Reexamining The Legacy of Terry Brooks & The Sword of Shannara Trilogy
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Mike looks at the legacy of Terry Brooks and why he thinks Brooks should be respected more within the fantasy community for the influence the Sword of Shannara trilogy had in reviving the genre at it's lowest moment.
Want to send Mike something? You can do so to the below address:
Mike K.
15201 Mason Rd
Suite 169
Cypress, TX 77433
Support Mike on Patreon: / mikesbookreviews
Join Mike's server on Discord / discord
Visit Mike's Amazon Wishlist: amzn.to/2zpHooW
Follow Mike on Goodreads: / mikesbookreviews
Follow Mike on Twitter: / zepp1978
Like Mike's Book Reviews on Facebook / mikesbookreviews
Follow Mike on Instagram / zepp1978
Follow Mike on TikTok / zepp1978
------------------------------------------------------
Theme music provided by Infraction
/ @infraction
Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
infractionroya...
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0(CC BY 3.0)
creativecommon...
------------------------------------------------------
#MikesBookReviews #TerryBrooks #Shannara
Hey bookworms! I feel like folks need to put some respect on Terry Brooks name, but as always I respect your opinion if you disagree. Let's talk about it below!
I've been reading Terry Brooks for 30 years now, and while I can't disagree that he started off highly derivative with Shannara, by the time you get into his later series and he has links to his Knight of the Word Urban fantasy books, and people flying around in airships, I would contend that he had developed his world far further than most authors ever do.
Agreed, Brooks evolved in his writing style, and he always has a knack for the big story climax.
Yes, the further the series gets much more involved and is fantastic. There is something for everyone from the Tolkien like beginning to an apocalyptic world in our time. I love it. I especially love the women is this series.
I'm 60 and I still read him. His world evolved very far from Tolkieness beginnings. Very distinctly his own.
Yes, but every book has the same setup. Each book includes some teenager who reluctantly goes on some sort of quest. Boring.
Just saw this clip, and I appreciate someone defending Brooks. I came to these books after Tolkien in the much the same way. Then put it aside for decades, then when I realized he had gone on with it, I picked them up again. I did the same thing with Donaldson and Thomas Covenant. Give credit to the fact that these authors continued their series through the years, and I believe did wonderfully with them. Covenant was a much more difficult, high end read, but very rewarding. I just finished The Last Druid from Brooks last week (his final book in the series), and it was bittersweet. Please, please, do go back and read them all. They are their own animal, they really do break off into their own non-Tolkien copy-cat world. And yes, the nostalgia is there, and that’s a good thing. It will bring you many smiles along the way, Be critical, of course, but I think it will survive your tentative expectations. Thanks!
I read Sword in 1985 when I was in grade 6 and finished the series of that year. There has not been a fantasy series since that has captivated me the way Shannara did back then.
I also read the books in middle school and the nostalgia is overwhelming me right now
Me too; my uncle showed my Sword of Shannara when I was in 6th grade (1992) and I fell in love with the world. Now that I'm older, I can see the similarities to Lord of the Rings. A good part of that was done on purpose since there was not really any other fantasy at that time.
I feel the same way about the Belgariad.
Love the Shannara series! Elfstones of Shannara is the first book that made me cry. Allanon is one of my favorite characters in fantasy.
His Word & Void trilogy is fantastic. And what it leads into shows how he developed his writing.
Completely agree. I think the Word and the Void is his top work. Nest and Ross are fantastic.
I’ve just finished the word and void trilogy. Where should I go next?
I’ve just finished the word and void trilogy. Where should I go next?
@Joe Sam it leads into the Genesis of Shannara series.
@@TheLibraryofAllenxandria Ya, also the enemies, as well as the sense of mystery in the first two
Shannara is such a nostalgic read for me. My dad handed it to me once I’d finished The Lord of the Rings, and, like you, I was happy to have more of the same! I have such fond memories, and while I didn’t make it all the way to the end (unlike my dad, who’s still going strong), there are some books I genuinely enjoyed.
Derivative or not, reading this was foundational in my fantasy journey and it’ll always have a place on my shelf for that reason!
Some thing here... I loved it... read it 3 times... dwarves, elfs, great story, great characters
You are Exactly like me
I read Snannara first and am glad I did because Tolkien's LOTR is sooooo dry and boring. Tolkien gets a pass from so many people it's ridiculous. As for his Shannara series being derivative, that only applies for the first book, none of the r a t is like anything from Tolkien.
I remember staring for hours at the Hidebrandt covers as a kid and my young mind just being transported. Wish that were still possible. 😔
Isn’t it great how our imagination works when we are young?
7th grade at the library, back in the olden days when people went to check out books. I saw The Sword of Shannara on the shelf by chance and was instantly intrigued. Two days later I had crushed it and thus began my lifelong love of fantasy. Thank you Mr. Brooks.
I'm always hesitant to watch videos about Terry Brooks because I have a very soft spot for his works. The Sword of Shannara got me through a rough time in my life, so I owe my life to Terry Brooks. When people ask me about his books I usual suggest people read Word & Void or try the Landover novels before Shannara, if you're not into Tolkienesque stories. I have read almost everything that he has published and I will say, is his writing great literature, no it's not but for me I still read him because sometimes I don't want to read something high-minded or makes me think too hard. As Frank Herbert said, ""Brooks demonstrates that it doesn't matter where you get the idea; what matters is that you tell a rousing story."
First of all, thanks. Thanks for recognizing an author that does deserve more credit than what he gets. With that said, the Sword of Shannara may be similar to The Lord of the Rings but the Trilogy in and of itself is NOT a “just changing of names” intellectual theft of LOTR like many like to imply. I’m 48 and I really think it boils down to a generational thing and many in their 20s-30s tend to just complain about everything and be “self-proclaimed” know-it-alls. By the way, he has not written a million books and the number of copies he has sold is justified because he is loved by a legion of us.
Agreed! Sword, it's more or less impossible to say it isn't more or less Terry writing his version of LotR, but everything after that went off into his own original take on things and built up on the one thing in Sword that wasn't even close to being taken from Tolkien, the setting and worldbuilding.
Agreed. Amazing series. And I don't remember anyone ripping anything/one tearing up someone else with their voice in LotR.
GIANNI MANZANO I agree with your take on it. The Sword of Shannara and the rest of the series were my first exposure to fantasy as a genre and I ate it up.
Robin Moore, exactly. Unlike others, I didn’t start with Tolkien. My first exposure was The Elfstones of Shannara, which led me into the rest of the trilogy, and The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I actually didn’t read LOTR until after I watched the movies so Shannara was my “LOTR” for many years.
