The Tangle Box

Magic Kingdom of Landover #4

by Terry Brooks, Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Four in the Magic Kingdom of Landover series Everything should have been quiet and pleasant for Ben Holiday, former Chicago lawyer become sovereign of the Magic Kingdom of Landover. But it wasn't. Horris Kew, conjurer, confidence-man, and trickster, had returned to Landover from Ben's own world. Alas, Horris had not returned of his own volition - he had been sent by the Gorse, a sorcerer of great evil, whom Horris had unwittingly freed from the magic Tangle Box, where it had long ago been imprisoned by the fairy folk. Now it had returned to enslave those who had once dared to condemn it. But first, it would rid Landover of all who could stand in its way . . . Soon Ben found himself imprisoned within the gloom of the Tangle Box, lost in the mists and its labyrinthine ways. The only one who could free Ben from the tangle box was the lady Willow. But she had disappeared, gone from Landover on a mysterious mission of her own. . .

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Magic, Audiobook, High Fantasy

10 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am revisiting the Landover series and just finished The Tangle Box. I loved that this book brought in some new surprises. I don't want to spoil anything but I was surprisingly shocked by Bigger's Karmic departure at the end of the book, as well as the relationship between Ben and Nightshade and of course the birth of Ben and Willow's daughter.

"The Tangle Box" is an entertaining enough tale if you're looking for pleasant escapism. Deepening characters and expanding relationships, this bodes well for future books in the "Landover" series and is sure to be a hit with fans - Brooks even throws in a quick reference to "The Lord of the Rings" when Biggar suggests he and Horris escape to the world where the people with the "big furry feet live".

However, for newcomers it's best not to start reading here; retrace your steps till you find the previous books in the series: "Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold!", "Wizard at Large" and "The Black Unicorn."

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the weakest of the series thus far, this was still an entertaining and easy read.
3.5/5

[Fefi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quarto appuntamento con le magiche avventure di Ben,il re di Landover che si ritrova nei guai sempre per colpa di altri.
Questa volta lui,la strega e il drago, verranno intrappolati in una magica scatola appartenuta ad un essere scacciato perfino dalle fate e rinchiuso lì per l'eternità;solo che ci mettono lo zampino un pennuto e il suo padrone mago pasticcione e quindi il Gorse si aggirerà per il regno alla ricerca di vendetta.
I nostri,nel frattempo, vagheranno sperduti,anche della propria identità,in un mondo di nulla...
Ma,la parte che più mi è piaciuta, riguarda la silfide Willow che sta per dare alla luce un piccolino,mezzo uomo e mezzo essere fatato: la Madre Terra la obbliga a cercare 3 tipi diversi di terra dove mettere radici prima del parto e così lei dovrà affrontare un lungo viaggio accompagnata dal gatto Dirk.
Questo libro l'ho trovato,a livello di trama,più intrigante dei precedenti e,finalmente,manca il Paladino che risolve tutto,anche se c'è sempre un lieto fine.

[deilann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally posted on SpecFic Junkie.

At this point, we're moving from nostalgia reviews to just reviews. Or maybe I read this book and was bored so badly I just decided to quit. (Probably not, considering I was such a big Terry Brooks fan as a kid.) Anyway, this book was even more of a snoozefest, which is saying something for a solid two-star series. Spoilers after the cut.

Okay, so here's the plot:

There's an evil thing that escapes from a box. Evil thing does evil stuff. Evil thing is put back in the box. YAY THAT'S IT FOLKS.

Oh, and there's this weird baby subplot where Willow is having to get soil from places to fertilize her baby and then she has to have it in the place where the evil witch was but she got saved by a cat.

Oh yeah, and the whole Ben Holiday either sleeping with or kissing the evil witch when they were trapped in the box.

Oh, oh, and the required weird G'home Gnome subplot where they eat a super intelligent bird. At least everything they'd eaten so far couldn't speak eloquently for itself. This is treated as humor because the bird does not nice things. WTF.

Oh right, and the masturbatory fantasy epilogue where you find out an exiled character is the author of such a series and bestselling and wink-wink not a stand-in for the actual author who couldn't possibly be from such a land.

But mostly, with that plot, I was falling asleep. 330 pages of bore-ing.

So, what's the next one?

