beckybmckinney's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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
3.75
Maybe felt a little too close to being a LotR knock off, but I'm intrigued enough to complete the trilogy, I think. I really enjoyed Flick and Panamon's character growth the most. I don't love the all-knowing-mystic-but-refuses-to-answer-questions troupe. That character is guaranteed to annoy me and Allanon was no exception.
teastories's review against another edition
4.0
A really good story with a brilliant and quite comical ending. My only critique would be that I found it a bit slow going in terms of building suspension and that feeling of "ooh just one more chapter". It was in the last 10 chapters I felt that. But then again I am a slow reader so there's that as well.
sillypunk's review against another edition
So so so bad. If I could give negative stars I would: http://blogendorff.ghost.io/book-review-sword-of-shannara/
aanic's review against another edition
3.0
This was a reread for me. I like to reread some of the stories I loved in the past to see if they still hold up. Sword of Shannara wasnt ever a top of the list for me, but it was the gateway into his world.
The story itself has been picked apart by many, so I will let that stand. This book is a long read, not just because of the page count but also because it seems Terry Brooks had an aversion to white space on a page. The book is just dense. Every page is filled and it takes time to slog through it all.
I give this one a 3. It is still a decent book, even if you think it is derivative of another ring based classic. First read through would have given it a 4, but so much good fantasy has come out in the last 10-15 years the standard gets higher all the time.
The story itself has been picked apart by many, so I will let that stand. This book is a long read, not just because of the page count but also because it seems Terry Brooks had an aversion to white space on a page. The book is just dense. Every page is filled and it takes time to slog through it all.
I give this one a 3. It is still a decent book, even if you think it is derivative of another ring based classic. First read through would have given it a 4, but so much good fantasy has come out in the last 10-15 years the standard gets higher all the time.
artyemis's review against another edition
3.0
«Qui giace il cuore e l'anima delle nazioni,
Il loro diritto di vivere nella libertà,
Il loro desiderio di vivere nella pace,
Il loro coraggio di cercare la verità.
Qui giace la Spada di Shannara.»
Avevo sentito parlare davvero bene di questo libro, ed invece non merita più di tre stelline tirate. La storia di per sé ha delle potenzialità che però non riesce mai a raggiungere, finendo per cadere spesso nel banale (il finale è troppo prevedibile, come sono troppo prevedibili le sorti della metà dei personaggi del gruppo, qualche bel colpo di scena di tanto in tanto non avrebbe fatto male).
Quando ho iniziato a leggere il libro credevo che chi lo definiva una copia mal riuscita del Signore degli anelli fosse qualcuno che di libri ne aveva letti proprio pochi, magari solo di Tolkien, ed invece più andavo avanti più dovevo dirmi d'accordo.
La storia è davvero troppo simile ai libri di Tolkien, uguale in alcuni punti, i personaggi sembrano delle caricature di quelli descritti nel signore degli anelli almeno per la prima parte del libro.
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di meglio.
Il loro diritto di vivere nella libertà,
Il loro desiderio di vivere nella pace,
Il loro coraggio di cercare la verità.
Qui giace la Spada di Shannara.»
Avevo sentito parlare davvero bene di questo libro, ed invece non merita più di tre stelline tirate. La storia di per sé ha delle potenzialità che però non riesce mai a raggiungere, finendo per cadere spesso nel banale (il finale è troppo prevedibile, come sono troppo prevedibili le sorti della metà dei personaggi del gruppo, qualche bel colpo di scena di tanto in tanto non avrebbe fatto male).
Quando ho iniziato a leggere il libro credevo che chi lo definiva una copia mal riuscita del Signore degli anelli fosse qualcuno che di libri ne aveva letti proprio pochi, magari solo di Tolkien, ed invece più andavo avanti più dovevo dirmi d'accordo.
La storia è davvero troppo simile ai libri di Tolkien, uguale in alcuni punti, i personaggi sembrano delle caricature di quelli descritti nel signore degli anelli almeno per la prima parte del libro.
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di meglio.
kodermike's review against another edition
3.0
Really 3.5 stars, but I chose to round down. My biggest issue with this freshman novel by Brooks is that he hadn’t learned to show instead of telling yet. I admit, I wasn’t surprised by the heavy borrows from Tolkien, but (and this is why I marked it spoilerly) I can’t help but wonder if Goodkind didn’t in turn borrow heavily from Brooks with his Sword of Truth. Either that or the Sword of Shannara gets around.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
3.0
This was mediocre writing at best - it is a debut novel, so I am confident that this could get better, but the tension is lacking, the character development is lacking, and having read as much Fantasy as I have by now, the originality is lacking -
This is a novel best saved for those getting into the genre and not already years vested, because everything that is said and done on these pages has been done before (or after, depending on the timeline of your reading experience) -
Shannara started a new generation of writing, and this is still and simply the straight form of farm boy hero with a destiny, however, I feel that I have moved well beyond this, and I could not take this novel seriously anymore.