Yep. There is a lack of historical and cultural context.
I'm kind of surprised the fantasy genre was dying; I was reading tons of fantasy during the 1970's. Lots of it was nothing like Tolkien. Fritz Leiber's, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, any Michael Moorcock, and Peirs Anthony's Zanth novels pop to mind right off. The shelves at the book stores were loaded with other books, but I was a kid and could mostly only look at them and wish I had a couple more dollars. :D
I have to admit I really slogged thru LOT I skimmed a lot but I was in high school in the 60's. I also loved Zelazney in the 60's Moorcock, MZB, Kurtz, even Martha Stuart.
Fritz Leiber was awesome. Very influential. You also had LeGuin & Alexander. I DNF'd an Anthony book but might be his others are better. I plan to read Moorcock, Zelazny, & Howard after I read Vance whom I've heard influenced some of them prior to Tolkien. In fact I'm almost beginning to believe 70's was better than the 80's but I'm sure I'm just not looking at the long list.
@Fluffy G I did a re-read of 'A Wizard of Earthsea' recently and, although it was still as wonderful as I remembered, was now too juvenile for my taste, and I decided not to continue. This isn't a slight against Le Guin; it is the audience it was intended.
Moorcock was the man that got me into fantasy, and I'm still not sure if his eternal champion is a fantasy character or a sci-fi character.
Fantasy always had it's audience... but it was more Niche. SF had taken over and was dominating. It is surprising to hear (since these days we think of the many fantasy series that were popular) but they actually didn't sell very well compared to Literary Fiction, and even other Genre Fiction (like SF). And, the more popular fantasy was the SFF New Wave stuff (Moorcock), which was very different from Tolkien. But, even if fantasy wasn't necessarily "dying", it was in a state that wasn't even close to what it would become in the 80s. The 80s were a total fantasy boom! You can often tell what is selling well in literature, by what is being produced in film. And there has never been a decade before or after with as many fantasy movies than the 80s. Also, it was the decade that began the practice of long multi-book series. There were a couple of series prior to that ("EarthSea" (only 3 books at the time), "Elric" (though, it was mainly bind ups of short stories, with only 1 true novel till the 80s)... and let's keep in mind that LOTR wasn't a "series". It was 1 book split into 3 for financial reasons). But, yeah, Brooks did give Fantasy a shot in the arm. He brought back the traditional "Quest" story, he helped spread the idea that people wanted long series, and he showed that fantasy books could sell really well. After Tolkien (and Lewis and Peake), fantasy wasn't a great selling genre. It was very niche.
This is the smartest assessment of Terry Brooks I've ever heard. You have to understand the original trilogy in the context of the era it was written.
💯
Nice take, giving him the due he deserves. I'm not a big fan of Terry Brooks (I have nothing against him, just not for me), but he was greatly influential in my fantasy categorization system. I use 1977 (the year "Sword of Shannara" released) as the start of Modern Fantasy. There was a huge shift in tone, style, character, and story beats after "SoS" was published. Fantasy (even after Tolkien) was closer to the style of Mervin Peake. We have come to think that everyone became a Tolkien clone after LOTR, but there were relatively few. In the 60s and 70s (during the "SFF New Wave", a lot of people argued that Peake was a better influence than Tolkien. There was a huge shift to anti-heroes (Elric of Melnibone) and a reappraisal of classic fantasy (Tolkien/Lewis). Peake (author of 1950's "Gormenghast") was seen as more "literary" than Tolkien (over the years the pendulum seems to keep shifting back and forth between Peake and Tolkien as to who had more literary merit and who authors should take influence from). But by the end of the 1970s, Fantasy was in a rut. Brooks put the spotlight back on Tolkien, and traditional adventures, and here we are. He deserves the credit for revitalizing Fantasy, or at least, revitalizing the POPULARITY of Fantasy (though, Sword and Sorcery (via the renewed popularity of Conan) helped).
PS - ironically, Fantasy these days seems to have reverted to both the literary style ("King Killer Chronicles" and "A Song of Fire and Ice") and the content/tone ("First Law" and pretty much all Grimdark) of the 1960s SFF New Wave. And while I don't personally have anything against that, in small doses (and I don't have anything against other people liking those works).... It might be time for another Brooks-style shift in Fantasy. Bring back the fun, classic, action/adventure quests, with lots of heart. Just my 2 cents.
PPS - GREAT SHIRT!
Great take
Read the the first three in junior high and high school. Love them still, and still read Terry Brooks. I like the world that he built.
I read the Sword in middle school and did not know about LOTR. The Hobbit was a cartoon that I watched 100s of times prior to the Sword. Forty years later I reread the Sword. I read the Elfstones, Wishsong and Prequel First King next. Each step was better and better. It got me back into fantasy. Mistborn, Stormlight, Farseerer are now complete. All truly fantastic but Shannara will always be where it began for me. Thanks for putting his contribution in context. I look forward to reading them all.
Hey Mike. Really enjoyed the video. I will fight back on the 'he just ripped off Tolkien' thought. While I agree the first few books really borrowed heavily from Tolkien, he really expands some of his own ideas as the series progressed. My biggest gripe with Brooks has always been that while he has some very good ideas, he doesn't always follow through on them in the sequels. It becomes, "I need to finish x number of books" and yeah, some of the books feel 'phoned in.'
It's actually his non-Shannara books that I still enjoy to this day. Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold and its sequels still rank high on my list of favorite fantasy. I'd also say that while I understand your reticence to go back and reread Brooks, there are some that are absolutely worth it. You've plenty on your TBR already, but you might find yourself feeling nostalgic at some point. I certainly hope you do.
Enjoyed the video, Mike.
It's not even the 'first few' it's just Sword itself that is a blatent LotR rewrite, Elfstones took everything on a whole new direction and is an amazing story on it's own. But yeah, do agree the sequels tended to kind of start feeling phoned in and either treading the same ground, or simply trying to pad out the book counts without actually doing anything after awhile, but Heritage remains an amazing series and one of my favs.
Landover and Word and Void were amazing, and I also really loved the Genesis of Shannara books bridging WaV and Shannara.
@@7Seraphem7 Heritage is my definite favorite. Reading it now for the 3rd time.
The abysmal failed TV adaptation on MTV didn't help his cause any. But I agree with you ... the Shannara series was very popular back in the 80's and introduced many teenagers ( and older ) to the fantasy genre. I certainly enjoyed reading it as a teen and the later books did break away from the Tolkien-esque template and establish their own identity ( the same could be said for tWoT ).
Yep
the TV adaptation was a crying shame. Terry Brooks deserved much, much better.
