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The Tangle Box (1995)

The Tangle Box (1995)

Book Info

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Rating
3.8 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
185723586X (ISBN13: 9781857235869)
Language
English
Publisher
orbit

About book The Tangle Box (1995)

In The Tangle Box, Brooks accomplishes a feat I didn’t think would be possible, a Landover novel where Ben Holiday doesn’t hold center stage while still remaining absolutely vital to the plot. The first time I picked up the book, I read the first few pages and put it away. The initial character seemed to offer little more than a modern con-man adorned in the robes of an inept conjurer entrapped in a mystical net formed from his own impetuous ambition and petty selfishness. The second time I picked up the book, I became engrossed in a supporting character found in those very pages—a talking bird who was more than a bird, a bird who seemed to be both his own person and (taking a page out of Jung) the shadow of this, to that point, relatively uninteresting little fraud.I don’t use the Jungian concept of shadow lightly, either. This novel delves deeply into the psychological. Willow, the sylph bride to Holiday, must deal with the shadows of her past in order to navigate the mists of her present and reach the shores of her future. Ben must learn how to deal with his shadow-self in the form of the Paladin. The scribe in canine form, Abernathy, learns to become more comfortable in his own skin. Most importantly, two antagonists from earlier books become temporary allies with the High King, but assume different shapes which cause them to have to face up to aspects of themselves that they had apparently not considered before. Although the book is not filled with psycho-babble, it is the type of book that I consider insightful. It has, at points, similarities with the Thomas Covenant books without the constant darkness seen in that first trilogy. It has light elements, but it doesn’t give way to cuteness. The light elements allow occasional respites from the psychological helplessness and second-guessing going on as Ben and Willow undergo separate tests, even as Horris Kew (the con-man character who both opens and closes the story) struggles in a different way with his own identity and future.If you, like me, enjoy returning to a familiar setting with familiar characters and experiencing new challenges (especially, maturing challenges) and, like me, had put this novel aside thinking that Brooks had milked Landover too far, you should pull The Tangle Box off the shelf and see if Brooks still isn’t working magic after all.

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.

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So, I have to point out that the quality of writing improves with every book in this series, which is probably due to the time and experience that Terry Brooks gains between each one. With the previous book published in 1987, and this one in 1995, it seems that Brooks comes back to this series in between other books for a little fun now and then, and I appreciate that. The improvements are subtle: the characters are little more authentic, the conflicts a little more real, etc. While I comment from time to time on my dream of becoming a writer, I'm not doing what I need to do to succeed at that right now (i.e. write every day) and watching his writing grow and improve gives me hope that there is still time. Aside from my personal response, this book has some of the same problems his others did. We have yet another villain, who once again can destroy everything. At least Michael Ard Rhi from the last book was involved in a previous story line, even if only indirectly. I think it is important to have an overarching evil to fight for the whole series to tie things together. Then there is the experience of Ben and the witch while in the Tangle Box... lets just say it's a little random, and somewhat disturbing. All that I'm saying is that Brooks could have accomplished the same thing without taking it to that level.So I liked this book as another fun read, and recognize the improvements it offers, but again it is not a quality read for me. Will I read on in the series? Of course.
—Parcoast

I'm glad Terry Brooks took that time from the series before coming back to it, because this one feels much better than Wizard At Large. There's more depth of character and more care in the whole kit and kaboodle, and thank God he's broken away from his usual patterns!Horris Kew, an exile returned to Landover through the magic of an evil being called the Gorse, manages to trap Ben Holiday, along with Strabo and Nightshade (will that old witch EVER clear out of here?!) in the mysterious Tangle Box, a prison of sorts filled with fairy mists where imagination is reality and your worst fears come to life. Willow can't help him, as she's off on a mission to prepare for the fairy birth of her and Ben's child. And Questor Thews and Abernathy can't help either, as they've got their hands full trying to keep Landover from falling apart in the King's absence. There's quite a bit going on, but each plot line remains distinct while still keeping in time with the others.Abernathy is once again my favorite character, but I'm also growing fonder of Strabo. Stripped of his identity (as everyone is in the Tangle Box), we get to understand him more. And I was also happy to see Edgewood Dirk, the prism cat, make an appearance again, though he wasn't around long enough, in my opinion. What pleased me most with this one was that even though Ben lost himself--yet again--he had companions for the ride that added new complications and food for thought as I watched them interact with each other. And three cheers for someone other than the goshdarned Paladin saving the day!The only thing that annoyed me was the way Willow's story was handled. For being such an important event, she felt like an afterthought between everything else, and in the end it felt too anticlimactic for me. Oh well, can't have everything.
—Gemma

I really enjoyed this book. It had new characters, some old ones appeared as well, and the reading was pleasant (not so slow as it was in Black Unicorn for example). I felt enchanted by the different story lines that were told, and how they were presented to the readers (even if some details about Willow's journey remain a mystery that will be probably revealed in the next book). Четвъртата книга от поредицата за вълшебното кралство на Лендоувър ми хареса доста. Имаше представени нови герои, поява на някои стари и добре организирано действие. Хареса ми как историята се движеше на няколко линии, които бяха добре обособени и не-претупани (макар че някои неща относно пътешествието на силфидата си остават мистерия, която може би се доразкрива в следващата книга). Въпреки че след третата част се бях отказала от поредицата, тази книга ме накара да се позаинтересувам отново за следващата книга.
—Conina

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