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crowinator's review against another edition
4.0
Posted to my Livejournal in March 2008, saved here for posterity:
This series bridges his Word and the Void series and his Shannara series, and in a pretty clever way, too. In this one, Hawk, who is a street kid trying to survive in a (pre? post?) apocalyptic Seattle, turns out to be the Gypsy Morph, a magical being who is supposed to lead his chosen people to a safe haven where they can wait out the war happening between humans and demons. (Ya got that?) He has Logan, a world-weary Knight of the Word to help him and Hawk's street family to safety. Meanwhile (you knew there was a meanwhile, right?), the elves are starting to notice that the world around them is going to hell, because the Ellcrys has told young elf Kirisin that she needs to be moved to safety. For that, they need the blue elfstones, which are essential to find the Loden Stone that can move the Ellcrys. And they have Angel Perez, another Knight of the Word. And there are demons on all their trails.
Okay, that's all plot, and overly simplified, at that. I think that this series takes place before the Shannara books and chronicles the beginning of the cataclysmic war that remakes the Earth that they mention in The Sword of Shannara. (I might be wrong though, so if anyone knows, clue me in.) This book moves fast, very fast, and has a great deal of action: lots of fights, near death experiences, chase scenes, and betrayals. Characterization is also fast but strong, so that all of the major players are distinctive, if not totally original in terms of fantasy conventions. Also, I love it when disparate plot lines come together in a big, grandiose plan, and that's what this is promising. I'm looking forward to the third book. (Sadly, I attempted to reread The Sword of Shannara, a book I'd loved as a child, and all I can say is, it does not wear well with time. I could not slog through the pages of wordy scenic descriptions and the long-winded character expositions, and the "here's an elf!", "here's a dwarf!", "here's magic sword!", element, though I know that back in 1977, this stuff was not a cliche. Mostly, though, it was the poor writing: the story I loved was still there, but buried under tortured prose. I guess you can't always go back to your childhood, huh?)
This series bridges his Word and the Void series and his Shannara series, and in a pretty clever way, too. In this one, Hawk, who is a street kid trying to survive in a (pre? post?) apocalyptic Seattle, turns out to be the Gypsy Morph, a magical being who is supposed to lead his chosen people to a safe haven where they can wait out the war happening between humans and demons. (Ya got that?) He has Logan, a world-weary Knight of the Word to help him and Hawk's street family to safety. Meanwhile (you knew there was a meanwhile, right?), the elves are starting to notice that the world around them is going to hell, because the Ellcrys has told young elf Kirisin that she needs to be moved to safety. For that, they need the blue elfstones, which are essential to find the Loden Stone that can move the Ellcrys. And they have Angel Perez, another Knight of the Word. And there are demons on all their trails.
Okay, that's all plot, and overly simplified, at that. I think that this series takes place before the Shannara books and chronicles the beginning of the cataclysmic war that remakes the Earth that they mention in The Sword of Shannara. (I might be wrong though, so if anyone knows, clue me in.) This book moves fast, very fast, and has a great deal of action: lots of fights, near death experiences, chase scenes, and betrayals. Characterization is also fast but strong, so that all of the major players are distinctive, if not totally original in terms of fantasy conventions. Also, I love it when disparate plot lines come together in a big, grandiose plan, and that's what this is promising. I'm looking forward to the third book. (Sadly, I attempted to reread The Sword of Shannara, a book I'd loved as a child, and all I can say is, it does not wear well with time. I could not slog through the pages of wordy scenic descriptions and the long-winded character expositions, and the "here's an elf!", "here's a dwarf!", "here's magic sword!", element, though I know that back in 1977, this stuff was not a cliche. Mostly, though, it was the poor writing: the story I loved was still there, but buried under tortured prose. I guess you can't always go back to your childhood, huh?)
comadivine11's review against another edition
4.0
5/32 in my Shannara re-read.
In my opinion, a step up from Armageddon's Children simply by moving even further away from urban fantasy and more solidly into what Brooks does best, which is high fantasy. Brooks is inherently a bit cheesy at times and his plotting is a bit obvious but I still enjoy his books. Sure, there's more sophisticated fantasy these days, but Brooks' stories are entertaining and quick.
In my opinion, a step up from Armageddon's Children simply by moving even further away from urban fantasy and more solidly into what Brooks does best, which is high fantasy. Brooks is inherently a bit cheesy at times and his plotting is a bit obvious but I still enjoy his books. Sure, there's more sophisticated fantasy these days, but Brooks' stories are entertaining and quick.
derekge's review against another edition
3.0
Oh Terry Brooks, whey do I keep picking up your Shannara books when I just want to skim-through to the end? The pace is what kills me and amount of lengthy paragraphs about what a character is thinking is tedious!
Here is the formula:
- character is given a charge because he is the only one who can do that particular thing
- said character cannot understand HOW he will be able to do this impossible task
- character thinks and complains, thinks and complains, thinks and complains
- characters confidence is bolstered by new character/stranger
- character has epiphany and does impossible task
I don't know how much longer I can read this series?!