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I started this years ago. I knew it was where I stopped reading years back but I think I tried it and didn't like it. It felt a bit drier that previous books. And the main characters felt so stagnant early on. Willow continues to be boring. I just don't get her and her behavior. I liked getting a bit into Strabo and the witch in this one however. It was the one plus of this. Our new villain was set up to be a real problem but how it all ending just left me on a disappointed down.

[Alice Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited when this book started because I thought it might be Willow’s story of her gaining strength and independence, alas it was not…

I liked the reappearance of Edgewood Dirk and the introduction of new characters. The psychological aspect was strong in this book again and drew a lot of similarities to The Black Unicorn.

But I can’t see past the lost potential here for strong female characters. There are two female characters in this book, the main character’s wife and his worst enemy and somehow they both managed to sleep with him and be saved by him at the same time.

The message of reliance on men is annoyingly ruining a very good fantasy series.

[Pseudonymous d'Elder · Rating 4 out of 5]

_______________________________________________
“Reality depresses me. I need to find fantasy worlds and escape to them.”― Noel Fielding

According to Wikipedia, there are 40 or so subgenres of fantasy. Wikipedia says The Magic Kingdom of Landover series is a portal fantasy. Now, I know what a portal is. It is one of those round windows in a ship; however, Wikipedia says that a portal fantasy is one in which someone from our normal world is somehow transported to a magical land where they struggle to overcome issues.

In the first book of the The Magic Kingdom of Landover series, Ben Holiday, a burnt out lawyer, sees an ad in a highly upscale catalog touting gifts for mega-millionaires. The ad offered a magic kingdom for sale at a hefty price. Though he suspects it’s a scam, for reasons he doesn’t quite understand himself, he decides to buy the kingdom using his life’s savings.

In return for all his money, Holiday is magically transported to the Land of Landover, where he finds he owns a rundown castle complete with a rundown wizard and an advisor that was once a human but who was accidentally changed into a talking dog with hands. Ben is declared king of the entire land and issues ensue that include kobolds, gnomes, a malevolent witch, malicious fairies, and a marauding dragon.

In Tangle Box, the 4th book in the series, Ben’s wife tells him to expect the sound of tiny little feet around the castle. Ben probably thought she meant they had an infestation of gnomes.

Things then get complicated when his wife disappears and a malevolent being from the fairy mists captures Ben along with the evil witch and the crabby dragon and locks them all in a tiny box.

If you haven’t read the first 3 books in the series, read them before starting this one. But be sure to wear plenty of gnome spray.

Series Rating: 5
Book Rating: 4

[Books-treasureortrash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes

Brooks did a good job of maintaining the three storylines and yet also expertly intertwining them, it kept the story interesting. This is my favourite book in the series. I liked how the story unfolded and I like all the characters. It was interesting how Ben, Nightshade and Strabo got along with each other in the tangle box. We get a better understanding of each of these characters and their interpersonal relationships form new meaning based on their interactions within the tangle box. In someways this story was similar to Wizard at Large. In both books an evil creature switches place with one of the main characters in Landover and then creates trouble. I enjoyed the story and thought it had a great ending. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This is a stand alone story which I always find satisfying, yet it is also clearly part of a larger story. I recommend you read the books from the beginning to get a better understanding of the world in which they live. The story also builds from one book to the other, yet each book can be read independently from any other. If you enjoy reading Terry Brooks, then you will enjoy this book, it is a good fantasy novel that is fun to read.

For my full review go to: http://books-treasureortrash.com/?p=1184

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot of this story considerably more than the previous installment. Maybe it's because characters like Strabo and Nightshade had a more prominent role. I found Horris very interesting in an I-can't-stand-him sort of way. I also liked that the G'home gnomes actually helped out this time instead of just getting in the way or complicating the situation. This book did seem a bit dialogue heavy in a few places, especially towards the end, but it brought back most of the characters that I like and had an interesting plot.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh dear! Horris Kew and Biggar released a monster out of the Tangle Box, and King Ben Holiday is sent into the box instead together with the Witch Nightshade and the dragon Strabo. They need to think of something to get out, but they have Abernathy from outside the box who learns what happens and helps out. Meanwhile Willow needs to make sure her child is born safely, thankfully she has Edgewood Dirk to help! Great part of the Landover series, nothing really new or original but a familiar storyline with a happy end.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tangle Box was pretty tough to get into. Ben has forgotten himself yet again, from stumbling into another trap, but this time, his main Landover enemies have been trapped with him. Willow goes on a mediocre adventure of her own with the Prism Cat (who I'm sure is fabulous if you are a big fan of cats in general), and the G'home Gnomes play another starring role in beating evil.

