Magic kingdom for Sale-Sold by Terry Brooks

This entry is part [part not set] of 5 in the series The Magic Kingdom of Landover

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Book One: The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series
Publisher: Orbit (April 1, 1992), Paperback: 352 pages, ISBN-10: 1857232569, ISBN-13: 978-1857232561

A very unique and interesting concept in fantasy.  The story starts out in our world in modern times, centering around our protagonist a lawyer named Ben Holiday.  He is unhappy and kind of lost because he lost his wife in a tragic accident several years ago and he has never gotten over it. 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.

This is the first 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 Kingdom 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.

For Ben this is the change he needs.  However, once he arrives in Landover (the magic kingdom,) it is not what he expected.  Although it is a magic kingdom it is not in very good condition and it is filled with problems.  Ben becomes the king and the story centres around his journey as he gets to know this magic land. He discovers the problems he needs to overcome and the book introduces all the various players in the story.

There are some very interesting characters like the Court Scribe named Abernathy, a once human, now man-sized talking dog;  an inept Court Magician named Questor Thews whose magic only works half the time and usually not in the way expected; a lovely sylph named Willow who usually takes the form of a beautiful green-skinned woman but must transform into a willow tree every 21 days. These are the three main players who help Ben but there are many more characters introduced in the book.

Although the story starts out in our modern era, the majority of the story takes place in a more traditional, non-technological fantasy era. I enjoyed reading the story and thought it was really well thought out.  The book flows well from inception through all of Ben’s challenges right up to the conclusion.  I liked all the characters and I am looking forward to reading the next adventure in the series.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading more traditional fantasy.  This is a stand alone story which I always find satisfying.  If you enjoy reading Terry Brooks, then you will enjoy this book, it is a good fantasy novel that is fun to read.

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