Review of TANEQUIL by Terry Brooks (see his website)

HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA

Del Rey, August 2004

Grianne Ohmsford, High Druid, has been transported into the nether-world where the demons had been banished and now the druids are working to eliminate any hope for her return by going after her family. Her brother and his wife are quickly seized and the Druid's best assassin is sent after Penderrin. Somehow, though, the boy manages to escape the first attempt, capture an airship, and find allies. Still, he has to accomplish an almost impossible mission--find a tree in a forbidden part of the world, convince it to give up a limb, and create a 'dark-wand' that can somehow set Grianne free.

Meanwhile, the druids, and their allies, are working to gain control of the entire world. But Grianne's abduction to the land of the demons also meant that a demon was allowed to escape into the normal world--and that demon will work to tear down the barriers and allow the entire demon kingdom to spill out into the normal world. With Grianne held captive and battling between her Druid side and her Ilse Witch side, it seems that the demons have everything going there way.

HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA: TANEQUIL traces the struggles of Grianne, her nephew Penderrin, and her brother Bek as they face the overwhelming forces of the Druids and demons. Penderrin's journey to find the tree (Tanequil) seems to offer the most hope, but he is only a boy and his quest seems virtually impossible.

There's a lot to link in Tanequil--constant adventure, characters motivated by more than good vs. evil, growth and sacrifice. Author Terry Brooks (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Brooks) keeps the reader turning the pages with his strong writing.

My enjoyment of the book was somewhat weakened by Penderrin, who spent much of the novel involved in a somewhat pathetic relationship with Cinnaminson. For me, the book picked up when either Grianne or Bek (or even the evil Sen Dunsidan or Shadea a'Ru took center stage). Still, TANEQUIL grabbed me and held me throughout the read. Pretty good stuff.

Three Stars

Reviewed 10/09/04

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