[Curtis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forgettable.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Dit kind is een voortbrengsel van drie werelden, geboren uit de vereniging van een mens en een fee. Dat gebeurt niet vaak.'

Een jaar of vijf nadat de eerste drie boeken verschenen waren, keerde Terry Brooks terug naar Het Magisch Koninkrijk met De Demonkist. Er zijn duidelijk dingen veranderd. Niet het tijdvlak, want dit verhaal speelt zich niet zo erg lang na Boek 3 af. Maar voor de rest wel. Van de aarde is nog nauwelijks sprake, onze wereld doet er niet veel meer toe - Miles Bennett wordt niet eens vernoemd. Bijna alles blijft binnen de magische wereld(en). Eigenlijk is dat wel tof.

Maar daar staat tegenover dat De Demonkist in het algemeen geen echte hoogvlieger is. De schrijver springt heen en weer om de personages te volgen, maar een echt goede structuur is dat niet - soms blijven bepaalde personages ineens tientallen bladzijdes achterwege. Op den duur vroeg ik me echt af waar Wilgje uithing. Daarnaast is Ben zelf maar weinig zichtbaar. Bovendien: dat hele circus met Nachtschaduw vond ik echt totaal belachelijk én onnodig!

Positieve personagepunten (PPP's): Fillip en Sot beleven hun moment de gloire met Biggar, en Bosrand Dirk keert terug. Abernathy vond ik in dit verhaal ook goed uitgewerkt.

De vertaling is weer van Frans Hille (ik denk dat de eerste vier boeken midden jaren 90 samen achtereen vertaald zijn) en ook daar vond ik soms dat het Engels er wat te veel doorkwam, naast alle ditjes (zonder datjes) die er weer in zitten. Het Nederlands is nog niet slecht, maar er zijn plekken waar het wel zichtbaar beter kan.

Al bij al vond ik de personages die in dit boek voorkomen - Horris voorop - onaangename creaturen, wat mijn leeservaring geen goed deed. Ook de plot op zich kon me maar matig boeien. Boek 4 is voor mij dus typisch zo'n boek waar ik me tussen de rest door even moet doorwerken, onderweg naar beter...

6,2/10

[Stuart Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow starter. A villain that deserved more pages but spent most of the story in the background.
Yet still a rattling good read as always from Mr Brooks.
I read this when I was in my 30s yet I had no recollection of the story at all. Not the best in the series but still great fun.

[Michelle Villmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

for me, this is the most action packed and fun one in the series so far. Couldn't put it down.

[Nola Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite of the Landover novels but not bad

[Rebecca Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks is book 4 of The Magic Kingdom of Landover. I started reading this series a few months ago. If I were to classify the work, I would say it is light, suitable for children epic fantasy. While I found the first book fun a full of fully drafted characters, I have to say that is wearing thin at this point.

The addition of Horace Kew, Bigger the bird and the Gorse was necessary to provide a challenge for our hero, Ben Holiday, they felt dim and not clearly defined. Well, Horace seemed more realistic, but Bigger and the Gorse remain cardboard cutouts to me.

I ate up the tidbits of information on Willows adventure, but I wanted more Willow, more Earth Mother, more Quester, Abernathy and the rest. Instead, Willow is sent off on a journey be herself and we learn so very little about her. (I don’t give spoilers). Ben, the witch, and the dragon are locked away in a horribly depressing situation that frankly was a depressing read. Where was the fun, the spectacular settings, the heart of the story?

Bottom line: while the cover led me to believe that I would finally learn all about Willow, the story doesn’t focus on her. What a missed opportunity. Her story would have made a compelling read. Instead, The Tangle Box was sparse on information about the characters I come to love, and filled in with awful images with little magic. I’m taking a break from the series. I’m not certain when I will return to it. In part this is because I write epic fantasy and can't both read and write in the same genre while I'm working on a book, and in part because I don't read to be depressed.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the Magic Kingdom of Landover! It’s been a while since I visited, and I’m glad I did.

