Rating: 
Summary: a wonderful little book
Review: Terry Brooks is the author of the Shannara fantasy series. The series began in 1977 when The Sword of Shannara was published, the early books have been compared often with Tolkien. Sometimes the comparison was favorable, sometimes not. Brooks himself said that he wanted to tell an adventure story like Tolkien, but he had no intention of going into the linguistic detail that Tolkien is known for. The Shannara series has been on top of the bestsellers lists with each new volume in the series. Sometimes the Magic Works is part memoir, part writing guide as written by Terry Brooks. He writes about how his first book was published, some of the difficulties in writing the book that would become The Elfstones of Shannara , and about the book adaptions of Hook (horrible experience) and The Phantom Menace (wonderful experience). The other half of the book focuses on tips and thoughts for aspiring writers. Brooks writes about things that a writer should do, what they should not do, and what works for Brooks himself. There is an interesting chapter about outlining (yes, an author talking about outlining is actually interesting). Brooks talks about how he has to outline the major plot and characters and while he believes it is an invaluable tool (and the reason he does fewer drafts of the book than many writers), he was at a conference and as he was extolling the virtues of outlining, fantasy author Anne McCaffrey (The Dragonriders of Pern, and author of dozens of books) leaned over and told him that she has never outlined anything in her life. Sometimes the Magic Works is written with a very easy writing style, and feels almost conversational, as if an old friend is telling us some personal stories. This was a very interesting book to read and it was nice to get into the personal thoughts of one of my favorite fantasy authors.
Rating:
Summary: A trip worth experiencing
Review: Terry Brooks' new book, entitled, "Sometimes the Magic Works," is both a journey through time and a collection of advice on writing fiction. The journey is Brooks', as he moves from daydreaming schoolboy, to first-published author, to movie-adaption author with an opportunity to reach "millions of readers instead of 100's of thousands," to granddad who relearns the lessons of writing from his grandson. The story of Brooks' writing career reveals that success comes from the author's talent, the willpower of the publishers, and the prevailing conditions for novels. Or as Brook says, "Luck." The book lays bare how things operate in the publishing world. While taking you on this journey, Brooks provides insight as to how he writes. I admit I have never read a Terry Brooks novel. Although, I'm sure if I do someday, I would discover a great deal about what makes a good novel. But for now, my reactions to "Sometimes..." is based purely on my own experience with writing. Writers all write in different ways. Brooks is a yin-yang writer, using both his yang intellect as well as his yin instinct. This is most evident in the book where he repeats the mantra he has espoused at the Maui Writers Conference, "Outline, outline, outline." Yet, later in the book, he says that the real joys in writing are the unexpected facets of the novel which the author discovers during the writing. And here is a successful writer who admits to doing only one draft and one rewrite! So many other best-selling authors say they rewrite the same scene 24 times. I thought I was deficient because I become bored after one or two revisions. I figured the reader would see the difference between the third and fourth rewrite, but would not be able to say which is better-at that point I was just pushing the words around. Brooks validates my method as workable for some writers. Similarly, the rest of the writing advice Brooks gives in "Sometimes..." resonates with me. It could resonate with you too if you write the same way. But if you are one of those "rewrite 24 times before I'm done" writers, Brooks will provide you with a different perspective. He may give you ideas on different approaches to try. He does it quite gently and simply. Having heard him lecture at the Maui Writers Conference, I could hear his voice as I read "Sometimes..." Reading his book is like having him personally lecturing you on his experiences in writing. It is definitely worth the trip. ---Jared Lum
Rating:
Summary: It does work!
Review: This book really will help your fantasy writing in the future.
Rating:
Summary: The man loves what he does.
Review: Upon finishing the Elfstones of Shannara I was reduced to tears. Who would have guessed that the same would happen with this career-autobiography of Terry Brooks. The man loves what he does and it shows in everything he writes. If there is a story in you, and you read this book, you will find yourself racing to the computer afterwards to bring it to life.
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