Saturday, May 14, 2016

The Wishsong of Shannara & Indomitable by Terry Brooks

Title:  The Wishsong of Shannara
Series:  The Original Shannara Trilogy #3
Author:  Terry Brooks
Publication Date:  April 12/85 by Del Rey
Length:  512pgs
Genre:  fantasy
Shelf:  borrowed
Rating: ★★★★★
Book Links: GoodreadsAmazon(US)Amazon(CA) - B&N - Kobo - Indigo - Google PlayAudible

Back Cover Blurb:

Horror stalks the Four Lands. The Ildatch, immemorial book of evil spells, has stirred to eldritch life, sending its foul Mord Wraiths to accomplish at last Mankind's destruction. Once again Allanon, ancient Druid Protector of the Races, must seek the help of a descendant of Jerle Shannara. Brin, daughter of Wil Ohmsford, born with the magic of the Wishsong which alone can open a way to the Ildatch, reluctantly joins him on his perilous journey east; meanwhile her younger brother Jair learns that Brin will fail and die, unless he can reach her in time. And as Brin walks into the trap the Ildatch has set, Jair must travel through the very heart of evil to reach her...

My Review:

Brooks’ vivid yet clear writing was the perfect backdrop for this epic story. The graphic yet picturesque action sequences came to life throughout. The intertwining storylines add a complexity to the novel that changes it from a simple tale to an epic journey and the adventure of a lifetime. Brooks takes his readers on an epic journey across a vivid world that comes to life as if you were looking at an interactive 3D map. Not only does Brooks bring the story to life, he also brings some well-developed and unforgettable creatures & races to life. He pulls on the deepest parts of your imagination and makes it so very real.

I enjoy how the magic of the wishsong is gradually developed as Brin explores it, and to some extent the very different manner Jair manifests it. The unique magic present in this world permeates everything in very unique manners. The explanation of how magic works was astounding. It definitely added a lot to the tale and mad Brin’s character and plight even more complicated. I love how it was done as well. I love the ties with the Elfstones of Shannara but how it also stands on its own. The ever-changing political alliances of this series serve to both tie the novels together and to illustrate the ever-changing world with the passage of time. I loved how I could recognize locales from past novels but also got introduced to new ones.

I loved the close relationships between the characters here. It really humanised the entire story. I love Allanon’s storytelling. He’s a master bard along with everything else. His voice brings it all to life. I felt as if I were watching it. I appreciate how we see Allanon being stuck between a rock & a hard place, how Brooks shows how he hides his emotions and fights with himself. I also enjoyed Jair’s story almost as much (if not slightly more than) Brin’s. The King of the Silver River is a fascinating character. He’s both extremely complex and very straightforward. Brooks lets you know what each of his characters is thinking and feeling. I really felt a connection with them because of this. I appreciate how real and natural the characters are. They feel fear, anger, love, and loss. It was a fantastic mix and really allowed me to not only connect with them but also to become part of the tale.

Brooks has developed an action intensive plot for this novel that kept me captive while drawing me deep into a true fantasy. It was an epic read on its own and unforgettable as part of this series.

 

Title:  Indomitable
Series:  The Original Shannara Trilogy #3.25
Author:  Terry Brooks
Publication Date:  November 4/03 by Del rey
Length:  96pgs
Genre:  fantasy
Shelf:  borrowed
Rating: ★★★
Book Links: GoodreadsAmazon(US)Amazon(CA) - B&N - Kobo - Indigo - Google PlayAudible

Back Cover Blurb:

The time of the Shannara follows in the wake of an apocalypse that has destroyed the old world and very nearly annihilated its people as well. A thousand years of savagery and barbarism have concluded at the start the series with the emergence of a new civilization in which magic has replaced science as the dominant source of power. A Druid Council comprised of the most talented of the new races–Men, Dwarves, Trolls, Gnomes, and Elves, names taken from the old legends–has begun the arduous task of rebuilding the world and putting an end to the racial warfare that has consumed the survivors of the so-called Great Wars since their conclusion.

But the wars continue, albeit in a different form. Magic, like science, is often mercurial, can be used for good or evil, and can have a positive or negative effect on those who come in contact with it. In The Sword of Shannara, a Druid subverted by his craving for magic’ s power manipulated Trolls and Gnomes in his effort to gain mastery over the other races. He failed because of Shea Ohmsford, the last of an Elven family with the Shannara surname. Shea, with the help of his brother and a small band of companions, was able to wield the fabled Sword of Shannara to destroy the Dark Lord.

Subsequently, in the Elfstones of the Shannara, his grandson Wil was faced with another sort of challenge, one that required the use of a magic contained in a set of Elfstones. But use of the Stones altered Wil’s genetic makeup, so that his own children were born with magic in their blood. As a result, in the third book of the series, the Wishsong of Shannara, Brin and her brother Jair were recruited by the Druid Allanon to seek out and destroy the Ildatch, the book of dark magic that had subverted the Warlock Lord, and was now doing the same with the Mord wraiths.

The story that follows takes place several years after the conclusion of The Wishsong and again features Jair Ohmsford, who must come to terms with his obsession with the past and his use of his magic that his sister has warned him not to trust.

My Review:

I enjoyed this look at Jair’s character outside of Brinn’s story. Brooks wrote, taking readers back to known locations in a retrace of Jair’s previous quest in a quick and fun manner.

I found that most of the character development in this novel was based on previous knowledge from The Wishsong. Jair was a grown up version of the boy I fell in love with during his quest and Coglean was just as crazy as one would expect. That said, Kimber’s epic pessimism was so different from what we knew of her before.

To be honest, although I enjoyed this story I didn’t really understand its purpose. I felt as if it almost left me with more questions than I started with. It was a good story for those who enjoyed The Wishsong without really revealing anything new.


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