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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall Thoughts:
I had mixed feelings about this book. The first half felt overly formulaic and like it was retreading much of the same ground from the Sword of Shannara trilogy. Most of the main characters are descendants of the heroes of the first books, they have similar character arcs, and they visit most of the same locations. The latter half started to do some interesting things though and the characters are more fleshed out than the earlier entries into the series. While this is supposed to be about the descendants of Brin and Jair Ohmsford, the titular scions of Shannara, this really is Par's book with Wren and Walker only having a few chapters each. Not a bad thing, per se, but it's helpful to know when setting expectations of the book.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The first half felt overly formulaic and like it was retreading much of the same ground from the Sword of Shannara trilogy. Most of the main characters are descendants of the heroes of the first books, they have similar character arcs, and they visit most of the same locations. The latter half started to do some interesting things though and the characters are more fleshed out than the earlier entries into the series. While this is supposed to be about the descendants of Brin and Jair Ohmsford, the titular scions of Shannara, this really is Par's book with Wren and Walker only having a few chapters each. Not a bad thing, per se, but it's helpful to know when setting expectations of the book.
Likes:
- Walker Boh is probably the most interesting and complex Shannara character for me so far. I liked how his stronger magical abilities and cynical nature contrast with the more youthful and exuberant Par and Coll.
- Similarly, Morgan Leah ended up my favorite character from the Leah family line. I especially liked how Brooks explored the weight of Morgan trying to live up to the legacy his ancestors set.
- It was nice to see Cogline return after The Wishsong of Shannara. He serves a similar role as Allanon in the earlier books but is a lot less one-dimensional.
- The Federation was an interesting development for the politics of the Southland and, while not thoroughly explored, does make some previously safe locations in the series feel oppressive and unsafe.
Dislikes:
- The book felt too formulaic, especially in the first half. The characters were mostly all equivalent (and often direct descendants) of the protagonists from the Sword of Shannara trilogy, and they have many of the same motivations, thoughts, and struggles.
- The book mostly visits locations already explored in the first trilogy. It makes the world of Shannara feel very small.
- Brooks continues his trend of struggling to write good female characters. There are only 3 in the entire book and two of them (Wren and Teel) sit out a majority of the story. Damson is uncomfortable as a character as well. The book sets her up as a love interest for Par but then repeatedly establishes she's just a girl.
- Similar to earlier Shannara books, the characters get out of bad situations through sheer good fortune and go along with the plot out of a sense of destiny. It makes the characters feel like they have little agency.
- The Shadowen feel like a generic evil enemy and don't feel much different from the Skull Bearers, Demons, Mord Wraiths, etc from the earlier trilogy.
- While Shannara is supposed to be a mix of fantasy and post-apocalyptic story, this book leans more heavily into the fantasy side. While science is mentioned a few times in the story, it basically functions like another flavor of magic and it would have been nice to see this difference explored more deeply.
Other Notes:
- This is the start of a new narrative arc in the Shannara series and it's not necessary to read any of the Sword of Shannara trilogy first. There is a large time skip between the two and this book summarizes the essentials of those stories.
Would Recommend To:
- This would be a good book for a kid or teen to read as entry into fantasy. It's not necessary to have read the earlier Sword of Shannara trilogy either.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Someone who doesn't like fantasy or any fantasy fans that didn't like the Sword of Shannara trilogy.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first entry in “The Heritage of Shannara Series”, the four book entry in Terry Brook’s Shannara series. I had previously read Elfstones and Wishsong, the final two books in Brook’s first Shannara trilogy, so I was really excited to get back to the world and continue the journey.
The story takes place 300 years after the original trilogy ends. Despite that, the protagonistical family of the Ohmsford’s are still going strong, though with a bit less of the magic that they possessed in the last two entries. I really liked this time jump, it gave a chance to start anew while keeping locations and other familiar aspects.
What I enjoyed about this book was that it wasn’t as much of a fetch quest based story as the others. While the overarching story is indeed Par, Walker, and Wren being sent on their own respective tasks by the now shade version of Allanon, it doesn’t quite feel like the more linear stories told in previous Shannara books. I also liked the feeling that this book was setting something up, as opposed to a singular journey being told in the same number of pages. It allowed for the characters to have a bit more development, and let the focus fall on some secondary characters a bit more.
Overall, a solid entry into the world of Shannara! I’ve seen some people say this is a good entry point into the world, and I wouldn’t agree with that. As a reader who already had the knowledge of the OG trilogy, I was okay, but I feel like there are enough references to previous events/characters that it would help to read the others!
4/5 for me, looking forward to the next one!
The story takes place 300 years after the original trilogy ends. Despite that, the protagonistical family of the Ohmsford’s are still going strong, though with a bit less of the magic that they possessed in the last two entries. I really liked this time jump, it gave a chance to start anew while keeping locations and other familiar aspects.
What I enjoyed about this book was that it wasn’t as much of a fetch quest based story as the others. While the overarching story is indeed Par, Walker, and Wren being sent on their own respective tasks by the now shade version of Allanon, it doesn’t quite feel like the more linear stories told in previous Shannara books. I also liked the feeling that this book was setting something up, as opposed to a singular journey being told in the same number of pages. It allowed for the characters to have a bit more development, and let the focus fall on some secondary characters a bit more.
Overall, a solid entry into the world of Shannara! I’ve seen some people say this is a good entry point into the world, and I wouldn’t agree with that. As a reader who already had the knowledge of the OG trilogy, I was okay, but I feel like there are enough references to previous events/characters that it would help to read the others!
4/5 for me, looking forward to the next one!
Good adventure story, with several related things going on at the same time. Brooks gives a fair amount of detail, but the story does not feel like it's dragging on -- a good balance. The only disappointment is the story continues, though I'm looking forward to reading it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Although the characters were likable and the nod to previous ones gave me the occasional smirk, I found this book a chore to read. It is obvious that at this point in Brooks' writing that he was coming into his own and there were several well written flourishes that made me read passages over again. However, some of the rehashing of background info was unbearable. Not sure at this point if I want to continue, but I might.