The Gypsy Morph (The Genesis of Shannara, Book 3) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: gypsy morph, demon army, black staff, Logan Tom, Knight of the Word, Helen Rice (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A Dublin hospital cardiac care center forms the figurative heart, and forges the symbolic soul, of Binchy’s latest tour de force celebration of the simple blessings of a community whose joyous bonds are often eclipsed by the eccentricities of family and the improbable volatility of love. When Dr. Clara Casey becomes manager of the controversial and woefully unsupported outpatient clinic, she swiftly assembles a motley supporting staff of charismatic doctors, compassionate nurses, capable therapists, and clever assistants whose personal affairs of the heart are frequently more compelling and occasionally more cataclysmic than the physical infirmities presented by the actual patients. Whether it is a valiant young Polish girl on the lam from a ruinous love affair or a bumbling parish priest being pursued by a devious con artist, no one—least of all Clara herself—is immune from getting caught up in one of the daily mini-dramas that assail this dedicated group. Interweaving the domestic narratives of a dissimilar collection of individuals is beloved Binchy’s stock-in-trade, and once again, she does so with sublime ease, inventively engaging readers through a reassuring and persuasive combination of gracious warmth, gentle humor, and genuine affection. --Carol Haggas

Review

Praise for Terry Brooks

“A great storyteller, Terry Brooks creates rich epics filled with mystery, magic, and memorable characters. If you haven’t read Terry Brooks, you haven’t read fantasy.”
–Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and Brisingr

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

The Elves of Cintra

“Hair-raising . . . [a] fascinating group of characters tackling harrowing and inspiring life and death issues.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Plenty of thrills.”
–Entertainment Weekly


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition/First Printing edition (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345484142
• ISBN-13: 978-0345484147
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have read the Word and banished the Void.... for now, September 2, 2008

By	Jay R. Chase (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been reading Terry Brooks books for years and would tend to recommend his fiction just based on past performance. 'Sword of Shannara' and the related books are on just about any fantasy fan's top ten list.

I first read 'Running With the Demon' (Book one of The Word and the Void trilogy) back in 1998. I was fascinated by the concept and the writing was superb. I eagerly read the next two books and was just as impressed. I assumed that Brooks was going into a genre of writing similar to Charles De Lint (urban fantasy). What I did "not" get from any of those books at the time, was the tie-in to Shannara. As the next trilogy (The Genesis of Shannara) unfolded, I had to smack myself in the forehead for not realizing that these two trilogies were prequels to the original Shannara series.

Imagine that a writer can take a lion's portion of his works and tie them all together in such a neat package three decades down the road. It boggles my mind!!

Not much need for me to repeat the story line - others have outlined that in far more detail then I really care for. What I would like to add is that while you do not need to read all of the various Shanarra books to get into this one, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not starting back at 'Running With the Demon' and working through all ive previous books beore starting 'The Gypsy Morph'. I strongly believe it to be worth the effort!! Brooks does a marvelous job of wrapping up the major story lines (he admits at lectures and on-line that he leaves a few small threads open just to allow readers some leeway)

If you decide to read - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

All the best,

Jay

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm officially an insomniac!, September 3, 2008

By	Shell Ra (Naples, FL) - See all my reviews

As with every single Terry Brooks novel I've read, I enjoyed "The Gypsy Morph" immensely. My work schedule only allows me to catch up with my reading in the evening, and since starting this book a few days ago, I've become an insomniac! Reading well into the night until the words are all but blurred and swimming on the pages. Even now, it's past one o'clock in the morning, and having just finished the book, I'm still thinking about it and can't get it out of my head!.

"The Gypsy Morph" brings you through a wide range of emotions: joy, fear, anger, and sadness. At one point in the story, I found my self grinning from ear to ear, while in another, on the verge of tears. Only a handful of masterful writers can involve you in the characters so deeply, that you experience their emotions right along with them. And Terry Brooks is certainly a master of his craft.

Without fail, for every one of Terry's books I've read, I've always been disappointed to turn the last page and find that there's no more. He has this uncanny ability to wrap up his stories without closing them completely. He gives you just enough to get his point across and leaves the rest of the story open for the reader to come to his/her own conclusions. Although I admire this, it can also be very frustrating!

But that aside, it was a wonderful, exciting trilogy. And Gypsy was a fantastic end. I can't wait to visit Landover again next year! It's about time!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe this is getting old to say, but WOW! Brooks does it again, September 10, 2008

By	Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are few authors working today who can boast the sustained success that Terry Brooks has managed since 1977 with virtually zero breaks in between. I would have to say, with few exceptions, his novels stack up well in the Fantasy Realm as a whole against almost any other author currently working and/or who has ever written and been published. Is that to say he is the all-time best there has ever been? That's a personal question that will vary from reader to reader...and I refuse to attempt to make my opinion the only one that matters. Opinions vary--and for those who are long-time, or even new fans of Brooks will most likely agree that 'The Gypsy Morph' is yet another top-notch addition to his fantastic-and growing collection of works.

I have had the fortune of interviewing Mr. Brooks several times (once in person) and I assure you, he was asked literally THOUSANDS of times whether or not the Word & Void series was, or would be connected in ANY way to Shannara...I was one of those asking. When 'Armageddon's Children' came out, I guess that question was finally put to rest. And I must say, he put that to bed in absolutely the best style imaginable! Again, opinion's vary, but I honestly feel that just being able to come up with a plausible storyline to bridge the two was amazing. But the end rusult? Utterly fantastic.

There are critics of both the Word & Void as well as Shannara and seeing as how both series are now forever connected, I am interested to see how all the blogs will continue. I was initially quite skeptical that Terry would be able to successfully mate these two dramatically different storylines together in ANY way that could satisfy his demanding fans, but once again, even though it seems as though I am sounding like a broken record, but WOW, what a great job. The contemporary Fantasy theme of Word & Void, and the full-on Fantasy genre tied together via this Genesis was not only creative, and offered some genuine surprises and plot twists, but--at least to this reviewer--provided a sense of absolute satisfaction at how that connection was made and how it followed through.

So whats next for Brooks? I have it on good authority a new Magic Kingdom novel is in the works, and while that was never my favorite series in the genre, I still enjoyed it and look forward to diving head-first back into that realm as well. Honestly, for long time fans of Terry Brooks, how can you possibly be anything BUT impressed with 'The Gypsy Morph'? Sure, there will be those who will disagree with my thoughts, and that's ok...but chances are if you liked the 1st two books in this series, you will be more than fine with how it all goes together in this one. And again, remember, opinions vary.