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Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold
(Magic Kingdom of Landover #1)
by
Landover was a genuine magic kingdom, complete with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement had promised. But after he purchased it for a million dollars, Ben Holiday discovered that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention. Such as the fact that the kingdom was falling into ruin. The barons refused to recognize a king and taxes hadn't been collecte
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Paperback, 324 pages
Published
April 1st 1992
by Orbit
(first published March 12th 1986)
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Start your review of Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold (Magic Kingdom of Landover, #1)
I saw this in a used bookstore and picked it up as a nostaglia re-read.
It's a good book, and I enjoyed it. But the pace of the story is much *much* slower than I remember. Part of this might be that I already had read it in the past. Or that I'm much *much* busier than I was as a kid.
But the result is that I ended up doing something I rarely do: I skimmed chunks of the book, mostly description or narration of the main character's thoughts, so I could get to the next bit of action or dialogue.
Fo ...more
It's a good book, and I enjoyed it. But the pace of the story is much *much* slower than I remember. Part of this might be that I already had read it in the past. Or that I'm much *much* busier than I was as a kid.
But the result is that I ended up doing something I rarely do: I skimmed chunks of the book, mostly description or narration of the main character's thoughts, so I could get to the next bit of action or dialogue.
Fo ...more
This was a book that constantly frustrated me by not making the most of its premise. Here you have a pretty original premise, a humorous tone, and a diverse cast of characters, and yet all that emerges is a mildly engaging but not wholly entertaining read. There were countless missed opportunities, and I couldn't help wondering how this book would have fared in, say, Terry Pratchett's far more capable hands.
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I actually enjoyed this series better than his more serious offerings.
My attention drawn back to this one sentence review...I found a typo.
The book is a humorous one but not a straight comedy. This falls into the category of literature (and media for that matter) which might be called "humorous or comedy drama". It's done pretty well. (By the way, if you read/finish the book you may think that I had a sort of "prejudice" toward the hero because of, one of the characters...not so, really.)
Lesson ...more
My attention drawn back to this one sentence review...I found a typo.
The book is a humorous one but not a straight comedy. This falls into the category of literature (and media for that matter) which might be called "humorous or comedy drama". It's done pretty well. (By the way, if you read/finish the book you may think that I had a sort of "prejudice" toward the hero because of, one of the characters...not so, really.)
Lesson ...more
Dec 06, 2019
Werner
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of fantasy with a humorous touch
Shelves:
fantasy,
books-i-own
My wife Barb enjoys being read to (as well as reading by herself), and generally likes fantasy, as do I. So it's not surprising that we've read a fair amount together in that genre, nor that Terry Brooks was an author we ran across early. We first read and liked his debut novel, The Sword of Shannara, reasonably well; but we both agree that it has a very derivative dependence on Tolkien, which goes far beyond the obvious influence the British genre giant exerted on all the fantasists who followe
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This is lighter fare - the kind of book that takes your mind off the real world. Having read it almost three decades ago, I don't know if I'm truly qualified to review it now, but I remember it as a refreshing palate cleanser at the time. I went on to read and enjoy three more in the series.
Plot wise, it's not overly original. It's the basic portal Narnia type of novel. So I can't say that it shaped the field or massively influenced it. Basically, your white American male, Ben Holiday, is a lit ...more
Plot wise, it's not overly original. It's the basic portal Narnia type of novel. So I can't say that it shaped the field or massively influenced it. Basically, your white American male, Ben Holiday, is a lit ...more
The end of this story brings the rating from 1 to 2 stars. While I just may have been happy to get it over with, there was a dearth of excitement until the end. Even then, the conclusion could have expanded some finer points, but fails to do so. 3 of 10 stars
This is my favorite book by Terry Brooks! A normal business man finds himself looking to a propertiy for sale... but its a kingdom! He doesn't even believe it and he goes to find out about it. He ends up buying it and goes to a far off world of new kinds. Where he meets a wizard who turned himself into a dog, and his friend Willow a girl who at night turned into a tree. This was not what he had expected to find in his new home. As well as the responsability to go on an adventure to save the town
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This is my first Terry Brooks and I was a little hesitant going in. One of my good friends had recently skewered Swords of Shannara and I thought I might be stepping into a pile of crap. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this story. It was light and fun and I had a good time reading it. Maybe Brooks got better as he continued to write or maybe this story just hit me at the right time. Whatever it was, I liked this.
3.0 to 3.5 stars. A pretty good book if you are looking for a "lighter fare" fantasy novel. I thought the main character was well written and the story was engaging.
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It took me a while to sink into this book... seemed like a lot of time was spent in Ben Holiday's disbelief at finding himself in Landover. Yes, it was any sane person's natural response to leave town and enter a hidden world where a person can be accidentally half-transformed into a dog; I just don't want to spend so long wallowing in it.
