THE GYPSY MORPH
Genesis of Shannara, Book 3
Terry Brooks
Del Rey
Fantasy
ISBN: 9780345484147
Knight of the Word Angel Perez is nearly dead after her battle with a Demon. Simralin and Kirisin make the hard decision to leave her and return to Arborlon, bearing the magical Elfstones and the Loden. Their hope is to convince the Elves of their innocence in terms of the crimes they are accused of and to use the Loden to secure the safety of all the Elves and remove them from danger. As it stands, an army of Demons has encircled Arborlon, hidden from view, waiting for the right moment to pounce and destroy them forever.
In the meantime, fellow Knight Logan Tom has been healed of his near-fatal injuries and is tasked with heading to Arborlon to find and protect Kirisin at all costs. An owl named Trim is sent to guide him over the treacherous terrain, warning him of danger and leading him to safe trails. He arrives not a moment too soon. Falling for Simralin, he is shaken when in the course of the battle with the Demon hordes she goes missing, separated from him and Kirisin as she fights alongside the King. He also laments that he could not save Kirisin, who has been taken by Demons, but not before he drops the Loden.
With Logan Tom gone, Hawk begins to lead the Ghosts and the rest of the children they've collected thus far on their journey to find the safety zone as laid out by the King of the Silver River. He knows not where it is or how long it will take to get there. He only knows that somehow the magic that hides within him will know when the place is right. Some begin to question him, but those inquiries have to be set aside. A greater threat trails them, gaining on them with every moment. Findo Gask, the Demon commander, is hot on their trail with a vast army of Demons, once-men and other dreadful beasties.
All the while they race against the clock --- an unknown clock ticking an unknown time to the end of the world.
In this final volume of the Genesis of Shannara trilogy, Terry Brooks successfully rushes tension to its highest peaks. Every character is on the precipice of failure and doom, and even so, it does not seem disproportionate or out of place. The situations in which Logan, Angel, Hawk and Simralin find themselves are brutal and harrowing, and at times you are left wondering how they can possibly survive the struggle.
While Logan continues to grow into his role as Knight of the Word, he is thrown by his love for Simralin. This gives his character a new twist and you begin to see how it affects his thought process. It is Hawk, however, who draws much of the attention. While Logan and Angel are sworn to his protection, and while Kirisin must bear the Loden that contains the Elf realm, none of them carry the weight born by Hawk. The young man is charged with the high task of being the savior of those who follow him, of providing them the one safe place in the world that will be shielded from the coming apocalypse. Such a heavy burden is obvious on his young shoulders, and they are made more oppressive with further revelations within the story.
THE GYPSY MORPH is a quickly-paced read, easily jumping from each of the main characters without becoming a distraction and without ignoring any one storyline in favor of another. Brooks deftly maneuvers each plot along until they reunite for a feared battle with Findo Gask and his minions. Even with its pluses, I find that it just narrowly falls behind its predecessors. On the whole, however, THE GYPSY MORPH is an exceptional conclusion to a surprisingly strong series.
--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
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