Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I have read a few reviews by other people on here, and I must say that I am surprised. I found the book to be very good, though not of the standing that 'I couldn't put it down.' It was by no means as good as The Wishsong of Shannara, or the Voyage of Jerle Shannara, but it was quite fascinating. Yes, I found it somewhat predictable, but there was enough action and just plain good writing that it didn't matter.
Rating: 
Summary: I could and have written better, this is bad writing class
Review: WOW This is like predicting what will happen as you read then painfully experiencing as the author sketches together the action bit by bit like brooks was trying to do his term paper in 3 hours on sunday night before class.
Skull bearers=never developed or unique or use powers that they show used from time to time for example skull bearer changing appearence.
I also kept asking myself why there were not more assassination by the bad guys since they can seemingly sneak into the good guys area anytime.
The last batlle is bullsh--
Some characters are barely used.
The magic powers are fire, illusion, enchant weapon, far sight, a talisman disintegration/absorbtion[[...] moorcock], and man I just dont get where the imagination stops, why not add some mad powers? There is also a faery guy thrown in but only briefly.
The baddies are generic and have no personality.
The main evil of big [...] trols never fight hand to hand.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time.
Review: I like Terry Brooks. I've read Wishsong and the Heritage books. I really didn't like this book. It was super boring. It was kind of neat to read about the fall of the druids and Bremen. But the story was terribly predictable. Originality was scarce. It felt like I had read the story before in a much better form. If you haven't read Terry Brooks before, read Wishsong. If you have, don't bother with this.
Rating: 
Summary: Distorted version of a classic LOTR
Review: This book which is claimed to be inspired by the JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings looks more like clone of it. Though it doesn't have the strong descriptive characters of LOTR and more obviously Brooks doesn't have the creativity to write a classic such as LOTR. The story line is staggering. Doesn't give you much of a feel of reader's participation in the book. Though he has improved the war description which was lacking in LOTR as the battle fought in this book was very intense (and more or less looks quite hopeless as the Warlock was never defeated). The storyline looks more of a movie then of an epic. Characters like Bremen, Jerle, Risca, Tay & Preia doesn't have much of a part to do in this book. It was just a disasterous way to win a hopeless battle (Where the battle continues still in his later books). At last I will refer the reader's to read this book if and only if they haven't read Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, otherwise they will find it a waste of time to read an epic again as a distorted version.
Rating:
Summary: great start to an epic story
Review: This is the prologue to the great Shannara series.. I remember reading this book back in 7th grade (I'm a freshman in highschool now) and totally being absorbed by the characters and their entrancing adventure. Typical to Brooks's style, the story is simple, but told with such a grace that it keeps a brisk pace without faltering once.
A must-read for anyone intersted in fantasy literature.
Rating:
Summary: Just as boring as someone said......
Review: The entire story is very boring. No enthrill. No depth.
And most of all, you could easily expect what will happen next.
What can be more boring than this?
Rating:
Summary: This is Where All The Magic Began
Review: Largely perceived as hum-drum, slightly above average piece of Fantasy, The First King of Shannara has been set aflame by several critics, and truthfully I don't understand why. I romped through the book in bolstering speed, and bowled over to see people underrate the book. A Fantasy appetite quenched, I can infer that it is amongst the most suspenseful works of the Fantasy genre. On a side note, I hate to admit it, but yes, the beginning moves in deceleration, but I say its the sole trade as a reader to maintain patience and for that endeavor, reach the grand fruit of their labor. Along with a small detection of blurry eyesight, that's the way The First King of Shannara works. After a few passages into the fifth chapter I was finally --needless to say-- hooked, hastened my reading speed, and became briefly sullen that the book had to end. It took a few months to read every Shannara novel (minus Anthrax, I'm waiting for the paperback edition), and The First King of Shannara easily ranks on top of my favorite Fantasy books. Toppling the rest in the series, Brooks's eighth installment overflows with exciting scenes of gripping skirmishes between the mighty Trolls and gnomes against the humans and elves. A massive amount of the battle events particularly bloom in fascinating detail. All through, the passages are vividly brilliant as Brooks composes pungent moments within the scenery and characters. Wonderful characterizations of Bremen and Jerle Shannara certainly help enhance the penchant of the strong series. An outstanding novel, this is a great starting point for those unfamiliar with the Shannara universe. A true prequel to the Sword of Shannara, readers will become aware of the great events Brooks relentlessly speaks of in much of his books. The First King of Shannara sheds light on how Paranor and the Druid council collapsed. Much like a history tome, the book unravels central happenings such as the creation of a totally ingenious weapon. Where wizards are usually beheaded or slashed with a standard blade, the Sword of Shannara works as a weapon that unveils truth upon the bearer and its target. Dark Wizard Brona, full of vile, cannot bear the fact of his origin. No longer human, but a corrupted version of the cloak-and-dagger side of the Arcane, Brona will soon face the King of the Elves, Jerle Shannara. We do know how the book ends from reading The Sword of Shannara, yet it is worth seeing how Jerle's actions ultimately leads to the next chronological book. A compelling read, The First King of Shannara is an obligation for Fantasy and Brooks fans alike. Personally, I enjoyed this book more than the other offerings from him. In spite of his reputation of being dreadfully long on his scenery, the book is quite a departure from extremely terse ones. Many have acclaimed The Voyage of Jerle Shannara to be his greatest work yet, however this is where all the magic began.
Rating:
Summary: Terry is the new King!
Review: Mr.Brooks didn't want to go back after taking the Shannara series as far as he had, but someone somewhere loved us fans and he decided to write this book. The First king is a breathtaking story about the origin's of the four lands most dominant legends..... Druids, The creation of the Sword of Shannara, the Ohmsfords, and Allanon. We see the ever nasty Warlock lord trashing the lands and we meet some great characters. As only Terry Brooks can bring, we get battles of epic preportions. Making The Braveheart battles scenes seem small and trivial.
It is a wonderful way to start the journey.
Buy it and give someone who hasn't read the series this book. They'll be hooked. I should know, I am. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: A great addition to a great series
Review: Yes, it's a prequel, and if you're just starting on Brooks' series then by all means, read it first. I'm reading them all for a third time - and I don't read ANY fantasy or science fiction novels. That's how good the Shannara series is. I really admire the way Brooks has reached back and tied the characters together once again, allowing us to see the long ago history of the characters we've followed through this series. It's quite entertaining for a fan of the series to see the familiar names cropping up, and being able to see how these families were entwined in one another's fates from generations earlier than the first installment.
Rating:
Summary: A book definitely worth reading
Review: I am a big fantasy fan, and although I haven't read other books by Terry Brooks, I think that this book is definitely worth reading. This book tells us what happens years before when the book, The Sword of Shannara takes place. Although you know the ending from the beginning, you still would want to read on, in my case.
Bremen, a druid who had different beliefs than the other druids, set out on a journey to save the world. He was one of the few druids who still believed in magic, while the rest believed in the sciences, technology, for the old world was once destroyed by magic. Because he was an outcast, he couldn¡¦t stay at Paranor, which forced him to travel around. He discovered that, Brona, a former druid who was supposed to be dead years ago, was sleeping, looking for a time to strike back with his evil army consisting of skull bearers and trolls.
Seeking for help, Bremen asked the dead spirits for advice. There, he saw images and knew what he needed to do. He needed to unite the four lands, together would they be of match to the massive army of the trolls. He was also to forge a sword, a powerful weapon that would destroy the evil Warlock Lord, Brona.
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