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Post by thefoxdie on Oct 30, 2019 14:25:37 GMT -6
This was what I had to use to try to get my wife to see anything Shannara. I literally had to explain to her every book so she would understand the little references. The show got some things right....it was the stuff they got wrong that was absolutely putrid. They really could have stood to "make their name" on something else.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 22:51:54 GMT -6
And here we go with the discussion of the one book that most of you might have been looking forward to... "The Druid of Shannara", 1991.Spoilerific Mini-ReviewWalker Boh goes his own way in what is arguably the best novel in the entire "Shannara" series, in search of the fabled "Black Elfstone" - with a healthy dose of "Gormenghast". The BestThe double escapism: Here, Brooks continues what he has started in "Scions" - to take familiar elements from his saga, and to put a twist on them. After "Scions", we might have expected a dark tale, yes, but not this complete change of narrative style in which the tale becomes almost Gothic in style, and in which we meet something like the antithesis to the "Brooks Party". A group of questing adventurers, yes, but all of them deeply traumatized. The novel's plot has the advantage of already being very, very good by itself, but what makes it great is that we're not just telling a conventional "Shannara" tale, but one where everything is turned upside-down, and little, if anything, is what it seems. The characters: See below, of course. But next to the standouts I describe in more detail, just all of the characters in the story are well-rounded and believable. ...Even the one apparently named after a city in Washington State. The grimdark: This is perhaps the one example of early '90s "From the Ashes" storytelling that doesn't appear either exaggerated or corny. Well, mostly not corny. - But again, the suspension of disbelief is strong with this book; it manages to sell you a "world without God" in a convincing fashion, where all idealism is doomed to die, and only the most jaded survive - and despair. The WorstThe placement of the novel as part of a longer series: As good as the entire "Heritage" series is, this should have been a stand-alone novel. No Par, no Wren, no Shadowen conspiracy yada-yada. Just Walker and his journey, with the "Heritage" context cut out entirely. - It would have been an even darker book, then, and maybe even "unsellable" by the standards of the time, but in retrospect, it would have made for an even more interesting story, especially, as Heritage is really not a series or a sequence, but "simply" one big novel cut into four. While that makes the publisher happy, for sure, it's kind of annoying to not be able to follow one plotline exclusively by itself: The prologue to "Druid" is crammed in "Scions", and the epilogue is part of "Elf Queen". Why?! - It's still a good read, but Notable Characters Walker Boh: This is his novel, obviously, but he also makes it his own. His perspective, that of a jaded adult who thinks he knows all about the world, but then gradually learns that it ain't so, is pretty unique in modern fantasy, up to this day. His story is engaging because he is the only character in the novels that Brooks allows to fail - not just to "experience a cathartic challenge", but to outright suck as a human being. That Walker is - inside the story itself - not the hero, but only a companion to the real heroine, Quickening, is also an example of efficient storytelling, as it makes Walker immensely relatable compared to Brooks' usual "slightly-angsty-but-upbeat Shannara youngsters". Also, but this is really just the icing on the cake, Brooks uses Walker as the first point-of-view character in the series who sort of not just "experiences" magic, but who controls it. This helps to "lift the veil" on the more mythical parts of the setting; through Walker, we learn about the fabric that holds the Four Lands together. Morgan Leah: Introduced in "Scions" as, basically, an updated version of Menion from "Sword", he becomes a multi-dimensional character in this book, and will later on outshine most other characters of the whole Varfleet group, including the supposed main protagonist, Par. Like Walker, Morgan benefits immensely from having been "built up" in familiar territory, but then being brought to a setting that is (more or less, at least) new. LegacyWell, here's where things get complicated: Personally, I believe that "Druid of Shannara" had an enormous impact on... A certain super-famous video game where you spend your time chasing gargantuan creatures through a vaguely Nordic ruinscape. Maybe I'm hallucinating, maybe the similarities are indeed coincidental, but... Maybe one extraordinary example of fantasy fiction was inspired by another. Just sayin'. For me, personally, well, as many of you might have noticed, "Walker Boh" has been a silent companion to this forum, since illustrations of the character often sneak into my avatar window. This has no subtext in particular that I can remember - it's been like this since I "joined the internet". Walker, simply one of my favorite literary characters, including examples from "serious" and non-genre literature. Read now, later, or never?Now, more than later, even if it means you have to read "Scions" first. It's THAT good.
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Post by thefoxdie on Nov 1, 2019 0:18:36 GMT -6
I named my third son Walker....so that should tell folks all they need to know about my favorite book and character of the series. xD
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2019 4:34:16 GMT -6
"The Elf Queen of Shannara", 1992.
Spoilerific Mini-Review
In the odd one of the "Heritage" quartet, Wren Ohmsford goes to find the missing Elves of the Westland... But the real treasure is the friends she makes on the way. Except that they all die in horrible ways, this time.
The Best
The audacity: Again, Brooks mixes old and new elements as he amplifies the map of his world, this time in a way more radical manner than in "Druid". This new scenario, and this new plot are engaging and, as usual with Brooks at this point, exceptionally well thought-through. Reusing elements from "Elfstones" is welcome here, as are references to "Alice in Wonderland", while we get another, darker and postmodern look into Brooks' Elves.
The Worst
The placement of the novel as part of a longer series: Again, this should have been a stand-alone, so it could have been a better novel. The whole matter of the Elves having gone into exile gets undersold in comparison to the metaplot surrounding the Shadowed. - Not sure if the Tolkienian exile and the Shadowen stories are necessarily a good fit, either.
The girl power: Lamentably, Brooks is a product of his time, like every other writer. And since the early 90s were the time of pretentious female empowerment stories written by men, this is what "Elf Queen" eventually turns into. The female characters are still interesting as they are presented, but we are definitely still in an era before modern female writers helped their protagonists to get over the chainmail bikini.
The grimdark: Brook goes dark again, but without the edginess and the originality of "Druid". Especially the second part of the book is terribly formulaic. Instead of a "journey into the heart of darkness", "Elfqueen" eventually becomes a formulaic dungeon run, of sorts, and the ending holds no surprises to the reader, whatsoever. It's not that the story would be bad, it's just that it's likely meant to be gripping, dark, and bewildering. Yet, it really manages to do (at least for me) is to read like a fantasy rendition of "And Then They Were None".
Notable Characters Wren: It's her novel, and while she is not a particularly original character, she's the glue that holds the story together. If you like her, this book is a pleasant read. If not, not.
