A new novel by Terry Brooks is always a cause for celebration. For more than twenty years, the New York Times bestselling author of the classic Shannara epic has proven himself one of the modern masters of fantasy, winning the hearts and minds of devoted readers around the world. In his last acclaimed novel, Ilse Witch, a brave company of explorers led by the last Druid, Walker Boh, traveled across unknown seas in search of an elusive magic. Yet perhaps Boh and his team were lured there for sinister, unforeseen purposes . . .
Now in Antrax, as the crew aboard the airship Jerle Shannara is attacked by evil forces, the Druid’s protégé Bek Rowe and his companions are pursued by the mysterious Ilse Witch. Meanwhile, Boh is alone, caught in a dark maze beneath the ruined city of Castledown, stalked by a hungry, unseen enemy.
For there is something alive in Castledown. Something not human. Something old beyond reckoning that covets the magic of Druids, elves, even the Ilse Witch. Something that hunts men for its own designs: Antrax. It is a spirit that commands ancient technologies and mechanical monsters, feeds off enchantment, and traps the souls of men.
With the Jerle Shannara under siege and Antrax threatening the bold and unwary, the Ilse Witch finds herself face-to-face with a boy who claims to be the brother she last saw as an infant. Now a young man, Bek wields the magic of the wishsong and carries the Sword of Shannara upon his back. Unsure whether to trust Bek or to slay him, the Ilse Witch takes him prisoner. One has come pursuing truth, the other revenge. Yet both seek Walker Boh–with the fate of the Four Lands hanging in the balance.
Return to the world of beloved novelist Terry Brooks, where creatures drift up from the earth like mist, a hypnotic song can kill, a sword can cut through a veil of lies–and one man, the true heir of an ancient magic, must choose between betrayal and redemption.
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From the Publisher
Praise for The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch
"If Harry Potter has given you a thirst for fantasy and you have not discovered the magic of Terry Brooks, you are in for a treat."
Rocky Mountain News"Even readers who haven't read a Terry Brooks title since his classic Sword of Shannara will welcome The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch . . . The action and creatures come fast and furious. . . . This latest volume finds Mr. Brooks' power ascending."
The Dallas Morning News
"If you were delighted and entranced by Michael Ende's The Never Ending Story, you will definitely want to sample one of more of Terry Brooks's books."
Santa Cruz Sentinel
"The myriad Shannara fans will relish the adventure, the mystery, the magic, and the well-developed characters . . . The ending is a gripping cliff-hanger."
Booklist
"The Shannara mythology gains a new level of history and depth in a tale that should appeal to the series' legions of fans."
Library Journal
bn.com review
The Barnes & Noble Review
Terry Brooks -- whose first novel, The Sword of Shannara, became an
instant bestseller upon its release in the late 1970s -- is the author of
scads of popular fantasy novels. While the author's ongoing appeal is due to his
quick-flowing prose, action-packed sequences, and colorful characters, he
owes much of his success to his strict concordance with the "epic quest"
model established by J.R.R. Tolkien 40 years earlier.
But give the man some credit -- Brooks writes a killer yarn. (He has millions
of diehard fans to prove it.) And while his stories rely heavily on
Tolkien-esque elements (such as arduous journeys, magic-wielding wizards,
young protagonists who are always more than they appear, and, of course, the
obligatory dark evil force), Brooks has a charm all his own, and he
consistently keeps his readers guessing and wildly flipping the pages.
Brooks fans are certainly in for a treat with The Voyage of the Jerle
Shannara: Antrax, the follow-up to the series kickoff, Voyage of Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch. If you're unfamiliar with this particular
story line, stop reading now and pick up Ilse Witch first -- it's a great deal
of fun, even for those unfamiliar with Brooks's previous works. Antrax
begins exactly where Ilse Witch lets off.
