Shannara novels by Terry Brooks. What are your thoughts?

I was thinking of picking up the first Shannara Trilogy, The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks. Though I'm wondering what people think of the series. From the info I've read about it seesm this trilogy is a generation story with members of this one family being the main character in each novel. I find that pretty cool to be honest. I'm wondering about content. I remember hearding that the serie Song of Fire and Ice, I think it was, was filled with pointless sex scenes. Either that or it was some other well known fantasy series.

Now I don't mind sex scenes in novels but no ones that happen all the time about the female lead almost getting raped time and time again. I think that was what people were pointing at before. I'm hoping there is nothing as crude as that in these novels. Then again it might be unescapeable.

I also wanted to check this out since it seems to be an ongoing world and I would like to get up to the point where I'm looking forward to reading a new book instead of just playing catch up with a series that has already finished.

So what do you think of this world and novels?

Also what other fantasy series are still on going. I know Fire and Ice but what others?

Thanks.

 

Youre definitely going to hear alot of mixed reviews on the Shannara books. Personally I enjoy them, though. It may not be the most original fantasy available today but I really like the characters and the world Brooks has created. The books get better (and darker) as they go along, so if you like the first couple of books than you'll probably like each one as you progress. Ive read the first two series so far, and IMO, the Heritage books are much better than the first trilogy (with the exception of Wishsong of Shannara, which is arguably the best book in the series to date). And yes, youre right about it being a generational story, and no, you dont have to worry about brutal sex or rape or anything like that. The Shannara books definitely arent as dark and graphic as say, anything by Martin or Stover.

As far as discussing other fantasy books/series goes, perhaps you should step into
The Tavern....

 

Hey, here's a suggestion!

Buy the Legends 2 anthology, edited by Silverberg, the red cover one. It has 11 short stories set all over spectrum, like Ice and Fire, Shannara, Pern, Hobb, etc. That way, you can get at least a basic snapshot of these cliche plagiarists.

Because, really, that's what Brooks did, did he not? Change Mount Doom to Mount Dhoom, Misty Mountains to Mountains foof Mist? . . . Personally, I refuse to read a book with elfs, dwarfs, dragons and orcs in it, as though I'm some lamb who desperately needs to join the clich flock of such stories.

There are plenty of decent and even exemplar series out there, you just need to know.

Song of Ice and Fire is brilliant, the third book above anything else. The Malazan series looks very mature and solid; just started the 1st myself. You'll enjoy the Bridge of D'Arnath quadrilogy, equal blend of magic and swordplay.

 

I'm a die-hard fan of the Shannara series, although I am missing the last three (soon to be four) of his books of the series. I have them all up to the Antrax (Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, book 2).

I started the series with the Elfstones, as it was new when I read it for the first time. I actually prefer that one over the rest.

The books are pretty formulaic to begin with, but there is a lot to them once the books hit stride with the Heritage quartet of books.

First King is a good one, also, and is a prequel book to Sword, introducing how the sword was created. It's best if that one is left until at least after reading the first trilogy, even though it came out after the Heritage series.

If you decide to pick it up, I hope you enjoy them!

 

I'm not much of a fan. For me, they started out as being highly derivative retellings of the Lord of the Rings, and then they just got boring.

I?m with Excellence: try reading the Legends and Legends II anthologies to get a sampling of the fare out there in fantasy right now.

 

Checking out those Legend novels might be good. I don't mind reading a varity of things just that I don't want to waste my time on stories that seem to like to throw in "brutal sex or rape" scenes that I've heard happens to be in one of the fantasy series. Especially since it came off as it's a normal thing that happens every single novel when it was explained last time. That's mainly what I want to avoid. If I'm going to read something like that I'd rather choose when and where and how often I read. Every novel seems kinda sad in my opinion. That's really the main thing I'm trying to stay away from when you get right down to it.

Everyone keep your opinions coming please. Thanks

 

Don't read them.