There are three major storylines in this book, and I thought Mr. Brooks did an excellent job of intertwining them into an interesting and compelling plot. I particularly liked the subplot of Horris Kew and Biggar and the prickly, contentious relationship the two of them shared. The scenes in the Labyrinth were a little more dark and depressing, but they certainly made for some intriguing developments in the characters of the Knight (Ben), the Lady (Nightshade the witch) and the Gargoyle (Strabo the dragon). I didn’t particularly like one aspect of their misadventures in the Tangle Box. I thought it added a little more of a complication in Ben’s life than was really necessary and, frankly, I found it rather disturbing. While Willow’s solitary quest (except for the presence of Edgewood Dirk, the mysterious prism cat, who helped her along the way) was quite intriguing, it didn’t seem to be given the same focus as the rest of the story, and I found her to be just a bit more whiny than I liked.

I loved that the two G’home Gnomes, Filip and Sot, once more played a starring role in the story. Their encounter with Biggar in the cave was hilarious and the wicked bird’s fate was surprising. I felt sad for Abernathy, who was given a glimpse of what it would be like to be his old human self again, only to have it snatched so cruelly away.

The ending was a bit abrupt but satisfying nevertheless, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Elien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book for me to get into. I didn't particularly like the scenes in the Labyrinth, hence no more than three stars. However, Willow's quest was quite intriguing, and I especially enjoyed reading about Horris Kew and Biggar. The closer I got to the end of this book, the more thrilling it became. I loved the ending, even though I'm usually not fond of cliff-hanger-endings in series. Althought I'm taking a short break from this series to get some other reading done, I'm still very much looking forward to reading The Witches' Brew.

[Edwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

mwah. aardig

[Ежко Таралежко · Rating 3 out of 5]

Мда, приключвам с Тери Брукс. Четвъртия том от "Лендоувър" е само малко по-четимо от Шанарите. Язък.

[Jari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima pulp, net als andere delen in de serie totaal incapabel om tot een interessante climax te komen.