This world needs more Terry Brooks booktubers
Sword of Shannara was the very first fantasy book I read as a teen in 1977 and I’ve loved fantasy books ever since 👍🏻
I started reading J R R TOLKIEN IN HIGH SCHOOL but nothing was coming close until Terry Brooks arrived and I've been reading his books ever since and he may have some similarities to TOLKIEN he is by far a VERY ACCOMPLISHED AUTHOR AND SHOULD NOT BE DISMISSED SO EASILY AND I TRULY HOPE HE CONTINUES TO WRITE MORE BOOKS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GREAT STORY. But you have to start at the beginning and that's how you can and will appreciate his stories at least I do and I'm almost 65 years old and he keeps me going on my fantasy life journey. THANKS MUCH TO TERRY BROOKS FOR ALL HIS GREAT WORK AND I AM A HUGE FAN OF HIS BOOKS 📚 PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!!!!🎉.
I’ve read “First King of Shannara,” “The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara,” and “The High Druid’s Blade.” I read some of his work when I was new to Fantasy and a little as I’ve grown as a reader and changed my tastes from being content simply with Tolkien-like to not always requiring Elves, Orcs and the like to draw me in. I respect Brooks for his lengthy career, and view him as like James Patterson or a popcorn flick. It won’t be groundbreaking, but an enjoyable experience regardless.
Yes! Fond of it! And the draw are the original paperback book covers and for me personally, DRUIDS! Although you could argue more like Green Knights with Allanon. But not many fantasy series feature DRUIDS even fantasy styled!
Huh, I’ll buy into your thesis statement.
Brooks’ novels were the epitome of fantasy for me. When I read Sword of Shannara I got the feel of fantasy that I envisioned in my mind. Plus that original cover was awesome and drew me in to turn its pages.
There is too much back seat driving in the fantasy genre these days. It actually is almost repulsive to me, just talking tropes and common patterns. There is so much that goes into writing a good book, and what we think matters today will change in 10 years.
I think the Chronicles of Prydain were one of the first series to rekindle the embers of fantasy.
As for Shannara, that series got better through time. 20 years ago I read First Kings of Shannara (written way after his original trilogy), it was a page turner and the story has stayed with me ever since. I really enjoy the novels, good characters, he paints a good fantasy lense to each novel. Overall, I like this series.
Absolutely right. Terry Brooks is completely disrespected today. Him and Roger Zelazny are what got me into Scifi and Fantasy as an elementary school student in the early '80s. And that led me to Tolkien. True, it doesn't hold up as much nowadays, but as long as you keep in mind when it was written, it is still enjoyable, especially once you get into the second book and immerse yourself in the world building. Give the man some respect. Great, insightful video Mike!
Just finished the 1st book in the trilogy and wow, it was great as someone who hasn't read much classic fantasy. Def saw big wheel of time similarities that Jordan must have been inspired by. Awesome video. Was wondering why all the hate for the author and this series when so many others enjoy it. Def deserves respect imo
I've never read LOTR so I'm happy with the journey Terry Brooks has taken me on.
Terry Brooks is my favorite author as well. Just came across this video on autoplay while watching Mike' book revirew, now I am subscribed to the channel. Rarely do I see someone as big a Terry Brooks fan as I am. I'll definitely have your book on my TBR. Thanks for this.
I worked in a bookstore while attending college. There were great fantasy authors doing quite well at the time: Ursela LeGuin (Earthsea) Roger Zelazny (Amber) William Goldman (Princess Bride). William Howard (Conan) Anne McCaffrey (Pern). Terry Brooks was there too, but he was the only Tolkeinesk series that sold. I believe (I may be wrong) most went straight to paperback .
I scuttled away a first edition Silmarillion. That sold out in hard cover. But it read more like a history book than classic novel. It did not ignite the fan base. LOTR did not become widely successful until the Peter Jackson movies.
At the time, Science Fiction was king. Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke and Clive Cussler.
Here here. I also read The Sword of Shannara straight after TLotR in my early teens. I also don't get the hate, yes his first book is highly derivative of Tolkien, but the second book The Elfstones of Shannara was so much better and is a high point in the series, and a much better starting point for new readers.
I'm glad you made this video because he really does deserve more respect than he gets.
I also need to start reading the series again where I stopped about 10 years ago since his concluding the whole shebang this year.
Brooks, Feist, Eddings, and Jordan defined my reading years in the early '90s for fantasy.
I read the books in the early 80s, and loved them. I re read them 20 years later.... not good.
His later books are good, the original Shanara Trilogy, just not good.
Have you tried to re-read sword of Shannara recently?
It's bad.
I liked it with the rose-tinted glasses of childhood, but YA fiction has come a long way since then, although I'm not sure if it was originally intended to be for the YA market.
I'd be embarrassed to offer the book to my 13 yr old self, I'd still be happy to offer her Ursula Le Guins books, but I suspect she would be more interested in Christopher Paulini, Philip Pulman or Neil Gaiman.
Some works do not age well, don't get me wrong, Brookes later works are a massive improvement, but the original trilogy is best left in the past.
I agree with everything said. What really helped me was that I read the Shannara series before Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, and all those other authors. People should really give Brooks a chance because I feel that the way he describes battles and large scale battle scenes is unlike any other author. Anyone looking to get into this series might want to check out First King of Shannara first because that was first (chronologically) and the level of detail of a certain battle (without giving away spoilers) is just absolutely amazing. Also I’m not counting the books that led up to the Great Wars (and it’s apocalyptic events) because it’s just a different world and I personally prefer worlds that include medieval fantasy.
So for me I highly suggest starting with First King, the sword, elfstones, and then wishsong. If you hate it then great….that’s why they are called opinions and we are all entitled to them. Otherwise I highly recommend it if you looking to get into another medieval fantasy series. 👍
It was a million years ago 1985 or so that I read Shanara, I can't remember if I liked it or not. Thomas Covenant was extremely painful to read, I finished Lord Fouls Bane and never continued. Piers Anthony Incarnations and the Adept series and David Eddings got me back into reading. Cheers from co Galway Ireland.
Very interesting. I read the Sword of Shannara around age 13 in 1983. I loved it and wanted more. Then I tried Covenant. I forced myself to finish the trilogy and then book 1 of the 2nd trilogy. You're right ... it was painful.
So scared of this video - please don’t destroy my childhood.
Also Terry Brooks is great !
Now on to the video.
... after the video:
I agree with that. Brooks made me love the series. I loved LoTR but I thought it was a dead genre until 92 when I found heritage of Shannara.
I’ve read some of his recent books and they’re not as good but tbh given some of the other fantasy out there which is self indulgent 800 pages which never end - Brooks still paces better.
