Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terry Brooks, master of storytelling, weaves his greatest., December 27, 1996
By A Customer
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Prequel to a Great Triology!, January 4, 2003
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Standard fare, though enjoyable, September 7, 2006
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. I didn't realize it was actually a prequel, not the first of the series.
There was little fresh or innovative here. 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.
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