Rating: 
Summary: Terry Brooks does it again.
Review: This is my first non Shannara Brooks book (not counting Star Wars: The Phantom Menace), so I really didn't know what to expect. Kind of a slow start where we are introduced to the various characters that'll come into play during the story, the first and foremost being John Ross and Nest Freemark. This may be kinda slow, but it's still some good stuff. John Ross is tortured by his dreams. Being a Knight of the Word, he sees the future in his dreams, and it's not a good one. You can imagine what this would do to one's sleeping habits. John Ross' existence is not an easy one, which we find out.Nest Freemark grounds this story in reality. The relationship with her friends, her hometown. Brooks' descriptions of the town, the heat, the whole atmosphere of the town reminds me of when I was growing up, and that wasn't TOO awful long ago, so this town and it's inhabitants are real to me. Their problems, fears and friendships are real. Brooks does a great job establishing this and explaining how simple events in this one simple little town can bring forth a horrible future filled with Demons and bondage if our hero's don't prevail. As grounded as she is, Nest seems a normal kid, except for the fact that she hangs out with a 6 inch twig man named Pick, can see the feeders that feed off bad feelings and emotions, and can do a bit of magic. When our two hero's meet is when the fun begins. Lives are changed, dark family secrets long buried are brought to the forefront and no matter what the outcome, nothing will ever be the same for Nest Freemark. Brooks does a great job keeping all his plotlines entwined, offering us glimpses of each one until they all come to a head. This is a book about magic and it's consequences, a story of how our civilization has a lot of shaping up to do, or no telling what will happen to us, but mainly it's the story about a family and the secrets that they share or refuse to share and the effects of it. My main complaint would be that I wish that there was more for John Ross to do. There was a lot going on there with him, but it doesn't feel fully realized. Which I'm sure is the author's intent, and if so, he's done a really good job, as I can't wait to see where he takes this character in "A Knight of the Word."
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre in the beginning...speed at the end
Review: I trudged through the first half of the book, praying that something interesting would happen...FINALLY! And then, happily, it did. The stories pace picked up and the characters personalities began to meld and come together. I found some of the plot development a little bit weak, such as the grandmother and Wraith combination at the end (seemed convenient to the story)and that Nest was able to use her powers to help heal the kid in the very end (when all she could do was destroy the feeders throughout the book). But the book was 'entertaining' and the characters you came to care about (slightly). I doubt, however, if I'll read the next book in the series. Just didn't grab me that much. Not like Dune or Lord of The Rings or Foundation.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed universe
Review: This book would deserve at least 4 stars for engaging characters and chilling plot twists if it weren't for flaws in the underlying concepts. Brooks' concept of what's good and what's evil needs some serious revision. There's something wrong with the idea that supernatural forces of goodness would resort to manipulation and torture just to keep a follower on the straight and narrow. Although I kept reading to find out what happened to Nest Freemark, a lot of my enjoyment was gone. Why care about characters who are fighting for goodness if the forces of goodness are acting like the bad guys? The demon villain certainly has no redeeming qualities, and if you're going to have a book about good vs. evil, then either both sides must contain a smidgen of each other or they must both be absolutes. Otherwise the universe the book's set in is flawed. This book is like an otherwise well-constructed building built on a crooked foundation. After reading this I wonder whether Brooks knows evil better than he knows good, or if he just has more trouble writing about it.
Rating:
Summary: Good introduction to the fantasy genere
Review: Buying the book at a discount store and mistaking it's title for a horror book i started reading with no real expectations. However as the story started to unfold I started adapting myself to the fantasy genre and let myself relax and like the book. Although it took quite a while to identify with the characters once past the first section of the book the person characteristics start standing out. I especially liked Pick's character and sympathised with the granny. I'm really pleased at having read this book and as soon as i get some spare money I'll get a couple of other fantasy books maybe the more acclaimed ones by the same author.
Rating: 
Summary: changed my habits
Review: This book really changed the way I look at literature, I enjoyed the class in high school but would never be caught dead reading unless it was a requirement. From the day I picked up this book the characters just grabbed me and never let me go I'm hoping the fourth book in the series comes out soon. It's a great book for anyone but if you want to get younger people interested in reading this should be where you start.
Rating:
Summary: 4 stars, leaning towards 3
Review: With a few twists and turns, what could have been a boring book gets good. With a few more, this book could have been really great. But there weren't and it wasn't. I found the plot pretty stereotypical of the genre, but it was the extra stuff that kept me reading. I have also read the second book in the series, but not the third. While this book stands well on its own, when combined with the second book, the author's idea of the world becomes even more clear and this book actually becomes better.
Rating:
Summary: Good but very anti-climatic
Review: I was really enjoying this book up until the end, the ideas and the imagination thrown into real world settings was really interesting and entertaining to read, but in the end I was expecting more. The end was rather predictable and the 'evil' side didn't seem all that evil. The only plot twist in the end isn't even that relavant to the main story. I really liked the book a lot, which was why I found the poor conclusion so dissapointing.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new...
Review: Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with this book; there just didn't happen to be anything great about it anyway. If you are a Brooks fan, or if you enjoy the genre, then this is an okay book to read, but otherwise it's not really worth it. Brooks' writing style leaves very little to the imagination; he describes every person, place, and thing, at least physically, very well. Unfortunately, there isn't anything terribly new,exciting, or innovative about this story. The main character, Nest, is typical, John Ross has potential but doesn't really do anything, the Demon is an overconfident wimp, and the horrible Maentwrog isn't really so horrible as he seems. Pick is obnoxious and boring, the plot is just a basic Good vs. Evil recap, except Brooks calls God "the Word," and Satan "the Void." The magic is kind of silly, it only works by making eye contact with someone...so what are you supposed to do if you're up against a blind guy? Still, this is a mildly entertaining, quick moving little book that is a good filler if you're bored. Also to be noted is that this is a complete story, you don't need to read the other books in this trilogy for a complete picture.
Rating:
Summary: a breakthrough for Brooks
Review: a very well written book. Terry Brooks has once again proven himself to be one of the great fantasy authors of all time. This book incorporates fantasy with everyday reality in such a way as to make it believable in many aspects. With this novel, Brooks has opened up many new possibilities for the fantasy genre to explore. If your not exactly one for fantasy, you'll like this definitely. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Running away with it
Review: I'm not going to explain the plot, you can read that elsewhere. The characters are captivating, they become familiar almost right away. The story is fasanating, building all the time until it explodes at the end. This is the first Brooks book I've read, and I'm massively impressed.
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