You’ve convinced me to go back and read the original again. There is annotated edition which I am looking froward it.
Terry Brooks along with David Eddings, Katharine Kerr and the Dragonlance books was part of my introduction to fantasy in the mid 90s.
I started reading Thomas Covenant but I didn’t come very far. I felt so repulsed by the main characters action that I just couldn’t bring myself to continue with them. Had some better luck with the Mordant's Need series by the same author, but never finished the series.
I wouldn’t want to go back and read some of these today because I rather have the warm fuzzy memories of nostalgia than seeing how badly they might have aged.
I've read a great deal of Terry Brooks in the last 5+ years. The Shannara novels are captivating quick reads without fantasy's common grimdark tone.You can read the series without feeling you're signing up for weeks of 1000 page books. On the other hand, I've rarely thought of Shannara as epic moving reads. But not all sword and sorcery novels have to be gritty, brutal dramas.
Like you, I read this trilogy at a young age, right after reading the LOTR, and I loved it. I agree with you. Went on to read Donaldson, Eddings, Piers Anthony, and many more.
Good video. The Elfstones of Shannara was one of the first novels I ever read, and I loved it. I read many of the other Shannara books and always enjoyed them. I enjoyed your take on this. Great channel, my favorite channel about fantasy, etc. Keep it up!
Thanks! Will do.
I'm finishing the Elfstones of Shannara, and I really enjoy it and want to read more of Brooks' books. And sure, these books are influenced by LOTR, but he still manages to put his own spin on things. And he has some great battle scenes. People need to give the poor guy some slack and respect.
Terry Pratchett has ruined fantasy by being so awesome most fantasy authors seem bad next to him
meh, he is ok...would not make my top 10, but to each their own.
I think he's shit tbh
@@tbone6924 I don't know if he'd make my top 10, there's a lot of folk to choose from, but he definitely makes "most fantasy authors seem bad."
I always thought he was terrible, Terry Pratchett
I tried to read a Pratchett book, and to be honest, I was not impressed. His over reliance on satire is off putting for me, but to each his own.
I agree that Brooks has his place. I am not a huge fan of the series but Brooks is good at what he does and his legacy is more important than what people think.
I have read most of the Shannara series recently and while it is not the best series out there, beginner fantasy fans might appreciate it the best. His books get repetitive but they are fairly quick and easy reads. Elfstone is a good standalone. I would also recommend The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy.
The standout series from Brooks in my opinion is the Word & Void series. An urban fantasy set in a small Ohio town that was originally not linked to Shannara.
David Eddings was my gateway drug into fantasy. I did read the Shanara books but they didn’t stay with me like Eddings did. But I am thankful for those of that era who helped keep fantasy alive. Tracy Hickman also a favorite from back then.
6:44 You forgot to mention "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula Le Guin.
It was written in 1968, so 9 years before Sword of Shannara. Also, it was a copy of Lotr, it didn't have elves or dwarves etc. Just very interesting world building around wizards.
I was a SciFi reader as a kid. Then, out of curiosity, I read The Hobbit in high school (late 70s) and liked it. My first real exposure to fantasy and i wanted more. Of course, I went straight to LOTR.
It absolutely bored me to tears. I couldn't finish it. Frustrating. I went back to my Asimov and Bradbury.
Then, I found Sword of Shannara via the SciFi book club and I was hooked. It had all the story elements i was looking for, but didn't take ages to get from point A to point B. Derivative or not, Terry Brooks succeeded where Tolkien failed. I still love classic scifi, but fantasy has been my favorite genre since Sword.
Years later I watched Peter Jackson's trilogy and loved it. Still haven't attempted reading it again, though.
So yeah, Terry Brooks is my favorite author to this day. Got to meet him a few years ago and he autographed my battered old copy of Sword. Thanks for giving him his props.
I read The Sword of Shannara when I was about 11. I can't remember much of what I read but, I do remember as a young kid enjoying them. I thank Terry Brooks for taking my young mind on an adventure. It was because I enjoyed it that I was recommended, The Hobbit!
Terry Brooks is one of my favorites. I have read all of his books, and the only thing that makes me sad is that someone stole my large paperback version of The Sword of Shannara with the large painted centerfold. I highly recommend them. I have bought them as gifts and recommended them and everyone loved them. Forever a Terry Brooks fan.
My grandmother leant me her collection when I was in highschool, now I have a fantasy addiction
I read the original trilogy for the first time when I was 18, now I reread the entire series every year. The earlier books aren't the best writing I've ever read, but it gets better over time, and I enjoy the story enough that I don't really mind.
All 30 or so books once a year? Nice
Terry Brooks is my favorite writer! And I laughed when you mentioned the MTV adaption, everyone I hear mention it hates it, but I loved it, even though it took gigantic liberties with the source material. My favorite books in the Shannara universe are the three original novels and the prequels (especially First King of Shannara, one of my favs!). As a writer, Brooks has influenced my stories quite a bit. Without the Shannara series (both books and TV), I don't think I'd be as into Fantasy as I am today.
I couldnt get past the stupid contest at the beginning to become "chosen". It took everything special about being a chosen and made it a who can finish faster.
Brooks did an interview with Salvatore a couple days ago, he hates what MTV did to it.
As someone that grow up on all the authors you mentions I can't agree more, the fantasy selection we have today just wasn't there up to the beginning of this millennium we only had those series so even if some of he authors on that list are controversial or considered unoriginal we still need to give their works some measure of respect
Shannara is Amazing. It is so sad when big booktubers hate it. It is great good versus evil fantasy . You and Brian Lee durfee are the only channels I've seen that like Shannara. Love the channel Mike , your vids are spot on! Stoked for Malazan next year
My Dad loves this series, he’s the one who introduced it to me.
Excellent point of view, Mike. I admire the respect you professed for Terry Brooks. You're right, the nostalgia for the Shannara books will always be there if one is a true fantasy fan who has read them. The Covenant series blew my socks off, but I still have a soft spot for Terry Brooks. I thank him for that.
I’m the same I read the Shannara trilogy for much the same reasons when I was younger. I loved it and still do, is it going to set the world on fire no, does it hold up, a matter of opinion. Point it I loved it and yes you are correct Mike he does deserve some fair bit of respect for keeping Fantasy going. But it will embolden his critics to pick apart his legacy because of how similar it is to the Lord of the Rings. And that cannot be helped much unfortunately. But your words are well spoken about his legacy.
