Customer Reviews

Dark Wraith of Shannara

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I knew this was a graphic novel long before I read it. I'm a fan of both comics and Terry Brooks because they are great memories from my turbulent teen years. I haven't bought a Brooks book in ages simply because his story-telling has gone down in reverse proportion to his age. When he was younger his plots were intricate and his writing was really something to chew on. Nowadays I pick up a book of his from the library and it's a rehash of teen angst, every time. Regular comics are somewhat like that for me but I still purchase the occasional graphic novel when it's good enough.

As for the writing here, well, it's almost non-existent. This is a plot, not a book. I read the entire thing in fifteen minutes. I guess the shade of Garet Jax infuses with Jair so that the latter is able to throw the smack down on Mwellrets, werebeasts, a Koden, and anything else that threatens him. Although I'm not really sure WHY. That's the thing, the idea is there but not an actual story or explanation. Even as a plot there is a huge hole in it. And it's in the form of a lone male living in the valley surrounding Hearthstone where Jair and Slanter drop off Kimber to heal. --I trust no harm will come to this young injured maiden out here in the woods with only a lonesome adult male for company. What could go wrong?-- This guy is never explained. I thought Hearthstone was only frequented by the Bohs and Cogline but maybe I'm wrong. Not that it matters, because this guy is never given an explanation in THIS story, which as a reader is what counts most.

All in all it's a good plot that could be developed into a solid story, but the format does nothing for either the artist or the author. The biggest glitch is that the artist used no background research to distinguish creatures from the world of Shannara. The Koden looks like an ab-buster wolf, which also resembles every werebeast in Olden Moor, that are themselves apparently only a shadowly cousin of a moor cat. That threw me right away, Whisper looks like a wolf? Shouldn't he be more, I dunno, catlike? And is the Koden pictured right after working out at the gym? Why give a bear ab muscles like that? Werebeasts are basically constantly shifting images from the victim's mind. Brooks describes them as shadows with shiny eyes mostly, yet here they look like standard werewolf trash. I gather the artist either really likes wolves or can only draw that one animal. And those are just the tip of the iceberg: the Croton Witch looks to be dying of leprosy; Kimber is shown as a steam-punk fantasy of a twelve-year-old boy; the Gnomes aren't given any real indication of size relative to Jair; the mystical protection of Paranor is a huge set of hands; etc., etc.

If you're at the library and have a spare few minutes to skim this it might appeal to Brooks fans. Then again it might irritate you to no end too. I certainly wouldn't waste money on it.

Not much into "graphic novels", but this is good. My only complaint is it isn't color. Other than that, it was worth the read.

The book is an illustrated version of Brook's new Shannara book. IMHO, it doesnt' work. Every page is a dark anima illustration which detracts from the written images that the previous Shannara books paint in the mind of the reader. Not a bad book, but the illustrations are a step down from the rich descriptive prose of the previous Shannara series.

I had just finished Wishsong and the short story Indominable, so perhaps the timing was perfect. I found myself wanting to know more about Jair, Brin, Kimber, Colgine, and Slanter. This graphic novel is a fun and quick read that focuses on Jair and his evolving magic. It cannot be compared to Terry Brooks' novels, but for the reader familiar with Shannara and the Ohmsford clan, this is an entertaining extension that touches on many aspects of the mythology. I especially liked the concept of rekindling Paranor's presence, even if it had to be stopped because of the evil behind it. In addition, we do learn a bit more about Colgine's druid past. I recommend The Dark Wraith for Shannara fans, but would have to disagree with book's back cover, which suggests this graphic novel is an "ideal opportunity" for the unfamiliar reader to delve into Brooks' fantasy world. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much had I not already read Wishsong and Indominable. As for those reviewers who were disappointed the book was not a text-based novel, all I can say is read before you buy. The graphic novel format was made very clear in all product information and I certainly knew what I was purchasing.

If you are expecting this to be the same as one of Terry's other Shannara novels, you will probably be disappointed. This short graphic novel format is more geared towards a short story, almost like a long comic book. I think of them as something that I could read on the bus or subway on the way to work. I finished this one in less than an hour. It was a good story and I would be interested in seeing more.

