I have to admit, it had been a long time since I’d read anything by Terry Brooks when I attended his reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz on September 13. I was mostly just curious about what he’d be like in person, because I’d read his books faithfully in high school (and if you are now drawing certain conclusions about where I fit into my high school’s social taxonomy, then you’re 100% correct.) Terry Brooks is a fantasy writer, an inventor of worlds into which readers are constantly escaping. Not only does his work feature magic, it seems to work like magic, tying together elements in novels whose writing spans many years; though this is the result of planning ahead, when you’re reading him and the pieces fall together, it can seem like he’s cast a successful spell.

So what is he like in person? He’s quite charming and entertaining, and clearly brilliant. There’s an element of the impish and the unworldly in his persona. Happily, Terry Brooks is not the kind of author who dislikes his fans. You can write letters to him, and he’ll read them. He answers questions from his fans on his website, and hosts a forum there. And at Bookshop that Saturday, he had us all laughing and lining up for an autograph (or, in my case, a better shot). I think it’s time for me to get caught up on my Terry Brooks novels- word has it this one is very good.