[Amanda Bhear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Landover novels! I was thrilled to discover that there were 3 more. I always thought there were just three. Ben, High king, is thrilled when his wife, Willow tells him she is pregnant. He is wanting to inform the whole crew. Quester Thews, court wizard, Abernathy, court scribe & the kobols, Parsnip, the cook & Bunion, the messenger. He is not to happy when she tells him she must make a journey by herself to see the Earth Mother. She tries to explain that being a fairy being, a sylph, it has to be done. He tries to accept it since he is not from Landover, but he doesn't like it.
Horris Kews a trickster with an intelligent, talking bird called Biggar, is trying to get away from an angry mob on Earth. He has a magical box with him, called the tangle box, he has never known how to open. It was banished over here with them both from Landover 20 years ago. desperate to get away he tries his escape door & it will not open. Biggar informs him the being in the box will let him get away if he will free him. Biggar, had belonged to the evil wizard Meeks, & had blown their cover with this mob. So, Horris isn't sure he believes him, until he hears it himself. He repeats the spell that opens the box to let out the thing that is called the Gorge. They cross the fairy mist into Landover. The Gorge had been banned into the box by the fairies. Horris goes to Sterling Silver to plead his case about staying in Landover. Against Quester & Abernathy's addiment rejections against even allowing the man into the castle, Ben decides to see him. They think he should be thrown back into exile while Ben says he will think about it. Willow leaves on her journey while Ben is sleeping, he is not happy to wake & find her gone. Later he finds a letter on his pillow from Strabo, the dragon. It asks that he meet him in the Heart alone at midnight. Something about the safety of Landover. Ben doesn't tell Quester or Abernathy because they will try to talk him out of it. He decides to go. It must be very important, for the dragon to reach out to him! Strabo would rather roast Ben & eat him rather than look at him, so something must really be bad. When he gets there he finds Nightshade, the witch, wanting to know why he has summoned her? Strabo approaches asking Nightshade why Ben is there? About that time Ben sees Horris Kew run up with a box & before he can tell everyone to look out the three of them are pulled into the box & trapped. None remember who they are, & their magic is stripped from them. Ben is a knight, Nightshade, a human Lady, Strabo is a flightless gargoyle. The are in a magical labyrinth trying to find there way out, not knowing who they are. Horris comes back to see the king but Quester is the only one seeing anyone at the time. He & Abernathy are trying to keep it quiet that the king is missing & doing everything they can to find him. Horris tells him he is giving out seeing eye crystals as a good will token. He gives one to Abernathy, it show him as a man again, what he desires most. Quester doesn't want one. Horris goes to give them out among the people as a gift from the king. Quester, untrusting, sends Abernathy with him. They go off to distribute the crystals, Abernathy discovers that they are very addictive, but he doesn't seem to care. Willow goes to the Earth Mother & is told she needs soil from three places for her baby to be born healthy. One, where her mother dances in the river county, a place in Ben's old world & from the fairy mists. She will have a guide when the time comes. She goes to the river country first, to let her mother know of her good news. She gathers the soil she needs. She is wondering who her guide will be when she sees a prism cat, he is the one the tried to help Ben regain his identity when Meeks stole it. Ben said it had been very frustrating. She followed the cat through the mists into Ben's old world to a park where she waited until late. The cat found the soil needed, she gathered what she needed & they left. Willow goes into the fairy mists but gets trapped into a dance she can't end. She calls for Ben. While this was going on the Knight, the Lady & the gargoyle kept trying to figure out what was going on, why they couldn't remember anything. The knight & the Lady getting closer. She kissed him. Later as they lay curled together on the ground he began to dream. He hears a woman's voice calling for Ben, it seems to pull on him in his sleep. He goes to her in the fairy mists & recognizes his wife, Willow. It seems to free her from the spell she is under. But he can't stay, at least now he knows the truth. When he wakes he tells them all what is going on. Nightshade, humiliated, & not wanting to see that they were all tricked, is blaming Ben for this. They keep trying to find a way out, knowing that this is joined with the fairy mists there has to be a way. Nightshade vowing revenge for the way he has used her, even though he tried to explain & apologize for what happened. She won't listen. Abernathy & Horris end up giving crystals to the Lord of greensward. At that time, Abernathy's & many others turn to dust. The Gorge has become strong enough to hold a human form & function on it's own. It is telling everyone that the addictive crystals are locked up in Sterling Silver. It tells the Lord he has already gotten rid of the king. Abernathy hears, & escapes with Bunion to get back to Sterling Silver. He has to let Quester know what is going on. The Gorge has a revolt getting ready to start on Sterling Silver for crystals that don't exist. Horris is sure that he is no longer very useful to the Gorge & it will get rid of him soon. Biggar tells him to put him back in the box. He is too afraid. Willow comes out of the fairy mists to her horror, she finds herself in Deep Fell, Nightshade's home. Why is she here? She tries to hurry & get out before her baby is born but the child doesn't want to wait. She mixes the soils like she was told, & transforms into a tree, there a pod sprouts. When she wakes the next day in her human form she is holding her baby girl. Abernathy & the gnomes catch Biggar to find out where Ben is. He tells them. They go to the cave to retrieve the box. The bird flies about trying to get Abernathy to leave his post & see what is going on. He refuses, Biggar threatens to drop the box, his claw gets stuck. The gnomes catch him & eat him. They take the box to Abernathy, he asks about Biggar. He isn't happy that they ate him, he is the only one who knows the code to get out of the cave. While he is trying different codes the door opens. Horris comes in looking for Biggar. Abernathy grabs him, & tells him to free the king. He does so. The king, Nightshade & Strabo, appear. Again, Ben tries to speak to Nightshade, she will not listen. Abernathy tells him what is going on. Strabo asks if Horris is the one who did this. Ben says no, Strabo says they should finish this together, they fly to Steling Silver. They see the Gorge has summoned demons to fight against the humans. Strabo drops down in the middle. Abernathy & Horris run for the moat. Horris grabs the box & goes back to open it in front of the Gorge & trap him again. The demons do not want to go against the dragon & the Paladin if he is called, they leave. The dragon convinces him to give him the box to guard it. Ben finds out Willow is in Deep Fell. He trades the box for a ride to & from Deep Fell, as long as no one will ever try to open it again. Strabo agrees. While she is leaving Deep Fell, Nightshade catches her & wants to know why she was here. Willow tells her it was just a wrong turn in the fairy mists. Still angered at Ben, Nightshade decides to take his child. Willow refuses to give up her daughter. Nightshade is not going to let her go it she doesn't. The prism cat appears & tells Nightshade to let the queen pass. She is wanting to know why the fairies care. He just says let her pass. Horris is back in Ben's world writing novels about Landover, I don't know if it is through choice or exile. I love magical fantasies!

