Customer Reviews

The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I have to say, I LOVE the hardback omni-edition. The weight of it satisfies something in my heart. I don't always replace my paperbacks with hardback books, but this one is a definite buy. The Shannara books hold a really special place in my heart.

I used to teach ninth grade English. 25% of my grading system was based on each student's outside reading, and the writing they did about that outside reading. And you all know that the average 14 year old boy is going to categorically REFUSE to pick up a book, and so are a lot of the teenage girls.

The Sword of Shannara was my "failsafe" deal. I would hand the most recalcitrant kid in my classes this enormously fat little book, brand new, purchased by me, and agree that if they would just read THIS ONE BOOK, that I was personally giving to them, that would be good enough for the WHOLE YEAR. Other kids would beg for the same deal. I would agree, but they had to buy their own books.

Terry Brooks never failed me once. Every single kid I ever handed that book to (including my own siblings as teenagers!) not only read it, they kept reading Shannara books until they ran OUT of Shannara books. By then, they were hooked. I run into them from time to time, those former students, and the conversation invariably turns to 'what are you reading right now?' And the answer has never been nothing. It's ranged from the latest best sellers to Dante Aligheri's Commedia, from Mark Twain to Harlan Ellison, from TWOT to Star Trek. But there was always an answer.

So what if Shannara's not LOTR? NOTHING IS! Hell, TWOT isn't LOTR, and it's about 13 times longer at this point. I really don't believe it's possible to write fantasy, and not rewrite, at some level, LOTR.

The point is, Terry Brooks wrote a fabulous book. A book that for 20 years (until HP1 was published) was unmatched in my experience for getting kids to read, and to keep reading. It's BRILLIANT.

Because he wrote about fun, engaging characters, that talk in normal English (unlike Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf, who admittedly take a little wading through at 14, hm? High adventure. Loyal friends, and dangerous enemies. Ultimate sacrifice. All of it.

I love it. And while LOTR is always ONE of the 3-4 I always have on my nightstand, at least once every couple of years, Shannara joins it there. As it deserves to.

(And if the writing style seems a little immature, I suggest you go back and read "Carrie." It's not exactly "The Wastelands." All writers grow. Get a grip, there.)

I first read the Shannara books in junior high (early 90s) and instantly fell in love. They were the first epic fantasy books I'd ever read, the only other real fantasy book I'd read at that time being "The Hobbit." For the next decade, I'd read the Shannara books as they emerged, never feeling inclined to pick up the LOTR trilogy. For some reason, it looked boring to me when I was in high school. Then, in 2001, I decided that I'd better read the trilogy before the "LOTR: Fellowship" film came out. I really wanted to see the movie but felt that it would be bad form to see the film without having read the book.

So, I galloped through the trilogy, and it completely reframed how I viewed the Shannara books. In short, the LOTR trilogy completely blew me away. Aftwards, it almost made me sad to compare the two series. I spent a while feeling pretty negatively towards Mr. Brooks for what I felt were unforgivably blatant Tolkien rip-offs: Allanon/Gandalf, Elessedil/Elendil, Shady Vale/the Shire, wonderful elves/wonderful elves, etc., and all the other issues that Amazon reviewers have taken umbrage with.

I've since changed my tune. When all is said and done, when I go and re-read the Shannara books, they never fail to keep me up til 2:00 a.m., just as the LOTR trilogy does when it assumes a place on my night table. Mr. Brooks's works are, simply put, darn good pieces of storytelling -- when I'm lost in the pages of "The Elfstones..." at 1:30 a.m., it's not because I've been awake mentally critiquing Brook's characterization of the hero in the epic journey.

It is not Brooks's fault that he must write in Tolkien's shadow; Brooks certainly knew that his work was bound to draw comparisons (favorable and not so) to LOTR, and I think he has made the best of it. A recycling of themes, tropes, stock characters, etc., is inevitable in any literary tradition, movement, or genre, so I cannot fault Mr. Brooks for creating & populating the Four Lands in the manner that he has. When I re-read the books in the Shannara series, I do so to enjoy them on their own terms and for their own merits.

My main criticism of the Shannara franchise is the sheer number of books. I suspect that the quality of Mr. Brooks's writing in the most recent books falls below that of the original Shannara trilogy & Heritage series. I should say that in fairness, I've not read the latest one; I tried reading the "Ilse Witch: Voyage..." and could not make it through. I just couldn't read it for some reason, and I haven't tried the other two. All good things must eventually come to an end, and perhaps Mr. Brooks would have done well to end Shannara with "The Talismans...". Extending a series just to extend a series is not always a good thing.

When I first read the Sword of Shannara about 20 years ago, I was 13 years old and already a lover of fantasy. I had struggled through The Lord of the Rings but was not quite old enough to fully appreciate that saga. The Sword of Shannara was different story (heh). It was much easier to get into and enjoy than Tolkeins world, but that by no means is an indication of simplistic writting and plot. No, this was a heartfelt, intricate tale of sorcery, struggle and redemtion that kept me glued to it's pages until I finally turned the last one.

