Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy meets Science-Fiction
Review: In "Antrax," Brooks brings back the characters of the Rovers, Truls Rohk, Ryer Ord Star, Walker Boh, the Ilse Witch, Quentin Leah, Ahren Elessedil, and Bek Ohmsford in their journey to Casteldown to retrieve the magic books. In the last book, the city of Castledown attacks their party and splits them up. Now we see the group of magical warriors fight against technology from a civilization which destroyed itself long ago.The mixture of science fiction and fantasy works well I think. There is the occasional error where a warrior from the land of magic knows what something is called here; for example, Quentin Leah looks at an opening and calls it a ventilation duct. Do they have ducts in the realm of Shannara? For the most part, the world of science is referred to more general terms to show you that the warriors are not familiar with what they see. The book, as are most of Terry Brooks' books, is like reading a serial movie from the first half of the 1900s. You will find yourself reading continuously so that you can find out what happens next to the different parties as they struggle to find each other. I am looking forward to the next book to find resolution between the Druid, Walker Boh, and the Ilse Witch. Since this is a part of a series, you have the ending which hints of even grander things to come. If you are not a Terry Brooks fan, you will find yourself lost in this book. You will need to be familiar with the Shannara series to understand this.
Rating: 
Summary: Lightweight and overstretched
Review: Terry Brooks hit his stride a long time ago and has been limping along ever since. The early Shannara books were just plain awful Tolkien ripoffs, though the middle parts of the saga, notably Elfstones of Shannara, were actually quite good. But this post period is pathetic. Admittedly, Brooks has moved away a little from stolen elves and dwarves and into new types of characters, but his writing is still very stilted and not all that engaging. There is an oily sheen to his work, a career made out of capitalizing on other people's ideas and pathfinding and movie tie-ins. This particular book is not hard to read, but I found it hard to like.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book & Series
Review: This is a great book! I currently own the entire Shannara series and can say that it is easily the best series I have ever read. Terry Brooks does a great job at giving details of the lives of each and every main character in his stories. He always creates twists and turns in his stories. Some you, may be able to figure out before they happen, but there are others that you couldn't guess in a million years. It's a great book that I would reccommend to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi annulled fantasy in Antrax
Review: Ironically, what a way to destroy the generations of fantasy realms created in the world of Shannara. Although Terry Brooks writing talent is as compelling as ever, Brooks' emphasis on too much science fiction, like the introduction of artificial intelligence, supercomputers, laser-wielding robots and so on in "Antrax", has nulled my hopes that what Brooks is trying to bring to us in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy is any fantastic fantasy concepts or elements. Shannara series is engrained in my mind as pure realms of fantasy and because of what Brooks did with "Antrax," my sentimental attachment to the Shannara realms has been shattered and turned upside down. With "Antrax", Brooks has destroyed that pure fantasy world of Shannara which I had loved so dearly. Needless to say, I won't be looking forward to the third installment "Morgawr." If I want to read science fiction, I'm sure I can find a host of other books to choose from.
Rating:
Summary: Another incredible Shannara novel
Review: Terry Brooks has outdone himself with this book. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down, literally. Ilse Witch had a few slow parts, but Antrax more than makes up for that. You get a real feel for each of the characters. Ahren Elessedil became one of my favorite characters, I could simpathize with him and his struggles, and I just love how he comes out in the end. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you're a shannara fan.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book!
Review: I read the first 180 pages the first day I had it, and I bought it late in the afternoon. Terry Brooks keeps up the suspense, and it's hard not to get caught up in the action. I can't wait for the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: Much Better Than Ilse Witch
Review: This book was much less predictable than Ilse Witch. Although the map managed to give away a few key plot points I wasn't able to predict how it would end, and I was surprised many times. In Ilse Witch I was able to guess much of the plot after randomly leafing through and reading about 2 sentences near the end. Brooks manages to keep several coherent story lines running, and he brings them together quite well. Although it still has the requisite moments of angst that are trademarks of Brooks post-Wishsong they were much less frequent than in previous books. Also, without saying how it ends, this cliffhanger ending is a true cliffhanger. The beginning of Antrax was quite predictable given how Ilse Witch ended. This time I truly have no clue what will happen next with Walker, Grianne, and some other key characters. I have no clue what the Sword of Shannara is doing. I have no clue about the surprise visitors at the end of the book (it doesn't give much away to say that the Jerle Shannara encounters surprise visitors, since surprise encounters are the standard fare of fantasy). Finally, post-apocalyptic sci-fi is all over this book. He's gone to the theme that he always hinted at but never developed in previous novels. I was not let down this time. Hopefully Morgawr will not be anti-climactic.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SERIES
Review: These series are the best in the entire world! I have read everybook of the shannara series and I just can't seem to put the books down. I ave found myself reading util 1 in the morning and not wanting to go to bed because of how great the book is. I give this book and the series a 10+
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: "Death Steals Away All Our Chances..."
