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bigbear73 's review for:
The High Druid's Blade
by Terry Brooks
As a huge fan of Terry Brooks and anything Shannara, it broke my heart a little last year to realize I was getting nearly 'done' with the series. As seems to happen now and again with some of these large fantasy worlds, it seems like some stories just keep going on, not so much because there's story to tell, but because they can sell books. Some of Mr Brooks last few trilogies had gotten that feel; you knew what the quest was going to be, you knew there would be obstacles, you figured the right people would come out ahead. This is all fine, especially when you love a world as much as I love the Shannara world, but you also start getting this running voice in your head that 'Yeah, I'm not helping him buy his next car.'.
Yes, I know that's a bitter thought, but just the same, it's there.
All that to say, when I saw he had a new trilogy in the works, I didn't jump on it like I have in the past. To be brutally honest, I only listened to it because Simon EFFING Vance was narrating, and hearing him read you a book is like having hot cocoa next to the fireplace on Christmas morning. Well, I'm glad to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.
Terry managed to drop us back into the beautiful world of Shannara again, but while approaching it from a different angle. The forbidding isn't failing, the Ellcrys isn't dying, most of the formula is left in the original books where it shined so well. We get to see into the Druid order (and who ISN'T reading these books to hear more about the Druids?), all while watching the world advance onwards. This is a well spun tale with some intrigue, lots of magic, and of course, some of our Ohmsfords and Leahs thrown in.
If you're a Shannara fan, this is a must read, though it contains enough backstory that even those new to the series should fully enjoy the story. Just be ready to be itching to read the previous books.
Yes, I know that's a bitter thought, but just the same, it's there.
All that to say, when I saw he had a new trilogy in the works, I didn't jump on it like I have in the past. To be brutally honest, I only listened to it because Simon EFFING Vance was narrating, and hearing him read you a book is like having hot cocoa next to the fireplace on Christmas morning. Well, I'm glad to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.
Terry managed to drop us back into the beautiful world of Shannara again, but while approaching it from a different angle. The forbidding isn't failing, the Ellcrys isn't dying, most of the formula is left in the original books where it shined so well. We get to see into the Druid order (and who ISN'T reading these books to hear more about the Druids?), all while watching the world advance onwards. This is a well spun tale with some intrigue, lots of magic, and of course, some of our Ohmsfords and Leahs thrown in.
If you're a Shannara fan, this is a must read, though it contains enough backstory that even those new to the series should fully enjoy the story. Just be ready to be itching to read the previous books.