Showing posts with label terry brooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terry brooks. Show all posts

Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 3) Review

Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 3)
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Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 3) ReviewI've been a fan of Terry Brooks' Shannara series ever since the first book. The series is both interesting in its own right, yet wrapped in a familiarity that's very pleasant to the fantasy reader. The main knock against the later books in the series is that Brooks' characters tend to be very similar to previous versions. The entire Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series has suffered from this affliction. Not only that, but Brooks seems like he has been treading water with this series. The third and final book, Morgawr, is more of the same: comfortable, yet just a little too familiar. Rabid Brooks fans will definitely love it. Other Brooks fans will find that they enjoyed it, but it left them feeling a little bit empty, like having eaten some Chinese food and feeling hungry a couple of hours later.
The main problem with Morgawr is that it is basically a runaround. The main characters run, the Morgawr and his mwellrats pursue them. Some of the party runs into a monster, some action happens, and it's over. It all builds to a final confrontation that's obvious from the beginning, and it can take forever to get there. Doctor Who fans may be familiar with the "endless corridor" aspect of that show, where it seems like most of the story consists of the characters running back and forth down corridors. This book had much the same feeling, only on a larger scale.
There are also a series of coincidences and other illogical happenings that make the eyes roll. The party regroups in a much too easy way after being separated for so long. They basically run into each other. A few of them are better explained, having been found by Hunter Predd and his roc, a huge bird with very keen eyesight who has been patrolling the area in the air. However, the others are just a chance meeting that strains credulity to the limit. Not only that, but the Ilse Witch wakes from her catatonia in order to heal somebody, and gives Bek a vital clue that he needs, before returning to her catatonic state. The clue makes this happening very important, but I don't really buy the ultimate reasoning for why it happened.
The characters in Morgawr aren't bad, and Brooks has no qualms about killing some of them. This is a very bloody book (series, actually, since it started in the first book). Again, though, the characters are very similar to characters in past Shannara series, and the recognition factor jars. Bek is pretty much the same as previous Ohmsfords, Quenten Leah is like the Leahs of old, with his magic Sword of Leah. The Rovers are, as a group, similar to characters in the previous two series. At least the two main Rovers, Redden Alt Mer and Rue Meridian, are fairly distinctive, and interesting in their own right. This is not to say that the characters aren't interesting, because for the most part they are. I just wish they were different. They're comfortable characters, however, and fans of the series will like them. If this is the first Shannara series you've read, you won't notice this and will probably enjoy them in their own right.
The final problem to mention is Brooks' tendency to have is characters brood. They do this a lot, and the most annoying times are when the characters are in danger, or waiting for danger to come to them. It's not unusual for a character to be on guard, or watching for something to come at them, and spend one or two pages brooding about his or her circumstances, what's happened on this mission, friends who have died, or whatever. For me, it breaks the tension rather than adding to it. I kept saying to myself "would you please stop thinking and just get on with it?" And since the characters are usually brooding about similar things (the events since they arrived here), it also gets a bit repetitious as well.
Still, it is an enjoyable series to read, even more so if you've never read a Shannara book before. Brooks really has a talent for action scenes, and when they happen they are usually exciting. You do care for the characters and they are three-dimensional for the most part. You never know whether a character is safe or not, which also adds to the tension. Brooks kills off quite a number of them. I really enjoyed the finale, as the Morgawr, who has been shown to be much more powerful than any magic Bek or the Ilse Witch have, is defeated by brains rather than "a lucky shot" or something like that.
While I enjoy the Shannara books, and give this one just over 3 stars, part of me wishes Brooks would leave Shannara for awhile, or at least try to do something new with it. The concept of the Jerle Shannara series *is* new, with a voyage across the sea, but he wraps it in too many familiarities for this reader. If this is your first exposure to Brooks, then it's not so bad, and you will be entertained. I guess that's not a bad thing.Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 3) Overview

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The Sword of Shannara: The Druids' Keep - Part 2 (The Heritage of Shannara) Review

The Sword of Shannara: The Druids' Keep - Part 2 (The Heritage of Shannara)
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The Sword of Shannara: The Druids' Keep - Part 2 (The Heritage of Shannara) ReviewThis is unbelievable. It's also unfortunate since some will get duped into buying this. Shame on the publisher and shame on Amazon. Why not break into 5 books for 7 bucks a pop.....don't just be greedy, get really hoggish!The Sword of Shannara: The Druids' Keep - Part 2 (The Heritage of Shannara) Overview

