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Magic Kingdom of Landover #1-3
The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1: Magic Kingdom for Sale Sold! - The Black Unicorn - Wizard at Large (Paperback) - Common
The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1( Magic Kingdom for Sale Sold! - The Black Unicorn - Wizard at Large) <> Paperback <> TerryBrooks <> DelReyBooks
736 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1992
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October 13, 2018
The worst part about this series? The fact that I would have *loved* it as a kid, but I can't go back and do that. I'm reading it as an adult, and all I can see are the flaws, and they make me want to scream.
It's pulpy genre fantasy, the sort of really basic stuff that might have been hot stuff back in the 80s and the origin days of Dungeons and Dragons and Ultima and King's Quest and Ladyhawke and Legend and whatever else was happening back then (with pounds of glitter everywhere, if I remember Legend correctly), but nowadays is trite and exhausting. This book didn't age well. It's a gross boy's story with gross themes and underdeveloped characters who repeat themselves every few paragraphs and whine about everything imaginable. Not a single person in this series is particularly likable except maybe the talking dog, and even then his insufferable fussiness (full on Cogsworth-style) grates. Especially unlikable is Ben, who kicks his horse and seems to hate his friends because he's always mocking them down (tho never to their faces, just in the privacy of his own head--he can maintain the illusion of being a good king that way).
It's very episodic. Bad thing happens, they try to fix it, worse thing happens, they try to fix it, even WORSE thing happens, Ben transforms into a knight for some reason that doesn't ever seem to be explained unless I zoned out during one of the exposition dumps, they fix the problem in a few quick paragraphs, they give the aforementioned exposition dumps wherein the author explains how clever he was in case you didn't notice it in the text, and...that's about it. The end, next book.
Characters loop back on the same dilemmas, the same crucial character flaws, without ever really resolving themselves. Ben constantly laments his choices, his dead wife, his abilities, whatever, but never really seems to improve. None of his lessons learned in these three stories were particularly impacting or memorable; they were just stepping blocks to buck up plot. And they repeat themselves so often, I must wonder if this was published serially in magazines. The repetition might have been a way to keep readers informed if they missed a week, because if it was published this way initially then someone needed to take an editing pen to it.
The premise sounds cool until it's put into effect. Suddenly a rich lawyer buying a place and naming himself king feels skeevy. Worse when he starts parading around refusing to listen to the land's culture and trying to boss everyone around. Tho, to be fair, he DOES start to take lessons after his colonialism backfires and he starts being...um...I guess an okay king? It seems to be working out, so I don't know; it's never really discussed much, just mentioned in passing. I guess people tolerate him? There are really only four people other than his main groupies: the dragon, who hates him, the evil witch, who REALLY Hates him, the river guy who is an even creepier ball of near-rape-fantasies, and I guess that knight guy who....um....shows up sometimes but is still an untrusting villain who locks Questor up so........good ally there.
But worse than the skeevy premise...man, you know it's Willow. The fact that Willow has a child's innocent face but a hot woman's body and does NOTHING for herself and only acts for Ben, tells him she "belongs" to him repeatedly and apparently threatens him that he can never let her leave, follows him constantly, never has a conversation with any other female character except Elizabeth in Wizard at Large (and even then it's really about Abernathy, so it STILL doesn't pass the Bechdel test which I once thought was the easiest test in the world to pass, what the heck, Brooks), and gets her "period" one day every 20 days which makes her "repulsive" to look at according to Ben and makes her dead weight to drag around when she's suffering from its effects.......?
The hell, Brooks? What sort of fantasy am I reading? Is it one about dragons, or it is your personal fascinations?
Why is Questor kinda good at magic now? Did I skim something without absorbing it?
And YET. Despite all my hate. I'm giving it two stars, because once I finally succumbed to the fever dream fantasy nightmare somewhere toward the end of Magic Kingdom for Sale, I found myself kind of sort of enjoying it. It's not creative or well written (why did Ben see his unborn daughter's ghost?? what was that meant to achieve?!) or well paced or anything of the sort, but it's got action, adventure, close scrapes, peril, building action, dragons, sarcastic cats, magic necklaces, evil wizards, Schmendricks, trolls, and that wistful sort of longing for a magic world just beyond our real life boring one. I don't like Ben at all, and yet being forced to follow him for three books gave him something off an irksome fascination? It's weird. I don't know. I can't explain it. It was sort of like the proverbial "staring at a train wreck" thing where you can't look away. By the end of Wizard at Large I was actually having fun and kinda wondering if I should get the next omnibus before I sat up in horror and realized what I was thinking.
Third one is easily the least bad, is what I'm saying. Less back-stabby and contrived and stupid. They almost kinda like each other and work together sometimes and the dragon is cool and Willow isn't Completely Vapidly Useless until she gets her tree period.
I read all three despite being sure I was going to DNF halfway through the first one. I don't...know why. I guess I wanted to know why these situations kept happening, and what nonsense could possibly happen next. So many issues could have been resolved in like, maybe three minutes. But they never were. We walked in circles for a while, ran into the same villains, argued, did the paladin thing, and bam. I guess Abernathy bit Meeks's ankle in one fight. That was kinda cool. Good job, Cogsworth-dog-thing.