The other characters - at least the ones from her plotline - are essentially plot devices, and hardly worth a mention. Garth is maybe worth a second look to a dedicated fan, but he, too, is basically a human version of Keltset from "Sword", and hence has very few unique and defining features.
Legacy
Another video game has to be mentioned here: While "Druid" likely might have become one of the inspirations behind "Shadow of the Colossus", "Elf Queen", in all plausibility, is the major inspiration of "The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind".
Name, check. Weird Elves in Exile waiting for the prophecised hero, check. Volcano, check. - Difficult to unsee that similarity.
Personally, I liked Wren's plot the least of all the "Heritage" stories, but I think the novel is pretty well written from a formal perspective. It has just likely aged very badly; once you read, whoever, Norah Jemisin, Wren's story ends up being simplistic and predictable.
Read now, later, or never?
Later, or never. Outside of the chapters centering on Par, Col, and Walker, you can mostly skip the Elven storyline. Later, in "Talismans", Wren's story is almost reduced to an afterthought.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2019 4:00:15 GMT -6
November 2019 - Schedule:In early December, I'll go on the road for a month, until probably after Christmas. It's reasonable to assume that I will not be able to continue the review until, ugh, probably around January 10th. This leaves me about four more weekends to work on this before I take my leave of absence. One Sunday is already blocked for "The Talismans of Shannara", another for "First King of Shannara". But what should I do with the two remaining ones: I could progress lineally, and then simply discuss "Word & Void", as well as the first part of the "Voyage" trilogy, "Ilse Witch". Or, I could take some time to look both into Brooks' autobiographical writings, which I personally consider pretty interesting, and use the spare weekend to look into the dreadful, terrible TV series. - What would you prefer? Thing is, both on "W&V" as well as on "Voyage", I simply have some rereading to do, and I want to count that in during my preparations.
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Post by thefoxdie on Nov 6, 2019 2:18:41 GMT -6
You know what really baits me about this whole series? I'm always wondering where all this stuff takes place. Like, in a ratio to today as opposed to "the future" in the stories. I've always read like, only vague things about how some parts are in the Pacific Northwest and so on, and I'm just like..."well that narrows it down" lol.
The problem with Wren Ohmsford, is that she's more or less everyone. What I mean is that you could essentially plug in generic "chosen one" archetype and they would work. Another thing I've noticed about Terry Brooks's work is that you never exactly get a idea of how these folks look. I mean, when they initially come on to the scene you get a vague description and you pretty much have to either commit it to memory, or just be like "I have no idea what they look like" lol. This series to me seemed to hit a brick wall after Druid ended. You got all the good bits, and none of the bad. The Elf Queen begins, and it's kinda a struggle to get into it until you get to the island. But even then, this book kinda just goes by in a blur. Sure, there was women power in it, but literally everyone felt pretty rushed and there was never any emotional connection. Outside of Garth. He was alright. The end is kinda a bummer in that regard. I feel like Elf Queen was the rest book for this series, tying everything together as much as it could, while the pay off is clearly Talismans. Outside of it being the last book in the quadrilogy, it's pretty good imo.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2019 13:24:58 GMT -6
Or, I could take some time to look both into Brooks' autobiographical writings, which I personally consider pretty interesting, and use the spare weekend to look into the dreadful, terrible TV series. - What would you prefer? If noone has anything in particular against it, I'm going with the second option: Looks to be a busy month, and, honestly, I want to get done with the TV series. What I don't want to do with this serial review is to bask in some reserved nostalgia while reviewing the first part of the series, and then relentlessly bashing the second part of the series. - Which is easy, but also a gross oversimplification. Now, the TV series is, undoubtedly, where "Shannara" hits rock bottom, and so, I don't want to discuss it, necessarily, in the context of Brooks' worst novel sequence, which is "Dark Legacy". You know what really baits me about this whole series? I'm always wondering where all this stuff takes place. Like, in a ratio to today as opposed to "the future" in the stories. I've always read like, only vague things about how some parts are in the Pacific Northwest and so on, and I'm just like..."well that narrows it down" lol. I *think* there was some sort of explanation given... Somewhere. Basically, Allanon's place of respawning (!) is apparently supposed to be future Seattle. That gives an idea about the general geography. The problem with Wren Ohmsford, is that she's more or less everyone. What I mean is that you could essentially plug in generic "chosen one" archetype and they would work. Another thing I've noticed about Terry Brooks's work is that you never exactly get a idea of how these folks look. I mean, when they initially come on to the scene you get a vague description and you pretty much have to either commit it to memory, or just be like "I have no idea what they look like" lol. This series to me seemed to hit a brick wall after Druid ended. You got all the good bits, and none of the bad. The Elf Queen begins, and it's kinda a struggle to get into it until you get to the island. But even then, this book kinda just goes by in a blur. Sure, there was women power in it, but literally everyone felt pretty rushed and there was never any emotional connection. Outside of Garth. He was alright. The end is kinda a bummer in that regard. I feel like Elf Queen was the rest book for this series, tying everything together as much as it could, while the pay off is clearly Talismans. Outside of it being the last book in the quadrilogy, it's pretty good imo. Yeah, pretty much what you said. I didn't want to slam the book in an all too pretentious way, so I tried to mince my words as far as that was possible, but yes - "Elf Queen" was nice, but also kind of "the middle book", and sort of "content overload". The main point of the story seemed to be to bring the characters to the point where they are at the start of "Talismans". And Wren, while not a boring character by herself, has virtually no defining traits going into the story, except sort of being the "token savior woman", somewhere between Paksenarrion and the girl from the "Green Rider" series. Not sure if this sounds understandable in English, but it always kind of seemed to me like Brooks started to develop Wren as a character only while he was already writing her tale. -- Which sounds like a logical thing to do, but really isn't: She has an interesting plot to live through, and she's not a Mary Sue, at least - but we never learn anything about who she is beyond that. I also think you're right in that "Elf Queen" starts the terrible trend of later books when the protagonists essentially become interchangeable "pawns of prophecy". - Weirdly enough, this is what I liked best about the otherwise comically terrible "Dark Legacy" - the Ohmsfords in that book are interesting characters, by themselves. ...And speaking in a very general sense.
