Dorky Cover; Ripping Good Tale

The Sword of Shannara

by Terry Brooks

I opened this up and began reading disinterestedly.

I finished it and claimed it a masterpiece of Fantasy, and one of my favorite books ever written.

I wasn't expecting it, but The Sword of Shannara stole my heart. Over a course of six days I looked forward eagerly to continue to embroil myself in the lives of the characters and intricate plots. It's a seven-hundred-page book, but I soaked it up like a sponge, it was so riveting.

But it didn't start out that way.
I picked it up expecting a Lord of the Rings rip-off. The beginning was a mite slow, but once the characters got out of Culhaven things started to pick up.
And I mean really pick up.

Half-man, half-elf Shea Ohmsford is unextraordinary in every way, living a safe life in the town of Shady Vale. But then the Druid Allanon appears, telling him that he has a destiny--as the last heir of the Elven king Jerle Shannara--to save the races from a powerful, returning enemy.
Shea is caught up in a quest for the legendary Sword of Shannara, the only thing that can defeat the Warlock Lord--and even then, only in his hands.
But Allanon isn't telling him everything. And every quest member has a struggle of their own...

The plot was intricate, but not confusing. At the end of the story I literally gasped aloud at a revelation within the story. And the characters...Each of them had their own lesson to learn, and each of them changed. Even the grim, forbidding Allanon changed.
I also loved the moral of the story about truth, and standing up against evil even if you stand alone.
There was everything! Humour, despair, romance, battles...Goodness me.
Naturally, it wasn't flawless, but I really adored reading it.

That said, it's a ripping good adventure, and I recommend it for anyone who likes hardcore fantasy.

Favorite Line: "Now don't tell me that you have any foolish ideas about trailing us and trying to get the gems back? That would spoil a very nice relationship because I'd have to cut your ears off..."

Objectionable Content: It is mentioned that some of the races have false gods, but it describes these as fake imaginings of pagan minds.

Related Reads:
The Lord of the Rings-J.R.R. Tolkien
Beyonders-Brandon Mull
Redwall-Brian Jacques