Still. It feels derivative and juvenile, the early attempts of an author's career that are a bit too self-fulfilling-fantasy-feeling. I'm told events and emotions and character growth without ever being shown it (and even then they backtrack on that character growth thing). I would have loved it as a kid, but now....the flaws are too abundant and gross for me to ever give it anything more than a really uncomfortable shrug.
It's pulpy genre fantasy, the sort of really basic stuff that might have been hot stuff back in the 80s and the origin days of Dungeons and Dragons and Ultima and King's Quest and Ladyhawke and Legend and whatever else was happening back then (with pounds of glitter everywhere, if I remember Legend correctly), but nowadays is trite and exhausting. This book didn't age well. It's a gross boy's story with gross themes and underdeveloped characters who repeat themselves every few paragraphs and whine about everything imaginable. Not a single person in this series is particularly likable except maybe the talking dog, and even then his insufferable fussiness (full on Cogsworth-style) grates. Especially unlikable is Ben, who kicks his horse and seems to hate his friends because he's always mocking them down (tho never to their faces, just in the privacy of his own head--he can maintain the illusion of being a good king that way).
It's very episodic. Bad thing happens, they try to fix it, worse thing happens, they try to fix it, even WORSE thing happens, Ben transforms into a knight for some reason that doesn't ever seem to be explained unless I zoned out during one of the exposition dumps, they fix the problem in a few quick paragraphs, they give the aforementioned exposition dumps wherein the author explains how clever he was in case you didn't notice it in the text, and...that's about it. The end, next book.
Characters loop back on the same dilemmas, the same crucial character flaws, without ever really resolving themselves. Ben constantly laments his choices, his dead wife, his abilities, whatever, but never really seems to improve. None of his lessons learned in these three stories were particularly impacting or memorable; they were just stepping blocks to buck up plot. And they repeat themselves so often, I must wonder if this was published serially in magazines. The repetition might have been a way to keep readers informed if they missed a week, because if it was published this way initially then someone needed to take an editing pen to it.
The premise sounds cool until it's put into effect. Suddenly a rich lawyer buying a place and naming himself king feels skeevy. Worse when he starts parading around refusing to listen to the land's culture and trying to boss everyone around. Tho, to be fair, he DOES start to take lessons after his colonialism backfires and he starts being...um...I guess an okay king? It seems to be working out, so I don't know; it's never really discussed much, just mentioned in passing. I guess people tolerate him? There are really only four people other than his main groupies: the dragon, who hates him, the evil witch, who REALLY Hates him, the river guy who is an even creepier ball of near-rape-fantasies, and I guess that knight guy who....um....shows up sometimes but is still an untrusting villain who locks Questor up so........good ally there.
But worse than the skeevy premise...man, you know it's Willow. The fact that Willow has a child's innocent face but a hot woman's body and does NOTHING for herself and only acts for Ben, tells him she "belongs" to him repeatedly and apparently threatens him that he can never let her leave, follows him constantly, never has a conversation with any other female character except Elizabeth in Wizard at Large (and even then it's really about Abernathy, so it STILL doesn't pass the Bechdel test which I once thought was the easiest test in the world to pass, what the heck, Brooks), and gets her "period" one day every 20 days which makes her "repulsive" to look at according to Ben and makes her dead weight to drag around when she's suffering from its effects.......?
The hell, Brooks? What sort of fantasy am I reading? Is it one about dragons, or it is your personal fascinations?
Why is Questor kinda good at magic now? Did I skim something without absorbing it?
And YET. Despite all my hate. I'm giving it two stars, because once I finally succumbed to the fever dream fantasy nightmare somewhere toward the end of Magic Kingdom for Sale, I found myself kind of sort of enjoying it. It's not creative or well written (why did Ben see his unborn daughter's ghost?? what was that meant to achieve?!) or well paced or anything of the sort, but it's got action, adventure, close scrapes, peril, building action, dragons, sarcastic cats, magic necklaces, evil wizards, Schmendricks, trolls, and that wistful sort of longing for a magic world just beyond our real life boring one. I don't like Ben at all, and yet being forced to follow him for three books gave him something off an irksome fascination? It's weird. I don't know. I can't explain it. It was sort of like the proverbial "staring at a train wreck" thing where you can't look away. By the end of Wizard at Large I was actually having fun and kinda wondering if I should get the next omnibus before I sat up in horror and realized what I was thinking.
Third one is easily the least bad, is what I'm saying. Less back-stabby and contrived and stupid. They almost kinda like each other and work together sometimes and the dragon is cool and Willow isn't Completely Vapidly Useless until she gets her tree period.
I read all three despite being sure I was going to DNF halfway through the first one. I don't...know why. I guess I wanted to know why these situations kept happening, and what nonsense could possibly happen next. So many issues could have been resolved in like, maybe three minutes. But they never were. We walked in circles for a while, ran into the same villains, argued, did the paladin thing, and bam. I guess Abernathy bit Meeks's ankle in one fight. That was kinda cool. Good job, Cogsworth-dog-thing.
Still. It feels derivative and juvenile, the early attempts of an author's career that are a bit too self-fulfilling-fantasy-feeling. I'm told events and emotions and character growth without ever being shown it (and even then they backtrack on that character growth thing). I would have loved it as a kid, but now....the flaws are too abundant and gross for me to ever give it anything more than a really uncomfortable shrug.
