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: 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!
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: 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 Brooks novel for "Thirtysomething" fans....
Review: Mr. Brooks issues another installment in the Running with the Demon series, but this time it is as predictable as all the other reviewers have stated. If you read the first book in the series, you will already know who the demon is when they are first introduced in the second book. On top of this, the characters in this book are even more overwrought and whiny than ever. Even the demon takes time out at the end of the book to whine about her problems and situation. Whine, worry, and contemplate; it does not add up to an active plot. For those readers spoiled by Shannara and Landover, you can hope that Mr. Brooks redeems this series with the third installment this fall. The first book was good; hopefully the third will wrap things up competently.
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: 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: A servicable, entertaining sequel
Review: KNIGHT OF THE WORD by TERRY BROOKS PERSPECTIVE: sci-fi/fantasy fan, marginally familiar with Brooks' work Knight of the Word is second in the Brooks' Word and Void series, the first being Running With the Demon. Overall, this a good, if not spectacular book, and does its job well as a sequel to the first in the series. The core of the plot follows Nest Freemark in a turnabout situation from the first novel - instead of John Ross coming to save her from being destroyed by a demon, she herself travels to Seattle in order to prevent Ross's corruption by another demon, who seeks to turn him from a Knight of the Word to a servant of the Void. The plot is reasonably well-tooled, although an overly significant amount of time is spent on Ross's brooding about giving up his Knighthood - it just didn't seem believable to me that after all of his service to the Word and all of the warnings he was given, that Ross would persist in his abstention of his duties to the degree that he did. Also, the identity of the demon was easily predictable, but Brooks dragged out the stating of the obvious a bit too long... towards the end the constant "build-up" towards the obvious revelation of the demon's identity, as well as certain actions the demon takes near the end of the book (that I thought would have clued Ross in to what was going on, despite his state of delusion) made the ending seem a bit anti-climactic to me. However, the latter are a few faults in an otherwise solid offering. The characterization is consistent from the previous book, and the amount of growth and change that both Ross and Nest ultimately go through is satisfying and well presented. Brooks' description of Seattle is vivid and a stark contrast to the midwestern Hopewell of Running With the Demon. And, the plot otherwise is reasonably tight, with a modest amount of action, including a notably exciting chase scene involving Nest and the demon. Brooks did a good job of subtly recapping events from the previous book such that it isn't imperative to read it first... although it helps. FINAL WORD: Read this book, although if you have to pick only one Word and Void book to read (me having yet to read Angel Fire East), I'd read Running With the Demon, which is the better of the two. Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.
Rating: 
Summary: I love the bad reviews!
Review: I love reading the bad reviews even more than the good ones sometimes. The vitriol, the spleen! It's a lot of fun:) Anyway, I have tried more than once to labor thru this book and couldn't do it either time. Ross is too normal, very dull. If you want a worthwhile good vs. evil story, read the novelization of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight.
Rating:
Summary: Was this originally a short story?
Review: Did Brooks fluff this up for a novel? Did he find himself short, or need to upgrade his computer or have new storm windows installed? He apparently needed fundage but didn't have an idea in his head right at that moment. For a book with "knight" in the title, the novel is awfully long on introspection -- by very non-dimensional characters -- and short on action. I have a Lebanese friend (so you may supply the accent) who says, when viewing the first romantic exchange in a film, "Ah! Movie start now." Twenty pages from the back cover, I said, "Ah. Story start now." What is meant by "non-dimensional?" Well, I knew who the demon was when (spoiler coming) she was first introduced. That isn't necessarily a problem -- this is fantasy, after all, not a whodunit. The guy that got burned in the shelter fire had the aroma of the unnamed crew member on the orginal Star Trek -- you just knew he was gonna die. The most lively character in the entire book was completely unnecessary to the plot (Della the secretary). However, she was also the one character that started to nudge her way up from the one-dimensional. There is one positive criticism -- the darned thing is short. The reason I'm not a great fan of fantasy is because the authors of same tend to think in terms of book tonnage. And, since I'm new to the genre, I have never been a Brooks reader. So, please tell me: is this what all his novels are like? If so, I don't need to waste my time. This should have been a ten page short story, and I would have felt gyped if this hadn't been a loaner.
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