Antrax (The Voyage of Jerle Shannara, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: A compelling story told too hastily.
Review: Antrax is the middle novel in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, Brooks' third foray into the Four Lands. The company (never call it a Fellowship!) led by Walker Boh to the lost land of Parkasia has been split asunder by ancient rogue technological weapons controlled by the mysterious entity "Antrax." Meanwhile, the Ilse Witch has trailed the Jerle Shannara to Parkasia and is threatening to act as hammer to Antrax' anvil and crush Walker's companions with her powerful magic. Bek Rowe (nee Ohmsford), Rue Meridian, Ahren Elessedil, and Quentin Leah all undertake individual journeys against various struggles as the book progresses.

It sounds like a great story, right? Well, it is, but the implementation by Terry Brooks is sadly underwhelming. My review of Ilse Witch contained the same complaint I voice here: there is far too much narrative exposition and fiddling to really create a compelling story. Brooks still has a knack for creating compelling character relationships and surprise romances, but Antrax' versions all feel incredibly forced. Like Bek's crush on Rue "Little Red" Meridian, we are told in the narrator's voice rather than shown through character dialogue and action. One of the more engrossing chapters, the tale of Ahren Elessedil's bonding with Ryer Ord Star, has the potential to be extremely powerful and emotionally wrenching, and is weakened by Brooks' heavy author's hand.

I read this whole series against my better judgment. I'm a devoted fan of Brooks, but I devoured this book with a vague feeling of distaste. Cool and inventive ideas like the hideous cyborg-zombie "wronks" created by Antrax are less impactful than they could have been. Each character's internal monologue seems to doggedly pace a road that could be so much more elegantly expressed as the result of character interaction rather than straight-out narrative, and it's disappointing because, as mentioned above, the premise is good and captivating.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy by Numbers
Review: First of all, this installment from Terry Brooks does have a few unique features, such as a sentient city-sized computer built by a lost civilization, horrifying half-human cyborg killing machines, and somewhat intriguing themes on technology and knowledge. But otherwise, you have to wonder if Brooks keeps cranking out new volumes simply by following a manual called "How to Write a Fantasy Novel." He may have even written that manual himself, as he's deservedly a popular and famous master of the genre. But once again there is little new or unexpected here. Consider the following rules of thumb from the typical fantasy writer's manual.

Build the story around a journey or quest to find some enchanted items like magic stones. Speaking of magic, throw that word around often but don't worry about describing it in too much detail. Add some other magic items, such as swords, that give power to those who know how to use them, but peril to others without that special inner strength. Give the people and places vaguely Celtic or Gothic names like Quentin Leah or Ryer Ord Star or Castledown. Add a bunch of elves and dwarves, and maybe a druid for good measure. Have the characters converse copiously about honor and courage and loyalty, preferably right in the middle of dangerous chases or battles. Show the good guys wracked with fear and indecision, only to dramatically realize their potential heroism in inspirational ways. Make your bad guys unquestionably evil monsters of alien races. And finally, write in the trilogy format, so instead of one large but focused book, you can crank out three inconclusive medium-sized books.

Sound familiar? Fantasy writers have done all this a gazillion times. So has Terry Brooks, and he does it again here without deviating from expectations. [~doomsdayer520~]

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy at its Best!
Review: I got Terry Brooks's Antrax for Christmas and immediately dived into another of his always enjoyable books. This book surprised me as it bested the first volume of the series, Isle Witch. I liked Antrax because of the characters, the plot, and the new style of fantasy that he has created. It is not a copy of Tolkien's work. The plots are completely dissimilar. He mixes the plots with twists that hint at mysteries and deceptions that leave dying for the answer! The characters are appropriate and well developed and the story of the Isle Witch's self-deception is fantastic and imaginative. The new style in which Brooks writes is a techno-fantasy. There are now airships in the land of the Four Lands. It is growing up and magic that once dominated is being scorned. Antrax, which is a machine itself, is very fascinating. It is almost comical in how the characters describe the laser weapons (fire threads) as well as surveillance cameras and heat sensors. The book also introduces cybernetic creatures reminiscent of Star Trek's Borg Collective! It also strikes me that you can look back on the book and think that this could really happen! Great Book and a must read!

Rating:
Summary: The Jerle Shannara adventure continues
Review: Terry Brooks has done it again. Antrax, his latest novel, continues in the typical high paced, action packed fashion that has made Brooks famous. This book picks up where Ilse Witch leaves off. The airship Jerle Shannara has been boarded and taken over by the Millwerts of the Ilse Witch. Some are captured, and some have left to explore Castledown to find the magic books that are hidden there. Bek has just discovered that the Ilse Witch is indeed his sister, Grianne. The Ilse Witch refuses to believe this, and Bek struggles with how to convince her of the truth. Prince Ahren must also deal with his own shortcomings and try to find the missing elfstones. Meanwhile, Walker becomes separated from the others in Castledown and discovers Antrax, a 3000 year old presence which was built to keep the books of magic safe. It survives by feeding off the magic of others. Walker and the others are confused as to how Antrax operates, but eventually the secret of Antrax is discovered. Brimming with action on every page, Antrax is a sure fire hit with fantasy readers.

Rating:
Summary: Great, epic, breathtaking stuff from Master Terry Brooks!
Review: This book is the crown of Shannara literature.It continues the events led up to by ILSE WITCH in a masterful way. This book is action all the way. Never a dull moment, and the plot twist and turns in so many incredible ways, you're not going to believe it. This is one great rollercoaster ride, and the best Shannara-book thus far.
The book focuses much more upon the Red's, Bek Rowe and Truls Rohk (who reappears from concealment), Quentin, and Ahren than on the masterful Druid Walker. Walker Boh's character is the best character in any book, in all ways, so it's a bit disappointing that we don't see more to this enigma in this book.
The book is finished with ONE **** OF A CLIFFHANGER!! you're not going to be able to wait until next september. Neither could I put the book down whilst reading, and I finished it in five hours. Buy this book!

Rating:
Summary: The "Empire Strikes Back" of Shannara
Review: This by far is the darkest and most foreboding of the Shannara novels, only the "Druid of Shannara" or the "Elf Queen of Shannara" are close. The multiple plot lines in the story Bek, Quentin, Walker, and the Ilse Witch, all have their own problems and quirks that make them all interesting, similar to the end of "Sword of Shannara", though many of these plots remain unresolved and brooding. During the these plot lines there are fights to the death, revelation, and tragedy, though beautifully written that never allow it to get boring. And finally we learn the name of the malicious being that protects the city, Antrax, and what purpose it has.

The characters were always Terry Brooks strong point and the ones in this book are no exception. Many seemed to have grown-up from the "Ilse Witch" book, especially Bek. Others seem to be dynamic, and constantly change, an example would be Quentin, who's optimism soon turns to fatalism. Then others are just incredibly memorable, like the doomed Druid, Walker, and the enigmatic protector Truls Rohk.

Definitely a great book, but I could not help making the connection that this book had the dark, oppressive feeling of the "Empire Strikes Back." In that story George Lucas places his characters in the worst of predicaments and Terry Brooks seems to do the same, waiting for the finale of the trilogy to resolve the problems. Terry Brooks has by no means copied Lucas, but the comparison can be made. Anyway great book for fans of Shannara, though, it will leave you hanging and anxiously waiting the third and final book.