Rating: 
Summary: After almost 20 years, I am reading these books once again!
Review: I loved these books and have three of the original prints. 20 years later, they are lost somewhere in the bookcase on my wife's side of the bedroom. I have not been able to wade through the mountains of clothes and objects my wife has acquired through the years, to get to the bookcase. I was ecstatic to find out about this hard cover book containing the original three books. Problem Solved! I bought the book and I am keeping it on my side of the room! I am currently in reading the Wish song of Shannara and I love it. The only problem now is that my book light is still on the book case on my wife's side of the room...Only the power of Allanon can retrieve it!
Rating: 
Summary: There are way better series out there
Review: I must admit that had I read this book when I was a middle-schooler, I probably would have enjoyed it a great deal. Then again, at that time I was still hopelessly influenced by Tolkien. I realize that the fantasy genre is a place where originality is difficult to come by, and that many of the modern fantasy writers were greatly influenced by Tolkien's works as well. However, that should not be an excuse for reusing what has already been written - and written much better - as Brooks did in this Shannara trilogy. His characters are completely one-dimensional, and his idea of depicting 'action' is to blithely tell the reader exactly what is going on, as well as what every character involved in the 'action' is thinking at the time. This leaves zero room for imagination, and his prose is hackneyed and dull at best. Also, Brooks' idea of 'darkness' and 'evil' are also one-dimensional, with very little depth in his villains. For a more sophisticated fantasy reader, simple 'good v. evil' doesn't cut it anymore. A sophisticated reader wants characters who are both, within themselves. Just look at Jaime Lannister in the Song of Ice and Fire series. All in all, this is a great read for middle schoolers and those who like Tolkien rip-offs.
If you are looking for epic fantasy as it was meant to be written, try three very good and original series: A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin, and the Farseer and Tawny Man series by Robin Hobb. You won't find any exact replicas of Tolkien here, and you will find fully fleshed, interesting, three-dimensional characters in gripping worlds.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good, But Closely Resembles LOTR
Review: I must agree. This book is very good and is worth buying. But it very closely resembles Lord Of The Rings. Could be more origional, but still a great set of books all together.
Rating:
Summary: The Book that taught me to enjoy reading
Review: I read this book for the first time in 1981 in bed with pneumonia in a small town north of London. I had read LOTR in Jr. High school and found it a good story that was hard to follow but cool. I think that that was the last time I tried to read a book for fun, (and being a lot older now I can read it for fun, but that's not the point) Even though the Ring series was considered cool back then, I'll bet most people who claimed to read it and enjoy it at least that I knew were exagerating. 10 years later, too sick to do anything else a friend lent me his copy of Sword of Shanara. It is not just chance that this book was instantly a best seller, and made fantasy a marketable genre and made "big books" the norm. This wonderful readable story filled with a readers quest to the metaphor, something that has been oft imitated but seldom duplicated. Since reading this story all those years ago, I try to read a book a week. That's how it starts, with a great story. So if you want to get someone to love books, start here!
Rating:
Summary: A classic. One of the best adventures ever
Review: I remember reading the Sword of Shannara in junior high school as required reading. I am so thankful to that teacher for introducing me to one of the greatest fantasy series of all time. I would recommend these books to anyone. I think, that if a film of these books was made, it would rival Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Robert Stanek you'll love Terry Brooks
Review: I thought only Tolkien could transport my mind to another world. I was wrong. Mr. Brooks in my opinion did so and more. I read this book in less then a week. I intend to read the book a few more times as well. The series is very addictive. Read this!
Rating:
Summary: This Trilogy began my love for reading.
Review: I was in high school when I read the first book I ever actually enjoyed reading. It was The Elfstones of Shanarra (the second in this trilogy). That began a long love for reading that has lasted through the years. I am very thankful to Terry Brooks for such the vivid and colorful creation of Shanarra, without which I would doubtless still abhor picking up a book. The Shanarra series the orginal series here, and well as the Heritage of Shanarra series and the Voyage of the Jerle Shanarra series are all incredible great works of art. If you enjoyed the JRR Tolkien, Terry Goodking, Victoria Strauss, Last Herald Mage series, Robert Jordan, or James Clemens, you MUST READ THIS SERIES. I promise you will not be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Totaly lacking in publication quality - find the originals..
Review: It is a shame that this book was released as it is. It appears to be nothing more than a money-making effort for the publisher and/or author. The efforts put into the publication are minimal. My recommendation is, if you can find the original versions of the books or book club editions or even the current mass paperbacks or a library version. Do not bother with the travesty that is the 25th anniv. edition, and here is why:First off, its HUGE - 1191 pages. They felt the need to combine all 3 books into a single volume and call it a 'trilogy'. A trilogy it may be - if by that term you understand a single character being in the 3 stories. But the Sword itself is only in the first book. The other two books, Elfstones and Wishsong, have nothing to do with any 'sword' nor do they have any other character from the other books in them. The 3 books really are 3 separate books and should remain that way - if for no other reason than to allow the reader not to have to lug around the extra weight of the 2 other books you are not currently reading. Second - the publishing quality is not up to spec. Its printed on pretty thin paper, but I suppose that was to be expected or the book would be 2x as thick as it is. The flaw that is most glaring, unless its hidden in some internal place or I've gone blind, is that a key map is not even in the book. Each of the 3 books has a map with it, related to the region the book takes place in. Sword has the central four lands map, Wishsong has the Eastlands, and ElfStones has the Westlands - but WHERE IS THE MAP OF THE WESTLANDS? I see the map for books 1 and 3, but no Westlands map. It will take something out of Elfstones of Shannara if you don't get the map with it. Thirdly, all of the illustrations are not here either. Sword had many, but the other two also had illustrations by other artists. None of the those are in this combined edition. Readers are better off tracking down used copies of the original hardbacks - even in book club editions, or even as mass market paperbacks. This editions just seems like a waste of money. This is a re-release of a classic, not where some value is added to justify to fans or new readers to purchase it, but rather where things are taken away, making it worth less than the orignals it is celebrating. Maybe when the 25th anniversary of the 3rd book, Wishsong of Shannara, comes around in 2010, the folks will get it right. I'm always amazed at how publishers will put out so-called 'special' editions of works that end up being total junk and of substandard quality (see the 'collectors edition' of the Lord of the Rings for more info on that issue).
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Series Ever(next to LoTR, of course)
Review: Love this series! I've read the entire series through twice! The way Brooks shadows Par in The Sword, Uncle Boh in The Druid, and Wren in the Elf-Queen, then does all three in The Talismans is pretty amazing. The book has a lot of humor, and is very exciting. The first book starts off a bit dry, but they get much better. I got so into it, I read the entire series in about one week, because I could hardly put any of them down. The Elf-Queen I finished off in a day. They're great books! A must read!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greats
Review: Many have spoken negatively in regards to this series and its author because of the not so subtle resemblance to the Lord of the Rings, but then what modern fantasy would not resemble the master? The Sword of Shannara Trilogy along with First King of Shannara is a great series of books and Brooks does a great job of taking the usual fantasy ideas and giving them a few news twists along the way. The Heritage of Shannara is better, but you have to read this trilogy first (and First King of Shannara).
|
