Black Marks

Next up in my re-reading of the Magic Kingdom of Landover books was The Black Unicorn. Published one year after the first book, it picks up one year later in the world of the story as well.

The man who originally sold main character Ben Holiday the Magic Kingdom is actually a corrupt wizard who'd been banking on his failure. Since that didn't happen, he's now out for revenge, and secures it in this book by means of a magic that makes everyone thing he is actually the king. At the same time, no one is able to recognize Ben, and he is cast out of his own castle to roam Landover in search of a way to undo the deceptive magic.

Unlike book one, which was told entirely from Ben's perspective, this book has some pieces told from those of other characters. This happens mainly in reference to a second plot: a strange black unicorn, a sort of myth even by the standards of a fantasy land, has been seen throughout Landover, and is a bad omen. But one of the characters is having visions of it and feels drawn to seek it out. Will it be a good or bad thing for her?

I found this book to be mostly good, but a little bit of a mixed bag. Though the plot about the black unicorn is what gives the book its title, it definitely plays like a subplot. It's far less interesting too. The character seeking out the unicorn, Willow, is a fairy creature, and at times Terry Brooks sort of uses that as a crutch. He doesn't really make her motivations too clear or believable, because she's a "fairy creature" and just listens to her impulses. And in the end, this thread of the plot reaches a rather predictable conclusion. (Though perhaps, since I've read it before, it only seemed that way to me.)

Fortunately, the "identity theft" subplot is much stronger. It's more developed, presented better, and is very interesting. It's also an interesting plot device to lead Ben to go back around the kingdom and revisit all the minor characters from the first book. Then, he was trying to secure their pledge of support for his new rule; now, he's trying for any help to reclaim that throne. It comes together as a great way of "re-living" the adventure of the first book, while not being a simple re-hash.

All told, I'd rate this book the same as its predecessor -- I give it a B+.