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Post by thefoxdie on Nov 11, 2019 11:13:29 GMT -6
Dark Legacy, that's like....uh....like the High Druid's Blade? I'm trying to fit it in....unless you mean Grianne, which....I go either way on literally every time I read it. I can't help it. I do love Shannara as a whole. As for the series....yeah, best to get it out of the way now. At least you get to see Ivana Baquiero, who was perfect for Eretria. Problem was...they didn't go by the books after that. lol
I tend to speak my mind directly. lol Well, The overall story isn't paced to give every character a decent amount of exposition so we all know who they are outside of "generic ohmsford insert here". Morgan had at least the entire thing with Quickening in The Druid of Shannara, and Walker's arc went over the whole set of books. Par...was just there. Coll, most I can remember about him is that he don't have any magic and he loves his brother. Damson Rhee sounded awesome, until she fell in love with Par almost immediately. Then she became generic and paint by numbers. It's a sad trend that happens when Terry Brooks tries to hurry things along. I suspect editorial pokings, if I'm being honest. I believe the whole secret to fantasy is to allow your world, your rules, etc. to be grounded in some sort of fact from non fiction. Something to make the events and happenings become more plausible. He had it in Sword of Shannara, Elfstones, even Wishsong. It began to get thin after that, and I feel like it might just be because he tries to get everything out, and in his rush to do so just doesn't fit everything in his head out. I mean, maybe I'm just speculating. But that's how it comes across to me.
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Post by artikid on Nov 12, 2019 16:01:30 GMT -6
Very nice thread! Sword was my first fantasy novel in 1978, I was 6 and I still love it (and all the first trilogy) a lot, even though it is so derivative of Tolkien and LotR. I do agree that Elfstones is an excellent book and Wishsong was the perfect closure to the story up to that point. I tried Scions and all the Heritage series: it had a great start, very powerful but it sort of ended with a whimper. Can't really say what the problem was (I read it bitd, memories are hazy) but it felt disjointed, like it wanted to tell too many stories at once. Some of which not so interesting IMHO. The last book I read was First King, and I still have it for completeness sake but I think it was very weak. The main isuues I had with it, is that it tried to hard to tie together all the lose ends (like the "Creel" family) and it's something I hate. Little misteries make for great tales. I never read the rest as my interest in fantasy novels has a little waned and a little changed (I'm definitely more of an SF guy these days, and have been for the last 20-30 years). But I loved Swords and the Allanon cycle so much I've very recently started reading Sword to my 5yrs old daughter. Gotta keep traditions alive. And now the classic question: are Stee Jans and Garet Jax the same person?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2019 15:59:29 GMT -6
I'm a bit busy this week, so I'm sharing a few shenanigans, only, until I get the chance to continue this series with the usual diligency. The best map of the "Four Lands" that I have found so far:No idea who did this, or if it is in any way "official", but... I like it. - Too bad that it doesn't come with a map of the Blue Divide, that would have been even more neat. An Ohmsford family tree, from "Sword" to "Defenders":Again, no idea about the source, though I obviously suspect the publishing house to be the creative entity. "Orbit" is the UK publisher of some of the later Shannara novels, IIRC. This again points to something that we've already touched - that, especially in the Grianne cycle, so many Ohmsfords, Leahs, Creels and Elessedils join the story that keeping track of them becomes an exercise onto itself - especially, as, like I noted above, Brooks isn't always faithful to his own established continuity.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2019 17:03:15 GMT -6
Dark Legacy, that's like....uh....like the High Druid's Blade? Nope, "The High Druid's Blade" is actually the first book of "Defenders", and "Defenders" is easily the best series of the Grianne cycle, on par, or even better than "Voyage". "Dark Legacy" starts with "Wards of Faerie": It has a couple of good scenes in it, but I doubt most readers will make it even through the extremely cringeworthy first chapter. - We'll get there, but seriously - what the hell was Brooks thinking?! Yeah, I have the same opinion: Brooks is an excellent story designer, in that he is a superb narrative structuralist. In another life, he'd map out movie storyboards, or something. If allowed to work at his pace, and with his ideas being uncontested, he'd still deliver pretty great work, I think. Now, with the corporate entity looking over his shoulder, I suspect that's how notoriously uneven and counter-intuitive stories like "The Weapon Master's Choice" are created, or how silly or otherwise nonsensical stuff manages to sneak in, especially in the later part of the series. The last book I read was First King, and I still have it for completeness sake but I think it was very weak. The main isuues I had with it, is that it tried to hard to tie together all the lose ends (like the "Creel" family) and it's something I hate. Little misteries make for great tales. Very curious about what you'll think of my review, then - "First King" is easily my favorite book in the whole series, and remains the ***one*** title I recommend to rookie D&D players. - Now, I'm not going to pretend like I'm neutral on this one, but even with a bit rational distance, I'm pretty convinced that this novel is one where the merrits outweigh the flaws. And now the classic question: are Stee Jans and Garet Jax the same person? Hehehe. Heheheehe. - What did you think about that one, personally? Personally, I was never quite a fan of the theory, but that might stem from the fact that I read "Elfstones" and "Wishsong" in German, and names and tone surely varied from the original. I recall that in the Shannara world book, there were one or two pages dedicated to the theory. ...Got to reread that one, some time soon. BTW, in case you wondered about my own progress with this epic reread: I'm currently finishing "Voyage", again - as an audiobook. After that, and over Christmas, I'll likely tackle the entire "Hawk" cycle now, before Christmas. That's still way ahead of where we are now, but - still enjoying this, and still enjoying this quite a lot.
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Post by artikid on Nov 16, 2019 6:56:04 GMT -6
@rafael Love that map! Consider I read the books in Italian, so the First King might be a better book than I actually remember it to be. If I had to suggest one single book it would probably be Elfstones. On the Stee Jans/Garet Jax conundrum: I didn't even think of it at all before I found the theory on the web. And while both Stee and Garet have always been favorites in the family (my older brother is a gamer too, he lifted the whole Capaal siege thing for a D&D adventure bitd, we learned to dread Goblin drums!), we didn't think of them as one and the same, ever. Thanks for the thread, it's a nice trip down memory lane, and it actually sent me over to ebay to chase down a copy of the Heirs' Omnibus! (I think it may deserve a second chance) All the best Luigi
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Post by thefoxdie on Nov 17, 2019 5:04:31 GMT -6
Man, that's great stuff, that map. I'll have to pore over it sometime. I heard a interesting theory a little bit back. That perhaps during the aftermath of the Great Wars, that the tectonic plates shifted and essentially made the world the way it is in the time of Shannara. It's certainly possible.
Ah. There is a lot of books, so I tend to miss one series or another here and there.
Yeah.....corporations tend to ruin everything in the pursuit of all the money.
