The Sword of Shannara [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

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Intellectually, I should hate "The Sword of Shannara." Authors like Dennis McKiernan, Terry Goodkind and Christopher Paolini throw me into a white-hot rage.

But for some reason, I simply can't bring myself to dislike Terry Brooks and his debut novel, "The Sword of Shannara." Perhaps it's because he's worked so hard SINCE this book to create a distinct fantasy world, or perhaps it's because of the novel's wide-eyed earnestness. But as Tolkien knockoffs go, this is one of the more innocuous ones.

In a future medieval/postapocalyptic time, the mysterious druid Allanon comes to the town of Shady Vale, and warns young half-elven Shea Ohmsford that Sauron... I mean, the Warlock Lord will soon be trying to find him. Shea is the last descendent of Jerle Shannara, and as such is the only person in the whole world who can use the Sword of Shannara. He also gives Shea some magic Elfstones.

Faster than you can say "Shire... Baggins," minions of evil arrive at Shady Vale. Shea and his adoptive brother Flick escape their town, and meet up with Shea's friend Menion and a little gang of the expected tropes (a prince, a dwarf, and two elves). Now they must save a kingdom, wage war against the Warlock Lord, and recover the Sword before it's too late.

"The Sword of Shannara" is pretty shameless in knocking off "Lord of the Rings" -- the basic plot, the giant mutant robot spider, the characters, even the "death" of the wizardly mentor all reek of J.R.R. Tolkien. It reads like the first fantasy that a 15-year-old Tolkien fanboy would write while he's still working out the kinks of how to actually make a story.

And yet... it isn't that bad.

There's something very simple and earnest about the book. Part of this is because of Terry Brooks' prose, which is solid and unpretentious -- lots of strong descriptions, decent enough dialogue, and a genuine sense of atmosphere in scenes like the Skull Bearer's arrival in Shady Vale (if you can stop quoting lines from "Lord of the Rings").

Similarly, the characters are totally derivative -- Shea is Frodo, Allanon is Gandalf, Flick is Sam, Menion is Merry and Pippin, Balinor is Aragorn and Boromir, Hendel is Gimli, Dayel and Durin are Legolas, and so on. But honestly, they have the same earnest, pleasant-but-not original quality as Brooks' writing style, making them likeable even though they're wholly unoriginal.

"The Sword of Shannara" isn't very good, but it isn't horrible (especially as Tolkien knockoffs go). But it's a decent fluff read, and Brooks spent a lot of effort making his later books much more original.

Terry Brooks' first novel, "The Sword of Shannara," fulfills most of the tenets of an old-fashioned fantasy story and the structure of Western classical mythology. In many ways, the adventures of Shea Ohmsfold and the company from Culhaven is analogous to Frodo Baggins' adventure with the Fellowship out of Rivendale. That Tolkien heavily influenced Brook's narrative is without question; but that doesn't detract from my assessment that Brooks is an excellent writer.

Brooks is a master world-builder and his greatest talent is capturing the right words to paint a canvas in the reader's mind, illustrating every scene with powerful and distinguished clarity. We enter the Four Lands of Brooks' debut novel, immersed in every excruciatingly detailed scene, as would characters that have never left their own backyard. Yet as with many first-time writers, Brooks is still finding his groove and his descriptions are often long, often uneconomical. Streams of paragraphs seem to flow down the page before any action or dialogue even takes place. But his ability to paint scenes serves him well in depicting the climactic Battle of Tyrsis. Brooks weaves story threads gracefully, building up dramatic tension, and culminating in a battle that his writing portrays as both epic in scope and tragic for those involved.

In his later novels, over time, Brooks becomes more adept at characterizations and diversifying their point-of-views. In "Sword", some characters, though not all, suffer from a lack of inner complexities and unstrained development. My favourite characters are arguably the most original and well-developed. Panamon Creel is the brave, if morally ambiguous, rogue who despite being a thief, is anchored to the side of good by his code of honor. In his reluctance to accept a higher calling in being Shea's protector and companion, he reminds me of the swashbuckling Han Solo from "A New Hope." Like Han, Panamon rises beyond his own expectations and is selflessly transformed by his heroic actions to serve the greater good. I liked that he dresses much in red, a traditional color for heroes in Japanese culture, foreshadowing his role late in the novel. His mute Troll companion, Keltset Mallicos, is stoic and introverted. He is the embodiment of integrity and a steadfast will. Unlike vast numbers of his race who've surrendered to the Warlock Lord, Keltset chooses exile rather than be converted to the ranks of the Skull Kingdom, even after the rest of his family was slaughtered, and because of his strength of will, his tongue was cut. Keltset demonstrates that his actions forever speak louder than words. These two are Brooks' most complex characters in "Sword of Shannara," because unlike the others who wear everything out in the open, these two are layered in their emotional intricacies and multifarious traits.