This book transported me to a masterfully created world full of peril where heros I could related to fought against the forces of evil even when the odd were heavily againt them. It was a world of magic and mystery and my youthful imagination ate it up! Fantastic stuff for a young teen looking for a little escape from the pressures of school, friends and family.

I went on to read more of Terry Brook's Shannara books, but the first will always be my favorite. The Elfstones and Wishsong were very good, but Mr. Brooks seemed to fall in a creative rut after those. I'm glad Elfstones and Wishsong are part of this tome, they are the core "Shannara" experience. The books to follow were enjoyable, Brooks could always create that sense of danger and suspence and the characters are fun to get to know, but in the end they seem to follow the same formula as the orginals.

I have revisited this book a few times since that first reading and enjoyed it as much as that first time, though in different ways. I could go into detail about the characters and subplots and writting style and so on, but I think you would be much better served to pick up a copy and read it for yourself, and discover the wonder for yourself. This book made a huge impact on my life, and I hope it will on yours.

The Sword of Shannara came out in 1977, but I waited a whole year before a friend of mine challenged me to read what was (at the time) the largest book I had ever opened. I wasn't much of a reader at the time, but what little I did was mostly science fiction, and I didn't really have any kind of interest in fantasy whatsoever. However, it was a challenge I took, and one I am truly glad I accepted. This was the book that seriously hooked me on a lifetime of reading. It was JUST what I was looking for, but I didn't realize it until I started to read it. I will always love books, and Terry Brooks novels in particular, but if it weren't for his original novel, I'm not entirely sure I'd be a reader today.

In the Sword of Shannara, we learn of Shea Ohmsford & his brother Flick in quiet Shady Vale in the Four Lands...an area virtually sheltered from the rest of the Country, and one where manifestations of dark magic rarely (if ever) come to light. But one day the peace that Shea & Flick have known all their lives is suddenly shattered when Allanon, last of the magical Druids stops to talk specifically to Shea about his bloodline and how he is the last of the Shannara line who can wield the fabled Sword of Shannara against the Warlock Lord. One of the reasons I LOVE this novel was the beginning where Allanon relates a great deal of history of the Four Lands and the creation of the Sword to destroy the former Druid, Brona. The story is quite detailed all without losing the urgency for the need of Shea to act quickly. Reluctantly Shea takes off on the adventure of a thousand lifetimes to help rid the world of the Warlock Lord on his quest to subjugate all within the Four Lands.

The Elfstones is personally my favorite of all the fantastic Shannara novels. If you read the original Sword you know that the Elfstones were given to Shea Ohmsford, and subsequently passed on down until Wil Ohmsford now has them. Again Allanon makes an unscheduled surprising visit to convince young Wil that his help is absolutely VITAL to help in banishing the hordes of demons who are about to pour into the Four Lands. What many just don't realize is that the sacred tree, The Ellcry's was created thousands of years before by Elvin Magic to banish the demons behind a magical wall called the Forbidding. The Ellcrys is finally beginning to die out, and chooses one of its caretakers to go on a quest to restore it back to life...all with the help of Allanon and Wil Ohmsford and the Elfstones. This quest is simply fantastic. Allanon makes his most visible appearance in the Elfstones helping to lead an army of Elves against the onslaught of demons breaking free of the failing wall of the Forbidding into the Four Lands. The battle scenes are incredible and tremendously entertaining. Simply one of the greatest Fantasy stories in print in this, or any other generation.

The Wishsong is mighty close to the Elfstones, but falls short by a tiny margin. Again a decendant of the house Ohmsford is asked (again) by Allanon to assist in helping the Four Lands battle a new incarnation of evil. Mord Wraiths have control of the Ildatch, ancient tome of evil magic, and are using it to poison the Four Lands, beginning with the Eastland. This time our protagonist isn't a man, or even a boy. SHE'S an Ohmsford, but Brin is anything but your typical girl. She was born with the gift of the Wishsong (or curse, depending on how you look at it). Brin & her younger brother, Jair have this gift, which manifests itself differently in each of them. There are many memorable characters introduced in the Wishsong, including Slanter the Dwarf, Garret Jax the Weapon's Master and Kimber Boh (yes, related to Walker Boh, future Druid). Both Brin AND Jair begin a journey to help destroy the Ildatch -- but separately -- Brin believing she left her young brother home, and Jair believing that somehow he MUST help Brin otherwise her quest with Allanon is doomed to fail.

ALL 3 stories are incredible tales told to near perfection. Recently I read an interview with Terry Brooks when he was asked if he is a better writer today than he was when he first started 25 years ago. He responded by saying, (in effect) 'I'm a better writer, but not necessarily a better storyteller' and while his writing improves with each tale, he has been hard pressed to improve upon his first three books. Epic Fantasy done RIGHT... THIS is what Fantasy is ALL about.

