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Angel Fire East (Word & Void #3)

by Terry Brooks (Goodreads Author)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 5,448 ratings · 113 reviews

Angel Fire East marks the close of Terry Brooks's Word and Void trilogy, which began with 1997's Running with the Demon. In this book, the story returns to Nest's native Hopewell, where once again Nest and John must face off against the Void. This time, the demon is the ancient Findo Gask, along with his sidekicks: a giant albino demon, a shapeless ur'droch who lives only...more

Hardcover, 440 pages

Published 1999 by Orbit

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May 21, 2012 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: brooks-terry

This book, the third and final novel of The Word and The Void trilogy, is by far the best of the series. The near-complete darkness of the prior two books is replaced by edge-of-your-seat suspense and a true fight of good versus evil that is synonymous with Terry Brooks and his works. There is evil afoot, and there are forces of light (the Word) to fight the demons and feeders of the Void but you don't know who will win or how until the very end. This is the hallmark of a true Terry Brooks' nove...more This book, the third and final novel of The Word and The Void trilogy, is by far the best of the series. The near-complete darkness of the prior two books is replaced by edge-of-your-seat suspense and a true fight of good versus evil that is synonymous with Terry Brooks and his works. There is evil afoot, and there are forces of light (the Word) to fight the demons and feeders of the Void but you don't know who will win or how until the very end. This is the hallmark of a true Terry Brooks' novel!!

The two main characters of the entire series, Nest Freemark and John Ross (a Knight of the Word) return as the protagonists. A gypsy morph, a creature come together from bits of wild magic, will soon be "born." It is neither good nor evil...but it can be influenced by the Word or the Void to become a force for good or evil if one of the two sides can determine how to unlock and influence its magic. It is John Ross' quest to find the gypsy morph, to unlock the secret of its magic, and to try to influence it to become a force for good.

But this is harder than it sounds. The Lady once again steps in, giving John Ross the quest and the means to potentially capture the morph when it is given form in the physical world but her instruction ends there. As usual, the limitations of the Lady's guidance have left John with no real idea of what to do with the morph once he has it or how to release its magic to aid the work of the Word. And...the morph undergoes rapid changes to its form, with each change giving off magical energy that attracts feeders and demons. John Ross must find a way to fight off the demons and keep the morph safe until it achieves its final form. He is able to capture the morph and manages to keep it safe throughout many changes but when it changes into the form of a little boy and murmurs one word, "Nest," John Ross knows he must return to Hopewell, Illinois to find Nest Freemark.

Meanwhile in Hopewell, shortly before Christmas, Nest has problems of her own. A demon by the name of Findo Gask boldly shows up on her doorstep on a Sunday morning and tells her of John Ross' impending arrival. Although Nest recognizes Gask as a demon, Gask arrogantly informs her that he could care less about her...it is John Ross and what John Ross has that he wants. Gask warns Nest that John Ross will bring about her destruction unless she turns Ross over to him. Of course, Nest, being Nest, slams the door in his face. However, unknown to Nest, Gask has three other demons at his disposal, all of whom who will do anything to acquire the morph. To complicate matters further, Bennett Scott, a girl that Nest saved from the feeders when she was a young child, returns to Hopewell and to Nest's home. Bennett is now a young mother with a drug habit...a habit that she's trying to kick to keep her daughter, Harper, from having the same sort of life Bennett had as a child. Of course, Nest takes Bennett and Harper in. Shortly thereafter, during the week before Christmas, John Ross and the gypsy morph (which he has named Little John) arrive. From there, it is a race between the forces of the Word (Nest, John Ross, and little Pick) and the Void (Gask and his minions) to unlock the magic of the morph. Whoever does will claim the magic either for the Word or for the Void. Many characters will pay the ultimate price for the prize of the gypsy morph.