February 4, 2012
"The Magic Kingdom of Landover" (V1: #1-3) by Terry Brooks all build up to bangup fight finales. I don't find humor in the gnomes eating dogs, cats, or trying to. Middle-aged male wish fulfillment night, bathing in a warm spring and meeting a lovely green fae who says "I am yours" (both in birthday suits) gives me a bad taste in #1, so I prefer #3 where he's more committed to all his friends.
"Magic Kingdom for Sale" #1 For $1M, Ben Holliday, 39, recently widowed lawyer, buys the crown of Landover, neighbor to the fairy world, but deteriorating since the old king died, and the mighty Paladin protector simultaneously vanished. I must have read some of the series before, because I seem to know scribe Abernathy, yet do not like Ben. I could have identified with the loyal, bespectacled skeptic with silky fine blonde hair (part Wheaten Terrier), victim of incompetent spell-caster Questor. I struggle to see hero in a morbid middle-aged millionaire who lusts for faithful sylph Willow, yet rejects her innate tree-ness, despises and lies to small myopic lowest-caste poor gnomes dressed in Salvation Army cast-offs, representatives Fillip and Sot (also sympatico to me).
The castle Sterling Silver ails, provides less food. Vegetation wilts and dies, even Bonnie Blue trees, whose leaves taste like fruit and stalks give milk (complete human nutrients - too easy). Resistant subjects refuse to swear fealty to their new sovereign, or unite against the encroaching evil invaders: spreading sickness Tarnish, witch Nightshade, dragon Strabo (either Brooks or editor waffle between he and it p419+), and demon horde led by the Mark. Fierce kobolds Bunion and Parsnip have sharp teeth and claws to vanquish timberwolf, cave-wight and bog-wump (once, off-screen). At least Willow plays an active rescue role, not just passive waiting.
"Black Unicorn" #2 is either trapped and pleading, or evil and tempting, first in dreams, beckoning, then for real. Bad ex-court sorcerer Meeks sends vivid nightmares and manipulates Ben, Questor, and Willow, to separately bring him lost items of power. He takes on the royal identity, the spell only clear to know-all prism (controls light) cat Dirk, who sees Ben beneath tatters and grime. Ben doesn't even try to wash clean a finger or scrap. I find #1 & 2 predictable, because (I read them before? or) Dirk repeatedly gives Ben the solution.
"Wizard at Large" #3 Questor (consistently owlish-faced) sneezes in the middle of transforming Abernathy back into human form and instead transports him wearing the King's magic Paladin-calling medallion. The scribe exchanges places with a nasty Darkling demon in a bottle who grants the user cimmerian (dark) cravings, intensied by the holder's cruelty, makes the rounds of Landover, causing increasing trouble. Michel Ard Rhi, former prince convinced to abdicate by Meeks, now lives in west coast Seattle, and imprisons Abernathy, who refuses to give up the medallion willingly.
Questor can send Ben and Willow to Vegas, but only the medallion can bring them back to Landover. Willow's father the River Master, witch Nightshade, and dragon Strabo play their parts here too. I liked #3 better because characters seemed less predictable, more grownup, take responsibility for their actions, less wishy-washy, whining, and moping.
Preview
"Princess of Landover" Mistaya (#3 ended with a royal wedding) returns from school in the mundane world. Recaps of an unusual birth, 11 years, and battle in Nightshade's domain, suggest other adventures intervened. Now Strabo welcomes her, and warns that she should not have made a frightening image of him, without his express permission. I may read more, or not.
"Magic Kingdom for Sale" #1 For $1M, Ben Holliday, 39, recently widowed lawyer, buys the crown of Landover, neighbor to the fairy world, but deteriorating since the old king died, and the mighty Paladin protector simultaneously vanished. I must have read some of the series before, because I seem to know scribe Abernathy, yet do not like Ben. I could have identified with the loyal, bespectacled skeptic with silky fine blonde hair (part Wheaten Terrier), victim of incompetent spell-caster Questor. I struggle to see hero in a morbid middle-aged millionaire who lusts for faithful sylph Willow, yet rejects her innate tree-ness, despises and lies to small myopic lowest-caste poor gnomes dressed in Salvation Army cast-offs, representatives Fillip and Sot (also sympatico to me).
The castle Sterling Silver ails, provides less food. Vegetation wilts and dies, even Bonnie Blue trees, whose leaves taste like fruit and stalks give milk (complete human nutrients - too easy). Resistant subjects refuse to swear fealty to their new sovereign, or unite against the encroaching evil invaders: spreading sickness Tarnish, witch Nightshade, dragon Strabo (either Brooks or editor waffle between he and it p419+), and demon horde led by the Mark. Fierce kobolds Bunion and Parsnip have sharp teeth and claws to vanquish timberwolf, cave-wight and bog-wump (once, off-screen). At least Willow plays an active rescue role, not just passive waiting.
"Black Unicorn" #2 is either trapped and pleading, or evil and tempting, first in dreams, beckoning, then for real. Bad ex-court sorcerer Meeks sends vivid nightmares and manipulates Ben, Questor, and Willow, to separately bring him lost items of power. He takes on the royal identity, the spell only clear to know-all prism (controls light) cat Dirk, who sees Ben beneath tatters and grime. Ben doesn't even try to wash clean a finger or scrap. I find #1 & 2 predictable, because (I read them before? or) Dirk repeatedly gives Ben the solution.