I finished reading Dark Wraith a day or two ago. First let me say/acknowledge that I've been a Brooks fan for, wow, about 20 years now. I've read all of his books except two -- First King, which for some reason I just cannot get into -- and Elves of Cintra, which is on my reading list for the summer. Except for First King, I've thoroughly enjoyed them all (the movie adaptations are a little iffy, yes). Terry has a great way of creating worlds and characters that are very believable and accessible. Even though his genre is fantasy, his character's situations and dilemmas are universal which makes his books all that much stronger.

When Terry announced that there was going to be a Shannara graphic novel, I had mixed emotions. I read comics as a kid and have enjoyed some of the graphic novels out there. I'm not a graphic novel die hard by any means. I was worried that the graphic novelization of the Shannara world could taint it or corrupt it somehow. The world seems to be in a graphic novel loving frenzy these days and I'm sure that's part of the reason for the push at this time. I enjoyed the art from the Hildebrandts and I have the art compendium for Shannara. While it's fun to see artists' representations, it can sometimes hurt the imagination.

Still, I was excited to see a new story from the Shannara world. I was also excited to see the sense of movement and excitement visually presented.

As I dove into the pages of Dark Wraith, I was not disappointed. First, it contains a great welcome from Terry in the beginning as well as a great intro to the Shannara world to help make the story accessible to any new readers. It was a good overview since it's been many years since I read the first trilogy (something I plan to do again).

The story begins with Jair working to thwart the powers of darkness and finding a strange new power in the Wishsong (I'm going to try to leave out spoilers without being too vague). The power, like most of Brooks' magics, is powerful to the point of potential consumption and Jair promises his sister he won't use the Wishsong again because it is just too dangerous and she doesn't want to risk losing him to the magic.

The story continues in the same way many/most of the early Shannara books did, with Allanon appearing to give our hero a quest. Naturally, Jair accepts and the adventure begins. We meet up with characters familiar to us from other Shannara tales. It's cool to see how their personalities are slightly different in this time period due to more or less passage of time (depending on which book's version you're comparing them to). It's nice to see the characters progress and develop different traits through different adventures.

One part of the quest is fulfilled and the final portion remains. Jair pushes on to fulfill his quest and is presented with difficult morale choices of keeping his promise to his sistetr or succumbing to the call of the magic, hoping he's strong enough to withstand it's pull.

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the Shannara world and fans of fantasy and/or graphic novels. The story is engaging and the artwork is fabulous.

My main criticism is the seeming lack of length/depth. The story itself is only ~160 pages and it travels fairly quickly. I agree with the comments of the adaptor who said this could easily expand into something much larger. If a "picture is worth a thousand words", then we're probably still pretty close to a standard novel size, maybe still a bit shorter. So much of the struggle that goes on in Shannara books is internal to the characters, something that is difficult to bring into a graphic novel and still maintain the pacing created in this form. The adventure itself goes very quickly. The general pacing of the travel and the adventure is good, I just want more of it.

Again, I haven't read the original trilogy for a while, so I may be perhaps dwelling too much on the modern Brooks. I definitely recall that over the years, Terry's plotlines have become much more complex...intricate spiderwebs of motivations and subplots. I think I wanted to see more of that in this book. But that may have been a bit overwhelming for the graphic novel form and it may also be that this style is more true to the original Wishsong.

Overall:
****
4 out of 5 stars

Warning: The following review WILL contain SPOILERS for both this book and "The Wishsong of Shannara". You have been warned!

I just recently finished reading the "The Wishsong of Shannara" and I was excited to find out that the story had been continued with the short novella "Indomitable" and the graphic novel "Dark Wraith". With both formats being completely new to Brooks at the time, I was curious to see how these two books progressed the story.

"Indomitable" was actually quite refreshing in that the short story format forced Brooks to omit much of his superfluous detail that sometimes plagued his first three novels. It was, for the most part, pure plot that clipped along at a very nice pace.

"Dark Wraith" was an enjoyable story as well, but it fell short on a few things and I found myself having several issues with it. Below is list of my observations after reading this book.