I didn't give either of the prior two books of this series five stars because of the darkness of the stories and the difficulty I had getting through the books, particularly the first one. However, I have to say that this third book has all the hallmarks of a true Terry Brooks novel. The storytelling is excellent. He builds the story to a point full of suspense and then leaves you hanging as he moves to another subplot, again building the suspense and tension, only to move to yet another subplot. While this might sound tedious, it isn't. This technique, while frustrating to the reader at times (because you want to KNOW what's going to happen before the subplot changes), keeps you hooked on the entire story. This story moves quickly and kept me interested from the moment I started reading. The book is full of detailed and descriptive prose without being burdensome or slow-paced. I often marvel at Terry Brooks' mastery of the written word. He can describe anything, such as a forest, to the tiniest detail, making the reader able to see the forest and be there but he is also sparing with the use of his words. To me, that is the true mark of a master storyteller. So, I highly recommend Angel Fire East to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and/or Terry Brooks. It is a book well worth reading!!(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Al added it

SUMMARY:
Angel Fire East marks the close of Terry Brooks's Nest Freemark-John Ross saga, which began with 1997's Running with the Demon. After a long layover in Seattle for the middle book, Knight of the Word, the fantasy-meets-modernity action returns to Nest's native Hopewell, where once again Nest and John must face off against the Void, this time in the form of ancient demon Findo Gask, who favors a black-clad evil preacher getup for his menacing needs. Brooks's well-realized and likable cast...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Karmakosmik rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Con questo "Il Fuoco Degli Angeli" si chiude questa particolare trilogia di Terry Brooks dedicata allo scontro tra il Verbo ed il Vuoto. In questo libro troviamo Nest adulta e con alle spalle un successo olimpico, ma anche un matrimonio fallito, ritornata a vivere nella sua Hopeswell. A questo ritorno, oltre a quello di John Ross in compagnia di un bambino "molto particolare", ritroviamo anche la piccola Ben Ben del primo libro, ormai diventata una ragazza madre con alle spalle un duro vissuto d...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Chip rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-fun

This review is for the trilogy.

The integration of the "real" world and fantasy elements is always difficult to work, and while Brooks gets it done alright, I'm just not convinced it was all that interesting.

The premise of these books is that demons from the "Void" are battling against agents or knights of the "Word." (You can think of a Christian Devil and God, if you want, and I can't say you'd really be far off the mark, though there are no overt religious allusions.) The main good guy, John,...more

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May 11, 2011 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-free-swapped-gift

Hmmmmm.

Overall, I'm going to give this trilogy 4 stars.
This book will get 3.

I found the concept and the world created in Word & Void to be fantastic and imaginative. What a fantastic bridge between our world and the world of Shannara.

That said, I didn't really feel that book 3 added a lot to the trilogy. With the exception of the creative introduction of the gypsy morph, I felt that it fell back into the "big bad" chase pattern of the previous two books. I would have enjoyed an introduction...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Tara Hall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, recommended-for-teens

Originally reviewed on "http://bloodcrossed.blogspot.com"... Bloody Words.

This review applies to all three books in "The Word & The Void" trilogy.

Brooks has what I would call a "formulaic" method of constructing his stories. I'll try to explain what I mean.

They are nearly as suspenseful as the best chase novels, with intense fight scenes and magical imagery. All three books are written in third person limited, but not always from the two main characters. In the second and third books, i...more Originally reviewed on "http://bloodcrossed.blogspot.com"... Bloody Words.

This review applies to all three books in "The Word & The Void" trilogy.

Brooks has what I would call a "formulaic" method of constructing his stories. I'll try to explain what I mean.

They are nearly as suspenseful as the best chase novels, with intense fight scenes and magical imagery. All three books are written in third person limited, but not always from the two main characters. In the second and third books, in fact, we often see the viewpoint of the demons our heroes are fighting. All of the background information we need is shown as a memory experienced by the character, an inner narration, as they do some mundane activity like running or cooking. Strategic pieces of the puzzle Brooks builds are revealed through varied points of view, sometimes switching between characters every few paragraphs, and he intentionally keeps you in the dark about the most crucial elements until the very end.

