Customer Reviews

First King of Shannara

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Once again, Terry Brooks masterfully weaves his
storytelling magic in The First King of Shannara, the
eighth installment in the popular Shannara series. A
prequel to the series, this book embodies the classic
fantasy world in which the battle between good and evil
predominates in the story. Brooks, master of his art,
allows these "Tolkein-esque" elements to form only the
backdrop of a solidly forged epic, powerful and moving,
allowing readers to embrace characters as only Brooks can
create and develop them.
In great detail, The First King of Shannara answers
many of the questions raised in previous books: the fall of
Paranor and the Druids, the forging of the Sword of Shannara
, the discovery of the Black Elfstone, the origin of Allanon
, and more. Hundreds of years after the First War of the
Races, the outcast Bremen, the last of the Druids, is the
only force that convince the people of the Four Lands that
their only hope to prevent subjugation lies in uniting --
and in using the magic they fear above all else.
Whether dedicated fan or first time reader, this novel
will enthrall you, capturing your full attention and binding
you to the web woven by Terry Brooks. This book in the
least deserves the highest recommendation, and connot be
done justice by any summary, however massive. Only by
personally experiencing the latest work of Brooks can one
understand the wonder and proportion of it.

I was (as usual) pleasantly surprised to see Terry Brooks attempt to give us a prequel to his enormously successful and fantastic debut, 'Sword of Shannara'. As I started to read 'First King' I began to think that a few facts brought into evidence seemed out of whack with what had been written before in the original first book ('Sword'). After I finished the book, I went and re-read 'Sword of Shannara' and sure enough, there are just a few places where the facts originally set forth by Allanon were re-written a bit different in 'First King'. Now this is just a small annoyance, but for some reason it really got to me. Other than this, I had to say that it was an exceptional fantasy novel. I also have to say that even though the events pre-date the 'Sword of Shannara' you don't have to read it before beginning the series (although if you haven't read any of them, I would recommend going in order if you can). What Brooks does best is develop characters you can identify with, ones with flaws and problems, sometimes impossibly difficult problems...but that is why we root for them and feel like we can understand with them, they are like US. The bad guys are really bad (in this case, I don't think ANY evil creature in ALL the Shannara books is as bad as the Warlock Lord) and the good guys are good, and there are a few who are questionable...he gets you to wondering whether or not they will step up to the plate when necessary or will they fold and cause a tragedy...well without ruining the story (which should be familiar if you have read 'Sword') some do and some do not (I'll let you find out who they are on your own--it's much more fun that way). Let me just say this: IF you are a Terry Brooks fan, you will probably LOVE this book. If you are NOT a fan of Brooks, you should STILL LOVE this book. I just can't see anyone who is a fan of fantasy not enjoying EVERYTHING written by Brooks...I just can't fathom it. Anyway, 'First King' IS a great addition to the series, and after reading it for the 2nd time, I STILL enjoyed it, but those little details that were altered still managed to get under my skin. If you don't catch them, then don't worry, just sit back and enjoy a great read.

I highly recommend to read the sword of shannara and the heritage of shannara series first, for two reasons first you will understand this book a lot better, and second because is really amazing to read the history of the world and of the characters that you knew in the first seven books and understand what is happening not by what they told you on the first books but by actually reading every part of it.

now, if you already have done that, this is an excelent book, an amzing book and it relates the story of Breman, Allanon`s father, and of the war that caused everything that will happen in the forst seven books and in the later six.

Read it, you will enjoy it.

After the HERITAGE OF SHANNARA series, I was afraid that Brooks had lost his touch with that world. This book proves otherwise. It tells a story of the past and does it well. Like the first "trilogy", this book gets the reader involved emotionally. You care about the characters...deeply, or at least I did. It tugged on my heartstrings and made my spine tingle throughout.

The pacing is also very good. The book starts out quickly and continues at a breakneck pace. Not that there isn't time for introspection...there's a lot of that, but not an overabundance. It's definitely a page turner.

I think I would have appreciated it more if it hadn't been so many years since I'd read the other books. There's such a sense of history here and Brooks works in a lot of foreshadowing of the other books. Unfortunately, I didn't remember details enough to fully appreciate all of it.

The one thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of a map. I got confused sometimes as to where certain characters were in relation to others. Aside from that, this was a very satisfying read.

Having read the other 10 Shannara books first I put off reading this prequel to the original SWORD OF SHANNARA. While I like Brooks writing it seems that the 7 Shannara books that followed the original triology are less and less original in plot and weak on character development. However I felt that I had to read this book if for no other reason so that I can claim to have read all 11 Shannara books.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I thought the background history on Breman and the castle at Paranor was insightful and actually fills in the gaps for things mentioned in other Shannara books. I also enjoyed reading about the other druids and the different walks of life they came from and returned to. There is various background information on various places and people that will have direct or indirect roles in other books. Finally fans of Shannara are treated to the origin of Allanon.

The only complaint I have is the ending of the book. The final hundred pages of the book devotes to much time to detailing battle scenes and not enough to the confrontation of the Warlock Lord and King Jerele. Anyway, this book is a good read. It would be a good stand alone read but for those who have read other Shannara books they will find it very interesting. Out of the 11 Shannara books I would place this fourth in my line of favorites. Right after the first triolgy; THE SWORD, ELFSTONES and WHISHSHONG OF SHANNARA.