I loved the original series. Granted I was young when I read it, somewhere around 1980-81. I didn't think it was terribly derivative at the time. And if it is, WHO CARES! I read books to entertain. Shannara entertained me. The demons and the tree. That is not Tolkien. That is all Brooks. I have not read it in many years and have not read a lot of the more recent stuff but the tie in with Knights of the Word brought me back in for several books 15 years or so ago. I don't remember which I read first, but Magic Kingdom for Sale(sold) was very impactful for me. I loved that book probably more than I loved Sword. But these books, even more than LOTR pulled me even deeper into the genre. People need to spend less time criticizing books because they derive from earlier works. I think that is very complimentary. If it is good, read it. If it is fun, read it. Brooks is good and fun. Also, people are spoiled by Sanderson. He has a ton of different ideas rolling around in his head, and I love most of them. But I think most authors pull ideas from works that they read when they were younger. I know that if I had ever been able to rise to my aspiration of being an author, I definitely would have been derivative. And yeah, you really need to read the Belgariad. It is probably lambasted for tropes and whatnot, but it is a good read. I read it originally when I was probably 15 and loved it, but I read it again in my 30s and I still liked it. I have read everything he has written in that world and loved it. I have had difficulty getting into some of his other worlds. Forgot to add, I love Covenant too, though the One Tree has always been a struggle for me.
Exactly. And Really it’s really easy to find similarities to LOTR in just about any fantasy book now days. I understand why people compare Sword to the LOTR. But there are quite a few differences to. The concept of the sword versus the ring for example. The ring contains the power, but the power is in Shey, not the sword. And Brooks is so much easier to read. And I love R.E. Howard. Brooks really did come into his own in his later books with fantastic characters. And like you said I read to be entertained, and Brooks writes entertaining books.
After reading The Hobbit when I was 9 years old, The Elfstones Of Shannara was the next fantasy book I ever read (I actually picked it up at a jumble sale for 10p I think!), sure nowadays Brooks stuff is looked at as high fantasy with every trope imaginable but to me at the age of 10 or 11 it was fantastic. I binged the rest of the available books and have always picked up the latest release since. Like many here his writing fills me with nostalgia but it also gives me great comfort to take a break from the more modern grimdark writing that so many feel the need to write nowadays.
Is his work ground-breaking? Not now, but when I first picked up the original trilogy it probably was. Is his writing full of high fantasy tropes? Now yes, but back when I picked up the original trilogy definitely not. He will always be a beloved writer for me as he introduced me to a much bigger fantasy world than just Middle Earth. For that he has my eternal thanks!
Elfstones was something new: it brought the concept of a generational saga into fantasy, allowing Brooks to begin showing the long-term effects of earlier entries in the series with each new book, and also to use this to expand his overall worldbuilding and create a history intimately tied to the Ohmsford/Shannara bloodline. Technically, the idea had been explored a few years earlier in Piers Anthony's comedy-fantasy Xanth novels, but considering that worldbuilding there was entirely in the service of punchlines, it didn't really count in the same way.
See Mike, this is why I like you you talk about books that were before the year 2000 😄
1st fantasy books i read,in 85 ,really got me in to fantasy,to this day.
I read the original trilogy, and the scions of shannara quadrilogy is still one of my favorite series but what I find borderline criminal is that when Brooks is brought up, almost no one talks about the Magic Kingdom series.
What really makes me sad about it is most of the under-30 year old booktubers out there haven't even read Brooks and constantly berate him.
Off topic a bit, Terry Goodkind's style of fantasy is probably more Dark Fantasy than lots of other things. It's not for the sheltered. If you've read some of the more grim parts of the Dark Tower series, then that might give you an idea of the kinds of things you might read in Terry's Sword of Truth series.
I know lots of people find his series derivative of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and he has been known to be very abrasive to people in the fantasy community but none of that takes away from the story he has made. It's very good. It's a shame that so many people steer clear of it because the author has a bad rep. Because the characters in the story and the journey they take are great and there is quite of bit heart to be found in it. Epic fights and battles. Great magic. Great twists. Tragedy. Redemption. Triumph. Love. It's all in there. Great philosophical thoughts and dares to challenge the reader sometimes in their own beliefs. I have read and re-read the 10 books of Sword of Truth (although Terry continued on with the characters from there, Confessor was really the soft close of that long adventure.) AND I have also read and re-read the Wheel of Time. While I think the Wheel of Time is definitely a much grander story, it doesn't take away from how grand the Sword of Truth series is.
I think more people should give it a chance. I DO find the series to be highly derivative in some elements of it of the Wheel of Time but see that doesn't bother me as much as it does others. The Sword of Shannara is famously derivative of Lord of the Rings but people still love it. The Sword of Truth is the same animal.
Take care all! Booktube is great!
Big fan of Brooks and one hundred percent agree on the concept that his works revitalized the fantasy genre. Having re-read the various Shannara books multiple times, I still enjoy them to this day, particularly the first eight (the original trilogy of Sword, Elfstones and Wishsong, the four books of the Heritage set and the prequel First King) and also the far-prequel sets Genesis of Shannara and Legends of Shannara. Once you get past the first book, Sword, I don't see much similarity to Tolkien beyond the formula of "Wizard gives quest, adventurer goes on quest, world is saved (temporarily)". Also, particularly as you go through Eflstones and then quite literally cemented in the Heritage set (quadology?), Brooks makes it quite apparent why and how this world and the setting is very much his own and not at all Tolkien's. Without a doubt Sword of Shannara feels like a blow by blow re-telling of LotR, but in truth it's not bad for that. Sword of Shannara and Brooks style of writing is much more accessible to many readers than Tolkien's style, which I believe is the very reason it was so successful both for it's own right and for revitalizing the genre.
He most highly names Faulkner as his influence. And hearing him discuss the reason for that influence, I realize things that were kinda lurking beneath the surface of my understanding on his series.
Eddings is much more YA friendly and even targeted than Brooks in my opinion. I feel like Brooks' writing is just very accessible. Eddings' humor and character dialogue is why I would say his Belgariad etc is more YA geared.
Feist I would place on the same bar as Brooks. Brooks writing does not tend to include much if any humor or banter between his characters. You'll see a bit when reading his rover (a group of people in his novels) characters, but it's not the same kind of banter and humor you see in Feist or especially Eddings work.
Brandon Sanderson is someone I haven't read a lot of, I had only heard a bit about him before he finished out Jordan's Wheel of Time, just enough to know that he had written some books. And honestly if he had not finished out Wheel, I might never have noticed him. Unfortunately I absolutely hate the way he wrote the characters for Wheel. It felt like he took them and made them his own. My dislike for it is so vehement that I haven't been able to bring myself to read Sanderson's own works, which I admit is not fair to him.