"Wizard at Large" #3 Questor (consistently owlish-faced) sneezes in the middle of transforming Abernathy back into human form and instead transports him wearing the King's magic Paladin-calling medallion. The scribe exchanges places with a nasty Darkling demon in a bottle who grants the user cimmerian (dark) cravings, intensied by the holder's cruelty, makes the rounds of Landover, causing increasing trouble. Michel Ard Rhi, former prince convinced to abdicate by Meeks, now lives in west coast Seattle, and imprisons Abernathy, who refuses to give up the medallion willingly.
Questor can send Ben and Willow to Vegas, but only the medallion can bring them back to Landover. Willow's father the River Master, witch Nightshade, and dragon Strabo play their parts here too. I liked #3 better because characters seemed less predictable, more grownup, take responsibility for their actions, less wishy-washy, whining, and moping.
Preview
"Princess of Landover" Mistaya (#3 ended with a royal wedding) returns from school in the mundane world. Recaps of an unusual birth, 11 years, and battle in Nightshade's domain, suggest other adventures intervened. Now Strabo welcomes her, and warns that she should not have made a frightening image of him, without his express permission. I may read more, or not.
July 18, 2022
Omgosh, this series is absolutely amazing!! At first I thought it was rather strange, but the characters started to grow on me, and I really love the stories!
December 5, 2020
The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1 is an omnibus containing the first three novels in the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. The individual books that make up volume 1 are: Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold, The Black Unicorn and Wizard at Large.
The book starts out really strong...a middle-aged lawer who lost his wife three years ago is searching for something in his life. He is tired of the day to day stress of a world without meaning and adventure. That is when he decides to buy a magical kingdom and when the fun begins...
I really, really, really wanted to be someone giving this book a 5 star rating. I thought the whole idea of a man buying a magical kingdom and being made king to rule over Landover was really creative. However, I found that it ended up as a mediocre fantasy novel.
The beginning and the end of this book were good enough to keep my interest. The middle of the book which is the Black Unicorn was completly uninteresting an unnecessary.
I already bought the second volume which completes the series so I guess I will finish it.
The book starts out really strong...a middle-aged lawer who lost his wife three years ago is searching for something in his life. He is tired of the day to day stress of a world without meaning and adventure. That is when he decides to buy a magical kingdom and when the fun begins...
I really, really, really wanted to be someone giving this book a 5 star rating. I thought the whole idea of a man buying a magical kingdom and being made king to rule over Landover was really creative. However, I found that it ended up as a mediocre fantasy novel.
The beginning and the end of this book were good enough to keep my interest. The middle of the book which is the Black Unicorn was completly uninteresting an unnecessary.
I already bought the second volume which completes the series so I guess I will finish it.
August 31, 2015
Total pulp fantasy. Nice and simple formula. Something bad happens. Things go from bad to worse. Something bad happens. (Again?) Things keep getting worse, (Really? They can’t be that dumb, and there’s only 20 pages left.) Dues ex Machina. All problems solved. Falling action. Happy Ending. -The End. First story was ok. Second, not event that good. Third was the best of the three. The third almost makes me want to keep reading the Landover stories. Almost. This is not necessarily a bad writing. It won’t keep you up at night, that’s for sure. Maybe add it to your, “I need a break from deep, dense or disturbing ” pile.
January 3, 2022
Ben Holiday learns there is a magic kingdom for sale but there's a catch. That is only half the story of what he has to go through to get it.
May 2, 2018
4.5/5
"En résumé, cette première intégrale est une très bonne surprise pour moi et j'ai déjà hâte de replonger en Landover et de retrouver Ben and Co! Leur aventure m'a beaucoup plu, et je sens que nous en sommes pas au bout de nos surprises. Je suis curieuse de savoir ce que l'auteur nous réserve pour les 3 derniers tomes !"
Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...
"En résumé, cette première intégrale est une très bonne surprise pour moi et j'ai déjà hâte de replonger en Landover et de retrouver Ben and Co! Leur aventure m'a beaucoup plu, et je sens que nous en sommes pas au bout de nos surprises. Je suis curieuse de savoir ce que l'auteur nous réserve pour les 3 derniers tomes !"
Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...
April 11, 2024
Within our present reality lies a hidden magical kingdom in desperate need of a new leader. The kingdom of Landover is tucked away in the wilderness, with only one person holding the key to entry.
If you love fantasy novels, this thought pulls at your imagination with the ‘what ifs’. What if this really could exist… what if, hidden deep within the mountains, is a magical kingdom just awaiting my arrival. What if I really could escape the present reality, and enter a world driven by magic.
In this novel, Ben Holiday, lawyer and entrepreneur, stumbles into the perfect real estate deal at the most opportune time in his life. He is ready to be finished with this world and start a new life, with better, happier memories. Ben purchases the kingdom of Landover for a hefty price and soon embarks upon the journey of his life. Landover is a new world that is kept alive by the magic within it. But without a king, the magic slowly fades away. Enter Ben. Ben will serve as the king of the land, but he has quite a bit to learn along the way.
