Witches' Brew, by Terry Brooks
In Witches’ Brew — the fifth book in the Landover series by Terry Brooks — Nightshade begins unfolding her plan to destroy King Ben Holiday, using his misunderstood daughter Mistaya against him. Ben, Willow, Bunion, Abernathy, and Questor Thews must work together from more than one world to save Ben from Nightshade, and to save Mistaya from herself.
While The Tangle Box is my favorite in the Landover series, Witches’ Brew is a close second. All of the characters have come so far since the first book, and you get to see just how strong they are — even when they have to stand alone.
I always enjoy Terry Brooks’s writing, so I really enjoyed this book. He has a style that fits in perfectly with the fantasy genre, using beautiful words to describe actions in a different way than most other authors. The Landover books — and all of his other series — are written for adults, but he writes in such a way that his books don’t sound adult. For example, when he writes about Ben and Willow having sex, he writes so that you know that’s what’s happening, but you don’t feel like you’re reading porn or fade-to-black; it’s poetic and perfectly fits the story and the genre.
I didn’t like that this book completely took away any chance that Nightshade might have had at being a good person. Throughout the story, you see her seesawing a bit, and I began to hope that she would turn back. She could have made an excellent mentor for Mistaya, but she let her hatred consume her. I’m sure she’ll turn up in the next book, but she will most definitely be an enemy, where Strabo is at least an acquaintance (annoyed by Ben and enamored by Willow).
Sometimes Brooks is too verbose for what he is trying to convey, and it can drag on and on a bit, but it’s always worth dealing with. I think Witches’ Brew demonstrates his growth as an author, as there were fewer wordy parts than his older books. Like I said, though, it’s always worth it. He is a master storyteller and is the only fantasy author I will read.
My favorite character in Witches’ Brew was either Mistaya or Strabo. Throughout the novel, the focus of the series seemed to be shifting to Mistaya, and she began to grow as a full-fledged character. I found myself identifying with her and really getting to know her. I also loved Strabo because, as always, he made me laugh and kind of wish I had a dragon of my own.
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine Books
Pages: 304
Release Date: March 14th, 1995
Cover Price: $22.00
Price Paid: N/A (Hello, library!)
I’m going to have to give this five Freaking Stars. (Since starting this site, I have yet to read anything that deserved less than three. Well, except for Tongue. Hmn…)
Read my reviews of the third Landover book, Wizard at Large, and the fourth, The Tangle Box!
What’s your favorite fantasy series? Mine is the Shannara series — at least the first six or nine books — by the same author, but the Landover books are threatening to take over!