Seeing someone lift a part of Shannara for D and D reminds me of when I lifted the premise of the Voyage series for a whole D and D campaign. That was pretty fun, and I was able to adapt it and by the end, no one could tell it came from Voyage....although if they read the books, they might have suspected a little.
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Post by artikid on Nov 17, 2019 6:24:59 GMT -6
Talking about RPGs, my first experiment at writing one when I was 15 was a Shannara d20-based Runequest clone. And BTW, isn't that map from a number of Dragon Magazine? I remember they did a Shannara adaptation article during the d20 Era. Also, take a look at this if you haven't before, it's a TEDx talk by Brooks himself youtu.be/fExrstN8TEg
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Post by thefoxdie on Nov 18, 2019 15:49:53 GMT -6
I did watch that, it was certainly interesting. I spent a hour or so combing over the Shannara wiki after that. I'd forgotten about the Dark Quest series after all...Wards of Faerie was kinda eh, I'll admit. The whole story kinda just rankled me.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2019 3:07:07 GMT -6
Talking about RPGs, my first experiment at writing one when I was 15 was a Shannara d20-based Runequest clone. Shannara got the d20/3e treatment in Dragon Magazine #286. I'll look into that one, as well, at a later point. (When I'm done reviewing "Voyage", I guess.) The article itself, like much of the later (post-"issue 200") Dragon features, only usable in a limited way - but definitely a start that a dedicated DM could build upon. Personally, I chose not to do so - if only because Brooks is all over my own campaigns, anyway, already. To use "Shannara" as a setting would be overkill. ...Not saying that I will NEVER do something like this, though, especially now that the series is approaching its chronological ending... Seeing someone lift a part of Shannara for D and D reminds me of when I lifted the premise of the Voyage series for a whole D and D campaign. That was pretty fun, and I was able to adapt it and by the end, no one could tell it came from Voyage....although if they read the books, they might have suspected a little. RQ is a much better fit for Shannara, IMO, than D&D. While one can shoehorn druids in as powered-up d20 sorcerers, and the Wishsong can be played out with bard-like characters, especially the combat system and the related balances (the threat level, mainly) just don't fit. I've looked into "Druid of Shannara" a couple of times because my home campaign visited a place roughly comparable with the troll country that the Quickening party crosses, and - it's just not D&D. Which is no shame, by the way. But the d20 dogma, that eeeeverything could be made compatible with D&D, I find - useful marketing, but very, very impractical and unrealistic. Also, take a look at this if you haven't before, it's a TEDx talk by Brooks himself youtu.be/fExrstN8TEgI'm going to look at that one later into the re-read, in a broader form. The TED-talk is based on an article Brooks wrote around 2004. You can find it here: www.terrybrooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brooks-whyiwriteaboutelves.pdfNot that Brooks' observations are terribly complex, but I like his general uncomplicated, craftsman-like approach. I'm not sure I can relate to geniuses and artists; but I sure can relate to a gentleman who "tells me how it's done". Talking about difficult-to-get material: Apparently, there was a booklet on the world of Shannara, "The Guide to Shannara", published in 1986. That one, I haven't found yet, but would likely pay good money for if I could. Brooks clearly didn't think to continue "Wishsong" the way he did later with "Heritage", and to see how the wider world of the setting looked with only the original trilogy as canon, aaaah, that might be lovely. Thanks for the thread, it's a nice trip down memory lane, and it actually sent me over to ebay to chase down a copy of the Heirs' Omnibus! (I think it may deserve a second chance) Hehe, you're welcome, and thank you for joining the ride! - For me, it's like for you: This brings back just so many childhood memories for me. For all the love in the world, I will likely never reread the series after this present run I'm taking, at least not in its entirety, at least not with this degree of attention to detail. So, it's certainly a thing of beauty, but it's also sort of a strange way of saying farewell to one's youth. ...I will read the Landover novels, though, once I'm done here. Can't stop thinking about them, strangely, since Zenopus and tkdco2 mentioned them.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2019 3:29:58 GMT -6
...And in case you wondered why I am so slow with the updates on the series, these days:There's another book that arrived last weekend that I just NEEDED to read right away - "The Best of Glen Cook", a short story collection of the writer of "Dread Empire" and of "The Black Company". www.nightshadebooks.com/book/the-best-of-glen-cook/If Brooks was my favorite fantasy writer as a youngster, then Cook is arguably my favorite fantasy author as an adult. (With the likes of David Gemmell and Joe Abercrombie also being in the contest.) This book is indeed something like "his greatest hits", but I'm a bit bummed that his short fiction isn't released in thematically divided anthologies. There is certainly enough around for both "Dread Empire", as well as for "The Black Company". I hope we still get those thematic anthologies, some day soon, especially for BC. Cook is also somebody whose entire body of work I want to read, eventually - but in his case, I'm years away of even thinking about it. Weird as it might seem, I usually don't read as much fantasy as this thread might suggest, and I find myself sort of missing "realistic" fiction while I'm so deep into "Shannara" - and, last weekend, at least, into the tale of a "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted With Defeat". (...Which I think I read already, a few years ago, but which was very delightful, even so.)
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Post by thefoxdie on Dec 2, 2019 12:39:20 GMT -6
Best part about that was I only DM'ed if it was my own world, just with the D&D rules. When I pulled from Voyage, it wasn't blow for blow, just the really interesting parts. Even then, I adapted them heavily as well. It's been quite a few years, so it's hard to recall every detail. But it worked super well. I remember it being a ton of fun.