He is met at his castle with a small entourage of loyal servants who soon become his closest allies. He makes plenty of enemies on his journey to survive as king, and the novel takes us through his adventure with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
I picked up this book primarily because of my respect for Terry Brooks’ other novels, namely The Shannara Series and Child of Light. While this was a powerful book, and quite entertaining, it wouldn’t make the top of my favorites by Brooks. The missing piece for me was the creativity of the magic. Part of the lure of Fantasy is the imaginative magic and the creativity behind it. While Ben had some access to a particular kind of magic by serving as king, it was not by any means a powerful source or a wide variety of magic displayed. Within Landover, there are magical creatures such as dragons, witches and water fairies, but the magic itself is quite limited.
The book had a slower start, so it did take some patience to reach a point where it truly piqued my interest. This might be partly due to the lack of magic I mentioned, but it felt like it took a while to get into any particular action or excitement.
Despite these misgivings, the novel had some strong attributes. It had an enjoyable cast of supporting characters, such as the crafty Kobalts whose stark loyalty saved Ben’s life countless times, and the court scribe (man turned talking dog by magic gone wrong) who adds a good amount of sarcasm and dry humor.
I also felt like the ending brought things together nicely, and left a good window of opportunity for the next book in the series, The Black Unicorn. I’ll be writing a review for this one soon!
Read more of my reviews on my blog: a2zbookreviews.com
If you love fantasy novels, this thought pulls at your imagination with the ‘what ifs’. What if this really could exist… what if, hidden deep within the mountains, is a magical kingdom just awaiting my arrival. What if I really could escape the present reality, and enter a world driven by magic.
In this novel, Ben Holiday, lawyer and entrepreneur, stumbles into the perfect real estate deal at the most opportune time in his life. He is ready to be finished with this world and start a new life, with better, happier memories. Ben purchases the kingdom of Landover for a hefty price and soon embarks upon the journey of his life. Landover is a new world that is kept alive by the magic within it. But without a king, the magic slowly fades away. Enter Ben. Ben will serve as the king of the land, but he has quite a bit to learn along the way.
He is met at his castle with a small entourage of loyal servants who soon become his closest allies. He makes plenty of enemies on his journey to survive as king, and the novel takes us through his adventure with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
I picked up this book primarily because of my respect for Terry Brooks’ other novels, namely The Shannara Series and Child of Light. While this was a powerful book, and quite entertaining, it wouldn’t make the top of my favorites by Brooks. The missing piece for me was the creativity of the magic. Part of the lure of Fantasy is the imaginative magic and the creativity behind it. While Ben had some access to a particular kind of magic by serving as king, it was not by any means a powerful source or a wide variety of magic displayed. Within Landover, there are magical creatures such as dragons, witches and water fairies, but the magic itself is quite limited.
The book had a slower start, so it did take some patience to reach a point where it truly piqued my interest. This might be partly due to the lack of magic I mentioned, but it felt like it took a while to get into any particular action or excitement.
Despite these misgivings, the novel had some strong attributes. It had an enjoyable cast of supporting characters, such as the crafty Kobalts whose stark loyalty saved Ben’s life countless times, and the court scribe (man turned talking dog by magic gone wrong) who adds a good amount of sarcasm and dry humor.
I also felt like the ending brought things together nicely, and left a good window of opportunity for the next book in the series, The Black Unicorn. I’ll be writing a review for this one soon!
Read more of my reviews on my blog: a2zbookreviews.com
August 21, 2018
Confession, I didn’t actually read much of this book, because I read all three books separately. I got the first book from my uncle’s personal library and then this omnibus came a week or two after that. So I honestly planned on reading books 2 and 3 in this edition.
But then I realized that I had a copy of the second book that my mom had given me ages ago and I had to dig it out of my bookcase. And it turns out that my grandma on my dad and uncle’s side had given my mom that book for Christmas. So, because the book was in hand and lighter than all three in one even if it was a hardback, I read that edition rather than in this book.
Now, the third one. I honestly do like bringing the smaller boos to work, so I was about to get a copy of the third one from the used bookstore, only I forgot about it the last time I was there. But then my dad brought home a whole bunch of books (book-pocolypse) that had belonged to my uncle and the third book was one of those. So I took the smaller book to work.
And so it passed that I didn’t actually read this book, but I will still add it to my goodreads collection.
But then I realized that I had a copy of the second book that my mom had given me ages ago and I had to dig it out of my bookcase. And it turns out that my grandma on my dad and uncle’s side had given my mom that book for Christmas. So, because the book was in hand and lighter than all three in one even if it was a hardback, I read that edition rather than in this book.
Now, the third one. I honestly do like bringing the smaller boos to work, so I was about to get a copy of the third one from the used bookstore, only I forgot about it the last time I was there. But then my dad brought home a whole bunch of books (book-pocolypse) that had belonged to my uncle and the third book was one of those. So I took the smaller book to work.
And so it passed that I didn’t actually read this book, but I will still add it to my goodreads collection.
November 30, 2011
The Magic Kingdom of Landover: Volume 1 contains the first 3 books of a currently 5 book series. I am going to give a general description of the main characters, then summarize my experience with each of the three books in this volume.
Ben Holiday: Usually the main protagonist, Ben is a trial lawyer from Chicago who, having lost his wife and unborn child to a car accident, and having seen an ad in a Christmas wish catalog, decided to purchase a magic kingdom called Landover for the sum of one million dollars.
Questor Thews: Landover's misguided court magician. His magic is well-intentioned but, often backfires.