Some background: Ilse Witch tells of a potentially devastating magic
that the forces of good and evil both desperately want to control. The good
guys set off on an airship in an effort to find this magic; the bad guys are
hot on their trail. At the conclusion of Ilse Witch, the young Bek
Rowe learns that he is really Bek Ohmsford, a direct descendant to the
fabled Elf King, Jerle Shannara. Because of his lineage, Bek possesses the
powerful gift of the Wishsong and the sole ability to use the
mythical Sword of Shannara. As if this weren't enough for the lad to digest,
he also discovers that his team's deadly adversary, the Ilse Witch, is his
sister.
In Antrax, the race continues as Bek, the Druid Walker Boh, Bek's
cousin Quentin, a few talented Rover flyers, the seer Ryd Ord Star, a score
of Elf hunters, and the thoroughly intriguing shape-shifter Truls Rohk
battle not only the Ilse Witch but also a relentless army of technological
monsters. Brooks devotees will be happy (although not surprised) to hear
that Antrax provides a punch of pure adrenaline. It's high-quality,
rapid-paced entertainment. (Andrew LeCount)
Dallas Morning News
Even readers who haven't read a Terry Brooks title since his classic Sword of Shannara will welcome The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch . . . The action and creatures come fast and furious. . . . This latest volume finds Mr. Brooks' power ascending.
Rocky Mountain News
"If Harry Potter has given you a thirst for fantasy and you have not discovered the magic of Terry Brooks, you are in for a treat.
Santa Cruz Sentinel
If you were delighted and entranced by Michael Ende's The Never Ending Story, you will definitely want to sample one of more of Terry Brooks's books.
Publishers Weekly
Continuing the saga begun in The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch (2000), bestseller Brooks opens this slick, lightweight fantasy with our band of heroes (Druids, elves, shape-shifters, Rovers, etc.) trapped on an island ruled by the evil artificial intelligence Antrax. Antrax has lured this disparate crew to its underground lair in order to use their assorted magics to expand its influence across the world of Shannara. The expedition's leader, the Druid Walker, wants to steal Antrax's ancient technology, but to gain it, he must engage in deadly combat with the machine. The treacherous seer, Ryer Ord Star, and the young, frightened elven prince, Ahren Elessedil, join the fight. Meanwhile, Bek Ohmsford, a prot?g? of Walker's who's been left mostly in the dark about his own magical potential, must try to convince his sister, the dangerous Ilse Witch, that his version of their shared past is true, as he struggles to keep her from killing him or his friends. Also complicating the plot are the battles of the Rovers to reclaim the group's airship the only means for the adventurers to return home. Some emotionally painful encounters occur with former friends who have been enslaved by Antrax, turned into cyborgs and forced to do the nasty AI's bidding. Brooks's fans are sure to be pleased with this action-packed yarn, which neatly weaves the many plots and characters into a coherent whole. Those readers looking for more depth or less predictability are unlikely to have started on this series in the first place. 12-city author tour. (Sept. 21) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Caught in a desperate race to discover a powerful form of ancient magic before it can fall into the hands of the Ilse Witch, Druid Walker Boh and his companions make their way to the city of Castledown. There, in the darkness below the city, Walker and the Ilse Witch meet in a confrontation that will change their world forever. Brooks continues his latest "Shannara" series in fine form, blending old and new characters and introducing a new element of eldritch magic to his tale of ordinary people gifted with the guardianship of their world. Libraries may wish to purchase multiple copies to meet patron demand. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/01.] Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Second in the Shannara Voyage subseries, still a swift and easy-swinging adventure fantasy. Volume I, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch, kicked off this third Shannara sequence and brought Brooks back to the universe born in 1977's bestselling The Sword of Shannara, now into its tenth installment and longer than the Tolkien cycle from which it springs. This new chapter ends on a cliffhanger like a Saturday morning serial with the Jerle Shannara about to be shot to bits by an airborne enemy bearing no insignia. Is this series darkening? Will Harry Potter fans come aboard?
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