Terry Brooks’ Morgawr, the third in his fantasy series The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is a 401 page mixed bag. On the one hand, it provides a few hours of entertainment on a rainy day. On the other hand, you might be better off just putting on your rainboots and splashing in the puddles.

The book takes off where the last one left off. Druid Walker is dying, and his legacy is a reborn Isle-Witch. Transformed by the mystic sword of Shannara, the Isle-Witch realizes the full weight of her childhood deception and becomes a catatonic Grianne. It ultimately takes her brother Bek’s forgiveness and love to bring her back to full reality. Her true self, she confronts her old mentor Morgawr, and with the help of her brother defeats him.

There are numerous side-tales, however. Airship battles, strange reptilian creatures, wraiths and shapeshifters, and some magic swords all help make the book come a little more alive. But, in the multiple threads, the story is lost. When a half dozen different parties are slowly reunited, the content you can include for each party is pretty low. So we get to watch in grand overview the reuniting of the party, the defeat of their enemy, and a love triangle between Bek, his sister Grianne, and his girlfriend Rue Meridian. Still, it’s not enough–there’s far too much overview, and not enough detail.

For that reason, I’m giving Morgawr :2star:. It doesn’t have the richness of Tolkien, or the action you find in a Mercedes Lackey novel, but in the end, it’s still not a terrible read–give it a go if you’ve nothing else to do, or like me just want to finish the series.