[Mitnal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed eccomi a fare le mie considerazioni personali sul quarto volume di Landover, "La scatola magica".
Ho preso la prima edizione di Interno Giallo, esattamente come le altre (tranne l'Unicorno Nero, che era il primo che avevo preso a un mercatino ed è un Oscar Mondadori). Questa volta, forse per mia distrazione, ho la versione con copertina rigida con sovracoperta, invece che morbida... le versioni di Interno Giallo mi piacciono particolarmente come impaginazione, formato e morbidezza delle pagine, quindi amen, ma se non altro con lo stesso tipo di edizione posso confrontare meglio i vari libri.
Devo ammettere che la sinossi di all'inizio mi suonava meno avvincente di quella di "Mago a metà".
La cosa che ho subito notato e che mi ha fatto storcere il naso per incoerenza, visto che non se ne capisce il motivo, è che hanno lasciato di punto in bianco alcuni nomi originali dall'edizione in inglese, nomi che nei precedenti libri erano sempre stati tradotti in italiano. Sono d'accordo che mantenere l'originalità di certi nomi o termini sia la cosa migliore da fare, quando non stona nel contesto, soprattutto se una traduzione in italiano non rende allo stesso modo. Ma ormai diventa spiazzante fin quasi ad essere irritante se, dopo tre libri, la Strega del Crepuscolo diventa improvvisamente "Nightshade", l'Osservatorio il "Landsview", il Pozzo Infido "Deep Fell", Il Prato Verde "Greensward" e le Fonti di Fiamma le "Fire Springs"... addirittura hanno tradotto il dirupo del Pozzo Infido come "Hollows", che si poteva benissimo lasciare in italiano non trattandosi di un vero nome proprio! E alcuni nomi, come il Signore dei Fiumi (River Master), Madre Terra (Earth Mother) o Giurisdizione (Jurisdiction) sono rimasti in italiano (altri ancora invece non sono mai stati tradotti, vedi Sterling Silver, Rhyndweir, Elderew o la stessa Landover)... quindi perché tradurne solo alcuni? Alcuni sì, alcuni no? Perché cambiarli dopo ben tre libri? Un errore, una dimenticanza? A questo punto sarei curiosa di verificare una seconda edizione.
Per il resto, iniziando con la lettura e andando avanti diventa tutto molto più avvincente di quanto non appaia inizialmente: anche questa volta ci si ritrova a seguire praticamente tre avventure diverse, il viaggio della Silfide (che ho trovato delicato e attento come merita), le questioni a Landover con il Gorse in circolo, Biggar, Aberrnathy e gli altri e la disavventura di Ben, la Strega e Strabo. Terry Brooks riesce a farci stare tutto in 300 pagine senza per questo essere sbrigativo, affatto, anche se, nelle fase iniziali, "Mago a metà" mi aveva appassionata di più, forse perché "la Scatola magica" ingrana molto bene soprattutto da metà in poi, e la caratterizzazione dei personaggi in "Mago a metà" veniva fuori in maniera più incisiva per la prima volta (in questo volume alcuni personaggi come Questor o gli gnomi appaiono praticamente solo nell'ultima fase della storia). Non che questo manchi completamente nella Scatola magica: infatti si visitano ben tre mondi diversi con tre personaggi nuovi di contorno, il che lo mette in pari, in termini di varietà e cambi di scena, con Mago a metà. Certo, bisogna anche dire che il Gorse, come antagonista, si è visto forse un po' troppo poco e alcune battute le ho trovate un po' romanzate, con intuizioni su alcuni accadimenti poco credibili, in cui si passa dall'ignoto al "ho capito tutto quello che è realmente accaduto" solo attraverso supposizioni senza prove.
Per il resto mi è piaciuto il modo in cui l'autore ha pensato il parto di Willow, un'immagine molto bella nella sua semplice dolcezza e che ha descritto a dovere. Ancora una volta ci si trova poi in mezzo a diversi colpi di scena, che tengono sempre saldo l'interesse nei confronti della trama... peccato solo per quelle scelte di traduzione che lo hanno snaturato un po'. Un gran libro, comunque, che forse poteva finire qui invece di avere altri due seguiti.

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Terry Brooks and enjoy the Magic Kingdom of Landover series, but I found The Tangle Box to be not one of my favorite works. In part I think this comes from the struggle to find a suitable enemy for Ben Holiday and crew to face. With Landover restored from the first book and the two major figures behind the selling of Landover dealt with in The Black Unicorn and Wizard at Large where do you go next. How about another exile from Landover who is a bumbling con-man of a conjurer Horris Kew and a talking bird, Biggart, who unleash something far more powerful than they realize? Sure, I guess.

