Dark Wraith of Shannara [Paperback]

Terry Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2008

THE FIRST-EVER GRAPHIC NOVEL SET IN THE WORLD OF SHANNARA!

Possessing an awesome power he is only beginning to understand, young Jair Ohmsford must summon the devastating yet darkly seductive magic of the wishsong on a fateful mission to save his friends . . . and protect the future from the forces of evil.

If you’ve never ventured into the wondrous world of Shannara, consider this an ideal opportunity. Prepare to enter the breathtaking realm of the Four Lands, where beings both noble and sinister have quested and clashed, crossed swords in the names of darkness and light, and engaged in adventures rich with mystery and majesty.

“Terry’s place is at the head of the fantasy world.”
–Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–At the end of the Shannara trilogy (Random, 1987), Brin and Jair Ohmsford used their wishsong power to destroy the Ildatch, the ultimate in dark magic books, and save the world from evil. It was a battle in which they lost many friends, including Jair's most trusted companion, Weapons Master Garet Jax, who had appeared invincible. It seemed as though the siblings had fulfilled their Ohmsford heritage and vanquished the foe–the operative word being seemed. Now the story continues in graphic-novel form. The characters and action are true to the Shannara legacy. Here Jair is called to destroy the last fragment of the Ildatch. Using magic, he is able to call forth and become Weapons Master Garet Jax, although this power puts his own soul in jeopardy. This exciting story sets the stage for a sequel. The black-and-white art is expressive and uses creepy shadow to convey the black arts at work. Although the art is classic comic book style and it is printed in standard left-to-right form, the novel should have great appeal to those who like fantasy-adventure manga because of its tone and subject matter. This quick, exciting adventure won't disappoint Brooks's fans, and it is a terrific way to hook reluctant readers, who will want to pick up one of the many Shannara novels to find out more about these characters.–Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA
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Review

Plenty to enjoy for readers of fantasy as well as comic books Fantasy Book Critic A great way of attracting newcomers to Fantasy SFFWorld --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345494628
• ISBN-13: 978-0345494627
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Brooks is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including the Genesis of Shannara novels Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra; The Sword of Shannara; the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr; the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken; the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life; and the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas, Star Wars(R): Episode I The Phantom Menace.(tm) His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century. The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full-time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All things considered, Dark Wraith is a pretty good graphic novel, April 9, 2008

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dark Wraith of Shannara (Paperback)

I was a little wary to say the least when I first heard about this grand experiment as Terry has called it. I am not what you would call a real fan of the format in general, and have yet to just *get into* the whole idea of reading a Comic Book (for lack of a better description). However, I tempered all of this with the fact that Terry has been one of the more consistently GOOD Fantasy Authors of the last 30 years and I decided to gamble on buying a copy.

For me, I believe the gamble paid off. While I won't be putting Dark Wraith up there with the likes of pretty much ANY of Terry's large (and growing) collection of great novels, I WILL admit that the story and even the art-work was enough to keep me interested and above-all, entertained from beginning to end.

Let me say that I am a gigantic fan of the Wishsong novel and the subsequent short story featuring Jair in the Legends II Fantasy collection and felt that Dark Wraith would be a nice continuation of events within that scope. I STILL feel that the character of Garet Jax is easily one of Brooks' best creations, and I think the whole idea behind using magic through song is one that potentially has limitless possibilities within the realm of a Shannara-themed story...add that together and I already felt like I was familiar with this story even before I began page 1.

I have to say that getting re-acquainted with Slanter all over again was a sincere pleasure...after finishing the story, I have to say that I really wish it had been longer. For those who may purchase this book thinking that the story is as epic as the typical Shannara tale will be sorely disappointed. This particular tale can be read in one fairly short sitting--unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the story, I just felt that the book barely got moving when almost as suddenly it ended...it's THAT short.

Take that all into account along with the fact that this IS a Graphic Novel and NOT a typical story and I believe you may enjoy this shortened visit into the land of Shannara quite a bit...but for those who are strongly against Graphic-type novels, you may want to think twice before picking this one up. I guess it's just a matter of taste...and I actually enjoyed this one, but wish it had been longer.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars graphic comic for fans of the Shannara saga, March 28, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Wraith of Shannara (Paperback)

In the Four Lands, the dream frightens Jair Ohmsford as he finds himself in trouble with shades like the late great warrior Jaret Jax the Weapons Master helping him survive his nightmare. However, reality proves even scarier when the shade of Allonon warns him an evil inhuman race the Mwellerts have a new scheme starting with the abduction of two of Jair's friends Kimber and Cogline. Jair knows he must rescue them, but no one wants to abet his cause out of fear of the enemy. Still he has power if he dares use the dark magic Wishsong that his father and his sister have cautioned as the price of employing this conjuring could be his soul. However, reluctantly he turns to the spirit of a deceased warrior for help as the enemy has come for him because he has proven with his sister to being the one to prevent the Mwells from making a nightmarish future for everyone.

DARK WRAITH OF SHANNARA is a stand alone graphic comic book that is a direct follow up to Terry Brooks' WISHSONG OF SHANNARA. The story line is entertaining due to the prime character as Jair, not wanting to bring his sibling Brin into what he believes is his cause, has difficult magical choices to make to save his friends. The black and white artwork is well done as the pictures enhance the plot. There are several other background sections that might fascinate some readers like the "The making of Dark Wraith" and "The Artist's Sketchbook" but this reviewer has no interest (even with the art being top rate) in those sections so I only gave it a quick glimpse. Fans of the Shannara saga will enjoy this novel entry.

Harriet Klausner

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story In Any Medium, April 23, 2008

By 

D. Abel (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Wraith of Shannara (Paperback)

Ignore the reviews that say they didn't like it "because they thought it was a book." Graphic novels are a perfectly viable storytelling medium. I think no less of stories because they're told with words AND pictures.

Besides, the product description states very clearly "GRAPHIC NOVEL." If people can't read that much, they don't even have any business reading books in the first place.