Rating: 
Summary: Love Brooks' Shannara, but...
Review: This book just wasn't what I was expecting/hoping for. Many companion books to a series, especially one of a series of trilogies like Shannara, are written from the perspective of trying to give the reader actual information from an external point of view. In the case of this book, however, it's written from the perspective, albeit omnicient, of someone within the world of Shannara rather than the author or a fan of the series. Basically it told me what I already had read, just with some refreshers, reminders, and the occasional new info.I've been reading the series since I was a kid in the late '70s and have gone back to re-read the first books several times (something I have not done in more than a decade). I would like to do the same now and think this book would be an interesting reference companion, but as stated earlier, it's more for the die-hard fan who can use its incidental reference rather than a truly revealing and in-depth guide to the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This hefty tome is a companion to Terry Brooks' Shannara books. Written in the form of a narrative penned by someone with access to the Druid Histories, it attempts (and largely succeeds) in presenting all of the known facts about the world, its history and its inhabitants. It contains fifteen (if I counted right) chapters, each on different subjects, complete with maps, diagrams and sidebars on fascinating subjects. Overall, I did like this book. I enjoyed that the authors put the information from so many books into a well organized, deeply informing narrative. Having the world condensed and organized so well brought back so much of the fascination I felt when reading the first Shannara books so long ago. The downside is that the book really should not be read instead of the storybooks. As I read, I quickly realized that the book assumes that the reader has already read the other books, and as such leaves certain information out. Having not read certain book in so long, I found that I had to stretch to remember key facts, so that certain parts would make sense. That said, though, this book is quite fascinating. I loved the plentiful illustrations, the maps, and (especially) the diagrams of such things as Paranor and Dun Fee Aran. So, if you are a fan of Terry Brooks, then I highly recommend that you get this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Companion Book
Review: This is a coffee-table companion book to Terry Brooks' ongoing Shannara epic fantasy series. It's by the same lady who did The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. It has the same format of that book, in that it's a history of the world with illustrations of characters, places, and events sprinkled throughout. But it's different in that it makes reference to all of the Shannara books, from the First King prequel all the way up to the recent Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. I really liked this book because it covers a lot of ground. It includes: 1) An overview of the history of the world. There is a brief tantalizing hint that Terry Brooks' Word and Void series might actually be a prequel to the Shannara books, in that demons are blamed for setting off the Great Wars that destroyed the Old World of Man, otherwise known as our modern-day world. 2) A history of the Druids, complete with blueprints of Paranor and profiles of key figures such as Allanon, Bremen, Walker Boh, Cogline, and founder Galaphile. 3) A chapter on the mysterious Realm of the Dead and Hall of Kings. 4) A history of the Southland, home to Man and the Federation, and a place that has not been featured much in the books. 5) An outline of the Ohmsford and Leah families, complete with a giant Ohmsford family tree. 6) A history of the Borderlands, from the kingdom of Callahorn to the Free Born. 7) A history of the Northland, home to Trolls and the former lair of the Warlock Lord. 8) A history of the Eastland, including the evolution of the dwarf nation and it's battle with human and gnome invaders. 9) A history of the Westland, including a long look at the Elves and a chapter on Wing Riders and Rovers. 10) A brief overview of the new continent of Parkasia featured in the Jerle Shannara books and of Faerie creatures such as the King of the Silver River and demons like the Furies. My favorite parts: 1) The full map of the world. 2) The beautiful pictures of Amberle Elessedil and the Ellcrys Tree, the Meade Garden of the Dwarves, fighting Rocs, and the big-breasted witch sisters of the Wilderun. 3) Pictures and background on the Trolls, Dwarves, Southland Federation, and Skull Bearers. My least favorite parts: 1) A silly portrait of Brin Ohmsford that made her look like a mall brat. 2) No pictures of Gnomes, Urdas, Spider Gnomes, or Mwellrats. 3) The repetition. All in all, this is a great companion book. But you should only get it if you've read all the books, otherwise there are spoilers galore.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Companion Book
Review: This is a coffee-table companion book to Terry Brooks' ongoing Shannara epic fantasy series. It's by the same lady who did The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. It has the same format of that book, in that it's a history of the world with illustrations of characters, places, and events sprinkled throughout. But it's different in that it makes reference to all of the Shannara books, from the First King prequel all the way up to the recent Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. I really liked this book because it covers a lot of ground. It includes: 1) An overview of the history of the world. There is a brief tantalizing hint that Terry Brooks' Word and Void series might actually be a prequel to the Shannara books, in that demons are blamed for setting off the Great Wars that destroyed the Old World of Man, otherwise known as our modern-day world. 2) A history of the Druids, complete with blueprints of Paranor and profiles of key figures such as Allanon, Bremen, Walker Boh, Cogline, and founder Galaphile. 3) A chapter on the mysterious Realm of the Dead and Hall of Kings. 4) A history of the Southland, home to Man and the Federation, and a place that has not been featured much in the books. 5) An outline of the Ohmsford and Leah families, complete with a giant Ohmsford family tree. 6) A history of the Borderlands, from the kingdom of Callahorn to the Free Born. 7) A history of the Northland, home to Trolls and the former lair of the Warlock Lord. 8) A history of the Eastland, including the evolution of the dwarf nation and it's battle with human and gnome invaders. 9) A history of the Westland, including a long look at the Elves and a chapter on Wing Riders and Rovers. 10) A brief overview of the new continent of Parkasia featured in the Jerle Shannara books and of Faerie creatures such as the King of the Silver River and demons like the Furies. My favorite parts: 1) The full map of the world. 2) The beautiful pictures of Amberle Elessedil and the Ellcrys Tree, the Meade Garden of the Dwarves, fighting Rocs, and the big-breasted witch sisters of the Wilderun. 3) Pictures and background on the Trolls, Dwarves, Southland Federation, and Skull Bearers. My least favorite parts: 1) A silly portrait of Brin Ohmsford that made her look like a mall brat. 2) No pictures of Gnomes, Urdas, Spider Gnomes, or Mwellrats. 3) The repetition. All in all, this is a great companion book. But you should only get it if you've read all the books, otherwise there are spoilers galore.
Rating:
Summary: Reference work
Review: This is a good memory-refresher for fans of the Shannara series. Considering that it now spans a grand total of eleven books, with more evidently to come, there's quite a lot of history that is all tied up in it. together. This book can serve as a good reference point. The various chapters handle numbers of people or important places: Druids such as Allanon, Walker Boh, and Bremen; the Eastland, and its Dwarf and Gnome inhabitants; the Skull Kingdom; the two families, Ohmsfords and Leahs; the terrifying evil forces like the Reaper and Warlock Lord, and pretty much anything else in Shannara. The main problem with "World of Shannara" is that it provides nothing new -- no hints of future events, no analyzation of the stories or characters, no breaking-down of the influences that helped spawn it (most notably "Lord of the Rings"). So while it's a good reference work, it's not really much more than that. The illustrations are a mixed bag. Some illustrations, like the Sword on display in Paranor, or the Hadeshorn, are very beautiful, detailed and haunting. There are also acceptable ones, usually more simply drawn against a pseudo-parchment background. And unfortunately some of them are lifeless generic fantasy art, like the illustration of Brin Ohmsford, who looks like a teenage girl at the Renaissance Faire. However, the biggest bonus is probably the maps of various parts of Shannara, and definitely the cross-sections of some of the buildings. Overall this won't tell you much (aside from cross-sections and maps) that you wouldn't find in the Shannara series itself. But you might want to keep it handy in case you occasionally need to be reminded who did what where, when, and why.
Rating:
Summary: For fanatics only
Review: Well, it's certainly interesting. It fleshed out a little of the history I've always wondered about, and clarified the various forms of creepers. The pictures were nice, and as somebody who has a hard time imagining floor-plans and layouts from narration I can use the various blueprints of buildings to understand better the next time I re-read. There are a few annoying inconsistencies about dates. Also, the alleged connection between Garet Jax and Stee Jans doesn't mesh too easily with what we read in Wishsong. These are quibbles, of course. I wish, however, that they had deferred release of this until after Morgawr. I could tell that they didn't want to spoil Antrax, so they make reference to things from Ilse Witch but not Antrax. I think Antrax introduced enough new things into the storyline to deserve a place in the companion book. Instead you just read "Bek went away to a distant land on an airship" and "Ice Henge has a city of the Old World, and the city is rumored to contain secrets of the Old World." Well, now we know all about it. I suppose they can release a new companion in a few years and make more money. Overall, it's interesting, but nothing spectacular, and if I weren't starved for good brain-candy I'd have waited for the paperback version. A few short stories would have changed my mind, but that is not to be, I guess.
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