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aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
Since I couldn't get ahold of the first book in this series, I read the last two first, and was consequently somewhat confused for most of them. That aside, i really enjoyed both. Not as much as the Shannara books, of which I have read four, but good nonetheless. Although I have to agree with another reviewer of this book and say that (*this next bit may be construed as a spoiler*) the romance near the end was VERY spontaneous, and maybe it's just me but I thought it was somewhat abrupt, as if the two just fell in love and decided to marry without really getting to know each other. I am also curious about where Cat and Panther's story will go, but am hoping Brooks will write more tales to clear up the loose ends. All in all, I found this a book worth reading. I quite enjoyed it.
anthoneater's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
ponderinstuff's review against another edition
Just started reading this on my iPad.
elysiumdream's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
hotsake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This turned out to be one of my favorite trilogies of the expansive Shannara series. My only gripe with this novel was that I felt like it rushed by too quickly and might've been better being split into two books and expanded a bit.
thebookstackattack's review against another edition
5.0
Had me in tears by the very end. I cannot believe the ending. Oh my goodness. Best series I've read in a loooooong time.
dlemos0313's review against another edition
4.0
Great ending to a great trilogy. If you ever played "Fallout 3", this book's beginning reminds me of the Valts on the game, and Panther sounds like Donkey from Shrek. I loved the post-apocalyptic felling, but I think there could be more details about the looks of the wasteland around the characters. Summarizing, not a stand alone book, it is a really good story if you read after reading the other two books.
weaselweader's review against another edition
5.0
The stunning conclusion to a fantasy trilogy that rivals LORD OF THE RINGS!
In a horrifying blend of post-apocalyptic terror and new age urban fantasy, Terry Brooks' GENESIS OF SHANNARA series describes a world ravaged by nuclear war, plague, pestilence, famine, mindless zombie-like creatures, demons and terrifying creatures born out of devastating mutations. Deaths have numbered in the billions and humanity teeters on the very brink of extinction. Most of those few humans who have survived have reverted to a dark age in which they remain walled up in fortified compounds brutally scavenging from one another and scratching out a mean subsistence life in much the same fashion as tribes would have done during the earliest periods of mankind's existence.
The power and excitement of this series rests in his convincing blend of the reality of a burnt-out destroyed human landscape with the beguiling and utterly fascinating mythological beginnings of the fantasy world that was born in full bloom in his earlier Shannara stories.
Long, long ago in a place that was definitely not far, far away, the Elves conquered the demon hordes wandering Earth and sealed them away in a bleak existence called "the Forbidding". A biblical scholar might have suggested that "The Word" ruled over the Earth and the Earth was good - a kindly, warm and benevolent place to live.
But current events on the earth - the wars, the nuclear radiation, the burgeoning evil that mankind is both experiencing and causing - are weakening the walls between Earth and the Forbidding. As evil's grip on the earth tightens, its defence has been reduced to the last two remaining Knights of the Word - Angel Perez and Logan Tom - two warriors carefully chosen by the Word for their indomitable spirit who have been given a magical staff and special powers to be used in the fight against demons and "The Void".
Perez and Tom have been charged by the Elven nation with finding a talisman called the Loden Lodestone and a magical young child called "The Gypsy Morph". Without the magic of the Lodestone and the power of the Gypsy Morph whose destiny is critical to the survival of humankind, earth is doomed. Goodness and "The Word" will disappear forever and the world will become the dominion of the demons and their dark lord, Findo Gask. "The Void" will rule forevermore.
GYPSY MORPH is powerful indeed. Far more than a simple story of the unending and timeless conflict between good and evil, it tells a story of love, commitment, honour, dedication, trust and so much more. For example, the tale of orphaned children attempting to raise themselves in a bleak, nuclear-blasted world without reference to parental guidance, while astonishingly reminiscent of Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, is fresh, exciting, heart-wrenching and most definitely not derivative in any way.
Brooks' descriptions of a troubled world are graphic and breathtaking. His character building is deep, complex and utterly convincing. On the dust jacket of the novel, Christopher Paolini, author of the young adult fantasy, ERAGON, was quoted as saying, "If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy"! Quite a compliment coming from a fellow author who might well be assumed to be in competition with Terry Brooks for the same audience. I have to agree with Mr Paolini's ebullient assessment.
I waited a long time for this one and, I think you'll agree. The GENESIS OF SHANNARA series combines the earlier SHANNARA and KNIGHT OF THE WORD series in a stunning, entirely innovative new series that fantasy fans are going to eat up.
In THE GYPSY MORPH, the stunning climactic conclusion to the series, we witness Kirisin Bellorus, the young elf who has been entrusted with the ancient magic, deliver his entire civilization to safety from the demon armies as the Word and the Void clash for dominion over a scarred mortal world. When the dust settles we are privileged to witness the tentative dawning of a new era.
