Angel Fire East

When John Ross dreams of a crucified man telling him the location of a rare gypsy morph, and that the loss of that magic led to the downfall of the human race - then glimpses his own face upon that crucified man - he determines to find the gypsy morph and solve the secrets of its magic no matter what. Finding it will be the first task - although he knows it will be in a cave on the Oregon coast and what town it will be near, that doesn't necessarily narrow it down. Then capturing it will be a problem. Then the hardest part will be maintaining his hold on it without it being captured by demons, who will be attracted to it like bees to honey.

He finds the cave with the help of a resident of the area who knew all the caves around. He captures the morph with a net provided by the Lady. And he keeps one step ahead of the demons by remaining constantly on the run. Discovering what the secret of the gypsy morph is, and what it wants to become, however, seems to be impossible - until it finally assumes the form of a little boy and utters the word "Nest" and nothing more.

Nest is warned of their impending arrival by a demon named Findo Gask, who shows up on her doorstep and warns her to not help John Ross or take in the gypsy morph, or she will have only herself to blame for the results. Nest is unaware of this, but Findo did not come to town alone - he brought along three more demons because he has been thwarted repeatedly in his attempts to capture John Ross and the gypsy morph over the past weeks.

To complicate matters more, Bennett Harper - whom Nest had once saved from the feeders on the cliffs overlooking the river - turns up on her doorsteps with her daughter. Bennett is an addict and is looking for help and a place to stay. Of course Nest takes her in - but the demons see Bennett as a way to get to Nest.

By the time John Ross arrives with the gypsy morph in the form of a little boy, Nest has a full house.

What happens over the course of the next few days is alternately terrifying, horrifying, heart-rending and heart-warming. It shows the depths to which people can sink, as well as the heights to which they can ascend, all the while doing their best to pull others up with them. This made a satisfying end-cap to the trilogy, while leaving enough of an open end for additional books set in this world if the mood should strike Mr. Brooks (and we all know how he is!).

I can definitely recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys classic themes of good vs. evil, especially those with particularly thought-provoking ideas involved. These were very good books - read them!

Terry Brooks wraps up his Word/Void Trilogy with Angel Fire East. It is now some fifteen years after the events of Running With the Demon and ten since A Knight of the Word. John Ross is still fighting the good fight, trying to stop the small events that he knows will tip the world closer to the power of the Void. He dreams of the future, of a world in ruin and of the events that could hold off that future. He learns that a Gyspy Morph will be born, a being born of wild and uncontrolled magic that could tip the balance in the favor of the Void if Ross fails in captured the Morph. It is raw magical energy in a physical form. Standing in Ross's path is Findo Gast. Gast is a demon sent to stop John Ross and to claim the Morph for the Void. He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

Ross knows that one of his only options to keep the Morph safe is to go to Nest Freemark. Nest is a woman who has magic of her own, one of the few alive who do. She was also involved as a 14 year old in the events of RWtD. Ross travels to Hopewell to meet up with Nest. Findo Gast also travels to Hopewell hoping to find Ross and the Morph. What follows is the best of the Word/Void novels. Terry Brooks does a fantastic job in creating tension in this story. We just know something big has to happen here and that Findo Gast is a very real threat (a threat I did knot feel as strongly in AKotW). This is the most interesting of the Word/Void novels and is the most powerful in its ending and execution. Everything feels dangerous. Around any corner could be a nasty surprise and Brooks does not go easy on his characters here.

In the pantheon of fantasy authors Terry Brooks is a name that carries some weight in helping fantasy become as popular as it is. The Sword of Shannara was one of the first best selling fantasy novels that gained a widespread readership. But as the years went by and he kept selling some readers viewed him as a lesser fantasy author in terms of quality. His work is highly readable, but it doesn't have the depth that we later find in a George Martin or Steven Erikson. That's just fine. Brooks writes quality entertaining books that might not find the top tier of critical acclaim, but the bottom line is that his books are typically a good, entertaining read. Angel Fire East is one of the best of Terry Brooks. Superior to most of his Shannara work and easily better than his Landover novels, Angel Fire East stands up as a darn good story told by a competent storyteller.