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The Druid of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara) Review

The Druid of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara)
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The Druid of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara) ReviewWritten as the second part of a four part series, Terry Brooks' The Druid of Shannara continues a larger series begun by the author in 1977 with the publishing of The Sword of Shannara. In its second incarnation, the world of Shannara is thrown into chaos, not by evil magic seeking to dominate, but rather by evil magic that wishes to leech the life force from the Four Lands. This departure is the first of many characteristics that ensures the longevity of Mr. Brooks' career; a career that is still growing.
The first of these features is adaptation. Brooks is able to use the same setting for all of his stories. He spaces the events of the first and second series four hundred years apart so that he can continue to use pre-existing themes in new situations. He retains the Leah and Ohmsford families as the protectors of the Four Lands, but the evil they fight is not the evil of the Warlock Lord. In addition, new players are introduced to the story. These include the Federation and the Freeborn Liberation Movement, both of whom will have lasting effects of the Four Lands for centuries to come.
Mr. Brooks' ability to expand and revise his own creation ensures that the plot of his works are never boring. It the constant change also means that readers are always in the same place. What I mean is that someone who did not read the first series could easily begin the second series and not be completely lost (I should know because I started with the third series). The evolution of the world and the characters in the world leads to increased sophistication and development as the novel progresses.
Characters in the novel also portray unique elements in Brooks' style. Readers can easily connect with the druid Walker, who studies the ways of Paranor against his own will. Quickening, the daughter of the King of the Silver River, has the gift of healing, usually expressed by her calm, soothing, words which warm and inspire the company into action. There is also the rash character of Par Ohmsford who makes decisions irrationally and then suffers the consequences of hasty plans. Then there is Par's alter-ego and brother, Coll, who supports his brother and yet adds a hint of rationalism to the story.
Readers connect to characters. Brooks understands this concept and creates for each character a soul that mirrors emotions. It is very easy to feel the grief when a character dies in and Terry Brooks novel, because the reader follows that character from the beginning of their journey, where he or she is usually young and irresponsible, to an emotional maturity that is gained only through experience, and too often, loss.
Brooks writes in a style that moves from one event to the other. He does not waste time exploring unimportant information, and if an event has not bearing on the plot, he does not include it. This quick moving adventure enthralls most readers, who want more that nothing else, to see the conclusion of the novel to learn the fates of the characters.
Finally, Brooks has created a world for modern adventurers. The possibilities of one's imagination are endless, it only needs a jump start every once and a while. Brooks' continuing evolution of the Shanarra series is proof of the power of imagination. He has created a world that the reader has no map to except in his own mind. Brooks presents characters to fill this world that readers can easily associate with either their own lives, or the lives of someone they know. A combination of all of these factors has ensured he survival of the Shanarra series, and provides the foundation for its future growth.
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Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1) Review

Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1)
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Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1) ReviewAfter a long while of nothing in the way of Shannara, Terry Brooks has revived the dearly loved series. His new series begins 130 years after "The Talismans of Shannara" left off with Coll and Par Ohmsford. Now a castaway from a previous voyage to discover lost magic has arrived in the mainland 30 years after his departure. With the castaway is a map chronicolling his journey. The druid, Walker Boh, now known just as Walker, undertakes the perilous journey with an elite few aboard the sleek airship named the "Jerle Shannara."
This book is an excellent revival of the old series and I couldn't put it down for 2 days until finished. One problem is the author failes to make some of the main characters appealing but this is forgiven because of the outstanding storyline and mood throughout the book. You will be doing yourself a favor getting this, but make sure you have plenty of free time because you will call off previous engagements in favor of this book.
The one true problem is that the book leaves the reader so badly hanging that he is afraid he will fall.Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1) Overview

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Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2) Review

Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2)
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Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2) ReviewI've read the entire Shannara series since I was introduced to The Sword of Shannara two years ago, in high school. I read the last book in the series, Isle Witch, last year. Luckily for me, Antrax was released about a week after I finished it.
I just finished this book last night, and I cursed Terry Brooks and his evil, evil tendency to write cliffhangers. He gave me four or five different cruel cliffhangers to chew on, and I felt ready to destroy something! I HAVE to know how this ends!! I eagerly await the release of Morgawr in September.
The book was very absorbing, just like the rest of the Brook's books, and I found it very easy using my imagination to imagine the world they were in. That's the nice thing about Terry Brook's writing - he's so descriptive.
Long live the Sword of Shannara!Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2) Overview

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