Ilse Witch by Terry Brooks

Some might say that Terry Brooks’s work is formulaic, and they might be right. His series usually go something like this: There is a treasure/magic/evil thing that must be stopped. A druid holds special knowledge on how to do this. He gathers a group of people to carry out this mission. This group must include elves, a member of the Leah family, a dwarf, some humans, and an Ohmsford or two. Use of magic is dangerous and takes a toll on the user. There is a powerful and evil person who is trying to stop them. This novel has all of those things I mentioned with a new wrinkle. In the future, men have developed the use of airships—not quite steampunk but close enough. Despite this formula, and the fact that I was able to figure out the big reveal at the end of the book very, very, very early on, his novels are like wearing a pair of comfortable shoes. You know you’re going to enjoy the journey, so sit back and relax.



I have to say that I really enjoyed this novel. The airships were certainly different, but mostly it’s because Terry Brooks is a master of the epic quest. His characters are compelling and he puts them in very difficult situations, which tests their abilities, fortitude, and ingenuity. Yes, there is a certain level of predictability, but I didn’t mind it a bit, and there is a good level of mystery in this series involving a powerful ancient entity which is guarding some powerful old magic—or is it technology from our modern world? I’ll have to continue reading the rest of the series to find out, and that’s certainly not a bad thing.