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subparcupcake's review against another edition
3.0
Another story begins in the Shannara world. I'm not sure what I thought. It was enjoyable, but nothing special. It ends in a cliffhanger, but I expected that (being that it's the first in a trilogy), so it didn't bother me. I think what's really bothering me about the new Shannara books is that I miss old Shannara. All of these prequels about the history of the world.. They're okay in idea, but for me they take away part of the mystery that was Shannara.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think everything there is to be said about Shannara has already been said. I love Brooks as a story teller and writer, but I think he needs a new world. I said this in my review of the latest Landover book as well... But it applies here too. This is like old Shannara light. If stories are going to continue to be told in this world, I really hope in the future it is because there is a story to be told.
But still, three stars, barely, only because I'm a long time Shannara fan.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think everything there is to be said about Shannara has already been said. I love Brooks as a story teller and writer, but I think he needs a new world. I said this in my review of the latest Landover book as well... But it applies here too. This is like old Shannara light. If stories are going to continue to be told in this world, I really hope in the future it is because there is a story to be told.
But still, three stars, barely, only because I'm a long time Shannara fan.
saldragski's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
anthoneater's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
zaphod46's review against another edition
1.0
Not worth the trouble. It isn't even a cliff hanger so much as a stopped-in-the-middle book. It also was very much recycled plot from previous books. The history repeating itself theme is not by itself a bad thing, but the plot repeating itself is downright boring.
wdvisalli's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
perilous1's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second introduction to Terry Brooks, and to be clear, it was a much better experience that my encounter with Wizard At Large.(NOT my cup o’ fantasy tea, as it turns out.) But I’ve since been told this was a poor choice of entry into the world of Shannara. I’ll have to concur with that, as starting here makes it feel as though I’m missing a LOT of pertinent history.
The book starts out promising enough. An isolated valley of woefully underprepared peoples, a gruesome discovery, a couple of highly skilled youths in way over their heads, and a mysteriously powerful hermit who may be the only hope for an entire population’s survival. The tension runs high for the first 1/4th of the book, and the stakes are sufficiently compelling. Brooks does a good bit of perspective jumping to get the story told, but he does so without jarring the reader. His descriptions are vivid and naturally placed.
I had two main issues that make me hesitant to read further into this series:
1. At the end, this didn’t feel like a book. It felt like half of a book.
And I don’t mean simply the fact it that it left off with a cliffhanger. (It actually left off with LOTS of cliffhangers. Cliffhangers for every main character we’d been following.) It’s the lack of satisfaction that annoyed me. The story seems to stop conveniently at a place where absolutely nothing is resolved for anyone—unless you count untimely character death as a resolution. The plot feels literally at a halfway point when it ends, forcing readers to go straight into the next book if they want to find out what happens with ALL OF THE THINGS.
2. I’m afraid I never really connected with any of the characters. Oh, I had a couple of favorites I HOPED I would grow more attached to. (Prue, Mistral, and Inch being curious personality highlights I found myself looking forward to.) But empathy was only halfway formed by the time this book ended. If I read on though, it will be to discover what happens with their character arcs.
From the get-go, I held a searing dislike for the character of Phryne—the rebellious, self-indulgent Elven princess. Her eventually hanging a self-ware lantern of ‘why-am-I-like-this?’ on it unfortunately did little to change my opinion of her. I spent entirely too much time wishing someone would just stand up to her majesty’s overreaching idiocy.
Bonus points if they would have taken this approach:
While I initially didn’t have any real sense for Panterra, my hope for liking him declined steadily in the second half of the book. His dithering and compromised sense for priorities seemed to morph into a self-pitying angst that countered all previous maturity he’d shown.
So, should go without saying, I’m less than excited about the implied start of a romance between Phryne and Panterra. >.>
I don’t mean to sound like I’m put off completely. I’m not. But I’m on the fence about when and whether I’d like to invest in the missing other half of this book.
Perhaps I’ll hop to Genesis of Shannara first…
The book starts out promising enough. An isolated valley of woefully underprepared peoples, a gruesome discovery, a couple of highly skilled youths in way over their heads, and a mysteriously powerful hermit who may be the only hope for an entire population’s survival. The tension runs high for the first 1/4th of the book, and the stakes are sufficiently compelling. Brooks does a good bit of perspective jumping to get the story told, but he does so without jarring the reader. His descriptions are vivid and naturally placed.
I had two main issues that make me hesitant to read further into this series:
1. At the end, this didn’t feel like a book. It felt like half of a book.
And I don’t mean simply the fact it that it left off with a cliffhanger. (It actually left off with LOTS of cliffhangers. Cliffhangers for every main character we’d been following.) It’s the lack of satisfaction that annoyed me. The story seems to stop conveniently at a place where absolutely nothing is resolved for anyone—unless you count untimely character death as a resolution. The plot feels literally at a halfway point when it ends, forcing readers to go straight into the next book if they want to find out what happens with ALL OF THE THINGS.
2. I’m afraid I never really connected with any of the characters. Oh, I had a couple of favorites I HOPED I would grow more attached to. (Prue, Mistral, and Inch being curious personality highlights I found myself looking forward to.) But empathy was only halfway formed by the time this book ended. If I read on though, it will be to discover what happens with their character arcs.
From the get-go, I held a searing dislike for the character of Phryne—the rebellious, self-indulgent Elven princess. Her eventually hanging a self-ware lantern of ‘why-am-I-like-this?’ on it unfortunately did little to change my opinion of her. I spent entirely too much time wishing someone would just stand up to her majesty’s overreaching idiocy.
Bonus points if they would have taken this approach:
While I initially didn’t have any real sense for Panterra, my hope for liking him declined steadily in the second half of the book. His dithering and compromised sense for priorities seemed to morph into a self-pitying angst that countered all previous maturity he’d shown.
So, should go without saying, I’m less than excited about the implied start of a romance between Phryne and Panterra. >.>
I don’t mean to sound like I’m put off completely. I’m not. But I’m on the fence about when and whether I’d like to invest in the missing other half of this book.
Perhaps I’ll hop to Genesis of Shannara first…
cookabook's review against another edition
2.0
This was my introduction to Terry Brooks. I was given this book for Christmas 2010, and today I can finally say I finished it.
I gather that the Legends of Shannara duology takes place in an exaggerated post-collapse dark age distinct from the "main" series(es), but I think I have a dim understanding of the other Shannara books. Regardless, I now certainly recognize the unique charm of a fantasy story that takes place in a far-future United States.
Sadly, the story and writing and characters are all stock fantasy fare.
I gather that the Legends of Shannara duology takes place in an exaggerated post-collapse dark age distinct from the "main" series(es), but I think I have a dim understanding of the other Shannara books. Regardless, I now certainly recognize the unique charm of a fantasy story that takes place in a far-future United States.
Sadly, the story and writing and characters are all stock fantasy fare.
lakesbecky's review against another edition
4.0
This grew on me as it went on. Plenty of twists in it. Some likeable heroes and despicable villans in a post apocalyptic world.
elysiumdream's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
seraphljfh's review against another edition
3.0
I love the Shannara books but I definitely found this one more of a slog than earlier ones. It felt very slow and the characters pale imitations of previous ones.