1. First, it should be stated that the graphic novel "Dark Wraith" plays out more like a sequel to "Indomitable", while "Dark Wraith" and "Indomitable" collectively make up the epilogue for "The Wishsong of Shannara". Brooks states in the foreword that no introduction of previous Shannara stories is needed to read "Dark Wraith". I would definitely disagree. I think anyone would be lost reading this without at least having read Wishsong. And the real kicker is that on the very next page, Brooks gives the reader a synopsis of the first three Shannara books right after stating an introduction is not needed. Go figure!

Furthermore, the first 22 pages of "Dark Wraith" is used to rehash the final scene from "Indomitable"....22 pages that could have been better used to add more plot in "Dark Wraith".

2. Maybe I just completely missed something here, and please feel free to enlighten me if you choose, but I don't get the title of this book at all. The Dark Wraiths (or walkers) were all killed off at the end of Wishsong when Brin destroyed the Ildatch. The Mwellrets were not wraiths, however they were influenced by the power of the Ildatch and were definitely on their way down the Wraith "path" (so to speak) when they came upon the sole surviving page of the Ildatch. Additionally, the Croton Witch (whom was a brand new character to the story, and whose existence and background were hardly explained) could not have been the dark wraith that the title referred to either because she was...well...she was a witch, not a wraith. So now assuming that the word wraith was used in its general term to mean "dead spirit", possibly the title is referring to Jax?? I just don't know. If that's the case, why would Jax - a well liked protagonist, be given such an ominous title?

3. Cogline, one of the more eccentric and interesting characters from Wishsong makes a welcomed return here. And in the story "Indomitable" it is revealed that he is actually a surviving Druid. I felt that Brooks took this startling revelation way too lightly and leaves tons of unanswered questions that I hope to goodness is explained in further books. I mean how did Cogline survive all these years? All of the Druids were killed by the Warlock Lord at Paranor and only Allanon lived on to survive for so long because he was bound to fulfill his destiny of ridding the Four Lands of the evils of the Ildatch. And if Cogline was a Druid, why didn't Allanon leave him with the task of preserving the Druid knowledge? Additionally, the blood pact Allanon made with Brin was based on the assumption that he was the last. As it stands, Cogline being a Druid feels a bit too much deus ex machina for the purpose of re-raising Paranor. More explanation is needed here!

4. Granted I've never read a graphic novel before "Dark Wraith", but I just felt that the pacing was really off and felt very awkward. Also, the narrative was written in present tense which was actually quite distracting. "Chapters" were put in at odd places which placed unneeded pauses in the narrative and the majority of the dialogue felt very choppy and unnatural (although I do have to say that Slanter's dialogue was very well written). Again, maybe this writing style is common among graphic novels - not sure. I just didn't care for it too much.

5. Illustrations - it was nice to actually get a visual of the Shannara characters as Brooks perceived them. Some of them were spot on as I perceived them in my own mind while reading the novels, while others were just baffling. For example, Whisper looked more like a huge shaggy dog rather than a cat and there was hardly any noticeable difference between Whisper and the Wearbeasts - the illustrations were practically identical. Kimber just looked completely out of place from the other characters, it was almost ridiculous. She looked like some anime character from Final Fantasy with a halter top, double d boobs and a loin cloth...hardly the image we were given in Wishsong. Also, Brooks explicitly states in the "Behind the Scenes" section that gnomes should be shoulder height to humans and taller than dwarfs. Really?? I thought the initial concept drawing of Slanter (which was rejected by Brooks) was pretty dead on. Also of interesting note, is that the original concept drawing of Allanon (which again was rejected by Brooks) looks exactly like the published image, with just a slight change to his robe. The illustrations of Jax were probably the books saving grace from a visual standpoint.

If you read Brooks' intro, you'll sort of get the feeling that he was forced into this whole graphic novel thing and was feeling quite unsure about the process. I think he probably should have stuck with his gut instinct. Brooks has not published any additionally graphic novels since this book (to my knowledge), so I'm assuming this was not such a great success for him. All in all, I liked the story, maybe just wished it had been delivered in a different format.