This, like all of Brook's Shannara series books, is wonderful. I am glad that Brooks took the opportunity to write this prequel. It gives the reader a look into the past and into the characters and ancestors that started the story that continues through the Shannara series. The characters are very well developed and rich, without the droning on and on with descriptions that some authors fault. You learn little bits and pieces at a time about the characters and story that continually make you go "Aha! So that's why....." Moves along at a great pace and keeps you wondering, but with enough hints that you wait for the characters to find out if what you are anticipating is right! There are also plenty of "I didn't see that coming" moments. I recommend the entire SHANNARA SERIES for anybody who is looking for a wonderful fantastical world to read about. However, read this book in the order of publication - don't read it first.

This was my first book of the Shannara series. I had read Brooks' Landover series when I was younger and enjoyed them. Travelling through the airport, I picked up this book as a guilty pleasure on a long flight. I do not recommend it.

First, I don't think you should start the series with this book; that was my mistake. This is a prequel that is not intended to be read as the first book of the series.

The book contains little fresh or innovative. It was basically the standard fantasy story with elves, dwarves, a time of great magic at some point in the distant past, and an overwhelming purely evil villain threatening to conquer the free peoples of Middle Earth...I mean The Four Lands.

Brooks can write well, but I feel that he really didn't put his heart into this novel. The plot and characters are mostly formulaic and hackneyed. One of the major characters is named "Kinson Ravenlock." I think that says it all. If you love the series and want to know some background information, this novel could be enjoyable, I suppose. Just don't expect very much.

I've previously read the three books in the original Shannara series and the four books in the Heritage of Shannara series. I enjoyed them all very much, although I though some were better than others. THE FIRST KING OF SHANNARA is a prequel to the others, with the action taking place several hundred years before the events taken up in THE SWORD OF SHANNARA. The drawback here, for me, was that it's been many years since I read those books, particularly the first series. Hence, this latest tale gives background to things in the later series that I hardly remember.

That issue aside, I've always had a couple of other small problems with Brooks' writing. It's always seemed to me that either the world of The Four Lands is lilliputian, or the characters in these books walk at extraordinary speed. Brooks frequently has characters traverse passes through mountains in a day. Early in this book, Bremen and his companions go from Paranor south through mountains to the Mermidon in a day, then go from there (the western end of the Dragon's Teeth) to near the Valley of Shale (at the eastern end of the Dragon's Teeth), a distance that would have to be 100 miles or more based on maps from the books, the following day. Admittedly, these are imaginary places, but, as someone who has done a little backpacking, the sheer unreasonableness of traveling such distances on foot in the timeframe given in the stories always bothers me. Try walking through a range of mountains in a day or two. Further, these characters seem inexhaustable. They get tired and haggard, but they hike for days at a time, often continuing far into the night, with little food and little sleep. Superman couldn't do it.

These are, however, small problems. The fact is, the Shannara books are quite good and, in my opinion, THE FIRST KING OF SHANNARA is one of the better ones. The characters, as usual, have depth, and Brooks provides beautiful descriptive passages, setting his scenes in great detail without being ponderous. In addition, though, this is one of his more engrossing plots. The story moves at a strong, steady pace and there is plenty of action. This book is great fun. Not Tolkien, in my mind, but excellent just the same. Brooks fans will love it. For others, this book can stand on its own, but I recommend reading the original Shannara series first. If you like fantasy fiction, this is a must.

If you have never read a "Shannara" book, I would not suggest starting with this one, even though the events in this book are chronologically first in the Shannara timeline.

This is better suited to readers who have already read at least the original trilogy, or better yet, the original as well as the Heritage of Shannara books, and want a more complete telling of the history of the Four Lands, and a story revolving around characters who preceded Allanon and the Ohmsfords, such as Bremen and Jerle Shannara.

Now with that out of the way...

The plot should be fairly well known to veterans of the series, as it is mentioned here and there in other books. The Warlock Lord is attempting to conquer the Four Lands, and all that stands in his way is the druid Bremen, and a handful of companions who must go on various quests, and overcome the challenges presented to them along the way, if there is to be any hope of stopping Brona and his Northland army.

This book, while maybe not the best of the bunch, has enough to offer longstanding fans that I would recommend it to any who have read and liked the series. It was interesting to read about people and events in this time, where the actions and decisions made here had a huge impact on the subsequent course of history throughout the Four Lands.

While the book did drag in some spots, the last part grabs your attention right until the very end. And while it's probably predictable for Shannara fans, it's written in such a way that you still want to find out how it happens, even if you already know the end result.

All in all, a very worthy addition to the Shannara series.

I prefered the prequel than the Trilogy he wrote before. Here he manages to include the whole quest in fewer words, whereas The Sword of Shannara, at times it becomes a bit boring. The Fall of Paranor: a very violent attack, described beautifully especially when a heart is brought out of a body because of the victim's stubborness; the Search of the Black Elfstone: in which my favourite character dies (but I'm used to that now!) and the Battle for the Rhenn: the most beautiful battle I ever experienced sitting on a sofa looking at ink on paper; were those fantastic events that put me on the edge of my seat. I also recommend the book to those who would like to see how a small boy and an old druid can destroy an army's plans by one simple action: Druid Fire, in the Battle for the Rhenn. It is a very good fast moving book reflecting here a new type of fantasy.