Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
The Heritage of Shannara Series
by Terry Brooks 
Terry Brooks made a departure from his previous
efforts when he wrote "The Heritage of Shannara," a second grouping of
Shannara novels. Although Brooks’ previous novels were all stand-alone books,
these four books were meant to be a series (maybe originally a trilogy). Since
he now has 1600 pages instead of 400 to tell the story, the plot is much
broader, involving quite a bit more action than the previous stories. Although
Brooks broadens his scope, he didn’t fall into the "Robert Jordan
trap" of creating an overly complex story that requires a glossary and
frequent trips back to previous volumes to follow. The world of the four lands
is primarily as it was in the first three Shannara novels. Brooks just has more
time for character development and action sequences. The books form a solid,
engrossing plot line. The characters in this series all have flaws and are
plagued by self-doubts about their abilities. Wren doesn’t feel she has any
magic at all – just painted rocks made as symbols of the Elfstones that were
long since lost. Par struggles to understand what the Wishsong can do. Walker
Boh possesses the most tangible magic, but is uncertain whether he can employ it
after his spirit is severely damaged in his initial attempt to fulfill his part
of the quest. The reader ends up rooting for the main characters because they
have human failings with which we can empathize.
I didn’t know that Brooks had started a second
series of Shannara novels. I just happened to see The Scions of Shannara
in the bookstore one day. Since I loved the Shannara novels, I purchased Scions
and ripped through it in one day. I immediately rushed out and bought the second
book and finished it the following day. Of course, then I had to wait a year
until the third book was published! That was the longest year of my life. But of
course, it gave me time to reread the first and second volumes again. I had
assumed that Brooks was writing a trilogy. Imagine my chagrin when I reached the
end of The Elf Queen of Shannara and found I would be waiting another 12
months for the final volume. But it was worth the wait! You won’t be
disappointed by this series.
Reviewed by: Alan
Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
Top
The Scions of Shannara
by Terry Brooks 
It is 300 years after the death of Allanon. Vast
changes have come to the Four Lands. The elves have disappeared from the
Westland and have not been seen for over 100 years. All of the Southland is in
the control of the Federation, a militaristic government of men that rules with
an iron fist. The dwarves are virtual slaves in their own kingdom, having been
defeated in a genocidal war with the Federation. The Federation has outlawed the
use of magic and those who practice it are hunted down and persecuted by the
Seekers, the "secret police" of the Federation.
Par Ohmsford has inherited the power of the
Wishsong. While his brother Coll recites the old legends, Par brings them to
life with the Wishsong. However, there is evil afoot in the four lands. Magical
creatures called Shadowen are tracking Par and Coll, apparently coveting Par’s
magic. Cogline rescues them from a Shadowen attack. Cogline tells them, as well
as Wren and Walker Boh who are the other Shannara descendants, to go to the
Hadeshorn. Allanon, the dead Druid, has a message for them.
At the Hadeshorn, the spirit of Allanon shows them
glimpses of a terrible future in which the Shadowen have destroyed all life in
the Four Lands. In order to prevent this catastrophe, Allanon instructs Par to
recover the long lost Sword of Shannara. He tells Wren she must find the
vanished elves and return them to the Four Lands. And finally, he charges Walker
Boh with bringing back the Druids and their ancient stronghold of Paranor.
None of the Shannara heirs are enthusiastic about
their charges nor do they have the faintest idea where to start. The remainder
of Scions deals primarily with Par and Coll’s quest to find the missing
sword. The story moves along briskly as the two are aided by Padishar Creel,
descendant of the legendary Pannamon Creel. Padishar is the leader of a group of
revolutionaries trying to resist the control of the Federation. Their search
takes them into Tyrsis where the sword was last seen 200 years ago. They find
the Shadowen and the head Seeker, Rimmer Dall, waiting for them. Par does manage
to recover the sword, but he seems to have inadvertently killed Coll in the
process!
Meanwhile, Walker Boh determines that he must
recover the Black Elfstone to restore Paranor to the Four Lands. He consults the
Grimpond, the ancient avatar that Brin Ohmsford had tricked into helping her, to
learn its location, despite his feelings that the Grimpond is leading him into a
trap. Walker is indeed trapped and appears to be dying at the end of this
volume. This is not an auspicious start for the Shannara heirs in their quests.