I had the sensation when I was reading the second and third books that I was still reading the first one, the information was just different. The structure of the storytelling was nearly exactly the same. I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. It certainly made you very comfortable with the flow of things, but reading it as a writer I found myself a bit bored, knowing what was coming next before it happened.

Which was part of my larger problem. By the time I was 50 percent through each book, I knew exactly how it would end. Brooks writing was still excellent and kept me eagerly reading, but the sense of suspense was slightly lost for me because the foreshadowing was so obvious.

The world that Brooks constructs is intricate and complex, but it is revealed so gradually and through such clever means that the reader doesn't realize they're coming to understand it until the very end. It's one of the most compelling and enjoyable fantasy world I've ever read, both because it is based in reality and because of its semi-religious undertones.

I don't want to give the wrong impression: I LOVED these books and these characters. I'm very much looking forward to reading Brooks's other work. And I would wager that the everyday reader would be oblivious to everything I've pointed out. I would say, from what I've seen, that Brooks is very likely the Master of Fantasy.(less)

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Dec 02, 2011 Barbara ★ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, fantasy-sci-fi, paranormal-demons, paranormal-magic, set-in-usa-illinois, h-h-disfigured-handicapped

A week before Christmas, Nest Freemark is just doing her own thing until a friend from the past Bennett Scott arrives with her daughter Harper. She is a drug addict with no other place to go so Nest invites her to stay for the holidays. (Bennett is one of the kids she saved from the feeders in the first book.) Next up is John Ross who appears without warning after 10 years of silence and he is not alone. He brings a 4 year old boy of mysterious origins with him. So now Nest has a full house and...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting end to the trilogy. Quite a few threads were left hanging, though, and the relentless demons-commanding-weak-people theme felt really overdone by this point. You can only take so much of the "and demon X turns person Y into an unwitting drone who realizes what's happening just too late".

The battle between good and evil wasn't nearly as well drawn out as it is in the Shannara books. There isn't really much insight into anything on the side of the Void, just another in a succession...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Jason Hamilton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I remember reading Angel Fire East for the first time. It just so happened that I had a full day with nothing to do, so I read Angel Fire East until I finished it several hours later. That is what readers can expect from Angel Fire East, another great novel from Terry Brooks.

Ten years after the events of A Knight of the Word, John Ross, has a vision of the future in which he learns of a powerful magic being born in the present called a Gypsy Morph, which has taken the form of a young child. This...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Eko Prasetyo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Terry Brooks brought an end to John Ross saga with this heartwarming book about Word vs Void, about mothers and children, and about how can you destroy yourself with minimal help from demons.

John Ross returned to Hopewell for one final service for the Word, bringing along with him a child of magical origin, of magics sought after by one of the most powerful demons ever there. In the end, he finished his duty with the help of a magical woman called Nest Freemark, whom he had saved, had saved him,...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is the final book of the Word and Void Trilogy. This book returns to the story of John Ross and Nest Freemark. John has been tasked with finding and protecting a gypsy morph. This is John’s greatest task and could mean the end or survival of humanity. After finding the gypsy morph, he goes to Nest for her help in determining how to get the morph to make it’s final transition. Findo Gask, a demon of unusual power and goals is after the gypsy morph and is trying to determine where John and Ne...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Robin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: tales-of-fantasy

I found John Ross's lack of action whilst visiting Nest disturbing. The demons came across as schoolyard bullies without enough gumption to take control of the situation in spite of having an 'elite' leader and outnumbering the good guys. Sending nightmares via telephone..? Really? And Nest basically runs around like a chicken with its head cut off - lots of impulsive action with no real consequence. Baking cookies, caroling and sledding are probably not ideal activities for people in (allegedly...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Please note: this review originally posted 3/12/2008 on Amazon; please do not judge by my current format.