While reading "Sword of Shannara" will likely remind you of "Lord of the Rings," I recommend this epic narrative to anyone who loves modern fantasy. Terry Brooks is a master at work. Near the last third of "Shannara," Brooks' narrative and style begin to identify themselves, and we see the seeds of growth from a writer whose skills certain flourish into creating some of the most entertaining and enduring fantasy stories ever written.
Comment

Some critics have accused Terry Brooks of plagiarizing JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" with the epic fantasy tome "The Sword of Shannara." Thousands of adoring fans have canonized Tolkien and his works to the extent that no other author of the fantasy quest genre can legitimately write anything which bears any resemblance to JRRT's works. While it is no doubt true that Brooks produced "The Sword of Shannara" to take advantage of the tremendous popularity of JRRT's works among the flower-children in the 60s and 70s, his book can stand on its own merits. True, it does not have the maturity, complexity and cultic charm of "Lord of the Rings" so therefore it may not deserve to be venerated but that doesn't mean that it will disappoint readers--especially the young and the less cultured readers who may have trouble being enamoured by JRRT's intricate literary sophistication.

Every author of every genre will get ideas from other authors and sources. JRRT's works have inspired dozens of successful fantasy authors and Brooks is one of them. But the folk tales of the Celtic, Nordic, Grecian and Germanic cultures have leavened the dough of all fantasy telling. "The Sword of Shannara" could have been written solely based on the rich mythic legacies from those cultures without any help from Tolkien.

For readers who are not overly biased and prejudices by their superlative admiration for Tolkien, this book will be a worthwhile Arthurian-like adventure of intrigue, mystery and magic. The book's popularity and the successful sequels it has engendered should vouch for its worthiness. I think that the first half of the book lacks somewhat in substance (Brooks having then been a novice of the art) but it lays the foundation for an exciting second half of the book. As soon as the character Panamon Creel is introduced things do get very interesting. A good mix of characters populate the book and their introspective musings are well done. I did miss the total lack of feminine influence in the first half of the book but that was also remedied by romance in the second half. Brook's superbly vivid geographical and meteorological descriptions create appropriate atmosphere and mood for every situation.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Shannara Review
Terry Brooks is a master of the literary world. His stories are well thought out, as well as written. I enjoyed this book from the first page. Lisez davantage

Published on Sep 3 2009 by Irmgard Krimp

4.0 out of 5 stars Terry Brooks - The Sword of Shannara
Brooks introduced me to the world of fantasy. I have read many things since that introduction, and I look back fondly on the time spent reading the Shannara books and... Lisez davantage

Published on Aug 12 2009 by Martin Chayer

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Read
I very much enjoyed this book. several friends and family all read and enjoyed the adventure, the magic, and the journey that Terry Brooks portrayed. Lisez davantage

Published on Sep 7 2007 by Fearlesscanadian

1.0 out of 5 stars Please don't attempt to read this book!
Oh my god! How, in what multi-verse, did this book get on and stay on the NY Times best seller list? Were drugs legalized during that time? Lisez davantage

Published on July 13 2007 by sail2u

4.0 out of 5 stars Ho Hum.. Plagiarism can be fun.
Well... what fun it has been reading some of the reviews of this book. When I first read it, back in the late 80's, there was no internet - no one to talk to about it. Lisez davantage

Published on Aug 1 2006 by David Mccormick

5.0 out of 5 stars all the lonely people, where do they all come from?
So, this is a rip off of tolkien-while tolkien can and has been called a rip off of, oh let me think-Beowulf, Arthurian legend,
Greek mythology, the Bible, etc etc etc.... Lisez davantage

Published on Feb 3 2006 by anonymous

5.0 out of 5 stars The best books ever!!!!!!
The Shannara books are my all time favorite! The whole series is packed with suspension and adventure. It keeps you turning pages late into the night! Lisez davantage

Published on July 18 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but a major Tolkien ripoff.
After hearing much praise of the Shannara series at my school, I picked up this book with high expectations. Lisez davantage

Published on July 7 2004 by Ross Pazzol

1.0 out of 5 stars Why can't we rate things ZERO stars?
Please, PLEASE! For those of you who have given this book a rating of four or five stars, PLEASE READ TOLKIEN! Lisez davantage

Published on July 5 2004 by Sirenous Banshee

3.0 out of 5 stars Is this even legal !?
It's been said already but I still can't beleive how much this plot is copied from LOTR. I mean there's even the two huge statues of soldiers holding a sword. Lisez davantage

Published on Jun 20 2004 by dfantasies

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