Magic Kingdom for Sale—SOLD!

This was a really fun book. It is a bit slow, leading up to Landover and pretty much just spending everyday day with Ben and his company. Much time is spent with everyone walking, talking, eating. Then, there is also epic action scenes. Thrilling enemies and obstacles. Brooks spends time with the characters and I really care about every one of them. Ben is loyal but frightened, rightfully so. The climax was not what I guessed but very fulfilling for the story.
I read this book because someone close to me who recently passed away read this book. It was interesting and surprising to see the main character, Ben also struggle with grief and letting go. Although Ben enjoyed his old life in our world it was okay to let ago and embrace the new show more world. In fact, Ben had to let go in order to be a happier and better king. A slightly dark but light, fun book about a man buying a kingdom, with themes of grief and confidence. show less

Ben Holiday buys a magic kingdom that he doesn't believe in and learns to love it. This was fun enough to read, but a bit slow with all the tramping around the kingdom. The main character had lots of doubts and recriminations instead of getting on with the story. That being said, he did get on with it, whether he believed in himself or not. I will try more by this author.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S MAGIC KINGDOM FOR SALE–SOLD! ABOUT?
Ben Holiday is a recently widowed trial lawyer from Chicago. His wife's death has left him devastated, he is essentially going through the motions in all aspects of his life. One wintery day, his mail includes a holiday catalog addressed to his wife (younger readers should consult their parents about mail-order catalogs). She loved those kind of things, so Ben flips through it as a way to connect with her. One listing catches his eye—an offer to purchase a magic kingdom, with all that is implied by that.

He can't get the idea out of his mind, eventually flying to New York to meet with the representative for the company about the offer. show more It's sincere, he's told, for one-million dollars (largely refundable within a brief period of time), he can buy a kingdom—becoming its king, with all the benefits that come with that.

He's so desperate to change his life that Ben gambles on it. Takes a leave of absence from his practice, liquidates 1/3 of his investments, and buys it.

He's astounded to find out that the advertisement was true—it's another world, he gets there magically and the world is full of magic. He has a wizard advisor, a scribe who's a talking dog (okay, technically a man accidentally turned into a dog), a magic castle, and a pair of kobolds as servants.

Sadly, it's been so long since a legitimate king sat on the throne that the Kingdom's magic is dying. The magic is weakening, and the people, plants, and animals are suffering. If something doesn't stop it, Landover will cease to exist.

Does Ben Holiday have the ability, conviction, and grit to restore Landover to its former glory?

BEN'S EMOTIONAL STATE
One of the best things about this book is the depiction of Ben's clinical depression. It's never described in those terms, but it was clearly shown. His desperation at finding a way out of this life—and then his second thoughts, once he saw how real (and un-fairy tale-like) Landover was, also rang true.

I'm not quite as convinced that Brooks' depiction of his resolve to stay and fix things—or the reasoning behind it—was quite as successful. It was clear, but it was a bit more telling than showing.

I'm willing to bet that when I read this back in the 80s/90s, I didn't appreciate this aspect as much as I should've, but I sure do now.

HOW WAS THE NARRATION?
This was a much different book than the other time I listened to Jeremy Arthur ( Looking for Calvin and Hobbes ), so I wasn't sure what to expect. I would've hoped for a little more "life" to it—I wanted him to bring out the personalities just a little more. I'm not saying he did a bad job, at all, he could've brought a little more "oomph" to it, is all.

I do wonder if a little of that impression should be directed at the text and not Arthur. That's absolutely possible, maybe even likely.

I do see that the previous version of the audiobook was recorded by Dick Hill. Nothing against Hill, but man, I'm glad I got this version—I just don't see how he was the right guy for the job. Then again, I'd have said the same thing about Dave Barry books, and he surprised me with Best. State. Ever. , so what do I know?

I guess what I'm saying is that Arthur did a fine job—I'm not over the moon, but I'm not complaining. I don't think I did a great job of conveying that.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT MAGIC KINGDOM FOR SALE–SOLD!?
I don't remember exactly the first time I read this book—it was published in 1987, and it's entirely possible I read it that year. If not, it was soon after that. I loved it and read it several times in the following years. I wasn't sure how it'd hold up after all this time, but I had hope that it'd be okay.