This may sound okay for a series that has never taken itself seriously, but nothing feels very fleshed out here. Horris and Biggart to a degree are, they're both figures that enjoy living the good life and are good at living it at the expense of other people, but they're not great villains. They unwittingly unleash the Gorse, but honestly the Gorse doesn't really seem all that powerful in the book. He keeps mostly to the shadows and entices others to do his bidding, but his motives are never really given much development beyond revenge. So overall the villain here causes a lot of trouble, but doesn't really feel like a threat in the way that Meeks or even Michel Ard Rhi did.

Throw in the fact that the plot centers around Ben losing his identity again, this time with "friends" Nightshade and Strabo in tow, and it just feels like rehashed ground. I also feel that some of the character reactions to how things get resolved in the book were a bit stupid, I'm mostly looking at Nightshade here. The book tries to explain her reaction, but I just don't really buy it.

Not to mention the ending just winds up ending with a whimper instead of a bang. There's all this build up and you expect this grand finale and it doesn't really happen. It ends with a snap of a finger and everything is okay.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book. It's a light and fun read, and if you enjoy the Landover series you'll enjoy these books. I can't help but think though that this book could have been a little bit more. With a more threatening villain, a more fleshed out plot, and a more satisfying resolution it would have been better than what we got. I still enjoyed it, but felt that it was a step down from previous books.

[The Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so addicting! I loved it! This is probably my second favorite landover novel after the first book. It’s funny because at first I wasn’t liking the book. I didn’t like the new character. Horris Kew and his bird Biggar. But as the story progressed I really enjoyed reading about them. They were a funny duo. Horris was basically a money crazed idiot and Biggar was the brains. I was sad when Biggar was eaten by the gnomes. That surprised me. It was fun to see the gnomes return and help out. Edgewood Dirk was another nice surprise. I really enjoyed that black cat when I read the Black Unicorn. This time he had an adventure with Willow and ended up saving her against Nightsade. Definitely awesome! I personally feel that Ben and Quester were sidelined in this book. Ben didn’t really do much in this novel. Never saved the day. He gets stuck in the tangle box with Nightsade and the dragon Strabo. Strabo becomes a gargoyle. They wander in a labyrinth the entire book and they never find a way to escape. I thought Ben would figure it out. But he doesn’t. Abernathy the dog saves them from the maze. Once again Abernathy is the real MVP. But Abernathy was kinda dumb because he fell for the deep crystals trick and tried to redeem himself. He does. Willow who I originally didn’t like in the first book becomes a bigger player here. She has a subplot with the cat and wanders the entire book trying to collect soils for her unborn child. Eventually she does and as the child at deep fell. Nightsade’s home. Which was unexpected. Nightsade tells Willow that she had a thing with Ben. I wonder if that will have a plot line in the next two books. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. My only complaints is that Ben and Quester were sidelined for most of the book. The Gorse who was the main villain was pretty weak. I was hoping for Gorse to do something epic. But he’s basically a Genie type character that gets stuck in his lamp(the tangle box) in the end. Horris becomes the real hero. Ben see’s Willow in the end and meets the baby. The end. There’s this funny twist with Horris and you find out that becomes a famous writer. A nice ending. Read this book!

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

****** Contains Minor Spoilers ******

As simple as this world of Landover is and the small number of characters involved in Landover, Terry Brooks somehow finds a way to make yet another interesting story to the Landover series. The voice acting is done by Dick Hill who had done all the Landover audio books up to this point and has done yet another good job, and because Dick does all the Landover books it brings a welcomed sense of familiarity.

The story brings another character from Earth that was exiled from Landover back into the story: This time its Horris Kew who is a conjuror with a similar ability of Questor Thews to get into trouble with his magic, but in the case of Horris Kew he is very selfish and his mistakes usually become evil mistakes, as happens in this story when he opens the Tangle Box. Somehow he had possession of the Tangle Box on Earth and when fleeing his latest snafu and the Tangle Box talks to Horris Kew and his bird companion Biggar and gets them to let whoever is in the Tangle Box out.

The creature imprisoned in the box is a fairy mist creature called the Gorse, and he wants revenge of the fairy world for imprisoning him in the box, but to do that he must get rid of the powers of Landover: Ben Holiday, Strabo the dragon and Nightshade the witch, which he does with Horris Kew's help by placing them into the Tangle Box where they lose their memory and are lost in a labyrinth.

