penguingin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
wonkyghost's review against another edition
3.0
overall i did like the story told and i know this was published in the 80's but the misogyny really thew me off of this book for a while.
Amberle is described as a small child-like woman.. and although she does have a major role to play shes written as basically just Wil's love interest (one of them)
Eretria is characterised basically just by her trauma. she can handle herself sure but she spends half her time mothering Wil and not liking Amberle.
Basically this story would have been much better if you just cut Wil out of it. Honestly trying to find a redeemable quality is so difficult.
my favourite characters are Stee Jans and Ander Elessedil and thats only because they read so deeply in love/ like Ander has a fattest crush of Stee.
Amberle is described as a small child-like woman.. and although she does have a major role to play shes written as basically just Wil's love interest (one of them)
Eretria is characterised basically just by her trauma. she can handle herself sure but she spends half her time mothering Wil and not liking Amberle.
Basically this story would have been much better if you just cut Wil out of it. Honestly trying to find a redeemable quality is so difficult.
my favourite characters are Stee Jans and Ander Elessedil and thats only because they read so deeply in love/ like Ander has a fattest crush of Stee.
guidopetri's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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
3.0
mallori_lyshae's review against another edition
My goal with his book was to finish it before the show aired on MTV but unfortunately I gave up and didn't finish the book watched the show, because the pace was so slow during the first 50-100 pages. But the show is more fast-paced and I love it!
kasfire's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 Stars
Yet another fantastic novel by Terry Brooks.
Having seen the show, the way it was adapted prompted me to buy this series. Now that I have read the novel that inspired the show, it would be easy to compare them. However, each was fantastic in its own right.
For this novel, we are introduced to a new generation, some of whom are descended from the original group in The Sword of Shannara. But these characters are their own entities. They face their own issues, and each one was full of complexities. Amberle, granddaughter of the Elven King, is one of the Ellcrys' Chosen; Wil Ohmsford, a descendant of Shannara, is a simple Healer; Eretria, a Rover who knows she is meant for more. These three go on a journey to save the Ellcrys and stop the Demon army from consuming the world.
Filled with battles, heartbreak, and surprises (yes, even though I have seen the show there were surprises), this novel was extraordinary. The mythology that Terry Brooks has created for this series is imaginative and refreshing.
I am glad that the novel and show can each stand on their own. Some adaptations are horrible, but considering the show made me want to read the book, that was a plus. So on to the next one!
Yet another fantastic novel by Terry Brooks.
Having seen the show, the way it was adapted prompted me to buy this series. Now that I have read the novel that inspired the show, it would be easy to compare them. However, each was fantastic in its own right.
For this novel, we are introduced to a new generation, some of whom are descended from the original group in The Sword of Shannara. But these characters are their own entities. They face their own issues, and each one was full of complexities. Amberle, granddaughter of the Elven King, is one of the Ellcrys' Chosen; Wil Ohmsford, a descendant of Shannara, is a simple Healer; Eretria, a Rover who knows she is meant for more. These three go on a journey to save the Ellcrys and stop the Demon army from consuming the world.
Filled with battles, heartbreak, and surprises (yes, even though I have seen the show there were surprises), this novel was extraordinary. The mythology that Terry Brooks has created for this series is imaginative and refreshing.
I am glad that the novel and show can each stand on their own. Some adaptations are horrible, but considering the show made me want to read the book, that was a plus. So on to the next one!
jaredpence's review against another edition
4.0
I read this years ago, but the audiobook was great. I'm glad I read it again before it gets made into a tv series.
Jan 2021: Leaps and bounds better than The Sword of Shannara. The battle scenes against the army of demons are SO boring to me, but Wil and Amberle are great. And what Amberle does at the end is still touching and surprising, even when you know it’s going to happen.
Jan 2021: Leaps and bounds better than The Sword of Shannara. The battle scenes against the army of demons are SO boring to me, but Wil and Amberle are great. And what Amberle does at the end is still touching and surprising, even when you know it’s going to happen.
jasmyn9's review
3.0
A jump back in time threw me off as I thought this picked up right were book one left off - but it starts about 40 years or so down the line. The same issues of the pace jumping between slow and drawn out and really fast and exciting that I found in book one as well. I really enjoyed the character of Amberle and the way she grew and turned into something (literally) quite different than I expected. I really didn't see it coming.
Allanon still makes me a bit mad with his sudden solutions and saving the day. If he's powerful enough to do so much,then why doesn't he just do it from the very beginning? I don't think I'll ever understand that.
Wil is a great hero and the lengths he was willing to go to to fulfill his duty were quite amazing. The new areas that were introduced were quite unique - espeically the witch sisters. Lots of epic battles with demons and some very strategic scenes that were very well written.
Allanon still makes me a bit mad with his sudden solutions and saving the day. If he's powerful enough to do so much,then why doesn't he just do it from the very beginning? I don't think I'll ever understand that.
Wil is a great hero and the lengths he was willing to go to to fulfill his duty were quite amazing. The new areas that were introduced were quite unique - espeically the witch sisters. Lots of epic battles with demons and some very strategic scenes that were very well written.
ferrisscottr's review against another edition
4.0
Read this many times over the years. I'm considering doing an entire Shannara read through so wanted to go back to the beginning.
I consider this the actual start of the series even though it's book 2 since the first book (Sword of Shannara) was just a retelling of the Lord of the Rings.
Essentially evil has been locked away and held in place by a magic tree for untold years but the tree is dying which means all the evil will escape and all the bad things will happen. So he gives us an elf and a descendant of Jerle Shannara to embed a seed from the magic tree and hence get a new magic tree to stop the evil-doers.
This is old school fantasy from the 80's - bad guys vs. good guys, all the different races, magic all over the place, great characters, fast moving. If it came out today I'm pretty sure it would be labeled as YA but it's good.
Brooks is someone whose writing improves over the years. At the point of the writing of this book he's still not all that good but he is improving and I'll give him a pass since his writing does get to the point in a few more books where he's damn good.
My gut says to give this 3 stars but just based on the historical perspective of this series and what it did to the genre I'll bump it up to 4 stars.
I consider this the actual start of the series even though it's book 2 since the first book (Sword of Shannara) was just a retelling of the Lord of the Rings.
Essentially evil has been locked away and held in place by a magic tree for untold years but the tree is dying which means all the evil will escape and all the bad things will happen. So he gives us an elf and a descendant of Jerle Shannara to embed a seed from the magic tree and hence get a new magic tree to stop the evil-doers.
This is old school fantasy from the 80's - bad guys vs. good guys, all the different races, magic all over the place, great characters, fast moving. If it came out today I'm pretty sure it would be labeled as YA but it's good.
Brooks is someone whose writing improves over the years. At the point of the writing of this book he's still not all that good but he is improving and I'll give him a pass since his writing does get to the point in a few more books where he's damn good.
My gut says to give this 3 stars but just based on the historical perspective of this series and what it did to the genre I'll bump it up to 4 stars.