Search - Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1)

I have been a tremendous fan of Terry Brooks since I was in high school. I started the Shannara series in the 9th grade (The Sword of Shannara) and have read the continuation stories over the last 15 years. While this book rings of familiarity, it is still original in its character development. I have always appreciated the author's ability to make his heroes less than heroic, which allows them to be more realistic to the reader. It is with strong emphasis that I recommend this book, and the other two books that accompany it.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" is the first of a trilogy, and this particular volume is called "Ilse Witch" (each book is named after a villain). It is set about one hundred and fifty years after the events of the quartet "Heritage of Shannara", and its last remaining character Walker remains in the Druid Keep of Paranor, nursing his dream of creating an independent Druid Council to exist and interact in the Four Lands. This dream is about to be stirred up once more with the discovery of an Elf floating in the ocean by a Wing Rider named Hunter Predd. He is wearing a bracelet and carries a map - a map that shows the way to an island where a great power is said to reside.

Love Terry Brooks. This book is much better than his earliest works but not as good as his most recent works, the Genesis of Shannara trilogy. Still, I'm hooked.

Not as good as other books in the series but if you have read the rest of the books then reading this one is worth it just to get more background on some of the characters. I do not suggest you start the shannara books with this one though.

Pretty good, takes a bit to actually get interesting, but leaves you hanging for the second book