On another quest is Willow who is to have he baby, and for her child since she is to be born of Landover, the Fairy Ream, and of Earth must collect earth from all three worlds and root herself in these solids to give birth. As expected the two quests of hers and Ben Holiday become entwined.

This was a very enjoyable Landover book, one of my favorites. If you like Landover you should have no problem liking this audio production of The Tangle Box.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooks is a masterful storyteller, and this fourth installment of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series doesn't fall short. A contemporary fairy tale filled with endearing characters, The Tangle Box follows a similar formula as the previous novels in the series - something goes awry in the Magic Kingdom, and each character has to overcome an obstacle or two to put things back in their place.

The Magic Kingdom of Landover series is definitely a foil to Brooks' Shannara series; whereas the Shannara stories tend to have a deeper and darker tone, Landover is much more light-hearted - you'd never see a talking dog, bumbling wizard, or a dirty pig-gnome in the Shannara universe.

The Tangle Box isn't all humor, however. Brooks is adept at bringing the reader into a close third person point of view with each of his main characters, who each have their own relatable human struggles (even if they're not exactly a human!). While there is a bit of annoying dialogue, and some not-so-great decisions made by the characters, it all serves the telling of the larger story and doesn't greatly tarnish (inside Landover joke) the tale.

There is plenty of backstory in the Tangle Box, so a reader could pick up and read this as a stand-alone novel, but it would be much better suited to readers who have at least read the first book in the series.

I must admit, I'm partial to Brooks, as the first fantasy I read (besides the Chronicles of Narnia) was the The Sword of Shannara. The Tangle Box is not his best novel, and not his worst, but it is an entertaining read, and is not absent a few thought-provoking nuggets. Also, it's very rare that the last few lines of a book leave me with a smile on my face!

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willow is pregnant, but of course, being faerie-born this isn't going to be a normal pregnancy. While she jaunts off on a quest to ensure a good birth for their child Ben gets tricked into a dangerous situation with both Nightshade and Strabo.

The funny thing is I got into this series as a teenager (some 20-odd years ago) because of this book's cover. I was(let's not kid ourselves, AM) mad about dryads, and this cover screamed "look at all the dryads and magic; READ ME!" and then I saw it was book four and I knew you can't jump into an epic fantasy series on the fourth book, so started at the start. Sadly, i think i quit the series before ever getting to this book, but kept the book in my collection just to admire the cover ;p

Now, having finally read all the preceding books I have finally read this one ;p I think this is one of my favourites so far. There's essentially three plotlines going on and they're well woven together, the classic finish one scene in a bad place and move onto a different plotline hook is used regularly, but pretty well.

Willow gets a more prominent role again too, and for the whole I loved it and wanted more. The plot with the tangle box and Ben trapped with his villains was interesting, but the ending was a smidge annoying for me as it basically just made Nightshade into a hysterical woman trope. I don't mind her being the villain, go for it, but why couldn't she just keep on being the villain she was before not becoming this crazy 'I feel no emotions, because the pain is too real. I will have vengence on you for making me feel' ?

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little slow to start and does fall in with my memories of not loving the later books as much as the first. But once things started picking up pace as more and more of the storylines started colliding the story became much more interesting. This story has everybody trapped and off on their own, either by their own decisions or by our bad guys machinations. I missed seeing all of our old friends mixing it up together and figuring out how to solve the problem along the way. That being said I did enjoy Strabo and Ben being trapped together even if they didn't know it at the time. I've always liked the grouchy dragon. Nightshade on the other hand I can always do without. :-p She's just trouble.

Willow's storyline, her pregnancy and what she needs to give birth to hers' and Ben's child is probably the least interesting part of the story, though the child itself will I'm sure be important in the future.

Ben has to face his fears in this story, deal a bit with what the Paladin means and how it affects his decisions. But ultimately this time around it's not all Ben's story to fight. One banished wizard has to come to terms with what his actions have caused and decide what to do with that knowledge for the future.

I think I felt the most for Abernathy in this story. He's teased with something that he desperately wishes for but knows is not likely to ever happen. I wished for him to find that happiness in something that wasn't an evil ploy meant to distract.

All in all this was an entertaining if slower read. I'll keep pushing through to finally finish this series.