Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Book Two: The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series
pagesPublisher: Del Rey; First edition (August 12, 1988), Mass Market Paperback: 320, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0345335287, ISBN-13: 978-0345335289

It is one year after the end of the first book and Ben is settling in nicely to life in Landover as its new ruler. Ben Holiday was a lawyer from our world in modern times, he was unhappy and kind of lost because he lost his wife and their unborn child in a tragic accident. One day he finds a most unusual ad in the paper. It is for the sale of a real live magic kingdom for $1,000,000.  This magic kingdom has fairy magic, witches, trolls, and other strange creatures including a living castle. Now Ben is living as King of Landover with Willow, who is a wood sylph, Questor Thews, the sometimes inept wizard and Abernathy, the once human now talking dog who is the court scribe.

This is the second book in The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series.  To date there are a total of six books in this series.  Terry Brooks is also very well known for the numerous books he has written in the Shannara Series, but these two series are totally unrelated.  The Magic Kingdon of Landover Series are fantasy books that go back and forth from contempory to traditional fantasy depending on the location of the book.  This book is written in the third person narrative from the various character’s point of view as the story is told.

This is the story of a new adventure surrounding Ben, Questor Thews and Willow in the magic kingdom.  One day all three characters wake up, each having a compelling dream that sets each of them off on their own exploits. Ben briefly goes back to our earth, but he does not stay there long and the majority of the story takes place in Landover. There is the introduction of a new character, Edgewood Dirk, a talking prism cat who is a unique and interesting fairy creature.

I found the story to be interesting and I really liked how each of them faced and dealt with their own challenges.The story shows growth within all characters, although I thought that Ben had to make the greatest self-discovery in order to overcome his challenge. I enjoyed reading how each of them dealt with the dilemmas they faced as they completed their journeys. We also get to know all the characters a little better.  The story was well written and leads us to cheer on our protagonists to successfully complete each of their tasks.

This is a stand alone story which I always find satisfying, yet it is also clearly part of a larger story. I recommend you read the books from the beginning to get a better understanding of the world in which they live.  The story also builds from one book to the other, yet each book can be read independently from any other. If you enjoy reading Terry Brooks, then you will enjoy this book, it is a good fantasy novel that is fun to read. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what new adventures our characters will become involved in.