The Darkling Child

Not quite as good as High Druid's Blade, but I still flew through the book in just a few sittings. I'm totally into the Shannara series, I have been since I was in grade school. Arcannen is a fun villain, there some genuinely visceral moments in the book and some colorful characters, along with a ton of fantasy tropes, young romance and familiar story beats.
I will say this felt really different than other Shannara books, far less epic and more lean, far smaller in scale and I really appreciated that. Older Shannara books were almost always about saving the entire world, whereas the last few have been about a select few characters and it's a nice change of pace.

So I've basically been a Terry Brooks fan for life...or at least since 7th or 8th grade when I first read the "Sword", "Elfstones" and "Wishsong" of Shannnara. Since then I've read nearly all of his novels only missing a few here and there when life got in the way. As such I have a certain sense of loyalty to Brooks and to the Shannara world in general. I really liked his sort of "origin" stories where he wrote about magic in "our" world and the end of our world followed by the creation of the world known in the Shannara stories. It was a fun weaving of stories and a nice change of pace.

That said, with his past few novels, Brooks has returned to his core worlds of Shannara fantasy and magic. This latest book, "The Darkling Child" is a show more stand alone novel that takes place 5 years after the previous novel, "The High Druid's Blade." It involves some of the same characters but introduces new characters and new dangers. At its heart, the book has the same main villain as its predecessor, the sorcerer Arcannen. After having his plots foiled and his world turned upside down in 'High Druid's Blade', Arcannen has spent the past five years essentially hiding out and rebuilding. What his exact plans are unknown (other than an overarching goal of eventually infiltrating and either taking over or destroying the Druid Order). New plans are set in motion in this book when the Federation discovers Arcannen's location (in the same village where some other outlaws and pirates are hiding out) and they send a force to destroy them. Arcannen escapes the resulting destruction but vows revenge on those who destroyed his village.

The new element in this book is a teenage boy named Reyn who happens to bear the ancient power of the wishsong (it's never explicitly said but I presume Reyn is "the Darkling Child" of the title...though perhaps it could be argued that Paxon may still be a darkling in development). Arcannen learns of this power and seeks to subvert and use Reyn for his own purposes. The druids sense the wishsong magic and send out Paxon Leah (the "High Druid's Blade") and a druid emissary to discover the bearer of the magic, determine any risk and decide what is to be done. Paxon is especially interested in this new wishsong magic since his sister, Chrysallin, was discovered to have the wishsong in the previous novel and the implications of that discovery are still unclear to everyone involved, especially Paxon and Chrys. Thus Paxon undertakes the mission out of loyalty to the Druids but also as a mission of discovery to try and determine the risks and needs of his sister and figure out the path they should take.

Even though this is a stand alone novel with only ~300 pages, Brooks allows the book to take on a larger saga-like feel by weaving together multiple storylines each with compelling characters. While not ever character receives the same depth and treatment, they are fleshed out enough to allow each storyline to be interesting.

We follow the storyline of Arcannen, Reyn and Lariana (a teenage girl brought by Arcannen to try and 'persuade' Reyn) as Arcannen works to subvert Reyn and exact revenge against the Federation fleet that destroyed his home. We follow the story various Federation leaders (both political and military) as they work through their plots to deal with Arcannen while still 'saving face.' We follow the story of Paxon and Avelene as they search first for the bearer of the wishsong magic and then for Arcannen and Reyn jointly. The interweaving of the various stories and the jumping between main characters allows for an interesting read that draws the reader in by allowing for greater analysis of motives and personalities.

With the title of "Darkling Child", I expected a little more subverting of Reyn (or someone)...a little more "dark side" or struggle (perhaps something akin to the first Shannara novels). I was a little let down that Reyn's struggles felt a little superficial and less than supernatural. Yes they were definitely valid and compelling struggles, just less "darkling" than I expected.

Generally speaking, I feel like Brooks has plateaued a little bit in terms of his writing. That's not to say this book (or some of his other recent books) are bad. They just don't feel quite as fresh as some of his other books and series. Granted, with ~2 dozen Shannara books, there's bound to be some "sameness", especially in order to maintain cohesion of the fantasy world involved. Still, for fans of the Shannara novels, this is a great addition. And for those who are looking for an entry point, the stand alone nature would help this be a good fit.

