The Talismans Of Shannara (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
I will admit I liked this book when I first read it, but I was young and foolish at the time. This book does NOT hold up on re-reading.The promising parts aren't major players, alas. Wren becomes an idiot and barely has any screen time. Walker is still basically cool (at least in the first half of the book), but then gets infected with terminal stupidity in the ending ("I'm in such a damn hurry to rest I can't stop at the victory feast?"), not to mention abandoning the "Rargh I hate druids and their ways" plotline which actually made him interesting. That leaves... the brothers of fail, Par and Coll, and also Rimmer Dall, who turns out to be way less cool villain than he was built up to be. Par proves himself an utter idiot with his responses to Rimmer's fairly obvious poor insinuations, and Coll is still ensnared by Rimmer's really obvious trap from earlier, and doesn't really redeem himself later. Rimmer basically doesn't care about losing the war and throws everything into seducing Par to the Dark Side; I say good riddance, these two idiots deserve each other.They at least give Wren an interesting challenge in the last half of the book in defending against a horde of evil black magic walker thingies, but everything Returns to Normal and the Day is Saved before she can come up with some cool plan to defeat them. Damn it.This is just scratching the surface of this book's problems. So, yeah. Stop at Elf Queen.
This last book in The Heritage of Shannara sub-series started out very strong. It answered questions, had intrigue and mystery, and even had a few edge-of-my-seat intense scenes. However, the ending fell a little flat for me. The big fight scene felt almost too easy. I feel ridiculous saying that when I don't see any other way the author could have resolved it, but it's how it felt. Everything wrapped up a little too quick and clean after four books of anticipating this major fight.I can't say much more without spoilers which I don't want to do (who knows, I might have already depending on what you consider a spoiler), but I can say that even though the ending let me down a little, I still really enjoyed this book and the sub-series in general. The character growth, the twists and turns, the entertainment.. All of it made for an enjoyable read.
What do You think about The Talismans Of Shannara (1999)?
It seems like in each book I read, Terry Brook's writing gets better. The descriptions are less repetitive and more evocative. The characters do seem to go round and round in their anxieties and ambivalence about who they are, what they're doing and who to trust, but then don't we all? Each time it doesn't seem like they're exactly at the same place. They do learn and grow - so all in all I'm very happy with this book. I need a little r & r from the intensity - so I'm going to read Terry Pratchett's latest new one next. I do want to return to the Shannara saga, and fortunately Mr. Brooks has provided me with a banquet of choices as to where to go next.
—Janie`
A fitting close to the quartet that is the "Heritage of Shannara". Once again, Brooks characterizations are among the best in the epic fantasy tradition. Walker Boh becomes fully realized as the inheritor of Allanon's powers as a druid, Wren Ohmsford fully steps into her role as the Queen of the Elves, Par and Coll Ohmsford are reunited as brothers, and the entire group confronts the looming evil of Rimmer Dall and the hordes of shadowen plaguing the Four Lands. Looking forward to hitting the next trilogy in the series, "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara."
—Roger
I really would have given the end of the Heritage of Shannara series 4 stars, but Brooks screwing up Walker's character at the end and having NUMEROUS times where two hands are being used when he definitely only has one was just poor editing. It was clear that the ending was written before several of the events of the series, that, or the editing was so slipshod that a 10 year old could have done better. (I remember being bothered by this on my first reading as a kid as well).Other than a few flaws like that, it was a pretty stellar end to a 4 book series, and one that I'll always look back on fondly as the series that good me hooked on... well, novels in a series.
—Mark
