
Penny S. (
pennys) wrote on 4/10/2007...
Former Chicao Lawyer Ben Holliday was proud and happy. And why not? The Magic Kingdom of Landover which he ruled as High Lord was fianally at peace, and he and his wife, the slyph Willow, could watch their daughter Mistaya grow. And grow she did-shooting through infancy in months, learning to walk and to swim in the same week. Mistaya had been born a seedling, nourished by soils from Landover, Earth, and the fairy mists,come into being in the dank,mists,deadness of the Deep Fell. With dazzling green eyes that cut to the soul, she was a lovely as her mother and Ben wanted nothing more than to enjoy his daughter's childhood and his peaceful kingdom forever. But his idyll was interrupted when Rydall, a king of lands beyond the fairy mist,assembled armies on Landover's border and threatened to invade unless Ben was able to defeat Rydalls seven champions Some counseled the High Lord to refuse Rydall's challenge, but Holiday could not for Mistaya had been snatched from her guardians by foul magic. And Rydall held the key to her fate......

Anton T. (
DrT) wrote on 8/11/2005...
Full of action -- another Magic Kingdom of Landover novel. Chicago Lawyer Ben Holiday struggles against the armies of a King from outside of the magic kingdom. A fun read.
For the fifth time, Brooks brings us Ben Holiday in the Magic Kingdom of Landover. Ben's daughter, Mistaya, is growing with supernatural speed, just in time to become the object of a kidnapping. The kidnappers are working for the hostile potentate Rydall, who is challenging Ben to seven contests, winner take all--" all" in this case being the Magic Kingdom. As usual, Ben and his comrades and allies are forced to use both sheer magical muscle and subtler ingenuity to come out with their skins whole. As usual, they succeed. The Magic Kingdom books continue to be ingenious, witty, and generally fun to read, even though they do not reach for the exalted high-fantasty heights of Brooks' Shannara novels.