AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Simon Vance’s deliberate pacing of Terry Brooks’s fantasy saga guides listeners through escalating events as the Fall of Shannara tetralogy continues. Major players, distinctly characterized with tonal variations and slight accents, strategize their next moves in the struggle for Shannara’s fate. Ajin d’Amphere, brilliant warrior princess, manipulates the tenuous peace in the Four Lands. Assaults on her leadership complicate plans for a new homeland. Dar Leah enlists a longtime friend in tracking down apprentice Tarsha Kaynin; her quest to rescue her brother from a magical madness results in dire consequences. Trapped inside a vanished tower, Drisker Arc battles treachery involving the future of magic. Vance’s performance amplifies the impact of Brooks’s cliff-hanger ending. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
03/12/2018
Although Brooks’s prose and characters remain unremarkable, he does a better job of juggling multiple story lines in this middle volume of his final Shannara epic fantasy trilogy than in its predecessor, The Black Elfstone. The prior volume ended dramatically: the Druids’ headquarters at Paranor had been sent into limbo, with its former leader, Drisker Arc, trapped inside. The order of magicians had been betrayed by one of their own, Clizia Porse, who aided the invaders known as the Skaar; they overwhelmed any opposition by using their ability to disappear. Dar Leah, who had been in charge of protecting Paranor, is desperate to rescue Drisker, and searches for Drisker’s gifted apprentice, Tarsha Kaynin, who is also being sought by Clizia and by Tarsha’s brother, Tavo, whose insanity has made his magic deadly. Meanwhile, the commander of the Skaar, Ajin d’Amphere, schemes to pit two of her opponents in the Four Lands against each other. Brooks keeps the narrative flowing briskly and makes it accessible to newcomers. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit. (June)
From the Publisher
Like The Black Elfstone before it, and perhaps even more so, The Skaar Invasion is one of [Terry] Brooks’s most aggressively political novels. It engages with familiar conflicts and themes, digging deep into the challenges facing humanity and asking—begging—for us to do better. . . . The Skaar Invasion is an exhilarating, intricate portrait of a world at war with itself.”—Tordotcom
“Brooks continues the mastery of the world, as may be expected when working in one as developed as Shannara.”—RT Book Reviews
Praise for Terry Brooks
“The Sword of Shannara is an unforgettable and wildly entertaining epic, animated by Terry Brooks’s cosmically generative imagination and storytelling joy.”—Karen Russell, New York Times bestselling author of Swamplandia!
“If Tolkien is the grandfather of modern fantasy, Terry Brooks is its favorite uncle.”—Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Skull Throne
“I can’t even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks’s books I’ve read (and reread) over the years. From Shannara to Landover, his work was a huge part of my childhood.”—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
“Terry Brooks is a master of the craft and a trailblazer who established fantasy as a viable genre. He is required reading.”—Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Angel Trilogy
“The Shannara books were among the first to really capture my imagination. My daydreams and therefore my stories will always owe a debt to Terry Brooks.”—Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Beyonders series and the Fablehaven series