It largely was. As is so often the case, the memory was better than the reality. Nostalgia a tricky thing.

Some of the language—especially in dialogue—was a bit stiff and stuffy. I kept thinking, this is a story about a guy who buys a magic kingdom, it should be a little more fun. Holiday didn't have quite the sense of wonder about Landover that I wanted—he had some, but he was a bit too serious about everything. He wasn't quite like Eustace Scrubb pre-dragon cave, but he sure wasn't like the Pevensies, either.

I love the concept, I think all the characters are exactly what you want in this kind of story, and the worldbuilding was spot-on—all the ingredients are there, I just didn't love the execution. It was an entertaining read and did everything right—it just felt reserved. If this was first published today, the drama would've been starker, the joy/wonder would've been turned up and it'd have been more amusing overall.

Basically, I probably should've left good memories stay that way.

I remember thinking the first sequel was okay but the next one really disappointed me, and I didn't continue with the series. I went into this thinking I probably wouldn't continue—and I likely won't. If only to keep what luster is still attached to my memories. show less

I'm a sucker for books that feature an outsider - can't get enough of them because I love the outsider's reactions to the new world and the native inhabitants reactions to them.

My first Terry Brooks book was The Sword of Shannara which was a bit too much like TLOTR but at the time (1977) there was so little fantasy available that I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There was one minor detail in that book (and too a lesser extent the rest of the series) which drove me insane. WORDLESSLY!!!! I, too, have my favourite words but I would never use them so often and so unnecessarily.

When you notice something like this you can't 'un-notice' it and, as other writers entered the field, I stopped reading Terry Brooks.

Then I came across this book in show more a second-hand store and loved the 'outsider' theme so I gave it a go and enjoyed it. The plot is light and entertaining and the characters are new and funny. I've now bought the entire series and have started book 2.

P.S. There are too many wordlesslys (most of them unnecessary) - even after more than 4 decades, I still can't 'un-notice' them BUT they are not enough to spoil my pleasure. show less

Ben Holiday, attorney at law, is dissatisfied with his life. He sees the justice system becoming more and more flawed and his profession become the butt of every bad lawyer joke. His wife has passed away and he is increasingly withdrawn. When he sees an advertisement for a honest-to-goodness magic kingdom in the Christmas Wishbook, he seizes on his chance to give some more meaning and purpose to his life. He's got more than he bargained for when he arrives to find the kingdom in disrepair and no small amount of dangerous foes clamoring for his throne and his only allies a talking dog, an inept wizard, two kobolds and a girl who is part tree.
With such a premise, I expected this book to be much funnier than it was. I was only show more disappointed for a few minutes, though, because the story was so engaging as it was. I am not a huge fan of swords and magic epic fantasy, but this really brought a new twist, what with the protagonist being so out of place within the fantasy world. He spends just the right amount of time being amazed and disbelieving of his situation before coming to terms with the reality of the magic and the danger. He shows a lot of fortitude, but not so much that it comes across as disingenuous. The dynamism of the character is also an asset to the narrative. His rag-tag band of supporters are also able to learn and grow through their experiences with Ben, but not so much that there is no room for further development in the sequels, of which there are several. The climax and resolution of the tale is also just the right amount of satisfying whiles still leaving threads to be followed up with in later books.
I must also say that I listened to an audio book of the author's seminal work, The Sword of Shannara, some years ago, and despite the fact that it was the Absolute Favorite Book Ever of the guy I was seeing at the time, was not wholly enamored of the tale. I felt it went on too long and that it did not seem terribly original or engaging. Of course I was also driving from Minnesota to Georgia at the time and might have missed some things while my attention was diverted by traffic. I am pleased to say that I found this book much more pleasurable and may be induced to give that other series a try at some point. I continue to be told that it is rather good. show less

Magic Kingdom was kind of a linear quest book. The protagonist, a lawyer from Earth named Ben gets to a magic kingdom and through a series of adventures/meetings moves through the world he's bought a kingship in. To be fair, the book is 30 years old, so it likely suffers from many imitators, but I think the recipe had already been well-baked before Brooks cooked this book up. Still, it's a fun enough light read.

This book may have been written over thirty years ago, but it holds up well. Ben Holiday's crazy adventure after purchasing the throne of a fantasy kingdom, Landover, shows that some things never change, no matter what world you're in.