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Summary
Summary
The stunning, eagerly anticipated sequel to Running with the Demon. Crippled in body and soul by the magic he wields and the horrors he dreams, John Ross wanders America, a knight-errant pursuing the agents of the Void.
Summary
"Superior to anything being written in the genre . . . Terry Brooks is one of a handful of fantasy writers whose work consistently meets the highest literary standards."-- Rocky Mountain News
Eight centuries ago the first Knight of the Word was commissioned to combat the demonic evil of the Void. Now that daunting legacy has passed to John Ross--along with powerful magic and the knowledge that his actions are all that stand between a living hell and humanity's future.
Then, after decades of service to the Word, an unspeakable act of violence shatters John Ross's weary faith. Haunted by guilt, he turns his back on his dread gift, settling down to build a normal life, untroubled by demons and nightmares.
But a fallen Knight makes a tempting prize for the Void, which could bend the Knight's magic to its own evil ends. And once the demons on Ross's trail track him to Seattle, neither he nor anyone close to him will be safe. His only hope is Nest Freemark, a college student who wields an extraordinary magic all her own. Five years earlier, Ross had aided Nest when the future of humanity rested upon her choice between Word and Void. Now Nest must return the favor. She must restore Ross's faith, or his life--and hers--will be forfeit . . .
"[An] urban dark fantasy . . . Sharp and satisfying."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Author Notes
Terry Brooks was born in Sterling, Illinois on January 8, 1944. He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Hamilton College and a graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington and Lee University. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a practicing attorney for many years. His first book The Sword of Shannara (1977) was the first work of fiction to appear on the New York Times Trade Paperback Bestseller List. He made the list again with his title The High Druid'd Blade: The Defenders of Shannara. His other works include the Word and Void trilogy, The Heritage of Shannara series, Magic Kingdom of Landover series, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, High Druid of Shannara series, Genesis of Shannara series, and the novelization to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Terry Brooks was born in Sterling, Illinois on January 8, 1944. He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from Hamilton College and a graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington and Lee University. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a practicing attorney for many years. His first book The Sword of Shannara (1977) was the first work of fiction to appear on the New York Times Trade Paperback Bestseller List. He made the list again with his title The High Druid'd Blade: The Defenders of Shannara. His other works include the Word and Void trilogy, The Heritage of Shannara series, Magic Kingdom of Landover series, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, High Druid of Shannara series, Genesis of Shannara series, and the novelization to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (8)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Brooks continues his vacation from his trademark Tolkienesque adventures (the Shannara and Magic Kingdom novels) with this urban dark fantasy, a sharp and satisfying follow-up to last year's Running with the Demon. It has been five years since mortal John Ross was anointed a Knight of the Word, and in that time he has suffered a serious crisis of faith. Unable to prevent the death of innocents in senseless acts of violence engineered by demons of the Void, he has fallen from his calling and drifted to Seattle to work with saintly Simon Lawrence and the Fresh Start program for homeless women and children. Nagged by recurring nightmares of a possible future in which he murders his mentor and dismantles the program, John is guilt-ridden, uncertain and vulnerable to a shape-shifting demon who has infiltrated his circle of associates. His only hope is Nest Freemark, the teenage heroine of his previous adventure, who applies her own grasp of the Word to smoke out the demon before John's dreamswhich include her deathcan come true. The identity of John's demonic manipulator and the meaning of his dreams are carefully crafted mysteries that build to a climax filled with surprising twists and turns. Brooks's real achievement, however, is his orchestration of the tale's social issues and personal dramas into a scenario with the resonance of myth. Both a sprightly entertainment and a thoughtful allegory of the forces of Good and Evil at large in the modern world, this novel is sure to increase its author's already vast readership. Author tour. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Relatively uncompelling sequel to Running with the Demon (1997), Brooks's good (the Word) vs. evil (the Void) clash set in contemporary America. John Ross, Knight of the Word, whose mission and magic powers derive from the Lady, failed while residing in a small California town to prevent a massacre of schoolchildren by demons, and thus quit his missionor so he thinks: actually, he can't give up the magic. Here, he stands in terrible danger of being subverted by the Void. The Lady's messenger, Ariel, visits Nest Freemark, by now 19 and a world-class athlete. Nest agrees to visit Ross in Seattle, where he works in a shelter for the homeless, the brainchild of businessman/industrialist Simon Lawrence, and has fallen in love with a colleague, Stefanie Winslow. Nest warns Ross that he's in danger and that there's a demon active nearby; and while Ross agonizes over his situation, Nest nearly succumbs to the demon's attack. That same night the shelter burns down, killing the night manager who was standing in for Ross. Meanwhile, reporter Andrew Wren is handed documents seeming to prove that both Lawrence and Ross were embezzling. So who is the demon? Nest figures it out and rushes off to warn Ross, but he's also added things upand got the wrong answer. The showdown will come on Halloween at the Seattle Art Museum. Unevocative, humdrum, and devoid of narrative tension; still, fans of the previous book will probably want to investigate.(Author tour)
Booklist Review