This is great if you are getting your children into the Fantasy genre, and I will most likely have my young boys read this when they get a bit older, but I for one could not continue the interesting sounding world of Shannara that had no real value for the learned and aged like myself.
This is a novel best saved for those getting into the genre and not already years vested, because everything that is said and done on these pages has been done before (or after, depending on the timeline of your reading experience) -
Shannara started a new generation of writing, and this is still and simply the straight form of farm boy hero with a destiny, however, I feel that I have moved well beyond this, and I could not take this novel seriously anymore.
This is great if you are getting your children into the Fantasy genre, and I will most likely have my young boys read this when they get a bit older, but I for one could not continue the interesting sounding world of Shannara that had no real value for the learned and aged like myself.
gracie_mac's review against another edition
2.0
I heard a lot of good things about the Shannara Chronicles, so I thought I'd give it a go. Oh god. Had I never read or even heard of the plotline of Lord of the Rings I probably wouldn't have disliked it as much as I do. But DUDE, what a bad rip off.
Okay, okay. Proper review time. So first things first; the characters. Shea: not particularly an exciting character. Seriously. I get wanting to have an average Joe who suddenly gets thrown into a crazy adventure (Mr. Baggins ahem), but Shea has no appeal whatsoever. I could have cared less about him. Flick was a little better, but not much. He actually had some qualities to be admired, and I would have been a little sad if he was killed off. Weird, it's sort of the way I felt with Frodo and Sam in LotR. How strange.
Of course you've then got Balinor, a perfect mockery of Aragorn, Handel, the Elven brothers, Menion, and let's not forget Gandalf, I mean Allanon. Soz. I don't think I need to clarify my thoughts on their characters to anyone who's read LotR.
You've got Gondor, oh sorry. Tyrsis. The Warlock Lord....??? Whaaat?? He is literally referred to as the dark lord multiple times?? The skull bearers, once men and now corrupt?? I haven't a clue what they seem to remind me of.
Aside from the obvious plagiarism by Brooks, it's not the only problem I had with the book. It dragged, was predictable (who would have guessed the elves would save the day), was quite tedious at times, and parts were so unrealistic. (I am aware it is fantasy, therefore nothing should be realistic, but I mean in the sense that it is highly highly unlikely that someone like Menion would SUDDENLY, as Brooks likes to say when describing an incredible revelation made by a character at an incredibly convenient time, realise that he was in love with a woman he has known for all but a week and knows feck all about.
Anyway. I could keep going but I won't. It took me too long to read (did I mention I thought I had reached the end a third of the way through, but oh no jk there's another 400 pages of waffle to go) but hey, I'm gonna read the second one anyway.
Evidently I am insane.
I've heard that the rest of the books are much better and Shea will no longer plague me, so I will continue.
Okay, okay. Proper review time. So first things first; the characters. Shea: not particularly an exciting character. Seriously. I get wanting to have an average Joe who suddenly gets thrown into a crazy adventure (Mr. Baggins ahem), but Shea has no appeal whatsoever. I could have cared less about him. Flick was a little better, but not much. He actually had some qualities to be admired, and I would have been a little sad if he was killed off. Weird, it's sort of the way I felt with Frodo and Sam in LotR. How strange.
Of course you've then got Balinor, a perfect mockery of Aragorn, Handel, the Elven brothers, Menion, and let's not forget Gandalf, I mean Allanon. Soz. I don't think I need to clarify my thoughts on their characters to anyone who's read LotR.
You've got Gondor, oh sorry. Tyrsis. The Warlock Lord....??? Whaaat?? He is literally referred to as the dark lord multiple times?? The skull bearers, once men and now corrupt?? I haven't a clue what they seem to remind me of.
Aside from the obvious plagiarism by Brooks, it's not the only problem I had with the book. It dragged, was predictable (who would have guessed the elves would save the day), was quite tedious at times, and parts were so unrealistic. (I am aware it is fantasy, therefore nothing should be realistic, but I mean in the sense that it is highly highly unlikely that someone like Menion would SUDDENLY, as Brooks likes to say when describing an incredible revelation made by a character at an incredibly convenient time, realise that he was in love with a woman he has known for all but a week and knows feck all about.
Anyway. I could keep going but I won't. It took me too long to read (did I mention I thought I had reached the end a third of the way through, but oh no jk there's another 400 pages of waffle to go) but hey, I'm gonna read the second one anyway.
Evidently I am insane.
I've heard that the rest of the books are much better and Shea will no longer plague me, so I will continue.