This book features the return of a recurring character, the former opponent of the Druids and Ohmsfords, the Ilse Witch. Without giving too much away (spoiler warning for those who haven't read the previous series) she has reformed and rejoined her family and is now working for good, not evil.
This book also features the return of the creatures beyond the Forbidding, the demons who were pushed back there in Elfstones of Shannara. The combination of the Ilse Witch and the demons gives this a bit of a different twist, and makes it an excellent book for Shannara fans. ( )

This is the first book in the new High Druid of Shannara trilogy that's set within Terry Brooks' ongoing fantasy Shannara series.

I read the first in the series when it came. Surely that can’t be 30 years ago - where has my life gone? And I’ve read every one since.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy was the last series, and I really didn’t care for it that much. There was nothing wrong with it – I guess I just expected more. Whether that is a reflection of Brooks’ work, or of my increasing grumpiness, I’m not sure.

After that, I picked up this book with some trepidation – but I ended up enjoying it a lot. It is set twenty years after the events that occurred in the previous Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. Grianne Ohmsford, the former Isle Witch, is now "Ard Rhys" or High Druid of a restored Paranor and Third Druid Council. But personal, political, and magical enemies team up to trap her in the ultimate prison of all and it's up to another Ohmsford lad and his friends to go on a quest to save her.

Basically, Terry Brooks returns to his roots. While the book is nothing original – the usual clutch of druids, Ohmsfords, and a daring journey - it is a great read. Shannara fans will like the fact that we get more background on the new Paranor and on the Northland. We're also introduced to a whole new magical world beyond Shannara that's populated by lots of interesting creatures and characters.

Jarka Ruus is a very promising first entry in the High Druid of Shannara series. I’ll be queueing up for the next one. ( )

This is the first book in the new High Druid of Shannara trilogy that is set within Terry Brooks' ongoing fantasy Shannara world.

I read the first in the series when it came. Surely that can’t be 30 years ago - where has my life gone? And I’ve read every one since.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy was the last series, and I really didn’t care for it that much. There was nothing wrong with it – I guess I just expected more. Whether that is a reflection of Brooks’ work, or of my increasing grumpiness, I’m not sure.

After that, I picked up this book with some trepidation – but I ended up enjoying it a lot. It is set twenty years after the events that occurred in the previous Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. Grianne Ohmsford, the former Isle Witch, is now "Ard Rhys" or High Druid of a restored Paranor and Third Druid Council. But personal, political, and magical enemies team up to trap her in the ultimate prison of all and it's up to another Ohmsford lad and his friends to go on a quest to save her.

Basically, Terry Brooks returns to his roots. While the book is nothing original – the usual clutch of druids, Ohmsfords, and a daring journey - it is a great read. Shannara fans will like the fact that we get more background on the new Paranor and on the Northland. We're also introduced to a whole new magical world beyond Shannara that's populated by lots of interesting creatures and characters.

Jarka Ruus is a very promising first entry in the High Druid of Shannara series. I’ll be queueing up for the next one. ( )

This is the 12th Shannara book, and the first in the High Druid of Shannara trilogy. I've been reading them since The Sword of Shannara came out in paperback, so about 30 years. Unbelievable.

It starts 20 years after the end of the last trilogy--the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara. Grianne Ohmsford is now the Ard Rhys (head druid) of the newly restored Druid Council, but she's encountering resistance, as there are those who don't trust her based on her history as the Ilse Witch, and those who want power for themselves. And there are those who would use that dissatisfaction for their own ends.

When Grianne Ohmsford is abducted, it falls to her young kinsman, Penderrin, whose only magic is the ability to communicate with animals, and Khyber, the niece of the Elven Prince, to rescue her.

There's the mystery of who abducted her and who's behind it, and the coming-of-age adventure of the two young heroes, complete with magic, spirits, creatures, and treachery. And the flying ships, which my 12-year-old is quite excited about.

Jarka Ruus is pretty much standard fantasy--or maybe it just seems that way, because this world has been part of my fantasy reading for so long. It was a fun, interesting story, with likeable characters, and if it didn't have anything I didn't expect, it also didn't lack anything I did expect. ( )