Not bad! My ex wife got me into Glen Cook and the Black Company as well. I thought it was great, but again, my memory is terrible. lol I guess I'm finally showing my age.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2019 21:31:42 GMT -6
Best part about that was I only DM'ed if it was my own world, just with the D&D rules. When I pulled from Voyage, it wasn't blow for blow, just the really interesting parts. Even then, I adapted them heavily as well. It's been quite a few years, so it's hard to recall every detail. But it worked super well. I remember it being a ton of fun. The principal weakness of "Voyage" that I felt when reading it was that it reads like a dungeon crawl, for most of the time. The principal strengthof "Voyage" that I felt when reading it was that it reads like a dungeon crawl, for most of the time. By the way, I have not entirely forgotten about this thread, I've just been quite busy over the last few weeks. I'll continue my reviews soon, likely around next weekend. Since I'm finding this little exercise - the reviews - I'm already thinking about how to possibly continue this once I'm through with "Shannara". (Which is not THAT far apart, at least not from where I'm in the reading process.) Possible candidates could include "Thieves' World", or even "Vampire Hunter D" - the novel series that the comics are based on, of course. Let me know what you prefer, guys - anything that makes me read, these days, is, by definition, a good thing.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 20:43:37 GMT -6
"The Talismans of Shannara", 1993.Spoilerific Mini-ReviewBack on track we are, and to the conclusion of the "Heritage" quartet we come. Baby Yoda not written this review has. The BestThe coherence. - The novel succeeds at what it sets out to do - and that's not always a given with Brooks. The characters come together, as they are supposed to, and their joint, "crossover" story arc feels as inherently consequential and logical as it was in "Scions". This is not a shoehorned wrap-up, this is a story coming full circle. Like with "Wishsong", we have Brooks saying his (temporary) farewell to his greatest creation here, and, in difference to the original trilogy, he does this in a satisfying and well-rounded way. Had Brooks left "Shannara" alone after "Talismans "Druid", continued. - This is a Walker Boh and Morgan Leah novel. They are the main characters, for most of the story, and their arcs within the novel are the most engaging and surprising ones. - I'd go as far as to say that, with "Talismans", they become Brooks' best-developed characters in the entire 30-book-saga. Thy are the ones who "carry" this novel, and the renewed emphasis on their subplots is what saves "Heritage" from becoming just a wee bit too conventional even for its time. The WorstThe Elves, again. - Wren and her storyline don't really fit into the overall narrative. The narration is atmospheric, and Wren finally develops some distinctive personality traits except being the token woman, but this could easily have been a story that took place in its own, completely separate novel. It's far from bad, it's just weirdly removed from the rest of the action, for most of the time. - Think, the Dorne plot in "A Song of Ice and Fire": nteresting, but really its own thing. The Ohmsfords. - Par and Col, the nominal main characters of the series, get the worst story of the "Scions" group - basically, a Luke-Vader-Palpatine-Throne Room endgame, and their plot seems indeed quite heavily inspired by Star Wars, which plainly bores me. Especially Par remains a fairly underdeveloped character compared to his supposed significance in the series. That too, isn't bad, it's just that the focus - like in later books - switches from him as yet another pawn of prophecy to the more active, less victimized characters in the story. Notable Characters While the shift from Par and Col to Walker and Morgan is perhaps the defining trait of the novel, both Walker's and Morgan's rcs themselves are defined by two secondary protagonists that are extraordinarily well written: One is Cogline, Walker's elderly, near-immortal first teacher, who returns from the previous books to help him win Paranor, and Matty Roh, a female resistance fighter who consoles Morgan about the death of Quickening. Cogline's story over the entire series was extremely well crafted, and even though Brooks again takes a note out of the Obi-Wan-Kenobi playbook when Cogline meets his end at the hands of the Four Horsemen, this ending is impactful and appropriate. He is a character of a depth and a complexity that we are going to miss in the books to come, and one of my most unabashedly "fan" moments in the entire series was when Brooks briefly resurrected Cogline for... Another purpose. Matty Roh, in turn, is Brooks' first truly well-written female character, and it's a bit sad that Brooks saved her for the last book in the quartet. Her function in the plot might be only to give Morgan a not-so-sad epilogue, in the end, but she brings a freshness to the novel that especially "Elf Queen", with its heavy-handed plot had been lacking. She is also a welcome contrast to Dhamson Rhee, Par's love interest, who I personally considered insufferable in her role of the "caring, honest, helpless damsel". LegacyThe "Heritage" quartet might not just be Brooks' best literary outing, it might also have the distinction of being one of the very best fantasy tales ever written. - I don't say that lightly; it's just that good. Within the overall series, it's notable for being the chronological conclusion of the "Allanon" cycle, and I'd say, if you've read the earlier books in that sub-series, treat yourself this one - because it's worth the while, even if you haven't read the older books in a while. Afterwards, Brooks will start to write a different style of fantasy, one that is way less compatible with the overall tastes that us middle-aged D&D-players necessarily entertain. Personally, the whole "Heritage" series might be the principal reason why I stuck to fantasy once I had outgrown "Dragonlance", and other - honestly - YA-oriented 90s-style Penny Dreadfuls. I didn't read any of the later "Shannara" books until well into the 2000s, and my lasting affection for the series is certainly mostly rooted in my liking of the Allanon circle- Oh, and did I mention that Walker Boh is my favorite fantasy character, ever? Thinking of it, I have a rather somber personal tale about this book to tell: This turned out to be my first Kindle purchase. When my dad was dying of cancer, I rushed to the hospital without bringing anything with me, and so I installed Kindle, and went looking for something to keep my mind away from all the nuts. Reading this book on my phone screen was likely the most responsible for me keeping my nuts together during those days. Not that I'd be in any way eager to talk about those experiences, but I want to bring it up because, in our age of hyper-consumerism, and raah-raah Jon Snow and raah-raah Skyrim, it often seems to get lost what these books really are about: Not to remind us that dragons exist, but that dragons can be beaten. However stupid those novels might be to others, they helped me more during that time than anything anyone could have said or done. Read now, later, or never?Now. I try to keep it chill with the superlatives, but the whole "Heritage" quartet likely constitutes one of the best contributions to fantasy literature in the whole history of the genre. Not reading it is missing out on something that is as significant as Leiber's Lankhmar tales, Game of Thrones, or Elric.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2019 10:35:01 GMT -6
