Note, Nov. 23, 2019: I've just completely re-edited this review, because in the 17 years since I read the book, and the 11 years since I reviewed it, my assessment has changed significantly.Brooks is best known as a fantasy author, but I've classified this work as supernatural fiction because it's set strictly in this world. Of course, the boundaries of all of the speculative genres can be a bit fuzzy around the edges; and in fact in the subsequent novels, Brooks actually ties this trilogy in to...

Now that was just what I needed. After reading a pretentious spewing of literary "greatness", I needed something that I could actually enjoy. And enjoy it I did, more than I expected to.I've been reading Brooks for years. When I was ten years old, I read his only book at the time, The Sword of Shannara. I remember liking it a lot and being really annoyed that he didn't have anymore books out. When Elfstones of Shannara came out a few years later, I was enthralled; it was even better.I got side-t...

The Word and Void trilogy is the worst I've read from Brooks, and I've read most his work. I mainly pushed through just so I wouldn't miss any background necessary for the books that come after - and I kept hoping that something exciting / meaningful / magical would actually happen in this series. It was boring, there were no goals that I could determine (a defined quest might have helped), and little hope.The setting is a big problem for me. We find ourselves in modern-day Washington State. The...

The beginning of my reread of the Shannara series. Since this is not my first time through a lot of this series, I am reading them in the order that is suggested for the revisitation of the series, instead of the publication order, which is how I read them initially. The last book comes out this June, but I know there is no way I'll finish the 37 books in this series before then lol...Shannara is one of my all time favorite series and I am looking forward to this journey :)

#1/29 in my Epic Shannara Quest.A 14-year-old girl, who is descended from a line of females who have been chosen to aid a sylvan in protecting a park in Hopewell, Illinois, is forced to confront the mysteries surrounding her family. A crippled drifter bearing an intricately-carved walking stick, arrives in Hopewell, on the trail of a demon who is set on reclaiming what is his and ushering in the end of our world. And Terry Brooks, the mastermind behind the internationally best-selling fantasy T

Not the correct edition. It was the unabridged one, but since I also have the paperback shelved, I can't seem to get this to switch to the correct audio edition.This book gets 2 stars only if you're expecting a YA read & not much else. Actually, it's kind of a neat idea, but the execution was horribly flawed. Reading it, I was able to skim & ignore much of the stupid & repetitive writing. Listening to it was pretty torturous, though.The idea of the 'Word & Void', opposites, good & evil is obviou...

I skimmed. A lot.While the plot was pretty interesting, there was just too much in the way of nonsense descriptions about the landscape and history of the town, which had no bearing on the story, for me to pay attention to every word. I just don't do well with stuff like that.But once you scraped off all the useless information, this was a fairly neat take on the tale of the Battle Between Good and Evil.The young girl in this coming of age story has a power inside of her that can be used to save...

2.5 stars - rounding up to 3I had read a couple of Terry Brooks’ Magic Kingdom of Landover novels many years ago and I still remember how much I enjoyed them. So I felt sure I would enjoy Running with the Demon as much. Unfortunately that was not the case. This book lacked the charm and originality of the Magic Kingdom of Landover novels. There were so many characters I had trouble keeping track of them and way too many plot threads. There were a lot of things going on that weren’t clearly expla...

Not a particularly memorable horror offering from fantasy writer Brooks, but I recall liking it well enough.

Why are these stories giving me anxiety and instead of taking a break I just download the next one ☝🏽 LOL!!! I should just go to bed or something lol

Sorry about this book (and the two that follow it) I couldn't escape the feeling that they could have been so much better. A good idea with what I felt was poor execution.I note that after the trilogy he started a series based on the failure of his protaginists in this series...ouch.

What do a fourteen year old girl, a wanderer with a wicked limp, and a calculating demon have in common? The answer is three-fold.Hopewell, Indiana is your typical small town where everyone knows everyone else, it's economy reliant on a single industry - in this case it's the now quiet steel mill as the strike grinds into it's third month. It is also the home of Nest Freemark, growing up under the watchful eyes of her grandparents, a sylvan, a magical dog, and the knowledge that she has a powerf...

Pre-review thoughtsI've finally read Terry Brooks - usually they are higher fantasy than I read. Pick is adorable and my favorite of the characters. The demon is light-eyed and creepy without being cheesy. Nest is a worthy heroine who is finding herself in an unconventional family - a grandfather I adore who does his best in a mad world he can't see, and a grandmother too haunted by her past to move on other than saving her energy for an ultimate battle. Nest's bandit of realistic friends is a f...

QUICK SYNOPSIS: Story opens with a prologue where we gather insights into the dark dreams that John Ross, a Knight of the Word, must always have; every evening; every time he sleeps. It then opens with Nest Freemark, 13 and talking with a faerie pixie creature in a small town, racing to rescue a child from the dark creatures. Nest is sort of a guardian for people against the Feeders, who feed on the fears and negative emotions of humans, and does her best to keep them all safe. But larger events...

Good versus evil in a cool dark urban fantasy.Terry Brooks is of course THAT Terry Brooks, the same guy who wrote the fabulously well to do Sword of Shannara series that won much acclaim and earned oodles of coin for him and the publishers.This takes place in a small midwestern town setting that made me think of Ray Bradbury and the idea of an invisible battle between good and evil forces also reminded me of Frank E. Peretti’s 1986 novel This Present Darkness. A knight of the WORD is there and i...

I read this one a while ago, and I need to reread for a proper review. But in my memory I liked it so much, why did I give it three stars back in 2017? To be continued..2021 reread: Absolutely loved it. Couldn't stop reading even though I had read it before. The story takes place in current day & age, different from the Shannara stories. I think this is where the magic was born and the Void is probably the beginning of the Forbidding? I hope I'll find out. Loved Nest, she grew up a lot in this b...

I've read a lot of Terry Brooks' books, including all of the Shannara books, and unfortunately, I was a little disappointed in this book, Running with the Demon. Here, Mr. Brooks departs from his usual pure fantasy genre to tell a story that mixes present day life with fantasy elements. The story is about a girl with magical powers, a demon who has arrived in her town to plot a cataclysmic event and a Knight of the Word (i.e., a man who tracks demons) whose mission is to stop the demon. I didnt

Good vs. EvilIt is a common theme throughout literature, and the struggle between the two sides can become cliche, but when it is done well, with a realistic setting, unforgettable characters, and an absolutely riveting plot then a reader can be given a small glimpse of humanity and life. That is exactly what Terry Brooks gifts to his readers in Running With The Demon, which is an extremely well-written novel. I have heard Brooks say more than once, that he considers this to be one of his best n...

This is the first book I've read by Terry Brooks and I loved it. I listened to the abridged version of the audiobook and it makes me really want to listen to the unabridged version for the remaining books in the series. The writing is spectacular and the scene-setting is truly amazing. You can feel and see everything that is described as if it is happening right in front of you. I was very impressed by everything about this story. Nest Freemark is a 14 year old girl with magic. She patrols the p...

I didn't have much memory of this from my first read. I'm now starting a Brooks re-read and am going chronological. Previously I read the first five series'. I have five unread. Chronology leaps about so it'll be interesting to see what happens.In this book we meet Pick, a Sylvain. He's an elf in Imaginary Friends so that was odd. Particularly as in future books elves are people size rather than 6".Onward...