October 4, 1999
Fighting supernatural evil is taxing work, and Brooks's third novel of humanity's stand against the demons of the Void shows hints of battle fatigue. Fifteen years have passed since the events chronicled in Running with the Demon (1997), but neither Knight of the Word John Ross nor former Olympic runner Nest Freemark seem much changed by their encounters with predatory devils who incarnate modern social ills: he is still the reluctant hero tasked with preventing the Void's incursion into human affairs, and she remains the righteous heroine suppressing her demon-tainted powers. The plot follows a pattern similar to A Knight of the Word (1998), beginning with Ross's tormenting vision of the future that will occur if he fails to keep a gypsy morph--a shapeshifting bundle of "wild magics" with potential to become a weapon for good or evil--from falling into demon hands. Ross seeks Nest's help in Hopewell, Ill., a hometown of Norman Rockwell blissfulness primed for demonic devastation. There the morph changes into a young boy, which makes him vulnerable to the schemes of avuncular fiend Findo Gask and provides Brooks with a focus for exploring the importance of parental responsibility and mother love. This predictable dark fantasy springs a few surprises at its end, but the long parade of characters from the earlier installments gives it the feel of a family reunion one endures out of obligation rather than enthusiasm. Like Nest, this novel keeps pace, but a change of direction is in order for the series.
October 15, 1999
The birth of a gypsy morph, a creature of magic belonging to neither the Word nor the Void, signals the onset of the final battle between John Ross, Knight of the Word, and the demons who serve the evil force represented by the Void. Once again, Nest Freemark joins forces with Ross as they strive to unlock the secret of the gypsy morph before their arch enemy can claim the creature for its own. The conclusion to the story begun in Running with the Demon and Knight of the Word leaves room for new developments while wrapping up the tale of a courageous man's dedication to a demanding cause. For libraries that own the previous series titles and where the author has a following.
Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 1999
Brooks concludes a trilogy begun in "Running with the Demon" (1997) and continued in "A Knight of the Word" (1998) by bringing things home to Hopewell, Illinois, where Nest Freemark and John Ross' demon-fighting started. Magically endowed Nest is now 29 and retired from competitive running, in which she had broken every existing record before the protective spirit within her, a ghost wolf called Wraith, almost broke loose when she became emotionally upset during a race. Life is humdrum until gaunt, black-clad, preacherlike Findo Gast knocks on her door in an opening reminiscent of the movie "Poltergeist 2." Gast is a demon searching for Knight of the Word John Ross, who has somehow got hold of a "gypsy morph," a shape-shifting entity full of magical power that the Void, Gast's employer (so to speak) and the destructive eternal enemy of the eternally creative Word, covets. Gast knows that Ross will soon come to Hopewell and, aided by three more unruly demons, wants to nab the morph. Come Ross does, and the Word-Void war hots up again. The action unfolds over a few days before Christmas, which deepens the book's crypto-Christian allegorical aura. Unfortunately, the suspense is even slacker than in "Knight," which gave up its secrets before the halfway mark, and Brooks' writing is basically boilerplate this time. Brooks' established audience will want to find out how Nest and John end up, but it is hard to see this tepid tale expanding Brooks' fandom. ((Reviewed July 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)