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Cover of Tanequil

Tanequil

Terry Brooks

464 pages

A sweeping, urgent quest through shadowy realms where ancient magic and desperate courage collide.

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What it feels like

Reading this middle chapter of a sprawling epic feels like being swept up in a relentless, high-stakes chase. The atmosphere is steeped in a shadowy, perilous tension, balancing the dread of a demonic netherworld with the soaring thrill of airship pursuits. The prose is accessible yet richly descriptive, anchoring the swift action in a world that feels both ancient and lived-in. The emotional texture is defined by desperate loyalty and the heavy burden of destiny, as characters are pushed to their absolute limits by corrupt powers and harrowing landscapes. It is a deeply earnest, classic fantasy experience that will delight readers who love sprawling quest narratives, clear moral stakes, and the enduring triumph of courage over overwhelming darkness.

Mood
  • perilous
  • shadowy
  • sweeping
  • tense
Tone
  • earnest
  • dramatic
  • adventurous
  • urgent
Pace
brisk
Themes
burden of destiny · corruption of power · loyalty and betrayal · desperate quests
The writing
Accessible and richly descriptive, balancing swift action with classic high-fantasy worldbuilding.
The arc
Begins in desperate flight and deepens into a grim but resolute determination to face impossible odds.
Who it's for
Readers who crave classic, quest-driven epic fantasy filled with ancient magic, airship chases, and high-stakes adventure.
Content notes
  • fantasy violence
  • demonic creatures
  • betrayal

About the book

Events that began in Jarka Ruus, Book One of High Druid of Shannara, come swiftly to a head in this second thrilling volume. Alliances are made, trusts are betrayed, and prices are paid. Through it all, Terry Brooks orchestrates the action with the flawless hand of a master mythmaker-- fashioning another exquisite link in his chain of bestselling epics.Loyal to none but herself and lethal even to those closest to her, Shadea a'Ru now holds sway as High Druid of Paranor--her ascension to power all but unchallenged in the wake of Grianne Ohmsford's sudden, mysterious vanishing. Only Shadea and her catspaw--the treacherous Prime Minister Sen Dunsidan--know the secret fate of the true Ard Rhys... for it was they who engineered it, by means of dark magic. And now Grianne languishes in the fearsome and inescapable netherworld called the Forbidding.Their bloodless coup a success, the corrupt pair, and their confederates within the Druid Council, seeks to make their dominion over the Four Lands absolute--with the aid of a devastating new weapon. But it could all be undone if Grianne's young nephew, Penderrin, succeeds in his frantic quest to rescue her. Shadea's airship-borne minions and the relentless assassin under her command continue their fierce pursuit of Pen and his comrades.Eluding death is only half the battle for Pen. To breach the Forbidding and bring Grianne back to the natural world means finding the fabled Tanequil... and the talisman it alone can provide. That means journeying into the Inkrim--a dreaded region thick with shadows and haunted by harrowing legends. It also means striking a bargain more dire than Pen could ever imagine. But there can be no turning back. For in her unearthly prison, the Ard Rhys faces a demonic plight too hideous to countenance....

Description from Open Library.

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