-Joe Sherry

The incomparable Terry Brooks is in top form with "Angel Fire East," the third installment of the "Running With The Demon" series. In this one, Knight of the Word John Ross, compelled by his relentless dreams, is on a quest to locate a creature, born of magic, he knows only as a "Gypsy Morph." Once he finds it, he knows he will have but a short time to unravel its secret if it is to become the powerful ally he needs in the ongoing struggle against the Void. Then something happens that takes him back to the town of Hopewell, Illinois, and his old friend, Nest Freemark, who he has not seen in ten years. There's a connection, it seems, between Nest and the Morph; but it's as much a mystery to Nest as it is to Ross. Now it's up to Nest, as well as Ross, to figure it out before it's too late, all the while fending off the demon who would have the morph for his own sinister purposes. Brooks weaves his own magic here with a narrative alive with tension and suspense. There is a sense of urgency to the story, over which the menace of the darkest demon Brooks has yet created, one Findo Gask, hangs like a pall. Along the way we meet Pick, the little Sylvan caretaker of Sinnissippi Park; the Indian O'olish Amaneh, also know as "Two Bears"; Nest's friend, Bennett Scott; all of whom are more than just characters in a book; these are people you get to know, care about, and want to spend some time with. And then there's the malevolent trio of demons under Gask's command: Penny Dreadful (whose name says it all), the hulking Twitch, and a creature of shadow, known as the Ur'droch. Long after you've finished the last chapter, you're going to remember all of them. It's all a part of the spell Brooks casts, and I promise you, it will leave you wanting more of the same.

Angel Fire East is a wonderful conclusion to the Word vs. Void series. The description in this book and its previous two are richly developed and decidedly romantically nostalgic. The reader is completely and thoroughly enveloped by the scenery and feelings of which Brooks obviously has felt and still feels, even to this day. I've heard Brooks say that these books are loosely based on his childhood and the town in which he grew up. He really knows how to put onto paper his inner most feelings. Our friend Nest Freemark has grown into full adulthood and now resides in her hometown. She is still trying to come to terms with her magic and at a time when she is most vulnerable, a demon comes looking for her. John Ross has discovered a gypsy morph of which will change the power struggle in favor of the Word. The only way for the gypsy morph to evolve into a helpful state is to encounter powerful magic much like it contains in itself. Nest has that power and John has decided to bring it to her in hopes of some much needed assistance. Of course the demon, Findo Gask has designs for getting the powerful gypsy morph through Nest. This book was really wonderful and gave me much enjoyment. I especially liked the descriptions of Christmas and all its warmth, proverbial and otherwise. If your looking to read something that is just simply good all around, this is the book for you. I recommend it highly.

I LOVED this series. People will talk all day about Mr. Brook's Shannara series, which I for one, did not enjoy all that much. A few will nod their heads in the direction of the Landover series, but how can you not love this one?! Imagine a hero who every night in his dreams has to live in what the world will become if he fails in his mission. The sheer horror of that still boggles my mind. I was fascinated from the very beginning with this concept and was enthralled in the characters. As much as I loved the Landover series, this trilogy is my favorite of all his works. I am an avid fantasy reader. Almost a snob you might say and I am telling you this series is worth the effort. Ross is one of the most heroic characters I have ever had the pleasure of sharing an adventure with. Drizzy Dro'Urden, Elbyran the Nightbird, John Ross, Sparhawk. . .Damien Vyrce he belongs in that company. He left the series wide open for more books, I hope this is the case. Bottom line, read them, make up your mind. But you could do A LOT worse, believe you me.

Having gone through and reread this series again, I am once again reminded of how much I have enjoyed Terry Brook's Word and the Void series.

It was great to see what became of Bennit from the first book, even though it then becomes a tragic ending too for her.

The story moves at a good clip despite the real action only happening at the end, but when it comes, it there. Some feel it was over too quickly, I thought it was just fine given the circumstance for Nest and Ross to go in, confront their enemies, hit them fast and hit them hard given the overwhelming odds they had with Findo Gask, Penny, Twitch and the ur'droch.

Overall, this was a great conclusion to the series and if Brook should ever choose to write more, I'd be on board to read more.

A group of demons stake out Nest's hometown waiting for John Ross to seek her out. The conclusion of 'The Word and the Void' series.

I have to admit, I enjoyed the first book in this series "Running with the Demon" the most, this third installment brings the series to a satisfactory close. The second book, "A Knight of the Word", seemed more of an interlude, but "Angel Fire East" brings the story back to its origins: the small town of Sinnissippi. Something about demons running around a small town (as opposed to a large city like Seattle, the setting in "A Knight of the Word") seems to be more frightening. Enjoyed it, but I felt the main characters made some foolish choices obviously meant to increase the suspense. Overall, however, glad I finished it.

Having worshipped the other two books in this series, I bought AFE the first day it came out and had it finished two days after that. Being slighty upset with it, I waited a few months and read it again, figuring that I'd give it time to digest. Unfortunately, my opinions stayed the same. Nest is a cool character in the books, don't get me wrong, but Ross is, to me, the reason I read the series. He's a cool version of a Paladin, and I can't wait for him to fight the next demon. However, he's severly underused in this book, and his ultimate resolution is terrible...almost as if Brooks was rushing to finish the book. As for the rest of it, Brooks has an annoying tendency of cheating his way through mysteries--you wonder what's going on, what something could mean, and then once its explained you realize its just that you didn't know something about the magic. An explanation that has to be applicable simply because it can't be tested suddenly pops up, i.e. Wraith in basically every sense. The bad guys in this one aren't very good either, and though it reads quickly, I think that can be attributed more to me wanting more of Ross than liking the story...it was fairly slow throughout. All in all though, this series is definitely worth reading, especially the first two. It looses steam at the end, but Brooks still manages to haven enough cool stuff to keep his readers interested.

1) The audibook was entertaining and engrossing
2) A couple of scenes were left to one's imagination...very nice touch.
3) If it wasn't for the Editor's notes here on the store I would never have known this was book three of three. It appeared to be a nice single story book.
4) Not too often is there a "modern day" fantasy story combining people with magic fighting demons in modern day times. Nicely done.
5) My only complaint with the audiobook version is that I'm sure there were other scenes showing the abilities of the "good guys" and the demons that probably were left out on this abridged version. A lot of potential here...If I come across the paperback by chance I'll probably pick it up and read it in it's fullness.

In contradistinction to several of my collegues on this site, I have never read the first book and probably won't. So my perspective is of one who has ONLY read the last two books and thoroughly enjoyed them. Far from going "downhill", I find these two books to be excellent installments of a total work.

In some ways, the two books are of the rise, fall, and final disposition of John Ross, who is both a heroic and tragic figure. Although in another way the two can be looked upon as a maturation of Nest Freemark.

The second book, of course, took a serious look at a character struggling with his role in life. I've seen a number of writers attempt this, but never with such authenticity. Granted it's a work of fiction, and fantasy at that, but Brooks captures a real struggle of a fictional situation. Given the restraints of the fictional world Brooks has created, how would someone actually feel and struggle if they were *really* put in the situation. Brooks masterfully captures this.

I will grant that that second book starts off a bit awkwardly (I almost stopped with it, I was getting so upset), but hanging in there paid big dividends.

The last book in the trilogy was again a wonderful character study only this time concentrating on Nest Freemark. As others have mentioned, John Ross is back, nor is he a minor character--and the final resolution of his conflicts from the second book was emotionally satisfying in it's own way, but the third book is more about bringing out and resolving certain conflicts for Nest that were highlighted in the second book (and presumably the first).

I don't know how to discuss those conflicts without massive spoilers, but there was a very logical progression over the course of the two books.

These books spin out the (in some way) inevitable consequences of previous events. Brooks is always careful to remind you of them, so even not having read the first book, I have a pretty good idea of the main plot points.

I've read a number of the Shannara books and quite frankly got tired of them. This particular trilogy (at least the last two books) was a wonderful spinning-out of the consequences of strengths and weakness of certain characters over the course of a decade and half (and three books). Brilliant.

