Most Helpful Customer Reviews
242 of 259 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OK, so it's not LOTR...what IS??, June 20, 2003
This review is from: The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (Hardcover)
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.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, entertaining reading, December 8, 2002
This review is from: The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (Hardcover)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST Read for Fantasy Lovers, September 30, 2004
This review is from: The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (Hardcover)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
