Rating: 
Summary: Better than the First
Review: I am a big fan of Terry Brooks. I find his writing easy to read and quite enjoyable. I have always been a BIG Terry Brooks fan,so I had to read the heritage of Shannara series.
The first book Isle Witch I thought was quite disappointing until the very end. Immediatly I went out and bought the second book. I thought it was so much better then the first. I loved the Character development,I think that is one of Brooks best qualities in his books. When a character died,It was done so well and so emotional it almost made me want to cry.
at the moment I am reading the third book Morgawr and it is very impressive so far.If your a Terry Brooks fan I recommend this book. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: New Ideas in the Fantasy Genre
Review: I found this book to be a great improvement over Ilse Witch. I finally get the feel that I know the characters as each struggles to survive in Castledown and I enjoyed how the author incorporates the old world technology into the fantasy world. The characters confront the power of a machine that seems an eerie reflection of our own and the reader can't help but wonder if our civilization came before the magical present that is Shannara. The whole situation with Antrax was very well thought out and complex. Of course, the whole concept of sinister science reaches melodramatic heights, but it makes for a more compelling 'villain' than exists in most current fantasy. Brooks definitely brought some new elements to his writing in this novel and almost all was to the betterment of his work.
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.
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