I read this book for the first time in 1981 in bed with pneumonia in a small town north of London. I had read LOTR in Jr. High school and found it a good story that was hard to follow but cool. I think that that was the last time I tried to read a book for fun, (and being a lot older now I can read it for fun, but that's not the point) Even though the Ring series was considered cool back then, I'll bet most people who claimed to read it and enjoy it at least that I knew were exagerating. 10 years later, too sick to do anything else a friend lent me his copy of Sword of Shanara. It is not just chance that this book was instantly a best seller, and made fantasy a marketable genre and made "big books" the norm. This wonderful readable story filled with a readers quest to the metaphor, something that has been oft imitated but seldom duplicated. Since reading this story all those years ago, I try to read a book a week. That's how it starts, with a great story. So if you want to get someone to love books, start here!

...since my 7th grade English teacher (Mr. Gilbert, thank you!) introduced me to the Sword of Shannara because he saw I had a high reading and comprehension level (and I assume he was a fantasy fan). This was around 1982. To say this book had an impact on me is an understatement. I devoured the next two Shannara books, and then turned to other fantasy books, like Narnia and the Black Cauldron series. While I haven't bothered with the mountain of dreck-filled fantasy books available today, it is safe to say I would have never read Dune, LOTR, Watership Down, or the hundreds of other quality books I have read if it hadn't been for that first magical Shannara book.
In retrospect, the flaws of the Shannara books become pretty apparent, although they are still very good books. Wishsong was the weakest of the lot, and I can't say anything Terry Brooks wrote after Wishsong even approached that level. HOWEVER, these books will always hold a special place with me, and ANY fantasy fan MUST read them. While I agree these books aren't LOTR, I disagree that LOTR was better. LOTR has flaws, too. I think they are both very good, but Shannara obviously owes a debt to Tolkien for creating the genre in the first place. Overall, the Shannara Trilogy belongs on the top shelf of fantasy novels with all the other great ones.

It is a shame that this book was released as it is. It appears to be nothing more than a money-making effort for the publisher and/or author. The efforts put into the publication are minimal. My recommendation is, if you can find the original versions of the books or book club editions or even the current mass paperbacks or a library version. Do not bother with the travesty that is the 25th anniv. edition, and here is why:

First off, its HUGE - 1191 pages. They felt the need to combine all 3 books into a single volume and call it a 'trilogy'. A trilogy it may be - if by that term you understand a single character being in the 3 stories. But the Sword itself is only in the first book. The other two books, Elfstones and Wishsong, have nothing to do with any 'sword' nor do they have any other character from the other books in them. The 3 books really are 3 separate books and should remain that way - if for no other reason than to allow the reader not to have to lug around the extra weight of the 2 other books you are not currently reading.

Second - the publishing quality is not up to spec. Its printed on pretty thin paper, but I suppose that was to be expected or the book would be 2x as thick as it is. The flaw that is most glaring, unless its hidden in some internal place or I've gone blind, is that a key map is not even in the book. Each of the 3 books has a map with it, related to the region the book takes place in. Sword has the central four lands map, Wishsong has the Eastlands, and ElfStones has the Westlands - but WHERE IS THE MAP OF THE WESTLANDS? I see the map for books 1 and 3, but no Westlands map. It will take something out of Elfstones of Shannara if you don't get the map with it.

Thirdly, all of the illustrations are not here either. Sword had many, but the other two also had illustrations by other artists. None of the those are in this combined edition.

Readers are better off tracking down used copies of the original hardbacks - even in book club editions, or even as mass market paperbacks. This editions just seems like a waste of money. This is a re-release of a classic, not where some value is added to justify to fans or new readers to purchase it, but rather where things are taken away, making it worth less than the orignals it is celebrating. Maybe when the 25th anniversary of the 3rd book, Wishsong of Shannara, comes around in 2010, the folks will get it right. I'm always amazed at how publishers will put out so-called 'special' editions of works that end up being total junk and of substandard quality (see the 'collectors edition' of the Lord of the Rings for more info on that issue).

Comparing Brooks to Tolkien, is like comparing Spielberg to Shakespeare. Of course there's going to be similarities when comparing a modern fantasy writer with a man who helped found an entire genre. I was not a fan of fantasy writing until reading Brooks' Sword of Shannara years ago. I can appreciate all that Tolkien has done for the genre, but at times I found his style meandering and wallowed in description. I instead found Brooks' Shannara series engaging, quick paced and his world just as realized. This is one of the best pieces of not just fantasy, but fiction of the last 25 years.

The first book in the trilogy, The Sword of Shannara is in my opinion the best of the three. With Flick and Shea, and the whole supporting cast, the adventure rolls on from the very beginning when the tall dark stranger shows up.

Very reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, but so many these days are. Strange creatures, elves, evil creatures and an ultimate magical artifact (the sword) that everyone is trying desperately to possess.

Excellent twists in the plot, some come as quite a surprise. A good fantasy for any lover of the genre, or even those who just like a good tale!!

I first ran across this book over twenty years ago. I've been re-reading it every couple years ever since. Now my children enjoy reading it every bit as much as I have.