Reviewed by: Alan
Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
Top
The Druid of Shannara
by Terry Brooks
The King of the Silver River, a lord remaining
from the time of faerie, has always assisted the Ohmsfords in their quests
whenever he could. Sensing terrible danger in the four lands he sends forth his
daughter, Quickening, to assist. She seeks out Walker Boh and heals him from the
injuries he received in his attempt to recover the Black Elfstone. She then
recruits Walker, Morgan Leah (heir to the kingdom of Leah) and Pe Ell (an
assassin often employed by the Shadowen) to accompany her to the far north. She
tells them that Uhl Belk, another faerie lord is using the Black Elfstone to
subvert the land by turning it to stone. Her father feels that he is attempting
to take over all of the four lands. She tells them that the magic that each one
of them possesses will be necessary to defeat Uhl Belk. They, somewhat
reluctantly, agree to accompany her.
They journey north to Uhl Belk’s domain, which
reminds me greatly of New York City! There they find a desolate land where they
are hunted relentlessly at every turn by evil creatures created by Uhl Belk to
protect his domain. While Uhl Belk possesses the Black Elfstone he is
invincible. Yet they must find a way to take it away from him. Quickening
possesses a great deal of magic, but claims she cannot use it while Uhl Belk
holds the Elfstone. Somehow they must find a way to make Uhl Belk surrender the
Elfstone.
Meanwhile, Wren discovers a clue to the
whereabouts of the missing elves. She heads south for the shore of the blue
divide, a vast ocean, to attempt to find what has become of them. But Garth, her
companion and protector, has sensed that something is tracking them, although he
is unable to find a trace of it. Elsewhere, Par is recovering his strength after
recovering the sword in Varfleet. The book ends with Walker Boh apparently
causing Paranor to reappear in the Four Lands. But something odd seems to have
happened to him…
Reviewed by: Alan
Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
Top
The Elf Queen of
Shannara
by Terry Brooks
Wren and her protector Garth find the caves of the
Rocs as it was described to them. They light a signal fire and wait. The
Shadowen that has been tracking them shows itself and tries to kill them. The
painted fake Elfstones that Wren carries as a good luck charm reveal themselves
to be the real Elfstones (that the Ohmsfords had used hundreds of years before)
and she defeats the Shadowen with their magic.
Tiger Ty, an elven wing rider appears flying
astride a giant Roc. He tells Wren that the elves migrated out to sea to an
island called Morrowindl. Unfortunately, the island is now the site of an active
volcano and populated by strange demon-like creatures. The elves may have been
wiped out. Tiger Ty cannot be sure. Wren talks Tiger Ty into taking her and
Garth to Morrowindl. He drops them on the beach and gives them directions to
where the elven capital used to be. He agrees to look for them once a week for 7
weeks on the beach if they make it back.
Wren and Garth must now fight their way through
hordes of demons and natural barriers to discover if the elves are still hiding
out in their city in the center of the island. Suffice to say their journey in
and out of the island is extremely exciting and, yes, the elves are finally
returned to the Westland. I won’t say anymore for fear of giving away the
plot. This is an excellent, gripping volume that you won’t be able to put
down.
The book also follows the progress of Walker Boh
in attempting to understand what has happened to him when he used the Black
Elfstone to restore Paranor. He must come to grips with his own doubts and fears
about restoring the Druids to the Four Lands. He finally fulfills Allanon’s
charge but at what cost to himself?
Reviewed by: Alan
Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
Top
The Talismans of
Shannara
by Terry Brooks
Allanon’s charges have all been fulfilled. The
elves have been returned to the Four Lands. The Sword of Shannara has been
recovered. And Paranor and the Druids have been returned to the world of men.
But now what needs to be done to defeat the Shadowen?
Rimmer Dall does not wait for the Shannara heirs
to figure out what to do. He decides to attempt to subvert each one of them
before they can figure out how to move against him. He lets Coll escape but
wearing an evil cloak that will force Coll to seek out Par and destroy him. He
has the Federation raise an immense army of men, led by Shadowen and supported
by creepers (creatures of black magic) and launches an attack against the elves.
Then, in the best sequence of this book, he sends the four horseman of the
apocalypse to Paranor to trap (and possibly kill) Walker Boh.
The Shannara heirs must use all their wits to
escape the traps that Rimmer Dall has set and to combine their magic to achieve
the ultimate defeat of the Shadowen. The book comes to an inventive conclusion
and is a marvelous capstone to a very creative series of novels. According to
rumors, Brooks is considering writing two more Shannara novels. I can hardly
wait!
Reviewed by: Alan
Terry Brooks Authors
Book Titles Home
Top