Review: "Antrax" (not to be confused with Anthrax, the nasty white powder) is the second book in the "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" trilogy, dealing with the second great foe that the intrepid crew of the "Jerle Shannara" face. It's also possibly the best of the three books, though as usual suffers from several fantasy cliches, dull characters and predictable situations. Within this trilogy, it seems to me that with the exception of Walker, the antagonists are the main characters - each book is named after one of them, and are certainly a lot less bland than the good guys who spend most of this book on adventures that have little purpose in the overall context of the book, or running around like headless chickens. The archaic super-computer that has long-planned the "Jerle Shannara's" capture and defeat is certainly the star of this book.
In the previous novel "Ilse Witch" the Druid Walker brought together a crew on board a flying airship and set off to discover a treasure of knowledge on a faraway island that is said to belong to the Old World. The way was chartered on a map found on a half-dead elf prince, but it is half way to the island that Walker begins to suspect that their entire voyage has been a carefully plotted trap planned out by the great evil awaiting them. To add to the danger, the crew is being pursued by the dreaded Ilse Witch and her untrustworthy ally the Morgawr, who are also out to seize the treasure and destroy the ship.
After reaching the keep of Castledown, the crew is suddenly and violently separated after the Antrax activates its first weapon - threads of scorching fire. With the Antrax attempting to capture those that have magic, and destroy those that are of no use to it, the company is soon scattered -
Our hero Bek Ohmsford and his protector Truks Rohk are attempting to convince the Ilse Witch that she is in fact Grianne Ohmsford, and that Bek is her brother, whilst simultaneously moving through a strange and unwelcoming land. Walker has gone into the depths of Castledown to find the sought-for books of knowledge that come out of the Old World, whilst the seer Ryer Ord Star and elfin Prince Ahren Elessedil follow; she to rescue Walker, and he to retrieve the lost Elfstones.
Quentin Leah and an elfin tracker named Tamis (she has no last name, so you can tell she's a goner) come up against the robot-zombie figure of their former comrade Ard Patrinell (yes, you read that right, I said robot-zombie). Meanwhile, back on the ship Redder Alt Mer, his sister Rue Meridian and the Wing Rider Hunter Predd attempt to take back the invaded "Jerle Shannara" and then go after the Ilse Witch's own vessel "Black Moclips".
I mentioned these two story plots together simply because they are utterly unimportant to the continuation and completion of the overall story - they come across as padding to make the book a bit thicker. Rue's story in particular has no real meaning - she single-handedly takes "Black Moclips," neither learns nor gains anything of value, and then abandons ship once it heads into a storm. What was the point?! Likewise, the Ilse Witch creates a wolf-like magical creature which had no real purpose, and I'm still wondering why Panax the dwarf decided to come on the trip - he hasn't done anything yet!
There are long-winded paragraphs on the island's locals, the character's internal struggles (they're conflicted, we get it) and Brooks is the master at speeches that become so lengthy that they're funny. Consider this: "Your face is not who you are. You might appear a monster, but you're not. You're my friend. You saved my life. But you wouldn't trust me with the truth about yourself. You hid that truth because you deceived yourself into thinking that it was something else. I would rather know you this way, terrible though it is, than have the truth hidden." People just *do not* talk like this, and every time a character launches into one of these declarations, it is a cause for laughter - and that's not a good thing.
Ultimately the very purpose of the voyage is made null and void, with the discovery that the books of knowledge cannot be accessed - they belong on technological disks that Walker cannot understand. Despite this, I wondered at the possibility of him drawing them out mentally/magically, and then passing them on to the Ilse Witch...but no. When he says that Grianne is the new purpose of the mission it's not because she now carries the ancient knowledge, it's because...actually, we have to read Brook's *next* trilogy "The High Druid" to find out what. Sigh - aren't you glad Brooks has grasped the basics of milking a story for all it's worth?
The Antrax is probably the most interesting part of the book, though your liking of it will depend on whether or not you appreciate the presence of technological remnants in an otherwise entirely fantasy-oriented world. I found that I didn't mind it too much, and although Brooks is frustratingly hazy on what the original purpose of the Antrax *was*, pitting his characters against an incorporeal and virtually unstoppable machine is rather compelling.
I'm being *very* kind when I give this book three stars, especially since the final book in the trilogy "Morgawr" is quite awful. As it stands though, Brooks deserves credit for finally drawing away from writing Tolkien-clones (though he's still copying from his own previous work), and for adding a few splashes of good ideas and originality into this particular book.
|
