Running with the Demon (Word and The Void Trilogy Series #1) » (REPRINT)

A phenomenally successful author thanks to his Shannara fantasy series, Terry Brooks is considered by some to be an heir to J.R.R. Tolkien. He creates characters and worlds that readers fall in love with, and can't wait to revisit.

In a sleepy steel-mill town, the ultimate battle between Good and Evil is about to begin . . .

Sinnissippi Park, in Hopewell, Illinois, has long hidden a mysterious evil, locked away from humankind by powers greater than most could even imagine. But now the malevolent creatures that normally skulk in the shadows of the park grow bolder, and old secrets hint at a violent explosion.

The brewing conflict draws John Ross to Hopewell. A Knight of the Word, Ross is plagued by nightmares that tell him someone evil is coming to unleash an ancient horror upon the world. Caught between them is fourteen-year-old Nest Freemark, who senses that something is terribly wrong but has not yet learned to wield the budding power that sets her apart from her friends.

Now the future of humanity depends upon a man haunted by his dreams and a gifted young girl—two souls who will discover what survives when hope and innocence are shattered forever . . .

VOYA

On one side: John Ross, Knight of the Word, charged with protecting the world from evil. On the other: evil itself, in the form of a human demon. In the middle: a fourteen-year-old girl named Nest, who has both a six-inch-tall friend and magical abilities. The setting: Hopewell, Illinois, where a steel mill strike has set people against each other, and where-like in the rest of America-people are choosing not to be kind or courteous or law abiding. In the days preceding July Fourth, the forces of good and evil gather in this ordinary town, ready for battle, and Nest finds herself struggling to save her town, her family, and her soul. She knows little of her background-who her father is, how her mother died, why she has magic when none of her friends do. Now is Nest's time to learn about herself. Readers never have to question who is good or bad in the novel, but the tension runs high all the same. Something is going to happen, but how and to whom? The book could have been better edited: lots of extraneous details and long-winded philosophical pronouncements mar the prose, but most readers will allow that. After all, it's Terry Brooks! On the publisher's Web site, fans can read excerpts from the book and an interview with Brooks, and they can take a quiz about events in the novel. VOYA Codes: 3Q 5P S (Readable without serious defects, Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).