simply not enough protagonists to be very exciting because the few we have are really somewhat boring. Grianne is interesting, and her journey is quite gripping. But while the events elsewhere are exciting to read, the characters are not.
Rating:
Summary: It's still a great story!
Review: I enjoyed the new characters of the story and am still trying to figure out who and how they transported Grianne. Pen's talents add a wonderful flavor to the story. I wish that Terry Brooks could have given us a little bit more to chew on as to whom the ultimate catalyst for banishing Grianne and for what purpose.
Rating:
Summary: Any Questions? [spoiler warning]
Review: It would be unfair to grade _Jarka Ruus_ lower because the rest of the series has yet to be published, and mediocrity is often a setup for something better (keep wishing, Star Wars fans). And, while better than anything he put out in _The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara_, Brooks once again disappointed me. - The suspense is mild and the surprises minimal. I guessed (correctly) where the Druids would banish Grianne almost immediately. The ending of the book is hardly a cliffhanger of the variety that _Scions_ brought us, largely because - Brooks tells us too much. The only thing he hasn't revealed so far is the identity of the supervillian of this series. And while we know that our supervillian is surely quite powerful, the extent of the power necessary to transport Grianne really isn't well known or appreciated. - Once again, our investment is not in the *characters*, but in the *story*. Brooks' work has never been the most innovative (though he surely did some pretty neat stuff with magics), but he has always excelled at characterization, especially with his _Word and Void_ series. The character that we see in Pen is nothing compared to what Brooks brought us with Par. Everyone winds up feeling like stock protagonists or villians. The plot is fine (not wonderful, but fine for an intro book), but the characters simply don't measure up to par (pun sort of intended). Conflict is not just a part of the Conflict-Crisis-Resolution triad we're familiar with when planning out a plot; it's a major component of character. Let's face it: Pen doesn't seem like much of a fifteen-year-old, even an uncommonly mature one. - Brooks relies too much on past works to get himself where he is. That wasn't a problem for me when I was introduced to the Brooks through _Scions of Shannara_. I didn't have the best grasp of the preceding trilogy, but _Heritage_ was separated enough for me to get along without it. But Brooks relies heavily on the reader's knowledge--you can tell he is writing for fans rather than attempting to really stretch himself. SPOILERS AHEAD YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED There were some nice moments, though. - I particularly like the fact that Brooks is going to play around with the Forbidding, truly one of his better moments. It has a lot of potential. (My only beef with him revealing where Grianne was transported is that it removes a lot of suspense.) - Technology was better-integrated this time around, probably because it plays a less prominent role. - He invented some slang! (The part when Pen and Gar talk about speeding.) - Having Brona around, even briefly, was welcome. Summoning the Warlock Lord was the only spot where I got goosebumps (becoming an unfortunate rarity while reading Brooks' books these days). Of course, I guessed that Grianne would get him instead of the Druids she sought, but it was pleasing nonetheless. The bottom line is that Terry Brooks put together a mostly formulaic book with a little suspense. It's hardly a thriller, but better than previous effort. I'm crossing my fingers for better things ahead.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive!!!
Review: 20 years pass since the last. Now Grianne Ohmsford is haing problems with the new druid order she founded. Things are falling apart, the peace is ending. Pen Ohlmsford is also having problems. Spellsong magic is faded and now he can only communicate with plants and animals. A must read!!!
Rating:
Summary: A fine addition to the series
Review: Grianne Ohmsford, the former Isle Witch and now High Druid, has problems. The new druid order she founded is in rebellion and her efforts to secure peace between the Federation and the Free-born have resulted in nothing. Still, when the attack comes, it catches her by surprise. Rather than simply kill her, her enemies banish her to Jarka Ruus, the forbidden land where the evil enemies were banished after the great wars. In a land where the ancient dragons, harpies, and furies hold sway, Grianne will have her hands full merely staying alive. What chance has she to return to her own world when the greatest mages of evil have failed for hundreds of years? With Pen Ohlmsford, the spellsong magic has faded to nothing. What little magic he possesses relates to communications with non-humanoid life forms--plants and animals. His own parents don't trust him to join them in their quests. But when the rebelling druids seize control after banishing Grianne, they decide to be complete and ensure that none of the Ohlmsfords are free to challenge their rule or help Grianne. Their efforts send young Pen on an epic voyage. Guided by the elf-druid Ahren Elessedil, Pen must find a path to his aunt Grianne. First, however, the small band must escape the hunting druids. Pen's growing love for the daughter of the skyship they charter quickly complicates their life. Author Terry Brooks extends his Shannara cycle with a new tale featuring many of the characters from the Jerle Shannara series, but introducing a new generation of explorers. JARKA RUUS will appeal especially to young adult readers with Pen battling self-doubt, limited magical abilities, and first-love in addition to the evil druids. JARKA RUUS is the first in a new series and leaves both Pen and Grianne in worse trouble than when they started, but getting there is definitely half the fun. Brooks's strong writing kept me involved and has me waiting for the next installment in the series.
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