Overall the story is exciting and fun. Some of the scenes were a bit truncated for my taste, especially after some of the build up, but that's the hazard of a shortish stand-alone. The characters' actions and motivations were generally believable and the world was cohesive and engaging. Not the best of Brooks' work but still a worthy title to bear the Shannara heritage and be part of the overall library.

***
3 out of 5 stars show less

High Fantasy is not a genre I read often but I have fond memories of Terry Brooks' original Shannara trilogy, read when I was a teen, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming television series adaption.

Though it can be read as a standalone, The Darkling Child is the second novel in The Defenders of Shannara trilogy that takes place several years after the previous book, The High Druid's Blade. It is also the 29th book in the Shannara saga, which Brooks intends to wrap up in just four more books.

The Defenders of Shannara features Paxon Leah, the Druid's Blade, and his nemesis, the Sorcerer Arcannen. In the Darkling Child, Arcannen who has been in hiding since Paxon foiled his grand plans for dominion over the Four Lands, is seeking show more revenge after his refuge is razed to the ground by an elite command of Federation soldiers. Fortuitously Arcannen stumbles across Reyn, a young man with the rare power of the Wishsong. Reyn neither understands nor can control his ability, and when Arcannen offers to mentor him, he accepts.
Meanwhile the Druid Council is alerted to the use of Wishsong and Paxon along with Druid Avelina are dispatched to find the magic user. Unfortunately they are too late to prevent Reyn from falling under Arcannen's influence but they are determined to thwart whatever nefarious plan Arcannen is using Reyn for.

Even with only vague memories of the Original Shannara series, The Darkling Child feels familiar. Brooks's world is easy to understand, the magic system makes sense, and there is enough backstory provided to create context where needed.

The plot involves fantasy's most enduring trope, a quest to prevent evil triumphing over good. Arcannen is a suitably ruthless, if uncomplicated villain and Paxon a valiant, if flawed, hero. There is plenty of action in the confrontations between the sorcerer and his enemies, a small measure of intrigue stemming from the question of Lariana's true motives, and a dose of emotion with death, guilt and romance.

I found The Darkling Child to be a quick and entertaining read but I'm not struck with the urge to continue with the trilogy. Fans may be more appreciative. show less

My problem with this is that Brooks is a smart, talented craftsman. And people adore him - the jacket of this has a rave from no less than Karen Russell - and he has created some lasting fantasy moments. But he has been shameless about reusing the same ideas over and over again and now he's not even bothering to flesh out the characters or the plots or anything. This book felt like a contractual fulfillment sort of thing, a money grab. I honestly don't know if I'll pick up the final book or anything from Brooks' forthcoming final Shannara trilogy. And that really hurts.

More thoughts coming.

This is the second book in The Defenders of Shannara series by Terry Brooks, and continues the story of Paxon Leah as he works with the Druid Order to help locate magic in the land. Also, to find a way to help his sister learn to control/use the power of the wishsong. There isn't much more to add that the above narrative doesn't capture, without giving away spoilers.

Having grown up reading Brooks' Shannara series (all of them) each time he comes up with another story from that universe, I get a little crazy. I find it awesome how he is able to share these stories, and they are intermixed in a large timeline in Shannara, but are all inter-connected. Brooks' writing style, as always, is easy to read for adults and young readers, with show more little or no extra narrative needed to explain concepts. I really like the book cover art, too.

As most books, this ARC was given to me from the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey Spectra, in exchange for a review through Netgalley.com. show less

The 2nd book in the Defenders of Shannara series picks up where the first book left. While there are still some very familiar story elements here, this book is mostly new ground for Brooks. Paxon Leah, still the paladin of the Druid order again faces his nemesis, the sorceror Arcannen. Things get more complicated when Arcannen picks up to accomplices - a young girl who's more than she seems and a roving bard with the old Ohmsford gift of the wishsong. Lots of action and intrigue in the Four Lands, though this book like the previous one is notably lacking in Elves and Dwarves and takes place almost entirely in human lands of the Federation.

My problem with this is that Brooks is a smart, talented craftsman. And people adore him - the jacket of this has a rave from no less than Karen Russell - and he has created some lasting fantasy moments. But he has been shameless about reusing the same ideas over and over again and now he's not even bothering to flesh out the characters or the plots or anything. This book felt like a contractual fulfillment sort of thing, a money grab. I honestly don't know if I'll pick up the final book or anything from Brooks' forthcoming final Shannara trilogy. And that really hurts.

More thoughts coming.