I read the first 7-8 Shannara books when I was a kid and liked them but didn't love them. I liked Eddings and Feist much more. I don't think many of these series aged well except I will say the second trilogy from Feist that was cowritten by Janny Wurts is still one of the best trilogies ever written and I just reread it last year. I've read all but the most recent Thomas Covenant books and they are amazing. Very dark, though.
Your take is 100 percent right, all us old folks know this is true, Tolkien might be the Godfather of fantasy, but Brooks was the, the one who had the courage to step in and brought fantasy back. I just reread it and i am gonna read it again, not because it is amazing, but i do like it, but because I respect what he did
Thanks for the review! I've heard it said that Tolkien is the grandfather of Fantasy and Brooks is the father. Totally agree with you that Brooks was a driving force behind fantasy being as popular as it is today.
I would say that his first book is VERY derivative of Tolkien. Most if not all of the other books and series that he's written are very much his own though. I would definitely recommend checking out some of the other series, as it's hard to make an assessment of him as an author by the first book he ever wrote. He's written a good number of books and pretty much all of them are rated in the 4 out of 5-star range.
It was back in high school in the early 2000s when I first read the four book heritage series and it's the reason I fell in love with fantasy. Honestly, I still enjoy most of his work. It's not as detailed as the Wheel of Time, but sometimes that's a good thing. And yes, his books are not award winners every time but they're still very solid books. I also appreciate the fact that his books are in the same world and span a vast length of time. The Word and Void series ultimately lead our world into that of Shannara which I think is a fantastic idea.
I'll also add, his Landover series is an absolute delight. It's more of a whimsical series which is nice. I'm reading through it a second time and enjoying it just as much as the first time, which says something considering I can rarely reread a book or rewatch a movie because I remember too much and it becomes boring.
Terry Brooks is definitely in my top list of authors to read.
Thanks for doing this video. I feel the same about Terry Brooks. Although i do also feel that about 80's- 90's fantasy in general. No one talks about Raymond E Feist, David Eddings or David Gemmell anywhere? Along with Brooks these guys may not have been ground breaking but their books were pretty damn good reads at the time. Gemmell especially!
I'll also note that some of the other authors you mentioned were closer to contemporaries of Brooks than long after him (Feist and Eddings specifically.) Shannara started in 77 while Magician and Pawn of Prophecy were both published in 82. Earthsea actually predates Shannara by over a decade coming in 68. Fantasy wasn't an especially popular genre outside of Tolkien, but there were still some really good authors operating back then.
I’m a huge fan of Terry Brooks, and I’ve read through all of his first three series, and it’s gets much more original as the series goes on. I do plan to read the rest as well.
I read the first two Shannara trilogies while hunting for reading material between Wheel of Time books in the late 90's. I thought they were pretty good, but I had not read LotR by that time either. I started the 3rd trilogy and DNF'd the first book of it.
I read Lord of the rings like 20 years ago and of course blew my mind. Now in 2022 I started to read Terry Brook’s Shannarah and I can’t stop. I’m going for the Elfstones and I just love it. I want to read in the sequence that it was meant to be read. I’m loving Terry Brooks.
I think that we needed epic fantasy after Tolkien. We need new adventures!
I think there may be some revisionist history going on here…
When I was a kid I didn’t know much about Tolkien and I never read The Lord of the Rings books. The 80’s is now known as “The Golden Decade for Fantasy”.
Some of the first major fantasy novels I read were Chronicles of Prydain, Chronicles of Narnia, and the Hobbit.
My world was swirling with mythology, grim fairy tales, 80’s fantasy movies, dragons, unicorns, orbs, and knights. It was a mishmash from King Arthur, Peter Man, Conan stories, Dragonriders of Pern, Earthsea, Xanth, and Ronald Dahl. My childhood was highly influenced by all the great fantasy movies from the 80’s.
The world of Shannara brought all the listed fantasy elements together and became the very embodiment of fantasy. When I read Terry Brooks, I was reading the very essence of fantasy. I still had not read Tolkien at that time. The Lord of the Rings was a 1978 animated movie to me, followed by the odd cartoon of the Hobbit and Return of the King. It is hard to downplay the influence of Sword and
Sorcery, authored by Robert E. Howard. It was people like Howard Pyle that brought to light classics like pirates, Robin Hood, and King Arthur and his Knights.
--------------------
MY WORLD OF FANTASY
--------------------
BOOKS
Howard Pyle (1885 - 1920s)
The Wizard of Oz (1900)
Peter Pan (1911)
Princess of Mars (1912)
Lovecraft (1917)
The Hobbit (1937)
Chronicles of Narnia (1950)
Conan novels (1950)
The Lord of the Rings (1955)
The Once and Future King (1958)
Chronicles of Prydain (1960s)
A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
Dragonriders of Pern (1967)
The Last Unicorn (1968)
Earthsea (1968)
Asterix and Obelix (1969)
The Dark is Rising (1973)
Shannara (1977)
Pierce Anthony Xanth (1977)
Belgariad (1982)
Dragonlance (1984)
Forgotten Realms (1987)
BOARD GAMES
Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
Hero Quest (1989)
Talisman (1983)
MOVIES
Sinbad 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Clash of Titans (1981)
Excalibur (1981)
Conan (1982)
Beast Master (1982)
The Last Unicorn (1982)
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Krull(1983)
Neverending Story (1984)
Ladyhawk (1985)
Legend (1985)
Willow (1988)
Labyrinth (1986)
Princess Bride (1987)
FANTASY THEMES
King Arthur
Dragons & Knights
Fantasy = Barbarians, Elves, Dwarves, Wizards, and Sorceress
- Orbs
- Staffa
- Fireballs
- Dragons
- Unicorns
MYTHOLOGY
- Greek
- Norse
- Aesop’s Fables
- Grim fairy tales
- Fairies
- Ogres
- Supernatural
- Trolls
As a teenager I loved the Voyage of The Jerle Shannara. I read each book in a few days.
That's my favorite of his high fantasy series. Walker Boh and Grianne Omshford were pretty good characters. The airships was also an interesting twist and the quest style of the book suited Brook's writing.
I could go back to my home town, to my middle school library and find the bookcase and shelf where i first discovered The Sword Of Shannara in the early 90's. It's one of my all time favorites. And don't even get me started on The Knight of the Word trilogy!
You asked for new fan reactions, so here's what I've got-
So I got into Shannara a few years back completely at random. I happened upon a few of the late-written but chronologically early stories while browsing the audiobook section of my library. I had the idea of writing a post-apocalyptic fantasy story of my own, hadn't really experienced anyone else doing the same, and was interested. Little by little, I knocked out all 32 of them.
