The Darkling Child (Defenders of Shannara, #2)

by Terry Brooks

"From New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks comes a thrilling stand-alone novel in his legendary Shannara series--the perfect place for new readers to begin"--

"Paxon Leah has joined the Druid Order as a paladin, tasked with protecting the Druids with the aid of his magical sword. But Paxon's toughest assignment will come when he must track down a young musician with newly-manifested magic before a rival sorcerer can corrupt the boy"--

• ISBN10: 0345540794
• ISBN13: 9780345540799
• Publish Date: 9 June 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 7 March 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

I really have enjoyed reading the whole Shannara series as it has evolved over the years. At times i like how can their me more to this story, others i was throughly invested in the characters lives. I glad to say that i am ready for the Shannara series to be put to bed one more book and then what next on the horizon for Terry will i love it as much as this series that i spent years of my life reading through and looking forward to what is next? I really hope i will. These characters will be missed but all good things must have an ending.

This book can be read as a stand alone but i do feel your more invested if you know some of the characters from the previous books. It follows like all the others novels a quest, some adventure, a bit of a love triangle and some really gruesome deaths. Like all of the Shannara novels it lives up to its hype and does not disappoint. But like i said i ready to move on to a new world with this author and to see what else he has in store for us.

[Beth C.]

I started reading Terry Brooks' Shannara series many, many years ago. I never actually finished - I believe I succumbed to the "long series/long wait" syndrome - though I remember really liking them. So when I saw this book and it was mentioned as a sort of review of the Shannara books, I decided I wanted to read it. Basically, did I want to be drawn back into the Shannara world after this much time had passed? How much did I remember about that world?

In answer to the second question - not much. While the book is written as a stand-alone, there were several parts where past events were discussed. Instead of making me feel like I had just been filled in, I felt sort of lost. Basically, reading the prior series isn't REQUIRED, but some things would certainly make more sense that way.

In answer to the first question - I'm unsure. It wasn't really compelling enough of an overall story for me to feel an urgent pull back into the world. Yes, it was interesting and somewhat decent on its own. But it really never clicked with me as the ending of a series other than the blank spots when I felt like I was missing something.

Overall, I was...OK. I wouldn't make room on my bookshelf for it, nor will be make it a point to tell all my reading friends how amazing it was. It's just another book under the bridge, really.