Abernathy: The court scribe, turned into a dog by Questor's magic in order to save him from an enemy. He can still talk, walks on his hind legs and has fingers instead of standard paws. Abernathy seems to be the realist of the bunch.
Meeks: The not-so-nice half-brother of Questor who escaped from Landover with the heir to the throne, in order to "sell" the kingdom to wealthy buyers. We was the former court wizard.
Nightshade: An evil witch living in Landover, who causes lots of trouble.
Strabo: Landover's last dragon. He is often short-tempered and is not willing to help much.
Willow: A slyph, born of a wood nymph and an ex-elemental. She has pale green skin, waist-length emerald hair and has tufts of silky green hair running down her calves and arms. She believes she is destined to be with Ben forever. She also has to turn into a tree, a willow, every 20 days. Her description, minus the green skin, green hair and the hair on the back of her legs and arms kind of reminds me of my wife when I met her.
There are other characters but, these are the ones which I feel bear describing.
Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD!
Synopsis: Ben Holiday purchases a Magic Kingdom called Landover for the sum of a million dollars from a strange man called Meeks. He arrives in the kingdom only to find that the place is in ruin, having not had a "real" king for 20 years. Ben must prove himself to the inhabitants of this world, find his new identity and face the Demon Mark.
I felt that Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD! was a bit slow to start but, this was necessary. A lot of exposition is done in order to truly give the reader a lot of background on Ben Holiday, his life and his character. While not as riveting of a read as parts of the second and third books, this book sets the stage for many future adventures in Landover. It does a great job of describing the magical land, its inhabitants and its flora and fauna. While there is some great action at the end of the story, much of the book seems focused on giving the reader a lot of necessary information into the characters who will play a bigger part in future tales. So, it is a bit slow, but gets really exciting later on.
The Black Unicorn:
Synopsis: Meeks comes back to Landover and makes himself appear to be Ben, while Ben appears as a peasant. Meanwhile, a black unicorn of incredible magical power roams the land, its purpose is unknown. Will Ben be able to recover his real self before Meeks captures the Black Unicorn?
The Black Unicorn was a non-stop read for me. The action started at the very first chapter and continued throughout every one after it. I think I figured out the solution to Ben's problem much too soon in the book, but, that is dramatic irony for you. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that there was a lot of re-visiting of the locations from the first book, in almost the same order. While the events which took place were different, the locations for those events remained the same. This bugged me a bit. Other than that, it was an absolute non-stop read with plenty of action, mystery and adventure.
Wizard at Large:
Synopsis: Questor Thews, in an attempt to change Abernathy back into a man, accidentally sends him, and the king's medallion into our world and brings and unspeakable evil back into Landover. Ben and company must find a way to rescue Abernathy from our world and the clutches of Michel Ard Rhi, the late king's son and heir to the throne, who is a not so nice guy...
This book was even more interesting than book two. Imagine, all these fairy and magical creatures, entering our world. It makes for a mix of the best and the worst of humanity and also has some real emotional moments of worry, fear and awe. I won't give anything away but, one of the later chapters in the book had one of the most amazing action sequences resulting in an extreme melding between our world and that of Landover. I really have not a single complaint about this book and loved every minute of it.
For those who are antsy about this kind of thing, yes, there is magic used and spoken about in this book. There are fairies, slyphs, witches, nymphs, dragons and a whole manner of other creatures. However, many of the messages within the book hold fast to good Christian themes. Good vs. Evil, self sacrifice, love, responsibility for one's actions and many other themes are present that make these books a great read.
There are no extreme descriptions of violence, no sexual content, (but there is nudity mentioned) and very little unfavorable language. However, that being said, these would probably not fit the attention span of the average child or young adult. I remember reading Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD! at some point in high school and had a hard time getting through it because I just lacked the focus necessary to read it and retain the story. So, this is probably best for studious late High School students and older.
Overall this is a great series and I look forward to reading volume 2 sometime in the future.
Ben Holiday: Usually the main protagonist, Ben is a trial lawyer from Chicago who, having lost his wife and unborn child to a car accident, and having seen an ad in a Christmas wish catalog, decided to purchase a magic kingdom called Landover for the sum of one million dollars.
Questor Thews: Landover's misguided court magician. His magic is well-intentioned but, often backfires.
Abernathy: The court scribe, turned into a dog by Questor's magic in order to save him from an enemy. He can still talk, walks on his hind legs and has fingers instead of standard paws. Abernathy seems to be the realist of the bunch.
Meeks: The not-so-nice half-brother of Questor who escaped from Landover with the heir to the throne, in order to "sell" the kingdom to wealthy buyers. We was the former court wizard.
Nightshade: An evil witch living in Landover, who causes lots of trouble.
Strabo: Landover's last dragon. He is often short-tempered and is not willing to help much.
Willow: A slyph, born of a wood nymph and an ex-elemental. She has pale green skin, waist-length emerald hair and has tufts of silky green hair running down her calves and arms. She believes she is destined to be with Ben forever. She also has to turn into a tree, a willow, every 20 days. Her description, minus the green skin, green hair and the hair on the back of her legs and arms kind of reminds me of my wife when I met her.
There are other characters but, these are the ones which I feel bear describing.
Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD!