 

The first book is pretty plagiaristic of LOTR, but I liked it. The second book -- Elfstones -- is awesome, with Wishsong being not far behind. Thus, I'd recommend the first series to read.

It starts getting a little wonky later on...

 

I thought you were a fan of the Heritage books ?

 

I thought you were a fan of the Heritage books ?

I am, but it gets very steampunk on us -- which I consider very wonky.

The new series seems to get "back to basics" in the fantasy sense, but I haven't read the second book I don't think...

 

Brooks is quite good.

At writing the same book over and over and over again.

The name of that book? LORD OF THE RINGS.

 

Loved Sword of Shannara. I really didnt care for the subsequent entries.

 

Brooks gets asked all the time about the influence of LOTR on his novels. He basically says that his first novel Sword of Shannara was supposed to be like LOTR. He said he wanted to take the same kinds of characters and put them into a different world and see what happens. The first novel is the closest to LOTR. The following novels are quite different. The best book by far is The Elfstones of Shannara.

Brooks was never trying to pass these novels off as something new. Go to his website and look at his Ask Terry section, I think the question about LOTR gets answered there.

 

I agree, DR. It was so obvious that " Sword " was much more of a loving tribute to Tolkien than the blatant rip off that alot of people called it. And the character of Menion Leah is one of the best in fantasy literature - with real growth and depth.

 

And the character of Menion Leah is one of the best in fantasy literature - with real growth and depth.

My favorite character of the whole series!

 

Yeah, me too.

 

Wow Menion is my favorite characther as well.


I have all of these books but I have only been able to stomach reading First King(not bad) Sword(okay) Elfstones(great)

Here is the thing, I like these books I really do. However I cant stand reading them. It takes me MONTHS to read one of these books. Like I said I like the story but what I cant stand is his style of writing. I hate reading Brooks.

 

If you hate Brooks and his writing style than how can you possibly like his books ? It just doesnt make sense.

Anyway, I liked Menion, too, but I thought that Morgan Leah was far and away the most three dimensional of the Leah characters. I really liked him in the Heritage series.

 

Interesting in a good looking Hutt way, but that has me thinking, did Brooks say his LOTR duplication was deliberate as a result of later criticism, or his intention right from the start? And baring telepathy aside, that's something no one will ever know, really.

 

Interesting in a good looking Hutt way, but that has me thinking, did Brooks say his LOTR duplication was deliberate as a result of later criticism, or his intention right from the start? And baring telepathy aside, that's something no one will ever know, really.

He said it was deliberate from the start. And, no, nobody has telepathy, so why not take him at his word? Why be so quick to lable him as a copycat? Sword of Shannara is really the only book to resemble LOTR. His later books in the series are quite different. So, looking at his content of work in the series, I would say that he is telling the truth about his first book SOS, since that book is the only one that resembles LOTR.

 

I agree. Even though Brooks continues to use traditional fantasy archetypes in his later books they do move away considerably from LotR.

 

If you hate Brooks and his writing style than how can you possibly like his books ? It just doesnt make sense.





I know it is weird! Let me try to explain: The story itself is what I like, the different points it touches on and so forth. All of the three books that I read I liked the points of.

What I don't like is how the writes. His style just doesn't grip me and say hey read me right now real fast. I have to be in a Terry Brooks mood to pick up one of the books(except for First King witch I breezed thru) and start to read.

It will really take me months to read one of his books. Like I said I just have to be in the right mood.

 

I actually know what your saying Solo. It took me forever to get through Feists' Saga - Im talking years - but I maintained because I loved the story. I flew threw it the second time around, also.

 

I read The Original Shannara Trilogy
· The Sword of Shannara
· The Elfstones of Shannara
· The Wishsong of Shannara

AND

The Heritage of Shannara
· The Scions of Shannara
· The Druid of Shannara
· The Elf Queen of Shannara
· The Talismans of Shannara

I loved all of them. I would recommend them.

 

I liked them all, too, but overall I thought that the Heritage books were better.

Speaking of Shannara, I should be getting to the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara books within a month or two.