Small Magic

Starred review from December 1, 2020

Brooks is renowned for his books in three major worlds: Magic Kingdom, The Word & The Void, and Shannara. For the first time, readers can now see all three in one volume, the first short story collection from this award-winning author. Eleven stories, both previously published and brand-new, highlight the breadth of character and worldbuilding created by Brooks, each with its own short introductory essay. The popular Weapons Master Garet Jax stars in two stories, "Aftermath," where he first crosses paths with Stee Jans (The Elfstones of Shannara), and "The Weapon Master's Choice," when Jax must fight a battle he cannot win. Landover's Ben Holiday faces G'home Gnomes Fillip, Sot, and their voracious appetites in the Star Trek Tribbles-inspired "An Unfortunate Influx of Fillipians." In the final piece, the brand-new novella "Warrior," Jack McCall (from origin story "Imaginary Friends") faces high stakes as a Knight of the Word. VERDICT Fans and new readers will be delighted with this collection, showing off some of the best aspects of Brooks's writing. Highly recommended for all collections.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 11, 2021
Though Brooks states, “For me, writing a short story is much harder than writing a novel,” the 11 entries in this confident collection demonstrate his considerable skill in using the short format to further explore his established fantasy worlds. “Imaginary Friends” and “Warrior” return to the setting of the Word and the Void series, while “An Unfortunate Influx of Fillipians” reenters the world of the Magic Kingdom series. The collection’s high points are the stories that flesh out the universe of Brooks’s decades-long Shannara epic fantasy saga. Readers hooked on this Tolkienesque world will be especially pleased by a prequel and sequel to series debut The Sword of Shannara: “Allanon’s Quest” follows the eponymous druid’s search for an heir to the royal line who can oppose the evil Warlock Lord, Brona, immediately prior to the events of the series, while “The Black Irix” reintroduces a charismatic rogue, Panamon Creel, who persuades the Ohmsford brothers to join him in seeking out a missing valuable. By emphasizing characterizations and human relationships, Brooks is often better here than in his sprawling, action-packed novels. This is an easy pick for Brooks fans.

February 15, 2021
Despite claims that he doesn't like writing short stories, here is ample evidence, culled from over forty years of publishing, that Brooks is perfectly capable of it. The opening story addresses what happens after the end of Poul Anderson's 1973 The Queen of Air and Darkness. ""Imaginary Friends,"" one of the older stories included, is a riff on fairy-tale magic against the backdrop of teenage Jack McCall's reaction to being told he has cancer. There are Shannara stories with tidbits about familiar characters: ""Aftermath"" shows the time Garret Jax met Stee Jans; ""Allanon's Quest"" follows Allanon the Druid. The final tale, a new novella, ""Warrior,"" revisits Jack McCall as an adult (readers will recognize him from the Word and the Void series); twenty years after he swore to serve as a Knight of the Word, his service is finally required. Some of the older stories don't age well in their tropes and conceits, but are interesting insights into Brooks' earlier work. Fans of both Shannara and Landover will enjoy having these stories at hand to revisit favorite places and tie up a few loose ends.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.