A note about the theological dualism of the books (i.e. two ultimate forces (usually good and evil--in this case The Word and the Void) of equal power struggling for supremacy). While the dualism is well constructed and quite imaginative, they still mention Christianity (in this third book, a plot device is the celebration of Christmas). While Christianity certain mentions a conflict between good and evil, we are not dualistic. The "creator" of the trilogy is not at all the Creator of the Old and New Testaments. God is all-powerful. His opponents are necessarily of less power. While there are struggles that entail upon this belief, the struggles of a John Ross are not the same as those of a Christian. The Lady is ultimately (as in most dualistic systems) a cruel Deity, and one who made me angrier and angrier the more I learned about her. End of note.

I thoroughly recommend this book, whether you read any of the others or not. Each book is an independent unit, although the more you know of previous events, the better you follow the action.

Terry Brooks is a phenominal author, when he writes about fantastical worlds. His Word and Void trilogy was not fantastical. This book really was the best of the three books, but it still left a disappointed feeling in the back of my head. Angel Fire East (what's with the title anyway) is the conclusion of the series about Nest Freemark and John Ross. John must protect a Gypsy Morph from a band of demons led by Findo Gask. The fate of humanity hinges on what happens to the Morph as it can choose to be good or evil. Through the book, not a lot actually happens and the mystery of the Morph is completely obvious to the reader but not to the characters. Findo goes out of his way to set up overly elaborate scenarios that are paper thin and can be seen coming a mile away as you read, nonetheless they are fun to watch play out. Penny Dreadful is one of Findo's underlings. She is a redhead who loves knives and scaring people. For me, Findo and one of his underlings Penny made this book. Near the end of the end of the book, all the loose ends are wrapped up rather nicely in flash inspirations that would leave a normal person's head reeling from too many insights. The end of the book wraps up with a sour note. Terry Brooks needs to stick to fantasy worlds, not real life.

I disagree with the Editorial Reviews. In my opinion this is the best Terry Brook's trilogy. I own and have read all of the Shannara books, and

this trilogy is superior. For me, all of the books in the trilogy were true "page-turners". I found it very difficult to put them down. I love to read just before bed, and many a night I would promise myself I could read only one chapter and then find an hour later I was still reading. I really cared for the characters - wishing I could spend time with them. The mood, the suspense, the settings - everything was perfect.

In the third installment of The Demon Series, Brooks does a wonderful job of again captivating the reader and bringing them along for the ride. One never feels like a simple spectator. In this brave fantasy series set in our world and our time Brooks uses ideas and prblems we all face to create a fantasy yarn that doesn't seem that hard to believe. This is a riveting book, and I was truly surprised at the ending of this one (I had guessed pretty much the end of Kight of the Word). I hope that this is not the last installment in this series as there are so many avenues still to explore. I wasn't disappointed!

Angel Fire East isn't an appropriate name for this book. It should have been named something else because there's one small reference to the title which has nothing to do with the story. Whatever. However, it is a great book. Here we get a glimpse into the life of John Ross once more and Nest Freemark as well. They join forces to save the Gypsy Morph from the Void and it's demons. It's riveting through it all. I've read it once before and still couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next book coming out in August. Highly, highly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series!!

In the third installment of The Demon Series, Brooks does a wonderful job of again captivating the reader and bringing them along for the ride. One never feels like a simple spectator. In this brave fantasy series set in our world and our time Brooks uses ideas and prblems we all face to create a fantasy yarn that doesn't seem that hard to believe. This is a riveting book, and I was truly surprised at the ending of this one (I had guessed pretty much the end of Kight of the Word). I hope that this is not the last installment in this series as there are so many avenues still to explore. I wasn't disappointed!

I was very impressed by this book, particularly compared with the first two. What happens to John Ross at the end is predictable, but what happens to Nest at the end is completely unexpected. The series has improved with each book in my opinion. The first book lacked cohesion. The second told a more interesting tale with genuine suspense, and this one has even better characters and plot twists. If he could restore Shannara to this level of quality it would be a step forward. My only regret is that he still didn't tie it in with Shanarra. Hopefully he'll do that in a future book, since he leaves the door wide open for a sequel.

