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First King of Shannara
 
 
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First King of Shannara (Paperback)

by Terry Brooks (Author) "The old man just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)

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Product Description

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Dark forces are on the move from the Northlands, and Bremen, an outcast Druid, learns of the huge Troll armies on the march and the Skull Bearers who act as their spies. To save the Druids, Bremen must convince the people of the Four Lands that their only hope lies in uniting -- and in using the magic they fear above all else. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Publishers Weekly

You can't find the Four Lands on any map of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth; but, given all the elves, dwarves, warlocks, trolls and gnomes that run rampant in the setting of Brooks's many Shannara novels (The Talismans of Shannara, etc.), readers can be forgiven for trying. Tolkien's influence is so strong in this prequel to The Sword of Shannara (1977), which launched the series, that many of the events here seem predictable or repetitive. Set 500 years before the events of Sword, the novel chronicles the destruction of ivory-towered Paranor and its Druid scholars, tracing the subsequent adventures of the outcast Druid-magician Bremen. With a handful of companions, he must find and hide the Black Elfstone from the Warlock Lord and forge a magic sword for Elven King Jerle Shannara to wield against the warlock. Brooks's prose generates a breakneck pace, but it lacks depth of characterization and also the wealth of linguistic invention that the most satisfying high fantasy offers. As an allegory of the eternal struggle between good and evil, the vital basis of fantasy, Brooks's mythical universe also suffers from a crucial dearth of those magical moments of heart-stopping revelation when, against all hope, against all reason, against all the forces of evil, salvation comes at last. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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The old man just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

128 Reviews
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (128 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars My First Shannara, Jun 30 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: First King of Shannara (Mass Market Paperback)
This was the first Shannara book I ever read, and it remains one of my favorite books. This novel introduces some really cool characters, like Tay and Risca, as well as one of the best non-valemen/Leah human characters: Kinson Ravenlock. Meeting Jerle Shannara, ancestor of the Ohmsfords and namesake of the series, was also quite amazing. I hope Terry writes another novel set in the early history of the Four Lands to show other members of the Shannara clan and other prominent families.
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4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work of fiction..., Jun 25 2004
By J. D Purvis "horror buff" (Dayton, Oh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: First King of Shannara (Hardcover)
First of all, let me just state that I am so incredibly sick and tired of EVERYONE comparing Tolkien to Brooks. Yes, the writings are similar. Brooks has even stated in the past that Tolkien was an inspiration. But, the two are different. There are those that like Tolkien and those that don't. I personally do not. I find his fiction to be boring, drawn out, and highly unpalatable. I'm sorry if this offends some of the Tolkien aficionados out there, but guess what, some people in this world do not share your apparent narrow minded view...HEAVEN FORBID!!!! I had to fight through Fellowship 6 times to eventually finish it.

Now, onto The First King. As a prelude, this book was not all that bad. It continued rather well in the same vein as the rest of Brooks' Shannara series. He did an excellent job with staying within the pre-determined guidelines of what he had already hinted at in his other books. Personally, I thought Bremen's end was a little anti-climactic, but that was the author's personal choice. All in all, not too bad of a novel. I the way that he continues to tell a marvelous tale of fantasy and wonder. If you are a fan of the Shannara series, you will like this book.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Average, Predictable...., Jun 13 2004
By SereneNight (California, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: First King of Shannara (Hardcover)
I listened to the audio version of Firstling of Shannara, and while I enjoyed the narration, I found the story a little boring and predictable. For some reason the plot just failed to grab me. In the story there are elves. There is a dwarf. There is a druid muttering some mystic mumbo-jumbo. They are out to find/forge the sword of Shannara, and everyone is reluctant. Reluctant to become involved, reluctant to believe, reluctant to wield the sword properly. Reluctant to fall in love.

Relationships are passionless and handled poorly. The three major romantic relationships featured in this book are quite dysfunctional. Tay loves Preia, Preiea loves the king Jerle, the King loves Tay's sister who is married, Merrith loves the ranger who is supposed to be 40+ years old? Ech. The only person I actually really liked was Bremen. I felt sorry for him and the pain/sacrifice he bore at times. But the rest of the characters had as much personality as department store mannequins.

Look. If a story is going to have romance in it. Make it ROMANTIC. The romances were hasty and very contrived.

Not quite up to par with the rest of the books. And what's with all the female character's being called 'girl'? The author refers to Preia as 'the elf girl' and Merrith as the 'druid girl' but the male characters are all called 'men' come on now. These characters are WOMEN. Lets call them such, shall we?

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Shows Brooks' improvement after years
I prefered the prequel than the Trilogy he wrote before. Here he manages to include the whole quest in fewer words, whereas The Sword of Shannara, at times it becomes a bit... Read more
Published on May 25 2004 by scichi

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretty craptacular
Let's not even mention the contrived and imitated plots that Brooks includes in ALL of his books. Let's focus on his writing talent or lack thereof. Read more
Published on May 21 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!
If you're a fan Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings trilogy you'll certainly love Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara and the other books in the trilogy. Read more
Published on May 7 2004 by Eric Ray Sloan

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy at it's best
I absolutely love this book. It is a fantastic prequel to the whole Shannara series and I don't just mean the Shannara trilogy. Read more
Published on April 3 2004 by Cassandra B.

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly intense fantasy novel
This is the first Shannara novel I have read in about 14 years. In that time I was surprised to see how graphic and violent the novel was. Read more
Published on Feb 5 2004 by Anthony Sunclades

4.0 out of 5 stars my look on shannara
The First King of Shannara is the prelude to The Sword of Shannara and I think it is a great book. First King of Shannara is like the Lord of the Rings in many ways. Read more
Published on Sep 24 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
I remember from earlier years of my life when Sword of Shannara, and the others of the well known series, were held in high regard and still are. Read more
Published on Sep 10 2003 by mike van orden

2.0 out of 5 stars Terry Brooks is losing his Shannara touch
All i have to say is WOW! This book was a huge disappointment. It's been quite sometime since i've read other installments in the series, and i am trying not to let this one... Read more
Published on Sep 8 2003 by Miguel A. Cruz Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars Among The Best From Brooks
I've previously read the three books in the original Shannara series and the four books in the Heritage of Shannara series. Read more
Published on May 18 2003 by AntiochAndy

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ever!
The first king of shannara was an awesome book. It keep me turning until the very last page and kept me wondering what was going 2 happen. Read more
Published on April 26 2003 by Rebecca

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