When John Ross dreams of a crucified man telling him the location of a rare gypsy morph, and that the loss of that magic led to the downfall of the human race - then glimpses his own face upon that crucified man - he determines to find the gypsy morph and solve the secrets of its magic no matter what. Finding it will be the first task - although he knows it will be in a cave on the Oregon coa...more Please note: this review originally posted 3/12/2008 on Amazon; please do not judge by my current format.

When John Ross dreams of a crucified man telling him the location of a rare gypsy morph, and that the loss of that magic led to the downfall of the human race - then glimpses his own face upon that crucified man - he determines to find the gypsy morph and solve the secrets of its magic no matter what. Finding it will be the first task - although he knows it will be in a cave on the Oregon coast and what town it will be near, that doesn't necessarily narrow it down. Then capturing it will be a problem. Then the hardest part will be maintaining his hold on it without it being captured by demons, who will be attracted to it like bees to honey.

He finds the cave with the help of a resident of the area who knows all the caves around. He captures the morph with a net provided by the Lady. And he keeps one step ahead of the demons by remaining constantly on the run. Discovering what the secret of the gypsy morph is, and what it wants to become, however, seems to be impossible - until it finally assumes the form of a little boy and utters the word "Nest" and nothing more.

Nest is warned of their impending arrival by a demon named Findo Gask, who shows up on her doorstep and warns her to not help John Ross or take in the gypsy morph, or she will have only herself to blame for the results. Nest is unaware of this, but Findo did not come to town alone - he brought along three more demons because he has been thwarted repeatedly in his attempts to capture John Ross and the gypsy morph over the past weeks.

To complicate matters more, Bennett Harper - whom Nest had once saved from the feeders on the cliffs overlooking the river - turns up on her doorsteps with her daughter. Bennett is an addict and is looking for help and a place to stay. Of course Nest takes her in - but the demons see Bennett as a way to get to Nest.

By the time John Ross arrives with the gypsy morph in the form of a little boy, Nest has a full house.

What happens over the course of the next few days is alternately terrifying, horrifying, heart-rending and heart-warming. It shows the depths to which people can sink, as well as the heights to which they can ascend, all the while doing their best to pull others up with them. This made a satisfying end-cap to the trilogy, while leaving enough of an open end for additional books set in this world if the mood should strike Mr. Brooks (and we all know how he is!).

I can definitely recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys classic themes of good vs. evil, especially those with particularly thought-provoking ideas involved. These were very good books - read them!(less)

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Apr 28, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Nice ending to the trilogy.

What this book had that was better than the first two: Villains. Sinister, creepy villains. Not the cookie-cutter bad demons from the first two. Findo Gask and Penny Dreadful were wickedly delicious. Had to love Twitch too, and the whatever-it-was shadow thing (ur'droch).

John Ross was a bit of a dud in this book though; Nest carried the show. I mean, when she was meeting with Gask and Penny, John is just standing around, leaning on his staff. What the hell, man? Are y...more

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Jul 24, 2008 JC Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

In Angel Fire East, you find that Nest Freemark has developed into a beautiful woman. She went on to pursue a career as a runner and ends up graduating from college. Now at 29, Nest decides to go back home to Hopewell and spend the rest of her days in her motherâ?Ts old house visiting and spending time with old friends. Undecided as to what her future holds, Nest stays in Hopewell content to relax and take her time to make important decisions in her life.

When she opens her front door one day a...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 22, 2012 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is once again in Hopewell, which is actually a blend of Hopewell and Sterling IL (the real Hopewell is not on the Rock River). The plot is a little slow, but the character development is strong. The most interesting development comes at the end... with a surprise of magic that could lead to a good "next" series.

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Feb 06, 2013 Kip rated it 3 of 5 stars

This finishes the trilogy. A bit predictable, but nice to spend a little more time with the characters.

* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again

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Feb 03, 2013 StoryTellerShannon rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, owned, books-reviewed

So I found myself disappointed with the last two books
of this series. What began as a book that easily made my
top 20 fantasy novels, RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, took a slide
down to the mediocre mud pits of fantasy.

The main problem I had was that this book returned to
the hometown and created a watered down version of the first book. Whereas the first book had heart and emotional resonance, this had neither. Whereas the first book had secrets and laid them out beautifully before revealing them, this b...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars

A nice conclusion to the trilogy. The ending satisfied, and was not predictable. Good characters, good storyline. I would call it the best of the trilogy, though that's usually the case with book 3. I want to mention the ending some, but don't want to put out spoilers. I will just say it fits nicely.

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Feb 20, 2013 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

An excellent end to the Word and Void series, this book wraps the reader in a conflict leading to hope. My son found this on the way to boot camp and took it with him during his tour of Iraq and his training in Germany. It is a solid read, on that encourages speculation as well as entertainment.

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Jun 29, 2009 Greg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Didn't have the same pull for me as the first two, but I could still get myself to finish it (which means I liked it). There is a character with drug addiction who gets alot of attention in this book. I really didn't care for the chapters in her viewpoint because they were so depressing.

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Mar 18, 2008 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

A group of demons stake out Nest's hometown waiting for John Ross to seek her out. The conclusion of 'The Word and the Void' series.

I have to admit, while I enjoyed the first book in this series "Running with the Demon" the most, this third installment brings the series to a satisfactory close. The second book, "A Knight of the Word", seemed more of an interlude, but "Angel Fire East" brings the story back to its origins: the small town of Sinsinnippi. Something about demons running around a sma...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Yolanda Rico rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

wow. i think this was my favorite terry brooks novel. this book was so dark and scary. i liked that this trilogy was different then the Shannara books. i have trouble making the connection between this trilogy and the Genesis of Shannara trilogy, but i enjoyed it for being different.

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Feb 19, 2012 Cathy Wilcox rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. Good vs evil. The Word vs the Void. People trying to do the good work asked of them, but wanting to just be human and enjoy life. Great! Unfortunately, I didn't realize, until 100 pages in, that it is the last in a trilogy! Have to go back to number one, I guess.

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Aug 01, 2011 M Tat added it · review of another edition

Admittedly this novel hooked me into reading more about the 'Word' series . . .although mostly to see how it would ultimately relate & integrate into the 'Shannara' series. Yes, from as far back as this work, one could readily tell the ultimate direction. Else, a simple read.

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Dec 07, 2012 Dale Freed rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have read a lot of Terry Brooks novels, and where I really get lost and have an issue with Mr. Brooks is the constant repeating he does in all of his books. They all have great ideas and concepts , but I hate seeing certain parts replayed over and over again.

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May 28, 2012 Marco rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un fantasy thriller. Piacevole, avvincente e scritto bene. Purtroppo come molti thriller e fantasy il finale lascia a desiderare. Specie in questo caso. Molte cose sono lasciate in sospeso, beh... con il vantaggio che le puoi finire come vuoi !

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Mar 17, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Another page turner. Great story. Characters were much more compelling in this book in the series. Findo Gask was quite the scary demon character. However, I felt slightly let down at the "big finale" scene. There was so much build up, I was kind of expecting something more I guess. Still not bad by any means....just not quite as big as I'd hoped for.

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Dec 28, 2007 Tyler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brooks work on this book is definitely an improvement over the previous two in the trilogy. The mystery of the gypsy morph completely eluded me until the very end which didn't happen in either of the other books. And there is more of a horror twist to the writing which was not evidenced in the earlier books. This new element makes the book much more readable. Indeed, everything seems to be more amped up, the villains are more dedicated and play a larger part and the heroes put up a good fight. T...more

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About Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received...more

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Books by Terry Brooks

Elfstones Of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #2)

The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #1)

The Talismans Of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara #4)

The Wishsong of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #3)

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Angel Fire East (Word & Void #3)

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