Synopsis: Ben Holiday purchases a Magic Kingdom called Landover for the sum of a million dollars from a strange man called Meeks. He arrives in the kingdom only to find that the place is in ruin, having not had a "real" king for 20 years. Ben must prove himself to the inhabitants of this world, find his new identity and face the Demon Mark.
I felt that Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD! was a bit slow to start but, this was necessary. A lot of exposition is done in order to truly give the reader a lot of background on Ben Holiday, his life and his character. While not as riveting of a read as parts of the second and third books, this book sets the stage for many future adventures in Landover. It does a great job of describing the magical land, its inhabitants and its flora and fauna. While there is some great action at the end of the story, much of the book seems focused on giving the reader a lot of necessary information into the characters who will play a bigger part in future tales. So, it is a bit slow, but gets really exciting later on.
The Black Unicorn:
Synopsis: Meeks comes back to Landover and makes himself appear to be Ben, while Ben appears as a peasant. Meanwhile, a black unicorn of incredible magical power roams the land, its purpose is unknown. Will Ben be able to recover his real self before Meeks captures the Black Unicorn?
The Black Unicorn was a non-stop read for me. The action started at the very first chapter and continued throughout every one after it. I think I figured out the solution to Ben's problem much too soon in the book, but, that is dramatic irony for you. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that there was a lot of re-visiting of the locations from the first book, in almost the same order. While the events which took place were different, the locations for those events remained the same. This bugged me a bit. Other than that, it was an absolute non-stop read with plenty of action, mystery and adventure.
Wizard at Large:
Synopsis: Questor Thews, in an attempt to change Abernathy back into a man, accidentally sends him, and the king's medallion into our world and brings and unspeakable evil back into Landover. Ben and company must find a way to rescue Abernathy from our world and the clutches of Michel Ard Rhi, the late king's son and heir to the throne, who is a not so nice guy...
This book was even more interesting than book two. Imagine, all these fairy and magical creatures, entering our world. It makes for a mix of the best and the worst of humanity and also has some real emotional moments of worry, fear and awe. I won't give anything away but, one of the later chapters in the book had one of the most amazing action sequences resulting in an extreme melding between our world and that of Landover. I really have not a single complaint about this book and loved every minute of it.
For those who are antsy about this kind of thing, yes, there is magic used and spoken about in this book. There are fairies, slyphs, witches, nymphs, dragons and a whole manner of other creatures. However, many of the messages within the book hold fast to good Christian themes. Good vs. Evil, self sacrifice, love, responsibility for one's actions and many other themes are present that make these books a great read.
There are no extreme descriptions of violence, no sexual content, (but there is nudity mentioned) and very little unfavorable language. However, that being said, these would probably not fit the attention span of the average child or young adult. I remember reading Magic Kingdom For Sale: SOLD! at some point in high school and had a hard time getting through it because I just lacked the focus necessary to read it and retain the story. So, this is probably best for studious late High School students and older.
Overall this is a great series and I look forward to reading volume 2 sometime in the future.
February 14, 2020
Great read from a great writer. I particularly enjoy how grounded in reality it is (in that I could see a bit of myself in Ben Holiday, the idealism mixed with the cynicism and world weariness). This Kindle edition had all three of the first three books. The subsequent books are sequels and are set in the same world, but, if you haven’t read this sort of edition before, you might find the transition between books a little jarring. Personally, I prefer these types of bundles, as it means I get a number of books for a good price. These bundles are part of what I enjoy about my Kindle. Thanks to them, I have a solid library of technical, reference, and literary material that I can easily pull out of my bag on the subway.
February 17, 2020
I loved the series as a youth. I always wished there had been more. Then there were and it took me forever to get around to reading the rest of them. By that, I mean I still haven't read "A Princess of Landover" but this is the first step in getting me there.
I had re-read the first book a few years ago so I just looked at a Wiki to refresh my knowledge. I found the Black Unicorn hard to read. I kept skimming. Ben seemed irritatingly dense in this book and when the reader knows what needs to go on so far ahead of the characters it makes it hard to keep reading.
Wizard at Large was a much more enjoyable read. It might have been because the threat seemed so much larger than it had been in the Black Unicorn.
I had re-read the first book a few years ago so I just looked at a Wiki to refresh my knowledge. I found the Black Unicorn hard to read. I kept skimming. Ben seemed irritatingly dense in this book and when the reader knows what needs to go on so far ahead of the characters it makes it hard to keep reading.
Wizard at Large was a much more enjoyable read. It might have been because the threat seemed so much larger than it had been in the Black Unicorn.
August 7, 2017
So this is the first three Landover books. All of them are pretty good, still, the best of them is the first. Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold. This book brings you to a new world and it is all fresh and unexpected. A man on Modern day Earth decides that his life has to change and he finds a catalog of Xmas wish products that are one of a kind and it has the Magic Kingdom in it for a large amount of money. He decides to take the chance and everything flows from that decision. The next two books, Black Unicorn and Wizard at Large are still good, but somehow feel a little like afterthoughts. Some of the situations feel a little forced. But they are good follow up pieces. Will have to see what the rest of it is like.
April 24, 2022
Triumph of good over evil
I've read these books before and I loved them just as much the second time. The characters seem so lifelike with their strengths and weaknesses. I love how their is such great humour even in the midst of great trials. The struggles often remind me of what it's like to be a Christian. We want to have faith and trust in what is right and good and that it will prevail in the end. Would recommend this for anyone who has imagination and enjoys fantasy.