It took me a while to feel any sort of sympathy for any of the characters. For most of the book I was laughing when they got into trouble - although some of t ...more
It took me a while to feel any sort of sympathy for any of the characters. For most of the book I was laughing when they got into trouble - although some of t ...more
I always thought this was a funny read. But it wasn't! To tell you, managing a fantasy kingdom is not as easy as it sounds. But I had a good time here. I had a good time at Landover that it makes me sick of frustration that I could not find the second book of the series!
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What an awesome book to kick off 2021 with!
The concept was very intriguing to me and had me curious and as I began to read I just dissolved into it.
This isn’t at all like Terry Brooks’s Shannarah series. I was half expecting to find it similar, but also this isn’t a humorous novel like I had expected it would be. (.ie Hitchhikers, or Discworld). Sure there are funny moments, but there are those in most novels.
This read more like a twisted Narnia story for adults. Not as Grossman’s Narnia in “ ...more
The concept was very intriguing to me and had me curious and as I began to read I just dissolved into it.
This isn’t at all like Terry Brooks’s Shannarah series. I was half expecting to find it similar, but also this isn’t a humorous novel like I had expected it would be. (.ie Hitchhikers, or Discworld). Sure there are funny moments, but there are those in most novels.
This read more like a twisted Narnia story for adults. Not as Grossman’s Narnia in “ ...more
I was intrigued by the premise of buying a fairy world (kingship included!), and thank God I was, because it took a few chapters for this to take off for me. Once things got settled, this was a pretty fun and entertaining read for me.
Ben Holiday, lawyer and widower, came across as mopey and unbalanced at first. I can't say he didn't have his reasons, though. His wife was dead, and he was contemplating buying the kingdom of Landover for one million dollars, all on a whim. He was full of doubts fo ...more
Ben Holiday, lawyer and widower, came across as mopey and unbalanced at first. I can't say he didn't have his reasons, though. His wife was dead, and he was contemplating buying the kingdom of Landover for one million dollars, all on a whim. He was full of doubts fo ...more
I love fantasy books, so of course Terry Brooks was on my list of must reads. The Landover series books were great for many reasons. First it was a light read. I am not saying there is no moral dilemas or complexity, just that you dont have to wrap your brain too deeply around it. I also liked it for the entertainment factor. There was action, but not too much, love interests, but not too much, magic... well you can't overdo that in a fantasy book, evil villians, a bumbling wizard (every fantasy
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A really interesting story with a good premise, but could have been filled out a bit better and expanded upon to give a richer feel for the land, the people and the events. The message of fear being one's worst enemy and defeating you before you even start was a good one and because of this I got a lot out of the book, but I felt that events and descriptions were far too sparse and that this was the abridged version, though I know it wasn't. If you're not bothered by a story that isn't fleshed o
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I have read all this author's works as have two of my children. We usually read them as they were released. He and John Grisham are both lawyers who now write.
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Re: _Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold" by Terry Brooks
This is part of Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series. This book is the series opener. My GR friend, Werner says: "With this series, there is a case for reading the books in order; the first one gives some essential basic information, and there is a progressive development of the characters...".
I enjoyed reading this book of fantasy. It kept me reading. It was easy to follow and the fantasy characters were fun to read about. There's suspense ...more
This is part of Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series. This book is the series opener. My GR friend, Werner says: "With this series, there is a case for reading the books in order; the first one gives some essential basic information, and there is a progressive development of the characters...".
I enjoyed reading this book of fantasy. It kept me reading. It was easy to follow and the fantasy characters were fun to read about. There's suspense ...more
What a neat idea! Very well done other world fantasy novel that's just plain fun & a fast read. The writing is tight for Brooks & the characters are all vibrant. Highly recommended for a beach read.
Brooks is not my favorite author. The first book of his I read was The Sword of Shannara & it absolutely infuriated me since it was such a rip-off of The Hobbit. I wouldn't read anything else by him for years, but eventually I relented since my wife & I had read almost everything else the library had ...more
Brooks is not my favorite author. The first book of his I read was The Sword of Shannara & it absolutely infuriated me since it was such a rip-off of The Hobbit. I wouldn't read anything else by him for years, but eventually I relented since my wife & I had read almost everything else the library had ...more
Back in the early 2000s when I first discovered Terry Brooks, I read this series mainly as a way to pass the time when I read out of "Shannara" books. Now rereading this, I appreciate it much more now. I think it is perhaps as an adult, I better appreciate Ben's world weariness and the thought of "What would you do if you had the chance to rule a country and essentially create your own government". This book is also very fun and imaginative with a snarky main character. I also really like the g'
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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
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It sounds like the premise of a hilarious comic fantasy: Successful lawyer sees a magic kingdom for sale in a Christmas catalogue, buys it, and becomes king. Except, things are not as grand as they seem, and he finds himself accompanied by a talking dog, an incompetent wizard, and two goblins as his only retinue...