"The Shannara Chronicles" - often referred to as "Shannara TV", 2016-2017.Spoilerific Mini-ReviewI'm down with a noroviral infection, so we can leave it to your interpretation if my impulse to puke comes from what I have digested, or from what I'm trying to digest. Production & DesignLet's start with the fact that this series looks, really, really good, especially for conventional TV standards, where "fantasy series" usually means "watch our actors walk through a park". While it gets a little bit experimental in some parts, the Fallout-meets-Lothlorien look especially of the first season is what I personally think Brooks might have had in mind for his world of "Shannara", particularly when looking at the books where he tries to connect "Word & Void" with the classic trilogy. The only visual "dents" in the show's first season - that, already foreshadow its later weaknesses - are the decision to make Brooks' gnomes and trolls some sort of weird gasmask-wearing mutants, and to make Paranor some sort of subterranean bunker. - But then, by themselves, those decisions might be defensible, and likely be based on budget constraints. The overall design of the show, while not faithful to the original art associated with the book series, certainly reflects Brooks' vision, at least to some degree. Fight choreography lamentably takes a lot of inspiration from the "Xena Warrior Princess" playbook, and that hurts a lot of the intended sense of drama - but that's not "bad" yet, that's just a matter of budget, and whether you want to create a series that works for teens, or whether you want to create a splatter festival intended for HBO. Casting & ActingThe cast is strong, and even the younger actors are not just "faces", but, judging from their work before and after the series, really talented folks. Especially Manu Bennett as Allanon delivers a more than solid performance, with what he is given. John Rhys-Davies and James Remar are not exactly acting lightweights, either. - But what kills the series, in almost every scene, is the corny, apparently written-on-the-fly, unrehearsed dialogue. Now, when we say "bad dialogue", that's usually one of those phrases that, while insinuating a lot, usually say very little. So, what am I referring to, specifically? - The inherent, ever-plaguing problem of "Shannara Chronicles" is that its dialogues are "written to be understood". This is quite normal in YA-oriented productions - language is kept simple, and things are often over-explained, with the dialogue commenting everything that is happening on screen pace-by-pace, like on a TV sports broadcast. What's different with "Shannara" is that the show not only overexplains things, but communicates everything in the same voice, which is that of a bored high school teacher. There is no difference of tonality between the characters, Elven, Druids and Valemen have the same voice, use the same slang. ...And because most of what they are doing is either wikipedia-like exposition commentary on the things the viewers can already see, this creates a sense of dullness that is remarkable for a production based on an actual, existing book. Especially for a book adaptation, one would naturally assume that the scene-by-scene dialogue was somehow modeled on the, well, scenes it intends to adapt - but it doesn't. Instead of Brooks' well-placed lines, we're, mostly given what the screenwriter apparently thought would be appropriate to say in such a scene, and in most cases, that new dialogue is not even totally coherent. Basically, it's a mess. Story & Adaptation ...If you don't recognize any of the scene depicted in the video above from the books, then it's because nothing of it IS from the books. Which leads us to the main issue many have expressed about "The Shannara Chronicles": That it's both a very free and very bad adaptation of the original books. The first season follows the general plot of "Elfstones", even with the bad dialogue, the budget-related downgrading, the uncalled addition of random background elements (Allanon's and Andor's lovers, the rebirth chamber), and the totally unwanted sexing-up. But the second season, oh boy. What a more able and interested writing team could have made into a prequel to "Wishsong", these producers made into a mess of proportions that border on intentionally damaging Brooks' intellectual property: The basic plot is borrowed straight-out of D&D, basically "The Head of Vecna". The locales we visit are an African-American waterfall steampunk kingdom that we are told is meant to represent both the Dwarves, and the kingdom of Leah. (In the novels, basically, the Scottish Highlands, no less!) Eretria gets a lesbian lover. Garet Jaxx is basically a younger version of Jules Winnfield. Shea, Wil's father (!), is a drunkard suffering from PTSD. Shady Vale is napalm-bombed. Allanon is somehow also the Warlock Lord. Mareth from "First King" appears. Time travel. ...Gaaah. And that mix, paired with the bad dialogue and with the YA-related clunkiness, and not a particularly good storyline on its own behalf, essentially kills any sympathy I as a reader of the original stories might have had left for the series. From an adaptational point of view, the series just plainly fails. Not only is this not the world we know from the books, if it wasn't for a few key names, this would have had nothing to do with "Shannara", at all. Cancelation & LegacyAfter the series finished its second season, it got cancelled in early 2018. Likely, it entered the history books as one of the very worst fantasy series ever filmed, on par some of the very worst 80s B-movies. The nicest thing that can be said about it is that it genuinely tries to tell an epic fantasy tale, and that viewers who are looking just for that might even find the series, by itself, rewarding. The only good thing I personally can take from the TV series is that it inspired a new edition of the books in German and in Spanish, and that way, it was easy to get some family members their own versions of the classic trilogy... And for me, a couple of audiobooks that I hadn't yet purchased in earlier years. Watch now, later, or never?NEVER! - Not since the dildo-swinging ninjas of season two of "Legend of the Seeker" has classic fantasy literature be butchered like this on the silver screen. ...If you watch it, then bring a lot of beer, as otherwise it's truly insufferable.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2019 10:36:02 GMT -6
PS - yeah, women fighting a swordbearing beau with lethal, poisoned dildos. This really happened. On Saturday morning TV.
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Post by thefoxdie on Dec 11, 2019 18:31:19 GMT -6
The Heritage of Shannara is where Shannara really hit it's stride for me. Loved Matty Roh, I agree it's a shame she wasn't in from the beginning, but I'm glad we got her for as long as we did. Damson Rhee....I've already stated my problem with her and it mainly agrees with your assessment. Walker Boh and Morgan Leah most definitely was the best developed two characters in nearly any Shannara series. You really can't go wrong with the Heritage of Shannara as a read, and I go back and re-read it on my Kindle semi regularly.
Before I jump into my response...Rafe, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Being sick is never fun.
Now....the TV Series. I wish I could say that I loved it. I do. My wife initially did love it, and I had fun being able to inform her on the World of Shannara and she liked the idea. I've already stated my irrational love of Ivana Baquiro, whose stunning looks felt as spot on as you could get with Eretria. That is literally it. Everything else about the show was a complete and total waste of time and in watching lost time in my life that I will never get back. I've said before and I'll say it again, I have no idea what Terry Brooks felt/thought when he watched them turn his gold material into literal trash, but man....I felt bad for him. The whole second season was a waste of viewers's time. I mean....it was as if the screenwriters were like "Ya know, we could write these books better" and then proceeded to take a healthy dump on literally each character. Manu Bennett couldn't save this, Ivana Baquiro couldn't save this. May the goddess have mercy on this show's soul.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2019 10:27:25 GMT -6
I've said before and I'll say it again, I have no idea what Terry Brooks felt/thought when he watched them turn his gold material into literal trash, but man....I felt bad for him. The whole second season was a waste of viewers's time. He had a reaction roughly comparable to what happened to Mark Hamill and "The Last Jedi": First, he was pretty open about his frustration, then apparently someone reminded him of the tasty paycheck he was going to get. There are some videos of him around that are quite funny - he's just not as good an actor as such a situation might perhaps require. I mean....it was as if the screenwriters were like "Ya know, we could write these books better" and then proceeded to take a healthy dump on literally each character. Manu Bennett couldn't save this, Ivana Baquiro couldn't save this. May the goddess have mercy on this show's soul. You pretty much nail it: They told their story, not the one Brooks had in mind. For whatever reason, really. - The real tragedy is that a whole production team looked at this and gave it the go: Like, even from the scripts, you can tell that this is going to be, well, not strong. The script for the pilot is below: www.mzp-tv.co.uk/tv_scripts/The_Shannara_Chronicles_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf
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Post by thefoxdie on Dec 16, 2019 19:10:15 GMT -6
And the super sad part about this is that these books were part of people's childhoods. We're talking about books that thousands if not millions have read and possibly hoped against hope that they would get the movie or TV Show treatment. I'll never understand the hollywood mindset, we see it in other shows, movies as well.