On the face of it, a magnificent fantasy that ties Terry Brooks' universes together into a wonderful, complex but very complete and unified whole. On a slightly different level, THE GENESIS series is a mystical allegory and while it may be typical in that it pits good vs evil and personifies both sides of the battle, it is unique in the depth and the excitement that is conveyed during the exploration of this age old theme.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
In a horrifying blend of post-apocalyptic terror and new age urban fantasy, Terry Brooks' GENESIS OF SHANNARA series describes a world ravaged by nuclear war, plague, pestilence, famine, mindless zombie-like creatures, demons and terrifying creatures born out of devastating mutations. Deaths have numbered in the billions and humanity teeters on the very brink of extinction. Most of those few humans who have survived have reverted to a dark age in which they remain walled up in fortified compounds brutally scavenging from one another and scratching out a mean subsistence life in much the same fashion as tribes would have done during the earliest periods of mankind's existence.
The power and excitement of this series rests in his convincing blend of the reality of a burnt-out destroyed human landscape with the beguiling and utterly fascinating mythological beginnings of the fantasy world that was born in full bloom in his earlier Shannara stories.
Long, long ago in a place that was definitely not far, far away, the Elves conquered the demon hordes wandering Earth and sealed them away in a bleak existence called "the Forbidding". A biblical scholar might have suggested that "The Word" ruled over the Earth and the Earth was good - a kindly, warm and benevolent place to live.
But current events on the earth - the wars, the nuclear radiation, the burgeoning evil that mankind is both experiencing and causing - are weakening the walls between Earth and the Forbidding. As evil's grip on the earth tightens, its defence has been reduced to the last two remaining Knights of the Word - Angel Perez and Logan Tom - two warriors carefully chosen by the Word for their indomitable spirit who have been given a magical staff and special powers to be used in the fight against demons and "The Void".
Perez and Tom have been charged by the Elven nation with finding a talisman called the Loden Lodestone and a magical young child called "The Gypsy Morph". Without the magic of the Lodestone and the power of the Gypsy Morph whose destiny is critical to the survival of humankind, earth is doomed. Goodness and "The Word" will disappear forever and the world will become the dominion of the demons and their dark lord, Findo Gask. "The Void" will rule forevermore.
GYPSY MORPH is powerful indeed. Far more than a simple story of the unending and timeless conflict between good and evil, it tells a story of love, commitment, honour, dedication, trust and so much more. For example, the tale of orphaned children attempting to raise themselves in a bleak, nuclear-blasted world without reference to parental guidance, while astonishingly reminiscent of Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, is fresh, exciting, heart-wrenching and most definitely not derivative in any way.
Brooks' descriptions of a troubled world are graphic and breathtaking. His character building is deep, complex and utterly convincing. On the dust jacket of the novel, Christopher Paolini, author of the young adult fantasy, ERAGON, was quoted as saying, "If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy"! Quite a compliment coming from a fellow author who might well be assumed to be in competition with Terry Brooks for the same audience. I have to agree with Mr Paolini's ebullient assessment.
I waited a long time for this one and, I think you'll agree. The GENESIS OF SHANNARA series combines the earlier SHANNARA and KNIGHT OF THE WORD series in a stunning, entirely innovative new series that fantasy fans are going to eat up.
In THE GYPSY MORPH, the stunning climactic conclusion to the series, we witness Kirisin Bellorus, the young elf who has been entrusted with the ancient magic, deliver his entire civilization to safety from the demon armies as the Word and the Void clash for dominion over a scarred mortal world. When the dust settles we are privileged to witness the tentative dawning of a new era.
On the face of it, a magnificent fantasy that ties Terry Brooks' universes together into a wonderful, complex but very complete and unified whole. On a slightly different level, THE GENESIS series is a mystical allegory and while it may be typical in that it pits good vs evil and personifies both sides of the battle, it is unique in the depth and the excitement that is conveyed during the exploration of this age old theme.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
jasmyn9's review against another edition
4.0
The Gypsy Morph wraps up the Genesis of Shannara trilogy quite nicely. As Hawk realizes his powers and accepts what he is and what he need to do, all the moving pieces of the book seem to be drawing together. When the various groups merge there are some missing, some unexpected additions, and a long road ahead of them.
This book was all about journies - physical and emotional. So many strings come together in one giant knot and Terry Brooks manages to unravel and lay them out before you in nice even rows. Logan Tom gets to face off with "his" demon, and I see the bloodlines that appear in so many of books finding their beginnings.
I once again loved seeing how the land of Shannara was created, and while I hated losing some characters, their loss made the saving of so many others mean that much more. As the last pages unfolded, I found myself excited to see the end/beginning and sad to watch it all go and leave it behind. And the end was quite spectacular.
On the downside, there were quite a few little errors in punctuation and a lot in capitalization.
This book was all about journies - physical and emotional. So many strings come together in one giant knot and Terry Brooks manages to unravel and lay them out before you in nice even rows. Logan Tom gets to face off with "his" demon, and I see the bloodlines that appear in so many of books finding their beginnings.
I once again loved seeing how the land of Shannara was created, and while I hated losing some characters, their loss made the saving of so many others mean that much more. As the last pages unfolded, I found myself excited to see the end/beginning and sad to watch it all go and leave it behind. And the end was quite spectacular.
On the downside, there were quite a few little errors in punctuation and a lot in capitalization.