Jarka Ruus (High Druid of Shannara)

I've loved Terry Brooks since 1979 when I first read The Sword of Shannara. Was it essentially the same plot outline as Lord of the Rings? Yes. But I was 11, and had just finished reading LOTR for the first time. Shannara worked well for me, and I was quickly hooked. As I've gotten older and (hopefully) matured, the series has matured as well. We've learned the costs of the magic weilded by the characters. We've learned that those with great power aren't always the happiest, and are often quite troubled. We've learned that heroism comes with a price. High Druid of Shannara promises to be a series about redemption. 20 years after the return of the Jerle Shannara expedition, Grianne Ohmsford, the Ilse Witch, has taken her place as the High Druid at Paranor. But there are many who cannot forgive her, who won't forget her past life, and want her dead. And there are others who seek the power of the Druid Council for their own purposes. Grianne disappears, and it falls to another Ohmsford to rescue her - her nephew. Pendarrin Ohmsford is not the unwilling hero that his ancestors were - at least not at first. He is so ready for adventure and excitement that it's clear he isn't a full-blooded Ohmsford; the Rover blood is deep in him, and at times he acts like a prince of Leah rather than an Ohmsford. He quickly learns that adventures are far more frightening than anyone has ever told him. Especially when he is told that he is the only one who can save his aunt, buy finding a legendary tree, the Tanequil, and obtaining a talisman that only he can get. It has been enjoyable watching Brooks' writing mature. His works have gone from a formulaic fantasy quest book to a deeper exploration of human emotion and failings. His characters tend to be slightly stock, but they're his stock of characters. I often find myself wondering what previous character each newcomer is related to, or what mold they have been cast from. Fortunately, Brooks most often combines qualities of several characters when creating a new one, so they seem fresh. I devoured this book. I had planned on reading this at the beach this year on vacation - it didn't last long enough for me to even take with me. The books are addictive. But it's a good addiction. Really.

In this first installment of the High Druid of Shannara series, author Terry Brooks picks up where the events of the "Voyage" series ended. It is now twenty years after the survivors of the battle with the Morgawr have returned, and Grianne Ohmsford, the former Ilse Witch, is now the Ard Rhys, or High Druid. However, not everyone at the Druid's keep at Paranor is supportive of her. Shadea a'Ru, a rival druid, has devised a scheme to remove Grianne from Paranor and place her in another dimension. Using a potion called liquid night, Shadea manages to sneak into the Ard Rhys' chambers and administer it to her. When Grianne awakens, she is no longer at Paranor, but trapped inside the Forbidding.Tagwen, Grianne's faithful dwarf assistant, realizes she is missing and immediately suspects Shadea and her accomplices. Immediately, he decides to find Grianne's brother Bek Ohmsford, because his use of the wishsong may help in finding Grianne. Unfortunately upon arriving, Tagwen discovers that Bek has gone away on an expedition and Pen, Beck's son, is the only one home.However, the druids have also thought of it to search for Bek and arrive almost at the same time as Tagwen. Pen and Tagwen flee and begin a journey to Emberen in search of Ahren Elessedil, the Elven Druid who survived the battle against the Morgawr twenty years earlier. With information given to them by the King of the Silver River, the companions begin their journey to find the Tanequil, a tree which has branches that will enable Pen to cross over into the Forbidding and bring Grianne back to the Four Lands. Will the companions make it to the Tanequil? Will Grianne survive inside the Forbidding?Brooks has written another fine book which is surely to become a fantasy classic. As with each of Brooks' preceeding books, this one immediately draws the reader in with characters that the reader genuinely cares about and a plot that will definitely keep the pages turning. I'm only sorry that I'll have to wait until next year for book two to be released. I highly recommend this book. Its a great beginning to a new and exciting Brooks series.

In this first of the series, author Terry Brooks brings us back to his world of the Shannara series. Having fulfilled Walker Boh's dream of rebuilding the Druid Council, High Druid Grianne Ohmsford (erstwhile the Ilse Witch) finds that the Council has developed into a nest of vipers. When a cabal of power-seeking druids uses foul magic to banish Grianne to a different dimension, their attention turns to Bek Ohmsford and his son Penderrin, the only ones who might be able to bring her back. With Bek off on a voyage, Pen must run from the druids and towards a place where he is told that he can find the magic to return Grianne, and along the way he must do everything he can to keep himself alive.Even though this is the first book in a series, Terry Brooks succeeds in building a fascinating and suspenseful story. Unlike the first book of the The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, this one is much more than mere introduction and character development. I found this to be a gripping and fascinating story, one that I highly recommend to all fans of fantasy literature!