Aw man...as much as I want to read that...I just can't. I'll take your word for it because I already have a good idea that it's fairly bad. lol
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 5:16:20 GMT -6
"The First King of Shannara", 1996.
Spoilerific Mini-Review
The origin story - behind the Allanon Cycle of stories, at least. This is my favorite fantasy novel. My favorite fantasy novel. Favorite. Favorite.
The Best
The plot. This is Brooks at his best, writing a story that has been on his mind for a long time - and that most readers already anticipate. Yet so, he manages to introduce a couple of very interesting angles and perspectives to a story that, in part, surely means going back to motifs and tropes he has already used several times in his earlier fiction.
The atmosphere. A fantasy tale told like a classic John Wayne Western movie vessel. Big, sublime spaces, small mortals in front of them. Magic, a force of nature, not so much a "talent to be controlled". And, of course, all of Brooks' admittedly lovable stock characters come to make a cameo, if sensibility and story allow it.
The Worst
The title is kind of a misnomer. This is Bremen's story. This is Tay's, and Kinson's, and Mareth's story. Jerle Shannara is a secondary character, at best, behind a row of other secondary characters. He's not without interest to the reader, but we hardly learn anything about him - and his showdown with the Warlock Lord is simply underdeveloped by Brooks.
Notable Characters Bremen is certainly the central character to the story, and Brooks writes him well, and takes great care to make this feel different from old Allanon from "Wishsong", or from Cogline's chapters in "Heritage". Mareth is one of Brooks' best female characters in the series, a strong and interesting character that opens a new perspective to the magic aspects of Brooks' world.
Tay Trefenwyd is an interesting, fresh depiction of a Druid, and foreshadows topics that Brooks will outright beat to death in the later novels of the Grianne Cycle. Tay, however, is perhaps the most interesting character of the entire novel because it's through him that the reader explores the world before it ultimately becomes the setting we all know.
Personally, I've always been attached to Kinson - even named a few RPG characters after him. Why that is so is hard for me to define: I guess I generally like "Han Solo"-style characters, "the everyman against the supernatural". Upon looking at the novel in search of traits of uniqueness in the character, I got to confess that he is more of a bystander. Sort of this novel's "Token Leah" - but in my opinion, a very charming one.
Legacy
For the "Shannara" series, "First King" is a watershed point: It's perhaps the best fantasy book that Brooks will ever write, and it displays what can be done with even a setting as limited as the Four Lands if its creator is willing to break away from ever-repeating the same formula. - Mareth, of course, will make an infamous appearance in the second season of "The Shannara Chronicles", as a girl who believes to be Allanon's daughter.
Moreover, "First King", together with the 1990 TV series "Record of Lodoss War", and next to Ken Follett's slightly infamous "The Pillars of the Earth", has the distinction of being the book that I keep recommending people when they ask me what to read in preparation of our gaming sessions. While I think that "Shannara" is better suited to other game systems than D&D, I like the novel's attention to detail, and the way a complex narrative is kept through means of reduction.
Read now, later, or never?
As far as I personally am concerned, NOW, and even OFTEN. As a friend of the world of Shannara, in general, however, perhaps read it once you're already well into the series, which changes my vote to LATER. It's novel written for an audience already acquainted with the setting, and those who appreciate its nature as a prequel will likely get the most out of it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 6:56:36 GMT -6
Disclaimer I've decided to write reviews of the entirety of the "Word & Void"-Saga by Brooks, BUT I will not do so in a linear way. Rather than that, I will go on reviewing the entire W&V series parallel to my continuation of the Shannara series. - The reason for this is probably a bit weird, but hopefully somewhat relatable: Parts of the Grianne Cycle are pretty bad, and W&V is mostly pretty good. (In my opinion, at least.) And I don't want to write about bad and annoying stuff, all the time. So, divided we stride onwards.
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Post by thefoxdie on Jan 10, 2020 16:04:47 GMT -6
I'm not terribly against Word and Void. It's a good enough starting point for Shannara, since it's referenced so often within his series about the Great War and so on. With the way the world is, it's not that hard to believe that there's possibly magic running rampant in the background. Especially in the time frame, where we'd just begun the "Magic isn't real" belief and it only helps cover it up that much more.
