A Knight of the Word

Starred review from June 29, 1998
Brooks continues his vacation from his trademark Tolkienesque adventures (the Shannara and Magic Kingdom novels) with this urban dark fantasy, a sharp and satisfying follow-up to last year's Running with the Demon. It has been five years since mortal John Ross was anointed a Knight of the Word, and in that time he has suffered a serious crisis of faith. Unable to prevent the death of innocents in senseless acts of violence engineered by demons of the Void, he has fallen from his calling and drifted to Seattle to work with saintly Simon Lawrence and the Fresh Start program for homeless women and children. Nagged by recurring nightmares of a possible future in which he murders his mentor and dismantles the program, John is guilt-ridden, uncertain and vulnerable to a shape-shifting demon who has infiltrated his circle of associates. His only hope is Nest Freemark, the teenage heroine of his previous adventure, who applies her own grasp of the Word to smoke out the demon before John's dreams--which include her death--can come true. The identity of John's demonic manipulator and the meaning of his dreams are carefully crafted mysteries that build to a climax filled with surprising twists and turns. Brooks's real achievement, however, is his orchestration of the tale's social issues and personal dramas into a scenario with the resonance of myth. Both a sprightly entertainment and a thoughtful allegory of the forces of Good and Evil at large in the modern world, this novel is sure to increase its author's already vast readership. Author tour.

Wilson's rich voice helps build the tension and drama in this fantastic tale about the dark place where the battle of good (the Word) and evil (the Void) rages. The two magical principals, John Ross and Nest Freemark, meet in Seattle, where most of the action takes place. Wilson's voice warms to Brooks's marvelous scenic descriptions, and the famous city is brought to life as much as the characters. Wilson's low-key delivery adds realism to help listeners get caught up in the "magic" of a modern-day knight errant in search of the demons and "feeders" of the Void. Fans of Brooks and Seattle will enjoy. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine