Rating: 
Summary: The "Empire Strikes Back" of Shannara
Review: This by far is the darkest and most foreboding of the Shannara novels, only the "Druid of Shannara" or the "Elf Queen of Shannara" are close. The multiple plot lines in the story Bek, Quentin, Walker, and the Ilse Witch, all have their own problems and quirks that make them all interesting, similar to the end of "Sword of Shannara", though many of these plots remain unresolved and brooding. During the these plot lines there are fights to the death, revelation, and tragedy, though beautifully written that never allow it to get boring. And finally we learn the name of the malicious being that protects the city, Antrax, and what purpose it has. The characters were always Terry Brooks strong point and the ones in this book are no exception. Many seemed to have grown-up from the "Ilse Witch" book, especially Bek. Others seem to be dynamic, and constantly change, an example would be Quentin, who's optimism soon turns to fatalism. Then others are just incredibly memorable, like the doomed Druid, Walker, and the enigmatic protector Truls Rohk. Definitely a great book, but I could not help making the connection that this book had the dark, oppressive feeling of the "Empire Strikes Back." In that story George Lucas places his characters in the worst of predicaments and Terry Brooks seems to do the same, waiting for the finale of the trilogy to resolve the problems. Terry Brooks has by no means copied Lucas, but the comparison can be made. Anyway great book for fans of Shannara, though, it will leave you hanging and anxiously waiting the third and final book.
Rating:
Summary: Great, epic, breathtaking stuff from Master Terry Brooks!
Review: This book is the crown of Shannara literature.It continues the events led up to by ILSE WITCH in a masterful way. This book is action all the way. Never a dull moment, and the plot twist and turns in so many incredible ways, you're not going to believe it. This is one great rollercoaster ride, and the best Shannara-book thus far.
The book focuses much more upon the Red's, Bek Rowe and Truls Rohk (who reappears from concealment), Quentin, and Ahren than on the masterful Druid Walker. Walker Boh's character is the best character in any book, in all ways, so it's a bit disappointing that we don't see more to this enigma in this book.
The book is finished with ONE **** OF A CLIFFHANGER!! you're not going to be able to wait until next september. Neither could I put the book down whilst reading, and I finished it in five hours. Buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: He means well....
Review: I've always been a HUGE fan of Terry Brooks. I loved all of the Shannara books thus far. I found his characters interesting, loveable, and easy to become attached to. THEN I had realized I never read many other books from other authors... So I picked up Eye of the World (1st of the Wheel of Time series), read that, came back to Shannara and read Antrax to continue the series for me. My first thoughts were "What is this crap!?!?!?"
I realized that Terry Brooks can't really write too well. He produces the same sentences...over and over. How many times does he have to tell me that Druids are sneaky before Terry finally thinks the reader realizes that! He also makes another big mistake, describing the characters first-hand, instead of doing it through their actions. He just outright tells you what the characters are thinking, why theyre thinking it, what their entire personality is. I think that completely takes away from the enjoyability of the story. Terry can create nice plots and an interesting world but the way he writes...it just makes me sad. I sort of want to finish this series and I probably will. I realized you can skim about 50 pages in 10 minutes and not miss one bit of the plot. All you miss is Terry repeating everything you know about the characters over and over and over...
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: A compelling story told too hastily.
Review: Antrax is the middle novel in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, Brooks' third foray into the Four Lands. The company (never call it a Fellowship!) led by Walker Boh to the lost land of Parkasia has been split asunder by ancient rogue technological weapons controlled by the mysterious entity "Antrax." Meanwhile, the Ilse Witch has trailed the Jerle Shannara to Parkasia and is threatening to act as hammer to Antrax' anvil and crush Walker's companions with her powerful magic. Bek Rowe (nee Ohmsford), Rue Meridian, Ahren Elessedil, and Quentin Leah all undertake individual journeys against various struggles as the book progresses. It sounds like a great story, right? Well, it is, but the implementation by Terry Brooks is sadly underwhelming. My review of Ilse Witch contained the same complaint I voice here: there is far too much narrative exposition and fiddling to really create a compelling story. Brooks still has a knack for creating compelling character relationships and surprise romances, but Antrax' versions all feel incredibly forced. Like Bek's crush on Rue "Little Red" Meridian, we are told in the narrator's voice rather than shown through character dialogue and action. One of the more engrossing chapters, the tale of Ahren Elessedil's bonding with Ryer Ord Star, has the potential to be extremely powerful and emotionally wrenching, and is weakened by Brooks' heavy author's hand. I read this whole series against my better judgment. I'm a devoted fan of Brooks, but I devoured this book with a vague feeling of distaste. Cool and inventive ideas like the hideous cyborg-zombie "wronks" created by Antrax are less impactful than they could have been. Each character's internal monologue seems to doggedly pace a road that could be so much more elegantly expressed as the result of character interaction rather than straight-out narrative, and it's disappointing because, as mentioned above, the premise is good and captivating.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy at its Best!
Review: I got Terry Brooks's Antrax for Christmas and immediately dived into another of his always enjoyable books. This book surprised me as it bested the first volume of the series, Isle Witch. I liked Antrax because of the characters, the plot, and the new style of fantasy that he has created. It is not a copy of Tolkien's work. The plots are completely dissimilar. He mixes the plots with twists that hint at mysteries and deceptions that leave dying for the answer! The characters are appropriate and well developed and the story of the Isle Witch's self-deception is fantastic and imaginative. The new style in which Brooks writes is a techno-fantasy. There are now airships in the land of the Four Lands. It is growing up and magic that once dominated is being scorned. Antrax, which is a machine itself, is very fascinating. It is almost comical in how the characters describe the laser weapons (fire threads) as well as surveillance cameras and heat sensors. The book also introduces cybernetic creatures reminiscent of Star Trek's Borg Collective! It also strikes me that you can look back on the book and think that this could really happen! Great Book and a must read!
Rating:
Summary: New Ideas in the Fantasy Genre
Review: I found this book to be a great improvement over Ilse Witch. I finally get the feel that I know the characters as each struggles to survive in Castledown and I enjoyed how the author incorporates the old world technology into the fantasy world. The characters confront the power of a machine that seems an eerie reflection of our own and the reader can't help but wonder if our civilization came before the magical present that is Shannara. The whole situation with Antrax was very well thought out and complex. Of course, the whole concept of sinister science reaches melodramatic heights, but it makes for a more compelling 'villain' than exists in most current fantasy. Brooks definitely brought some new elements to his writing in this novel and almost all was to the betterment of his work.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and annoying at the same time.
Review: This is the second book in The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy (after Ilse Witch and before Morgawr). After his visits on Flay Creech, Shatterstone and Mephitic, the Druid Walker realizes that the challenges he and his friends faced on these islands were nothing but a test, the castaway's map nothing but a lure. Whatever lives in the ruined catacombs of Castledown, the ancient, giant city from the Old World, covets their magic. At the beginning of Antrax, picking up where Ilse Witch left off, the protagonists are scattered in little groups, exploring Castledown and its surrounding jungle in search of the legendary books of magic. It won't be long until they come across hoards of metallic monsters and fire threads, trying to block their way at all costs. And soon they'll learn that the whole city is controlled by Antrax, an intelligent computer from before the Great Wars, programmed to protect this great knowledge forever. Meanwhile, on the Jerle Shannara, the members of her crew have been made prisoners after being attacked by the Ilse Witch's airship, Black Moclips. They are locked up in her hold and Little Red, who is dangling from a rope attached to the ship's rigging and all but exhausted, might be their sole hope of survival, as the Jerle Shannara is slowly drifting in the wind, heading towards the huge, stomping and crushing ice pillars of the Squirm. At the same time, Bek Rowe is facing Grianne, the Ilse Witch, trying to make her see the truth about who she is, nothing but a pawn in the Morgawr's game. Even though this book is quite suspenseful and contains some interesting character development, what I didn't expect is that in this volume, Terry Brooks blends a great deal of Science Fiction into his Sword & Sorcery. Antrax is crammed with hackneyed themes reminiscent of Brazil or The Matrix, and with all kinds of stereotypical robots that reminded me, in turns, of R2D2 or Robocop. The fate of some of the heroes is so horrible it might even have made good Thriller matter. As a whole I enjoyed this book but also found it all a tad annoying.
Rating:
Summary: Good,but not as strong as the other books.
Review: Now I did like this book.It was just as creative as the others,very gripping,and still quite strong on characters.Don't get the idea that it's not good,I welcome all to read it(the third book's probably better anyway).But I did have my peeves.
Why did the world before the great wars even need to exist?Why couldn't everything have been mideval?I felt as if this book was ,poisoned by that.
But it is nevertheless a good book,even though it is probably the worst book he's written.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This is a great book. If you enjoy the Shannarah series by Terry Brooks you should purchase. These books have characters and stories that are similar in writing style to The Lord of the Rings. I have always loved Terry Brooks' Shannarah books.
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