John Ross and Nest Freemark, the magical principals in Running with the Demon [BKL Jl 97], are still around five years after that disaster-fantasy's reasonably happy ending. John is in Seattle, to which he has drifted after renouncing his responsibilities as a Knight of the Word--that is, a defender of goodness--and where he works at a very successful homeless shelter. Nest comes to tell him he is in peril of becoming a minion of the evil Void if he doesn't resume his knightly duties, for Halloween fast approaches, and, as Running attested, that is when demons make their move. One of Brooks' strengths is physical description, and scenic Seattle serves that talent well. But description is not normally the strong suit of a fantasy thriller (King can make do with it, but what can't he do with the genre?), and since Brooks lets us down in the plot and action categories, not to mention the crucial one of suspense (the resolutions of the book's mysteries are apparent no later than halfway through), this is rather a snooze. Yet all of Brooks' books have sold well, so have it for the fans, anyway. --Ray Olson
Library Journal Review
Haunted by his failure to prevent the death of innocent children, John Ross abandons his calling as a Knight of the Word and opens himself to corruption by the forces of the Void. His only hope for rescue lies with Nest Freemark, a young woman whose demon-blood once brought her to the edge of the Void but who now seeks to repay her debt to the Lady of the Word. The sequel to Running with the Demon (LJ 9/15/97) features a pair of engaging heroes and a fast-paced, though predictable, plot. Best-selling author Brooks continues to maintain his reputation as a polished raconteur. Most libraries should add this to their fantasy collection. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Brooks continues his vacation from his trademark Tolkienesque adventures (the Shannara and Magic Kingdom novels) with this urban dark fantasy, a sharp and satisfying follow-up to last year's Running with the Demon. It has been five years since mortal John Ross was anointed a Knight of the Word, and in that time he has suffered a serious crisis of faith. Unable to prevent the death of innocents in senseless acts of violence engineered by demons of the Void, he has fallen from his calling and drifted to Seattle to work with saintly Simon Lawrence and the Fresh Start program for homeless women and children. Nagged by recurring nightmares of a possible future in which he murders his mentor and dismantles the program, John is guilt-ridden, uncertain and vulnerable to a shape-shifting demon who has infiltrated his circle of associates. His only hope is Nest Freemark, the teenage heroine of his previous adventure, who applies her own grasp of the Word to smoke out the demon before John's dreamswhich include her deathcan come true. The identity of John's demonic manipulator and the meaning of his dreams are carefully crafted mysteries that build to a climax filled with surprising twists and turns. Brooks's real achievement, however, is his orchestration of the tale's social issues and personal dramas into a scenario with the resonance of myth. Both a sprightly entertainment and a thoughtful allegory of the forces of Good and Evil at large in the modern world, this novel is sure to increase its author's already vast readership. Author tour. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Relatively uncompelling sequel to Running with the Demon (1997), Brooks's good (the Word) vs. evil (the Void) clash set in contemporary America. John Ross, Knight of the Word, whose mission and magic powers derive from the Lady, failed while residing in a small California town to prevent a massacre of schoolchildren by demons, and thus quit his missionor so he thinks: actually, he can't give up the magic. Here, he stands in terrible danger of being subverted by the Void. The Lady's messenger, Ariel, visits Nest Freemark, by now 19 and a world-class athlete. Nest agrees to visit Ross in Seattle, where he works in a shelter for the homeless, the brainchild of businessman/industrialist Simon Lawrence, and has fallen in love with a colleague, Stefanie Winslow. Nest warns Ross that he's in danger and that there's a demon active nearby; and while Ross agonizes over his situation, Nest nearly succumbs to the demon's attack. That same night the shelter burns down, killing the night manager who was standing in for Ross. Meanwhile, reporter Andrew Wren is handed documents seeming to prove that both Lawrence and Ross were embezzling. So who is the demon? Nest figures it out and rushes off to warn Ross, but he's also added things upand got the wrong answer. The showdown will come on Halloween at the Seattle Art Museum. Unevocative, humdrum, and devoid of narrative tension; still, fans of the previous book will probably want to investigate.(Author tour)
Booklist Review
John Ross and Nest Freemark, the magical principals in Running with the Demon [BKL Jl 97], are still around five years after that disaster-fantasy's reasonably happy ending. John is in Seattle, to which he has drifted after renouncing his responsibilities as a Knight of the Word--that is, a defender of goodness--and where he works at a very successful homeless shelter. Nest comes to tell him he is in peril of becoming a minion of the evil Void if he doesn't resume his knightly duties, for Halloween fast approaches, and, as Running attested, that is when demons make their move. One of Brooks' strengths is physical description, and scenic Seattle serves that talent well. But description is not normally the strong suit of a fantasy thriller (King can make do with it, but what can't he do with the genre?), and since Brooks lets us down in the plot and action categories, not to mention the crucial one of suspense (the resolutions of the book's mysteries are apparent no later than halfway through), this is rather a snooze. Yet all of Brooks' books have sold well, so have it for the fans, anyway. --Ray Olson
Library Journal Review
Haunted by his failure to prevent the death of innocent children, John Ross abandons his calling as a Knight of the Word and opens himself to corruption by the forces of the Void. His only hope for rescue lies with Nest Freemark, a young woman whose demon-blood once brought her to the edge of the Void but who now seeks to repay her debt to the Lady of the Word. The sequel to Running with the Demon (LJ 9/15/97) features a pair of engaging heroes and a fast-paced, though predictable, plot. Best-selling author Brooks continues to maintain his reputation as a polished raconteur. Most libraries should add this to their fantasy collection. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.