So I found myself disappointed with the last two books
of this series. What began as a book that easily made my
top 20 fantasy novels, RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, took a slide
down to the mediocre mud pits of fantasy.
The main problem I had was that this book returned to
the hometown and created a watered down version of the first book. Whereas the first book had heart and emotional
resonance, this had neither. Whereas the first book had
secrets and laid them out beautifully before revealing them,
this book had none. Whereas the first book made me love the characters, this book turned me away from them.
I know Mr. Brooks has done some excellent works. The one
thing I can think of in his defense is that he was writing
two novels at the same time so doing both may have diluted
his work.

"Running With the Demon" and "A Knight of the Word" established characters that I cared for and hoped to read more about. While it was sad that my wish was met in the final installment of the series, I did like this book best out of the three. I got to see what became of many of the characters mentioned in "Running". Certainly, not all the endings were happy. This is something I've always loved about Terry Brooks writing: as in real life, the good guys don't always come out on top. Nonetheless, I was still very content with how things played out.
There were some loose ends, and ends that I wished had been otherwise, even though they worked well with the story. Overall, I found this to be a satisfying read.

Yet more time has passed. Nest is back in Hopewell, having been an Olympic athlete, and John Ross grows ever more tired. They must end up working to stop a demonic preacher, and a dangerous magical source from doing bad things to small town Hopewell and the rest of the world.

Both John and Nest must struggle with the problems their own powers causes, as well as working out how to fight their opponents.

Terry Brooks really stepped out of the fantasy box with this series. It certainly was not your typical elf-man-dwarf-dragon-etc. book. It was an original story out of an original mind. Before reading this book, you need to read Running With the Demon and Knight of the Word. It will be well worth your time.

A confessed Brooks junkie who has read every book, this series hasn't proven quite as good as past works. However, I have enjoyed the modern aspects of the Knight series. This finale was a page-turner with good characters and a solid ending. If you like Brooks, this book is worth reading.

Although this book is a page-turner, that's unfortunately about the best I can say for it. A long time fan of Terry Brook's Shannara series, I thought I'd try his Word-vs.-Void series. It was disheartening. The semi-religious overtones were more wearying than enlightening. Brooks is best when he sticks with the pagan world of Druids and Elves. I never became involved with either Nest or John, and actually found myself rooting for Penny Dreadful and the demonic crew upon occasion. At least they were interesting.

I felt Angel Fire East was a wonderful conclusion to the Terry Brooks trilogy. He used wonderful description in this book and made you feel like you were actually there. You get a real felling as to what the author was feeling at the time. I read that this book is loosely based on his childhood and th town in which he grew up. In this book Nest Freemark, one of the main characters, has grown to adulthood and is trying to come to terms with her magic. The descriptions of Christmas was wonderful. I felt this was a good book and would recomned it highly.

Wow, that was terrible. The main villain's description appears to have been written immediately after watching Poltergeist 2 as they're the same bad guy. Brooks has gone past foreshadowing to 'forehammering' upcoming events into the readers brain. As opposed to a cast of millions, Terry has relied on a cast of morons. The plot drags, the writing is ineffectual, the main characters are dull and lifeless. I highly advice spending your money and time elsewhere.

Wow, that was terrible. The main villain's description appears to have been written immediately after watching Poltergeist 2 as they're the same bad guy. Brooks has gone past foreshadowing to 'forehammering' upcoming events into the readers brain. As opposed to a cast of millions, Terry has relied on a cast of morons. The plot drags, the writing is ineffectual, the main characters are dull and lifeless. I highly advice spending your money and time elsewhere.

The recent series shows Brooks' maturity as a writer. Whereas the writer in traditional fantasy has virtually no restrictions in terms of plot and character development (dragons can fly and gnomes can ride on winged creatures), a writer who chooses to combine modernity with fantasy is presented with a real challenge of balancing both creditibility and imagination.

This book was my favorite in the trilogy (for obvious reasons to those who have read it). Terry Brooks has brought the Word-Void series to an unexpected and suspenseful close that yearns for a sequel.