Opinions about the Shannara Series

[yngvi]

I read SOS when it came out then the sequel then didn't bother because of the law of diminishing returns. I came back last year, driven by bad experiences of thick fantasy novels which were barely worth reading. Terry Brooks has inhabited the world of Shannara much like Anne McCaffrey has Pern and Ursula le Guin, Earthsea. He has explored it much to his credit in my opinion and produced many works well worthy of the read. I'm glad I came back to his work and will gladly read other stuff by him.

[theophanides]

yes,i nkow what you mean but i also said

Originally Posted by theophanides

i thought they were quite good although not as good as the books as ian irvine.

since i have read part of the series i have found other books which are better such as wilbur smith,ian irvine,julie bertagna,christopher paolini etc.but in their own way,the shannara series is still pretty good.

[Grimward]

Haven't read the others, but on Paolini, at least, I'm afraid I can't agree. Brooks' stuff has levels, back-doors and hidden passageways in the building of his stories, Paolini (to me, at least) seems rather like a one-room flat, although I did sort of give up on him after the first Eragon book.

[GOLLUM]

I'll probably enjoyed Irvine's books more than Brook's.

[Tansy]

I am enjoying Brook's stuff but I do prefer Irvine.

I think the Word and the Void are his best work that I have read so far but I am working mhy way through the rest of Shannara.

[theophanides]

i loved paolini but irvine is better than brooks...ive read the well of echoes tril and the view from the mirror quad,really good work,
the story do get better after eragon...the 3rd one hasnt come out yet which is annoying

[Clansman]

I loved Brooks as a teenager, and although SoS's main plot line was a rip-off, my fellow Wurtsian Horseman Grimward pointed out quite properly that there was a lot in SoS that was dramatically different from LOTR. In the seventies, there were a lot of Tolkien ripoffs. The other big one that comes to mind is Dennis McKiernan's Iron Tower series, which is so close to LOTR it is sickening. He, like Brooks, got much better.
Shannara was much more american (note the small "a") than LOTR, which was, of course, quintessentially British.

Elfstones, to me, was the height of Shannara. Though all the stories were compelling, to an extent, their formulaic nature tired me, and I gave up at FKoS. But Elfstones, that was special. The ending floored me, and even now when I think of my first read, I'll never forget that feeling. Elfstones ended with so much sacrifice, that it made the story come alive. The sacrifice of the characters really made the book special.

Given the above comments (I trust Gollum and Grimward implicitly), I will have to try The Word/Void books.

[theophanides]

that was my favourite too...i was really sad when i finished it but i loved it too much to complain.i agree Clansman..the sacrafice does make this book special

[Who's Wee Dug]

I also enjoyed the Magic Kingdom of Landover series they were a fun read, and the first books he had written after the Shanarra ones.

[dekket]

I have heard that there is a new landover book coming soon (after the Word/Void-Shannara tie in series is finished). Ben Holiday is an interesting character.

Clansman, the Word/Void books are good, I will also chime in with my recommendation that you read them.

I am currently re-reading Elfstones, and the amount of loss and sacrifice in this book is amazing when compared to the rest of the Shannara books.

[theophanides]

i wasnt sure if the landover books were any good...i might try them out now.

[dekket]

The Landover books are fun.
They are not Epic or High fantasy, by any measure, but they are fun, light reading.

[theophanides]

they sound ok then,i better give them a try so i know what people are talking about...lol...and what im talking about

[Joseph Swope]

I thought the series was great. Of course, I read them many years ago and the whole genre was relatively new. Now, much of the genre is cliched. Orphan/stepchild comes across a mysterious guide who shows him there is more to the world than his simple village/shire. Halfway through the story/saga, the guide is separated, Obi Wan, Gandolf, Zedd, Allenanon, and the ill prepared hero must proceed and against all odds and wiht the last minute help of a magic sword, ring, stone force or whatever, the peasant boy or girl saves the world.

Yes, it is formulaic and predictible but so is Rock & roll, Rap, and other styles of art. Within the boundaries of the genre there can be an infinite number of variations.

This is my first post on this forum and I kind of went off, so my apologies if I offend. When you buy a fantasy novel, you should know what you're getting.

[MetalJon]

I've started reading the new Genesis of Shannara books - very interesting stuff, and quite different from what I was expecting.