Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing End To A Dud Of A Series
Review: This is the third and last book in the "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" series set in the fantasy world of Shannara. I'm going to review both the series and the book:1) I'm a big fan of Terry Brooks because his books are always fun to read. But this latest series was just a big dud. It lacked the magic of the other Shannara books. Bek and Grianne Ohmsford are made out to be the best heroes ever, but they fall far short and really weren't that special. Half the characters were recycled from previous books (an Ohmsford, a Leah, a dwarf, a Rover, a druid, a bad guy, whatever), and the most interesting ones were either barely utilized or abruptly killed off without so much as a word. The old talismans like the Sword of Shannara, Elfstones, and Wishsong were mere shadows of themselves. While the new gimmicks were hit or miss for me. A lot of folks liked the airships, but their technical distractions just gave me a headache. I did like the fact that technology plays a big role in this series. The magic-meets-machine Antrax with its artificial intelligence and Borg-like drones was the most interesting thing in the entire series. And the new but old continent of Parkasia was a welcome addition to the increasingly crowded world of Shannara. 2) The book is one big reason why the series ended up as a dud for me. The first two books weren't that bad, but this book soured me on the whole series. After two of my favorite characters died, I realized how unlikable the main heroes were. The plot was also rushed. Nothing more is done with Parkasia or the forbidden technology of Antrax. Everybody just runs around dazed a bit before finally heading on home. Stopping to battle the bad guy, of course. And what a lousy bad guy the book's namesake, the Morgawr, made. He ended up becoming just another typical evil power-hungry warlock. Nothing really special about him at all. All in all, I have to say this is the only series where I didn't like ANY of the main characters. If you're a die-hard Shannara fan, then stomach it. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother.
Rating: 
Summary: Fighting For Survival
Review: To me, the pinnacle of this series was the portion dealing with the computer, Antrax, but I also wondered very much how the situation with the Morgawr was going to be resolved and how Grianne, formerly the Ilse Witch, would confront and accept her evil deeds. Bek displays a true tenderness as he helps her in her time of vulnerability. I was also secretly hoping that at least one elven ranger would make it. But alas, out of principle, they had to be killed off to the very last. And oh yes, I quite understand that Mwellrets have GIMLET eyes. I was reminded of this on numerous occasions. But these were but small points of contention as I observed the corrupt politics of the Federation and wondered how the good guys could possibly survive the Morgawr's fleet. The heroes have failed in their mission in some ways and succeeded in others. Now they have been reduced to raw survival and the reader waits to see how the battered remnants of the crew will ever reach home alive.
| 