Now that's not exactly the endorsement it may sound like. I spent several years working audiobook friendly jobs, I liked being able to come back to some familiar stuff now and again. Shannara was plentiful, easy to check out, and most of the time, was entertaining. They didn't grip me like The Dresden Files did, or invest me and make me weep like Sanderson's stuff, but they were solid comfort listens to keep coming back to.
My listening order was pretty screwy, so I jumped around a fair amount before I listened to the original trilogy. The first book absolutely suffers from an overindulgence of that Tolkien influence, but I think most of that has passed by the time you're doing Elfstones and Wishsong. Even then, my favorite stuff was still written some time and was usually the material that felt like it most cut loose from established trends. The Voyage Trilogy is an absolute ass kicker in that regard.
Not all of his books were created equal. Sometimes I got annoyed or bored or whatever else, some are much better, some are much worse than others. But having put myself through every one, I don't at all agree with the assessment he's a paycheck author. Every different trilogy and the like did feel like it brought something new and experimental to the table. And even the ones I thought kinda sucked I am still glad I knocked out. That's my experience as a relatively new fan who knew nothing going in.
Thanks as usual Mike- I enjoy your reviews. I must say you make a valid claim about Terry’s contributions and how he reignited the genre. I grew up at an interesting time and had the fortune to read J.R.R Tolkien as a kid, then followed his works with Brooks’ first books.
I would disagree with the popular beliefs that Terry emulated Tolkien. While all Fantasy authors follow a general cutout of Arthurian tales (not really any way around it in some ways in my opinion)... I enjoyed both authors as a child but hands down preferred Terry. He drew me in to identify and love characters and kept action packed adventures at the ready... I now own and have read all Shannara books. While I can be critical and am in the age demographic you mentioned in one of your points in this video....
I HIGHLY encourage you to re-read the Sword of Shannara trilogy but not until you read the prequel and pre-Shannara series. I feel it will 180 your view perhaps. Almost like Terry planned even in 1977 that his story lines written 30-40 yrs later would chronistically tied. The ties this man makes to life, relationships, and the modern day world are amazing in my opinion. You see, this series may have begun in an interesting parallel to Tolkien (while to be honest I never saw it this way personally)- the storyline was not even on the same plane... I felt immediately able to identify Brooks’ world in Shannara with the real world map (spoiler alert- it is the real world far into the future of course), where as Tolkien’s Middle Earth was creative and phenomenal, it was completely fictional. This is the first perpendicular in my humble opinion. Terry made me see a struggle of real mankind whether intentional or not, his fun writing almost feels like a possible premonition of apocalyptic fate when pondering on the “Great War” and mankind’s efforts to rid the world of demons (perhaps literal and figurative).
Just my thoughts. From a kid-turned-dad who has been absorbed into Brooks’ for decades despite how many hundreds of other fantastic books I’ve read.
I wouldn’t mind re-reading the trilogy for at least nostalgia sake.
The new ones are quite different yet seem to tie things together well...
Looking at some of your more recent vids to try some of your suggested readings.
My wife rolls her eyes often at my love of fantasy epics haha. Keep up the great videos my friend. You seem to do so well in a genre that is both fickle and so defensive of our authors.Thank you!
Thanks for this video Mike, that was well said. I've noticed the hate Brooks has been getting, particularly in the last few years, and I never understood it.
Funnily enough, I actually read Sword of Shannara before LotR and loved it. In the back of the book was an interview with Brooks and he himself admitted to Sword being HEAVILY inspired by LotR because that's what publishers wanted at the time. It's what made me pick up LotR!
I would say even from Elfstones (book 2), Brooks begins to make the world his own. I'm still reading the Shannara books today. And I admit, some are better than others as with any series, but I love the world and characters he has built over the years and it will be bittersweet when the final book comes out later this year.
I have very fond memories of Terry Brooks from my junior high and high school days. Later I realized the first book was highly derivative, but he did step out on his own with sequels. It was the first series I really dived into so deeply that I lost all track of time. I lived with those characters. The world came alive for me. I remember feeling a little lost when I finished the series. Well it was finished at that time. He later wrote more, I believe.
I also really enjoyed his Magic Kingdom For Sale series. Completely different but fun. Man in modern world gives it all up to buy a magic kingdom. Chaos and magic ensue.
Not everything has to be game-changing, heavy, or genre-bending.
Are you not entertained? :-) that's really the most important thing to me.
I also read some of Eddings, Gordon Dickson's fun Dragon and the George series, and Zelazny's Amber series. And of course Tolkien. I, too, love Tolkien.
David Gemmell, Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, Feist, and so many others came along as well.
I'm not ashamed for having loved Brooks' novels. He gave me many happy hours and fostered my love for fantasy, and I'll always be thankful.
This is the series that got me reading fantasy, found it in my school library when I was in 5th grade (1989-90)
Totally agree Mike, loved the original 3 as a child, i treasure my old dog eared copies, I remember not being able to put them down and that started my love of reading. I would not be supporting other newer authors without Terry Brooks, ok this may be hero worship, thanks for doing this video btw.
The Sword of Shannara trilogy was what got me into reading fantasy. My father and brother were reading it and really liking it and it got me excited to try my own fantasy series so I got The Death Gate Cycle by Weis and Hickman. Not long after that did I go ahead and read the Shannara Trilogy too.
Hugh the Hand is still one of my favorite characters ever!
I vaguely remember this series and liking it a lot at the time (20years ago)
Hey Mike, anything like Modesitt or Gemmell on your reading/reviewing roster?
@@user-rv8yd Long time since I've read it and apparently series still going on. Starts with The Magic of Recluce.
Ooo, Gemmell is good. I have a few of his books and I love them. It is sad that he passed away a few years ago.
I love this video. Good call. Shannara books are so fun. Elfstones is what everyone should start with. It's like starting Star Wars on Episode 4.
I picked up the Shannara trilogy a year ago and couldn't get past a few chapter. I'm probably too old and "well read" in fantasy now to appreciate it. But I must say that I read one of his non-Shannara works "Magic Kingdom for Sale" a few year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is refreshing to hear a positive opinion on Terry Brooks. I have good memories of Shannara. I really enjoyed the original trilogy, as well as the Heritage series. I have not yet read the prequel books, but they are on my TBR list. . Thanks for sharing this!
