By: Terry Brooks Publisher: TokyoPop Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: TokyoPop Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: January 01, 2000
Product Description: OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB... Everything should have been quiet and pleasant for Ben Holiday, the former Chicago lawyer who became 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 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 its mists and its labyrinthine ways. The only one who could free Ben from the Tangle Box was the lady Willow. But she had disappeared, was gone from Landover on a mysterious mission of her own....
The Tangle Box I am a huge Terry Brooks fan. This book does not disappoint. I have intorduced my grandson to Terry Brooks, and he enjoyed this book as much as I did.
Amargeddon's Children A breathtaking, I have enjoyed every word, every moment, could not leave it until I reached last page and made me hungry for more...
"Trust Not the Cat..." As the fourth book in the "Landover" series, Terry Brooks's somewhat comedic-fantasy series (especially when compared to the serious "Shannara" saga), "The Tangle Box" continues Ben Holiday's adventures as king of a fairytale kingdom that he purchased in a shopping catalogue. Having successfully ruled Landover for several years, Ben is delighted when his sylph-wife Willow informs him that she is expecting their first child. However, the celebration is short-lived when the charlatan Horris Kew returns from exile in Ben's world to the Landover, with a new plan to cause havoc.
Having accidentally released a creature known as Gorse from a magical box, Kew becomes the unwitting pawn in its plan to seize control of Landover. Having lured the three most powerful individuals in the kingdom - King Holiday, the dragon Strabo and the witch Nightshade - Kew traps them within the confines of the Tangle Box in order for the Gorse to proceed with plans of domination without interference.
From this basic scenario Brooks creates three major storylines; one good, one mediocre and one just plain bad. The best plot is concerned with the situation that Ben, Strabo and Nightshade (who is Brooks's best Landover character) find themselves in when they awaken in the Tangle Box, unaware of their surroundings and stripped of their memories, magic and identities. Calling themselves the Knight, the Lady and the Gargoyle, the three companions (completely unaware that they are adversaries in real life) traverse the mysterious terrain of the Tangle Box searching for answers to their existence. Brooks plays a great psychological game between the three of them and surprising things happen that change their complicated relationships forever, especially in the case of Nightshade and Ben. Their love/hate relationship has always been a highlight of the Landover stories, and what transpires here has the potential for payoff in later books.
Meanwhile Willow is on a quest of her own, as the birth of a child with sylph and human parentage has complications. Seeking the advice of the Earth Mother, Willow is told that she must collect earth from three locations; Landover, Earth and the Faerie Mists in order to secure the safe delivery of her child. Joined by an old favourite, the faerie-cat Edgewood Dirk, Willow sets off on an intriguing (but hardly exciting) journey for the sake of her unborn child.
That leaves the last major storyline which is unfortunately both predictable and convoluted. While Ben and Willow are gone, Questor Thews (the court wizard) and Abernathy (the court scribe) must deal with the bothersome Horris Kew. Introducing objects called "mind's eye crystals" that show the bearer their heart's desire, Kew suggests distributing them to the kingdom - an idea to which Questor and Abernathy foolishly agree. Unbeknownst to them, the crystals are merely a distraction from the Gorse's true intentions in taking over the kingdom.
Unfortunately, the Gorse makes a generic villain whose personality, motivation and evil plan is just plain boring, and the clownish Horris Kew isn't much better. (Neither is his bird Biggar, whom I would have mentioned earlier if he hadn't been such a pointless character). The execution and resolution of this particular storyline drags the story down considerably.
Nonetheless, "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."
The Tangle Box In The Tangle Box, Ben Holiday, king of Landover is trapped away from those he loves. Willow, his wife, is on a journey alone carrying their child. In the meantime, havoc ensues in Landover with the arrival of a past citizen, who had been exiled, Horris Kew.
Both Willow and Ben are searching for answers. Willow the answer of how to safely deliver her child, Ben the answer to who he is and how to escape. Neither is aware of the importance of the others journey.
The books in this series keep getting better. This one being my favorite so far. Some of my favorite characters are back, including Edgewood Dirk and Im finally seeing some character growth in Ben. A 3.5 star book for me. Im looking forward to finishing the series with the next book...Witches Brew.
plus a few for extra good writing Finally Brooks took some risks and put his characters really on the line. I found this the best plotted one of the series! I loved it. The characters' explorations in their prison are wonderfully done, especially those they make into themselves. I think Brooks put more meat in this one, and that is why I like it so much. You gotta read this one. It is definately the most satisfying of the bunch, with the G'Home Gnomes being the coolest part of the book practically. Read it.
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