I've read these books before and I loved them just as much the second time. The characters seem so lifelike with their strengths and weaknesses. I love how their is such great humour even in the midst of great trials. The struggles often remind me of what it's like to be a Christian. We want to have faith and trust in what is right and good and that it will prevail in the end. Would recommend this for anyone who has imagination and enjoys fantasy.
September 19, 2018
Il Regno a me è piaciuto un sacco: Brooks ha uno stile di scrittura che cattura, senza scadere in eccessi, senza fronzoli e ridondamenti vari, eppure completo e non privo di immagini metaforiche. Nel periodo in cui l'ho letto avevo voglia di una storia che mescolasse la realtà moderna con l'immaginario fantasy-medievale. Certo, forse l'avventura non ha quello spirito Tolkeniano proprio del Signore degli Anelli, non è ricco allo stesso modo, ma le avventure di Ben hanno il loro fascino, e anche i personaggi e le idee attorno creano un piccolo universo interessante. Tanto per dirne una, Questor è un mago simile a tanti altri, ma il suo essere fallimentare fa di lui un personaggio diverso dal solito cliché e anche divertente in modo contenuto; a loro modo anche i coboldi possiedono il giusto perché, pur non parlando mai, e Abernathy è una carta vincente di sarcasmo. Un buon team, insomma. Forse quella che ho sentito meno originale e caratterizzata fra tutti è Willow, anche perché diciamocelo: potrebbe facilmente stare un po' sulle scatole a chiunque per come si pone inizialmente (senza spoilerare nulla), e anche in seguito si è rivelato un personaggio troppo raffinato e "piatto" per i miei gusti. Alcune cose ispirate dal Lord of the Rings ci sono sicuramente: i classici del fantasy non mancano, ma la conquista di Ben al suo regno la ripenso con nostalgia perché sono affezionata alla storia e al periodo in cui l'ho letto. Se cercate qualcosa di "leggero" e scorrevole, senza troppe pretese, senza trame macchinose e complesse, con questo andate a colpo sicuro. Se cercate stili più elaborati con descrizioni molto particolareggiate, passate avanti.
May 6, 2019
Primi tre romanzi del CICLO DI LANDOVER, una storia semiseria che racconta le avventure e disavventure dell'avvocato Ben Holliday, un signore che dai giorni nostri si ritrova catapultato nel magico mondo di LANDOVER dove ne diventa re e sposa la bellissima Willow, una creatura fatata che lo rende padre di una ragazza stupenda ma dal carattere esuberante. La lettura di tutta la saga è molto divertente e spiritosa.
February 9, 2020
Loved the story line.... Absolutely loved the supporting characters.... The main character however was dumb as a box of rocks. I figured out on chapter 2 what took him and additional 10 to get his simple mind around. Hard to read when your waiting on the main character to through his internal dialogue and figure it.
January 1, 2022
I enjoyed these stores a lot when I was younger, but rereading as an adult I find a lot of flaws and things that I just don't like about it. I do enjoy the fantasy elements, but the characters are kind of flat and following stereotypes that are just too basic and male centered. I'm particularly annoyed by the character Willow and the male dominated narrative of her story.
January 24, 2018
This was a great book. I found myself getting a little lost sometimes due to the over descriptive nature of parts, but that was probably just my own focus issue. I can not wait to read more from Terry Brooks.
May 6, 2018
It a lifetime fave
I really like this storyline growing up and enjoyed reading it as and adult for different reasons. I like a good story of self discovery especially with wizards and dragons
I really like this storyline growing up and enjoyed reading it as and adult for different reasons. I like a good story of self discovery especially with wizards and dragons
June 25, 2017
This series is one of my all time favorites. If you're looking for a great fantasy read than you should give this a try.
July 6, 2017
A nice trilogy
While this trilogy doesn't compare to the scope and depth of Brooks other work, Shannara, this was a compelling and entertaining read.
While this trilogy doesn't compare to the scope and depth of Brooks other work, Shannara, this was a compelling and entertaining read.
January 30, 2018
It was ok for me. Was a bit slow
March 28, 2018
The 3rd book started out a little slow. I couldn't face the gnomes again, so I stopped for a quick read of something else. Luckily when I went back. I truly enjoyed the end of this book.
October 21, 2018
Great fun. The last book in this omnibus, "Wizard At Large" was possibly my favorite
On to volume 2
On to volume 2
January 3, 2019
Surprised how much I liked this series. Omnibus contains the first three books, I read them each separately.
May 29, 2019
A Fun and Entertaining Read
The Landover series is a fun read. If you like both fantasy and comedy, you will enjoy this light hearted series. I look forward to Volume 2.
The Landover series is a fun read. If you like both fantasy and comedy, you will enjoy this light hearted series. I look forward to Volume 2.
July 20, 2019
It's not a Lord of the Rings knockoff like his Shannara series and it's less of a slog, but it is still slow.
July 31, 2019
Very much enjoyed this book. It was a fun read.
September 12, 2019
Very good!
If you broke through somewhat stiff wording of this book, it could be pretty good. I've quite enjoyed this fantastic adventure.
If you broke through somewhat stiff wording of this book, it could be pretty good. I've quite enjoyed this fantastic adventure.
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