High Druid of Shannara: Book 1Jarka Ruus is set 20 years after the conclusion of Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy). Grianne Ohmsford, formerly the Ilse Witch is now the High Druid (Ard Rhys) of the Third Druid Council at Paranor. Grianne faces the problem of how to make the Druid Council relevant and effective in the Four Lands. She faces skepticism from the Elves and some men, and worse, she faces schemes from some of the Druids who still do not trust her because of her past. These schemes get the best of Grianne early in the book as she is trapped in some alternate realm similar to her own world (I refuse to name it because it is a massive spoiler and there is some joy in discovering where exactly Grianne ended up). This sets up the main thrust of the novel which is the beginning of the quest to rescue Grianne. We are introduced to the hero of the novel, Pen Ohmsford. Brooks follows the formula of the Shannara series in that a new scion of the Ohmsford clan is tapped to undertake a quest of some sort. While Pen's father, Bek Ohmsford (from the Voyage trilogy) is alive and able, The King of the Silver River maintains that it is young Pen who must venture out to rescue his aunt (Grianne is Bek's sister). While Bek and Grianne have the magic of the Wishsong, Pen is a generation that has been skipped (though he wonders if the magic is just dying out). He does have his own magic, one that he does not think is as important or powerful as the Wishsong. He can empathetically understand animals. Helping Pen out in this quest are Ahren Elessedil (an elf Prince and Druid), his niece and apprentice Khyber Elessedil, and Grianne's dwarf assistant. This first volume in the High Druid trilogy sets up the main thrust of the series and offers an excellent continuation of the Voyage trilogy. This is the best work Brooks has done in years (at least in the Shannara series) and is far better than any of the three books in the Voyage trilogy. The most interesting parts of the book deal with Grianne (which is a little unfortunate since the main focus is on Pen). She is more of an interesting character, more developed, and her circumstances are fascinating for any long time fan of Shannara. This book kept me turning the pages faster and faster because I wanted to know what happened next and I found myself eagerly awaiting Book 2 in the High Druid series. I didn't feel that way about the Voyage trilogy at all. Very good stuff from Terry Brooks.

I have been a fan of Terry Brooks and the various Shannara books for 20 years, anxiously awaiting each new series in the ongoing tale. However, I must admit the last trilogy, The Voyage of the Jerele Shannara (TVotJS), was not up to par with the high expectations I have for Terry Brooks writings. While the trilogy did have new settings and characters I thought that many of the story plots and themes had been written about before and just redressed for this trilogy. I awaited the release of the High Druid of Shannara (THDoS) series with caution.Just a few days ago my wife purchased the first book on THDoS series for me JARKA RUUS (JR) and I found that Brooks had recaptured what I originally so liked about the Shannara series. In this book Brooks brings back some familiar people and places. Several characters from the TVotJS have returned. Most importantly Grianne Ohmsford, the former Ilse Witch, in her current role as Ard Rhys the current leader of the third druid council. Grianne Ohmsford was one of my favorite characters from the TVotJS and I think she makes a great druid, much better than Walker Boh. Aside from the characters and magic that marks all his books this series has a great story, just as good as THE FIRST KING OF SHANNARA (TFKoS) and right behind THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA (TEoS). I have always like TEoS and there are strong links to TEoS in JR. If you have read TEoS and enjoyed reading about the different demons and wondered just what the Forbidding that held them back was about then this story will answer a lot of those questions. Also, the Warlock Lord makes a cameo appearance of sorts in this book. The only thing I did not care for in this book was the abrupt ending. I know its part of a series but I feel that each book in a series should have some kind of closure or resolve at least for some of the minor sub-plots. Not this book!! It actually increases the suspense and then ends abruptly leaving the reader somewhat upset at being left to dangle for an entire year.Lastly, Brooks seems to be back on the right track with the Shannara series. I can not wait until summer 2004 to pick up TANEQUIL and continue with this great story.