Unfortunately, the book never really delivers anything at all. The writing is bland, the humour is, for the most part, absent, and the story is altogether a misfire. There is a touch o ...more
Unfortunately, the book never really delivers anything at all. The writing is bland, the humour is, for the most part, absent, and the story is altogether a misfire. There is a touch o ...more
This was definitely a fun and easy read. Ben Holiday is a disenchanted lawyer who is trying to find some purpose to his life after his wife and unborn child died in a tragic accident. When he sees an advertisement for a magic kingdom being sold for $1 Million, he all but jumps at the chance, even though he only partially believes it could be real.
Of course it is, and there is everything promised in the ad -- except not quite exactly as promised. Everything is running down and withering, because ...more
Of course it is, and there is everything promised in the ad -- except not quite exactly as promised. Everything is running down and withering, because ...more
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Thank you to my papa for the recommendation!
I enjoyed this, the ending was excellent!
I had a little issue with the beginning, if I've agreed to suspend disbelief, I don't need 70 pages of Ben trying to convince himself or talking of the silliness or impossibility or whatever. I understand the point of it and we learn a good deal about Ben's character and his past and his current state of mind, but it went on a little long for me.
This book is also incredibly descriptive. This is not a bad thing, ...more
I enjoyed this, the ending was excellent!
I had a little issue with the beginning, if I've agreed to suspend disbelief, I don't need 70 pages of Ben trying to convince himself or talking of the silliness or impossibility or whatever. I understand the point of it and we learn a good deal about Ben's character and his past and his current state of mind, but it went on a little long for me.
This book is also incredibly descriptive. This is not a bad thing, ...more
Terry Brooks has built a world of magic and chaos that is as fantastic as Wonderland in this book: Ben Holiday tries to get away from personal tragedy by buying and becoming king of a magical place called Landover. It his adventures in Landover that make the tale. Brooks has built a world that is definitely magical with a very fairy tale air to it. The characters: Questor Thews, the wizard who casts spells that isn't 'just right' and Abernathy, the dog-advisor who is constantly displeased, the g
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This 1986 fantasy novel was the first in a series of seven books making up The Magic Kingdom of Landover series. I found them as a whole a vast improvement over Brooks' Shannara series, which seemed to be excessively bogged down in a repetititve manner of plot construction. On the other hand, the Landover books presented something much lighter, often quite humorous, and nowhere near as predictable an experience. It is as if Brooks suddenly remembered that reading should be a fun activity for the
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PERSONAL REVIEW:
I was pretty unimpressed...but I think it's just not my type of book. I never got into Douglas Adams or Monty Python either. I wonder if a lot of the humor just went right over my head...it was too dry, or to wet, or something...anyhow, although I could see where the humor was, I just wasn't finding it funny.
Additionally, story alone was pretty dull stuff. A man buys a kingdom...it's not what he expected...he goes from person to person asking for help and then it all ties nicely ...more
I was pretty unimpressed...but I think it's just not my type of book. I never got into Douglas Adams or Monty Python either. I wonder if a lot of the humor just went right over my head...it was too dry, or to wet, or something...anyhow, although I could see where the humor was, I just wasn't finding it funny.
Additionally, story alone was pretty dull stuff. A man buys a kingdom...it's not what he expected...he goes from person to person asking for help and then it all ties nicely ...more
Brooks' writing is superb. It flows well and doesn't distract from the story itself. I felt that I was there, struggling along with Ben (the main character).
The story line itself was decent and worth an occasional re-read (this is my second time). For me, it was slow in a couple of places and a bit frustrating (possibly because Ben was having TOO much trouble securing his throne?). I'll probably read it again in a few years if I'm still processing oxygen. ...more
The story line itself was decent and worth an occasional re-read (this is my second time). For me, it was slow in a couple of places and a bit frustrating (possibly because Ben was having TOO much trouble securing his throne?). I'll probably read it again in a few years if I'm still processing oxygen. ...more
I really liked this book,for me I found it entertaining from start to finish.
This is my 2nd review,the 1st time I read it was 30 years ago.
I do think the book was better this time.It was a little slow in the beginning,but to be expected for the backstory on the character.But after he gets to Landover things really pick-up.From one adventure to the next it was a very entertaining read.
This is my 2nd review,the 1st time I read it was 30 years ago.
I do think the book was better this time.It was a little slow in the beginning,but to be expected for the backstory on the character.But after he gets to Landover things really pick-up.From one adventure to the next it was a very entertaining read.
I do like Terry Brooks. I really enjoyed his Scions of S. series. But this simply did not work for me on any level.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Fantasy book, early 90's Portal travel. [s] | 4 | 22 | Oct 16, 2019 01:07PM | |
| How about a movie of Landover? | 10 | 61 | Aug 13, 2018 08:15AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...:
Magic Kingdom of Landover series - Reading "Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold" from April 23rd 2016
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17 | 22 | May 30, 2016 07:52PM | |
| Sci-fi and Heroic...: Fantasy books that apply Modern Concepts to a Medieval World | 6 | 76 | Aug 02, 2013 09:01AM |
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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 his
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