I will say this much, I got into Terry Brooks when I was younger, I don’t remember specifically but it was probably in middle school. I remember seeing the Wishsong of Shannara and pulling the book off the shelf and seeing the cover and saying to myself literally that I had to read this book. My Terry Brooks odyssey began that day and after I read the Wishsong I read the Elfstones and then I read The Sword! I have been a fan ever since! My mom read Tolkien when she was younger and is a huge fan and resisted my pleas for many years to read Terry Brooks. I would say probably about 10 years ago I finally got her to read The Sword of Shannara. She has read pretty much everything since then with the exception of The Dark Legacy and the current quadrology. I would definitely say she is a fan of Terry Brooks, although Tolkien remains number one in her heart
Terry Brooks is able to tell a great story keeping things moving, that's why I have enjoyed reading him so much.
Hey there Mike. I have very fond memories of listening to a bunch of Terry Brook's series. I think he and Brian Jacques were my main introductions to fantasy, and I loved them. I also wanted to let you know, that I am steadily listening to Traitors Blade, which I am finding very entertaining in watching the banter between the characters and watching them figure out what is going on with whatever mystery they are trying to sort out. Also, I am now 29% finished with Wicked the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.
Shannara is great, hands down. But I really love the Landover series for the funny bits. And the word and void trilogy was cool, didn't need it to be a prequel though. Big fan of Brooks
Great perspective, definitely have to give him credit - his stuff is one of the reasons I got in to fantasy. I read 14 of the books years ago and remember really enjoying them. However, just picked up Sword of Shannara last month to restart the series (now that it's complete), and it was so bad that I couldn't finish. If I remember right, once you get past that first book it's not as derivative and has some really good stuff ... it was just brutal getting through it and I gave up on the idea of revisiting the series.
I love Terry Brooks. But when people ask me where to start with his books, I don't ever suggest Sword, I always say start with Elfstones or Running with the Demon.
Was really into Shannara as a middle schooler (and probs early high school as well). The first book is for sure basically a line for line knock of of LOTR (although the twist with the sword and the world is fun and something I definitely think about at random times) but every subsequent book felt like it at least was exploring different plotlines than LOTR. I think that it is an interesting world to explore and each individual trilogy does some very fun world exploration. However the writing quality is definitely a step below most 'adult' Fantasy authors, so as you get older, and become familiar with the prose of many better writers, it becomes harder and harder to get past. Definitely a fun world and would for sure still recommend to adolescent fantasy readers.
After reading everything Tolkien wrote, I started on Shannara. It is a good fantasy world to disappear into after LOTR. It did get repetitive after the first four or five sequences. You're right, Brooks did have a lot of influence early on, until Robert Jordan and others came along.
Brooks was known for light easy-accessible books that could be produced relatively fast - not Cartland-level fast, but still fast. He was one of a selection of authors that got called on for film tie-ins that had to be produced somewhere between the script and the film's release - a crazy timescale for most authors. Some people credit that style for crafting a book so fast; others dismiss them as "paycheck".
The series of Shannara dwarfs the wheel of time series. It is close to double the length starting with Running with the Demon set in modern day to the The Fall that happens thousands of years in the future.
I read his books before I read LOTR. My dad got me started in fantasy and this was one of the books he gave me. I remember really liking it, but it's never gotten me hooked hard, like a lot of Sanderson's work or 'Wheel of Time' which is my favorite series. He does change a lot of stuff later on, but there is a lot of stuff I think he needed to develop further. Cool concepts that were really just in passing. Interestingly from what I think most people do, I actually read WOT before LOTR. I felt that if I was going to have to call myself a fantasy fan, I had to read it. I did enjoy it, but like you mentioned it came off a little dry in some parts for my taste. Kind of like SOS. Now I get books like 'Stormlight Archives', 'Mistborn', 'Wheel of Time', 'Red Rising', 'Dresden Files' and they just seem to blow me away compared to some of the old stuff I read. I remember being amazed that Brandon Sanderson kept coming up with new and awesome magic systems. When before, magic either had to have magic words, a wand, or other toys to make it work. I also read 'Belgariad', 'Mallorean', 'Polgara the Sorceress' and 'Belgariad the Magician'. I want to re-read the series, even though it might not hold up compared to modern stuff. I think I read 'Polgara the Sorceress' first. I highly recommend you read this book. I don't know if it's meant to be read first, but i think it's one of the strongest books in the series. I think more modern sensibilities will like that it was written that long ago and has a very strong female lead.
I only read his novelization of The Phantom Menace and really liked it.
You are correct. I remember Eddings, Feist…but Terry Brooks and Shannara got me through some dry times in my early life. I clung to this series until I outgrew it and found things more meaty. Terry Brooks needs all his love and respect and flowers.
After I got married, I read this series. I’ve almost completed all of the novels in the Shannara world. I had never read LOTR so I wouldn’t know about a rip off. I do know that it introduced me to the world of fantasy, which is amazing! I plan to go back to read the final 5 in the Shannara universe once I get my TBR down a bit.
It took me three tries to read the first Thomas Covenant trilogy, I just could not get into it but on the third try I just pushed through and was utterly blown away by the first and then the second trilogy. These are dark book, an absolutely terrible anti hero character but to this day I still hold this as a series that shocked, saddened, excited and amazed me
I've read about 2/3rds of Brook's books and I've loved them all. I think all of his books(even his early ones, especially Sword of Shannara for me) are really well written and have great characters. I enjoy picking them up and know that there won't be an excess of violence or language, but rather lots of character and world development. I can't wait to catch up and see how the series ends.
It’s funny how I was actually introduced to the Shannara series first, in the early 90s when I was a pre-teen. I didn’t even know LOtR until the Peter Jackson films were about to release in the early 2000s. I remember watching Fellowship and being blown away at his similar it was to Sword of Shannara. 🤦🏻♂️. Afterwards I became obsessed with Tolkien and all his books pertaining to Middle-Earth. But I still have a nostalgic love for Terry Brooks. His Shannara series may be a simpler, derivative LOtR clone, but I love both series.
Pretty much my experience, also. I think I knew about Lord of the Rings, but had never read it. But honestly, people give Brooks a hard time. 1) Only Sword is truly derivative of LOTR. 2) It's derivative, but more accessible - very much like so many films and books 'rip off' Shakespeare (so much so that people think of the Romeo and Juliet plot arc as more of a general trope, now, than 'ripping off' Shakespeare).
3) Who cares? People need to stop the pretentiousness. I like reading books about a young person who goes on an adventure. Everyone does. Everyone enjoys the 'heroes journey'.
Currently reading 'Sword' to my daughter, who loves it (and it's a nostalgia trip for me too). She is not ready for LOTR as the language and prose is too foreign - and that's the real greatness of Shannara.
Nice video Mike! Just bought the Shannara Trilogy on ebook today. Looking forward to checking it out
As I am reading The Wishsong for the 3 rd time I stumbled on your video. I believe Terry Brooks carried the fantasy theme to the next level.