First King of Shannara

Rating:
Summary: Too much, too soon
Review: This is another wonderful book by Terry Brooks. It is a great book to read AFTER the other 7 Shannara books. It gives away many parts of later books in a very blunt manner, taking away the suspense that makes his books so thrilling. If after you read the other books you come back and read this one, it will help you more fully understand the plot, which you will surley still be thinking about months after, while not ruining his other fantastic books.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book EVER to be Written!
Review: This has to be, without a shadow of a doubt, the hands-down favorite book I have EVER read in my entire life! It's filled with mystical creatures, great heroes, evil enemies, mysterious magic, and tons of action to keep the pages turning! Never has a book grabbed me or motivated me so much as this one! Do yourself a favor; if you like good, hard fantasy, look no further than First King of Shannara!

Rating:
Summary: something about this book
Review: This book explains a lot which is hidden in previous novels of Shannara saga. But it's not clear why author has chosen the only person as a keeper of druid legacy (Bremen is followed by Alannon, then by Walker) Another feature which spoils Shannara's books a little is the fact that women images are very similar to each other. There is always the same type: the boyish girl. Though the heroines with tragic destiny (see "The Elfstone of Shannara" and "The Druid of Shannara") are exclusion. Well, the author has described gorgeus landscapes full of incredible creatures and magic. The most magic scene, I suppose, is the birth of Sword. Despite my remarks it would be a good idea to make a film.

Rating:
Summary: Good and not-so-good
Review: In many ways this book is well-written, don't get me wrong, but I had a few problems with it. First, Brooks shows that he knows nothing about the Druids - He really shows his ignorance here. I would expect an author to put just a little effort in research. Second, the characters are just a little flat. Third, I had a hard time focusing in on a main hero. At first I thought it was Bremen, then he would disappear for several chapters. But this book did have some very well-written scenes. It could have been better.(and please Mr. Brooks, do some research on the Druids! )

Rating:
Summary: The First King of Shannara
Review: Terry Brooks does an excelent job describing the life and toil of medival times. His supberb ways of explailing the characters, magic, and terain is unlike that I have ever read. He does not bore you with a lot of detail and gets his stories point across. I recommend this book to anyone who likes demons and magic mixed together.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: Actually better that his other Shannara's, but somehow...... diferent.... I don't know, I guess a person's writing habits change after so many years, but when I finished this one, and went on to Sword, well.... It's different, that's all. This one's actually easier to get into, and has a lot more character than some other books, but just seems a little less thought through than his other books. Don't take it the wrong way. This was totally enjoyable, in fact, I didn't even feel this way untill I'd finished two more of his books, and it's still not something to be upset about. He certainly did better with his prequel than George Lucas did.

Rating:
Summary: Back to the Heart of Shannara
Review: It's been a few years since I read The First King of Shannara for the first time. While the series seemed to be downgrading at the very sequel to The Sword of Shannara (all became steadily less entertaining with the exception of The Wishsong of Shannara which I thoroughly enjoyed), this goes back to the heart of the series, and in doing so restores much of its life and luster. Definitely a good read and recommended to any fan of fantasy. The best since The Sword of Shannara.

Rating:
Summary: For mature audiences too
Review: Prior to reading "First King of Shannara," I read the online review (on this forum) by "A Reader From Arkansas" who said this book was great if you are fifteen, and proposed Martin's "A Game of Thrones." Taking his advice, I read both back to back and First King is the winner, hands down.

I had for some time sought something, anything, that I consider well written. For example, my wife bought me a subscription to some short story sci-fi magazine that turned out to be not much better than essays written by tenth graders. So I went and re-read Ray Bradbury and rediscovered truly good writing. Nevertheless, I began to wonder whether, at age thirty-five, I had grown too old or too "mature" to enjoy novels similar to those I enjoyed in my youth. I had read the Shannara novels at age eighteen. Thus, when I read the Arkansians' review, I feared the same outcome would follow for Mr. Brooks's works - that it would not be "mature" enough. Au contraire, Mr. Arkansas, First King can be enjoyed by young, old, immature,and mature audiences. Because it has been over fifteen years since I last read his writing, I don't know if Mr. Brooks has matured or if I have. In either event, in an age where banal prose coupled with trendy-sounding hi tech words are passed off as good writing, Mr. Brooks's beautfully written stories are refreshing. First King is the best non-"classic" (e.g., Steinbeck, Melville, etc.) book that I have read in about ten years. I gave it 3 stars for literature overall, but give it 5 stars in its genre.

Rating:
Summary: 1 GREAT PACKAGE!
Review: This is an excellent book! It introduces you to what happened before The Sword of Shannara trilogy. It also happens to be the best book in the series. Although my favorite Terry Brooks book is Running With the Demon this is a close second. PLEASE SAY I WAS HELPFUL! PLEASE!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best by Terry Brooks yet.
Review: If you've ever wanted to know the story behind some of the characters in the Shannara Trilogy then this is this book to read.