Terry Brooks is a grandmaster of the fantasy genre, and his latest will both captivate and surprise readers.
Epic fantasy usually details world building with a large cast of characters. The land of Shannara has been detailed extensively in past books, so Brooks takes a different route this time in “The High Druid’s Blade: The Defenders of Shannara,” creating a more intimate and personal narrative with the story of Paxon Leah.
Paxon runs a shipping business, but dreams of exploring the world. He contemplates a better life for himself, his mother and his brash younger sister, Chrys. When Chrys overindulges, she ends up being abducted by a dark sorcerer named Arcannen. His powerful magic terrifies everyone, and his ultimate goal is to take out the power structure of the Druids, the watchers of the land.
A family heirloom, the Sword of Leah, is pulled off the mantle and Paxon rushes to grab his sister. He has no magic to help him with the rescue, and neither does his sister. What Paxon doesn’t realize is that Arcannen doesn’t want Chrys, he wants the sword, and he will do everything in his immense power to possess it.