Terry Brooks has been publishing books since the 1970s and has written over two dozen books set in his fantasy world of Shannara. The High Druid’s Blade is his newest, scheduled to be published in July 2014. I had the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy.

The High Druid’s Blade is advertised as “the perfect jumping-in place for new readers,” and I am indeed a new reader of Terry Brooks. Before reading this book I knew nothing of Shannara. The story was easy to read and to get drawn into. Although there are made up names and words, they are not abundant to the point of distraction (although I did wonder how some of them were pronounced – Leofur? is it just like it reads? sounds odd). The introductory material is brief, only 8 pages, before we plunge into action on page 9.

The plot is not overly complicated. There are many characters, but for the most part the attention is focused on only a few. There are several strong female characters. I had a little trouble keeping all the Druids apart, although I was easily able to guess the name of the traitor in their midst long before the Big Reveal.

I did tire of the many references to things that happened in the past, no doubt nods to previous works. They sometimes felt a little forced, like Brooks was trying to make sure this book tied in to his older books for long-time readers. Although this is advertised as “the first stand-alone Shannara novel,” it obviously isn’t. The ending clearly points to at least one sequel.

I’ll admit, I was not wowed by The High Druid’s Blade. I know Brooks is one of the modern fantasy greats and I expected more somehow. It was good but not great. However, I probably shouldn’t judge an author by his 25th (or whatever it is) novel set in his fantasy world. I did enjoy reading The High Druid’s Blade and will be on the lookout for the sequel.

A wonderful adventure, unfortunately I just couldn't seem to get into it. As a result it's good, but not great.

First time reading this one. Two Stars - It was Okay

What I liked: This book has taken a very different turn when it comes to the Shannara storyline. That was interesting and exciting. It was interesting to watch the change in the genetics and heritage of the magic within a new generation.

What I didn't like: The book dragged! It was slow reading and flat. There wasn't a good character development. It feels like most of the word and paragraphs were fillers to make the book longer. A lot of repeating, hashing over issues that had already been hashed, and a lot of unnecessary explanations for actions or events.

The Shannara books were the first fantasy books I ever read and the author is concluding the series. I read this in my effort to finish the entire series. The quality of the Shannara books has definitely gone down as it has dragged on.

Review closer to publication date. This was my second Terry Brooks book and in all honesty I liked the first one more but the name of the title escapes me. This was a decent read though, just I'm still struggling to see why Terry Brooks gets so much praise. Maybe I'll have to try out some of his earlier books.

Good start to a new chapter in Shannara. Brooks has moved towards more character building and introduced more ambiguity than his past efforts, mirroring Salvatore, Martin, and others. I'm looking forward to the next few books.

This was going to be 3 stars until the twist/reveal that really shook me. I can't believe i didnt catch it. GREAT ending and im excited to read the next one.