The First King was good. I can't disagree with your points.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2020 8:47:46 GMT -6
"Why I write about Elves", 2004/2005/2012.Spoilerific Mini-ReviewBrooks both talks and writes about his take on writing, and on literature, in general. He explains things a little bit more in 2003's "Sometimes the Magic Works". The VideoThe Essaywww.terrybrooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brooks-whyiwriteaboutelves.pdfPersonal Impressions The speech is an introduction into Brooks' approach to writing, yes. The essay, however, is essentially a rant, perhaps partly triggered by the negative response to Brooks' post-2000 exploits. And while I'm happy to dissect any of Brooks' fiction by the rules that are for that, I find myself quite reluctant to opine on his recollection of personal experiences. Now, I sure remember how the public perception of fantasy (literature and gaming) would switch in the mid-2000s. Suddenly, it was cool to be a nerd! - Personally, I keep it like I've always kept it: Why I make no effort to specifically hide it, and sometimes even use my nerdy interests to distract people in a negotiation, or whatever - unless I don't know more about you than your name, you have no business with knowing what my hobbies are. So, I think I can at least understand where Brooks is coming from with his complaints. Again, what I register rather favorably in both video and essay is his craftsman-like approach. Writing is a "job", and you treat it like one. No fanciness, no sense of being a special little snowflake - just work. Not sure what Nelson Algren or Charles Bukowski would have said about that, but - it's a philosophy I can get behind. LegacyThis might be worth a look to many fans, if only because Brooks only rarely writes about his way of writing. Brandon Sanderson and Neil Gaiman entire online courses that will be there for posterity, Stephen King has written two or three books about his own literary theory - with Brooks, the essay, and the later memoir are just what you will get: The only written and premeditated statements about a forty-year career, and about a number of books that had a huge impact on the fantasy genre. So, I'm inclined to pay attention to what Brooks writes here, despite not liking most of what he has written post-2000. Read now, later, or never?If you're a fellow writer monkey or a big fan of Brooks, you might feel good about reading this one NOW. If you're just a casual fan, then later, or, really, NEVER - apart from Brooks' personal literary philosophy, this is not specifically connected to any of his novelesque work. If you're interested in a shorter, concept-oriented read about "Shannara", the 2001 "Dragon" article might be a more rewarding item to look out for. ---EDIT--- Publication HistorySo, researching this document, I found myself a bit confused. So, the varying publication dates for especially the essay point to it being released later than "Sometimes the Magic Works", Brooks' memoir. I distinctively recall that I read this essay - or some precursor to it - as early as 2002. Now, I might be misremembering, but given that I didn't read "Sometimes the Magic Works" until quite into the 2010s, it might be unlikely that I'm confusing those two documents. I think, simply, that an earlier version of "Why I write about Elves" must have been released somewhere else - perhaps on an older version of Brooks' current website, www.terrybrooks.net. ...I'll keeping looking into this little mystery, I think. While it's really not relevant whether this essay was released before or after "Sometimes the Magic Works", not knowing this surely triggers my OCD.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2020 7:53:42 GMT -6
Disclaimer: For the next few months, I'll stop reviewing these texts chronologically, and really just look at which ones I can do fast, and which require a little bit of extra effort. Say, the "Legacy" and the "Fall" series, I simply want to reread again before I post about them. Might even be that I review "Word & Void" only after I go through the first part of the Grianne Cycle, if only because I consider that approach more interesting. Overall, though, I think we will beat the June deadline, and really conclude this series of reviews with the release - and the final review - of what is shaping up to be the very last book in this series. "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Part One: Ilse Witch", 2000.Spoilerific Mini-Review130 years after the end of "Heritage", we return to the World of Shannara, and this time, we make for the high seas, and for a new trilogy! The BestThe premise. If there was a way to reasonably continue the "Shannara" timeline into the future, this was the way: Make the world bigger, and make magic less of a mystery. For the classic "Brooks Party" story to continue to work, new perspectives were needed, and Brooks is happy to give them to us. The evolution of the circumstances. The updated setting felt believable to me: The Shadowen might have been beaten, but their fascist ideology has persisted. Technology has advanced to a quasi-renaissance level, and it's the first time this impacts the story in a way that can be felt. Both the actions of Elves and Druids (which the first book of this new trilogy will focus on) make sense both within this new environment, and from the point of view where we left them at the end of "Heritage" - back in 1993, already. The character setup. Brooks tries something new here, perhaps inspired by Robin Hobb and her "Fitz" novels: His protagonists might only be an updated variation of the usual "Brooks Party", but for the most part, he writes them very well. Their personal lives and conversations outside of the exterior action are remarkably well-written and interesting - at least for the most part. The WorstThe plot. I'm not going to dwell on this for all too long, but as soon as the action leaves the Fields We Know, things go downhill in a way that is almost dramatic: The initial mystery soon becomes the irrelevant motivator of what can maybe be characterized as a "Dungeon Run", during which the characters hop from island to island looking for some sort of McGuffin that only exists because Brooks wants him to be there. It's lazy, sensational, bloodthirsty writing that makes nothing out of a very interesting premise. The Morgrawr. A lizardman warlock, retconned to be the ultimate evil. - And while his chapters are all quite SUPERBLY written, his presence hardly makes sense within the interior logic of the Shannara universe - and this will get considerably worse in the books that follow "Ilse Witch". He's an interesting antagonist, if you don't care for series continuity, at all, but within the Shannara universe, his appearance makes about as much sense as if Brooks had rolled him out on a Random Monsters table. Bek. Terry Brooks' "Jim Hawkins" for this book, and the token Ohmsford is, quite surprisingly, a totally unrelatable character to whom things just tend to happen quite randomly. Especially his interpersonal relationships, and his developing love story with airship captain Whatsherface are so clunky and unmotivated that one has to wonder why Brooks bothered with including him into the story, at all. Notable CharactersNext to all the badly-written characters, there are a few good ones - and that nothing short of saves the novel. Walker. More depersonalized and less angsty than the character from "Heritage", his portrayal has been repeatedly criticized as not being true to his earlier personality. I don't necessarily share that impression: I think Walker the Hedge Magician was a different person than Walker the 160-year-old Druid Who Had Dreamed Through The Entire History of Mankind. I particularly like that Brooks - until Grianne - repeatedly hints at Allanon and Walker really being the embodiment of the entirety of the Druidic order, and that their primary personality is really just being conditioned by the host body, but not representative of their motivations and ideas. That's pretty much how I read the character back when the novel came out. - Walker, in this novel, is much more like Allanon - a pragmatic manipulator. But he's also more cautious than Allanon or Bremen, and more reluctant to submit others to unnecessary forms of suffering, which is an interesting nuance to his otherwise fairly impersonal portrayal by Brooks. The Ilse Witch. As you know, if you've been following this series of posts, later to be revealed as "Grianne Ohmsford", descendant of Par, Jair, Will, and Shea. She's a fearsome presence, and her characters are something new for Brooks and "Shannara", as he indeed ports over elements from the horror genre - and from "Word & Void". Ryer Ord Star. A minor character in the series, she's interesting both because of her high emotional and spiritual vulnerability, but also because of her evident feelings both for Walker and for Ahren Elessedil, her lover. While she is little more in this book than an accessory to the male characters, she's also a pretty original creation, and gives the otherwise very superficial story about "ten fantasy characters in a flying boat" a surprising depth. - At least for me she does. LegacyThis is the one book where most older fans of "Shannara" will tell you that they eventually stopped with, at least for a while. I was the same, back in the day - I hated "Lazy Bek" so much, I didn't pick the next "Shannara" book up until perhaps 2005 or 2006. From today's perspective, though, I have to give it to Brooks that this book in particular is way better than I thought at first. The Morgrawr's backstory would need some editing, and Bek's chapters should perhaps simply be cut out, but overall, not as terrible as I had remembered it to be. Read now, later, or never?LATER. If you're not a fan, then Grianne's origin story is the only reason to bother with this book. And if you're a fan, then skipping the entirety of the Grianne Cycle, well, starts with this book. If you want to spare yourself some considerable heartache, but are still invested in the ongoing future timeline of "Shannara", then... Come back for "Defenders".
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