Here is the formula:
- character is given a charge because he is the only one who can do that particular thing
- said character cannot understand HOW he will be able to do this impossible task
- character thinks and complains, thinks and complains, thinks and complains
- characters confidence is bolstered by new character/stranger
- character has epiphany and does impossible task
I don't know how much longer I can read this series?!
veronica_strachan's review against another edition
5.0
Elves appear and the cleverness of Brooks is in evidence again. The characters from Book 1 are challenged, broken apart, and put back together. The antagonists rally and plot. And the world has gone to hell. Great follow up for Armageddon's Children and a page turner as the multiple plots all develop a pace and race of their own.
A great read.
A great read.
toastx2's review against another edition
4.0
I have long been told that Terry Brooks was a writer i would enjoy, but i really had no strong desire to start reading his mammoth Shannara series. 19 books is quite a commitment to a single author, as such, i just never got around to reading any of them.
About six months ago, i ran across a copy of Armageddon's Children on the cheap. I read the inside cover and it was pretty clear that this was a standalone book, and a nice introduction into Brooks, with out having to commit myself to a mass reading project. i picked up the book and read it, enjoying the whole plot. Unfortunately, the book ended up not being a standalone. Instead, it was the first book in a standalone TRILOGY. the prequels to the Shannara series... damn you publishing house.. damn you. The other two books are "The Elves of Cintra" and "They Gypsy Morph"
I searched out and found matching hardback copies of the rest of the trilogy and got sucked into the story with absolutely no effort.
The series is pretty solid. it details the journey of a band of children living in the pac nw after the world has essentially ended. radiation has created waves of mutation in humans. healthy people are holing up in fortresses for safety, often times made out of the largest populace centers available, stadiums.
One band of children, led by a boy named Hawk, live in the pioneer square area of seattle. they are fending for themselves and eking out a moderate existence as a surrogate family.
Hawk has a dream that he will lead the children to a safe world where they can thrive in safety. the children follow him almost like a father figure.
From an alternate location, Logan Tom, is a Knight of the Word. he hunts demons that roam the planet, seeking to destroy all that exists, seeking dominance over the world. Logan Tom is sent by the essence of existence, the "Word" to find Hawk and help him achieve his goals. He must do this before the world in engulfed in a flaming apocalypse which will destroy everything.
There are a lot of sub plots and a large number of characters i do not make mention of. I would highly suggest this series. even if you have no desire to read the whole Shannara series, this prequel set is a solid read and is written in a way that you are never forced to moe on. Shannara is not even mentioned by name.
funny, i finally get why people spout off at the mouth about Terry Brooks. Perhaps i will pick up his novelizations of Hook and The Phantom Menace and read those soon.
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
About six months ago, i ran across a copy of Armageddon's Children on the cheap. I read the inside cover and it was pretty clear that this was a standalone book, and a nice introduction into Brooks, with out having to commit myself to a mass reading project. i picked up the book and read it, enjoying the whole plot. Unfortunately, the book ended up not being a standalone. Instead, it was the first book in a standalone TRILOGY. the prequels to the Shannara series... damn you publishing house.. damn you. The other two books are "The Elves of Cintra" and "They Gypsy Morph"
I searched out and found matching hardback copies of the rest of the trilogy and got sucked into the story with absolutely no effort.
The series is pretty solid. it details the journey of a band of children living in the pac nw after the world has essentially ended. radiation has created waves of mutation in humans. healthy people are holing up in fortresses for safety, often times made out of the largest populace centers available, stadiums.
One band of children, led by a boy named Hawk, live in the pioneer square area of seattle. they are fending for themselves and eking out a moderate existence as a surrogate family.
Hawk has a dream that he will lead the children to a safe world where they can thrive in safety. the children follow him almost like a father figure.
From an alternate location, Logan Tom, is a Knight of the Word. he hunts demons that roam the planet, seeking to destroy all that exists, seeking dominance over the world. Logan Tom is sent by the essence of existence, the "Word" to find Hawk and help him achieve his goals. He must do this before the world in engulfed in a flaming apocalypse which will destroy everything.
There are a lot of sub plots and a large number of characters i do not make mention of. I would highly suggest this series. even if you have no desire to read the whole Shannara series, this prequel set is a solid read and is written in a way that you are never forced to moe on. Shannara is not even mentioned by name.
funny, i finally get why people spout off at the mouth about Terry Brooks. Perhaps i will pick up his novelizations of Hook and The Phantom Menace and read those soon.
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
eliser_vincent's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent continuation of the Word/Void to Shannara loop. I was concerned before, since it seemed Mr. Brooks was loosing some momentum w/ the Shannara books, but with this Genesis of Shannara trilogy, he is definitely back on track! Very well written, very intriguing. Though this book is long, it kept me on the edge of my seat! (so to speak). The weaving of the Word/Void and Shannara lore if very well done, and keeps me trying to remember everything I can about each book, so see what I can connect myself!
patricia_nascimento's review against another edition
3.0
RATING: 3.5 stars-ish.
It's not that I didn't like it, but something feels off to me in these books. The elves suddenly being there and all the random mutations for one. The once-men (how are they different from regular men, except that they don't seem to have morals at all?). The wars that destroyed civilization. I wanted more background I guess.
Not to mention the characters are mostly generic. Very much fantasy type heroes in an apocalyptic world. Just doesn't seem to make sense. Also some characters seem to remember "the old days", but weren't the old days more than 100 years ago or something? The world-building in this is just... lazy.
It's not that I didn't like it, but something feels off to me in these books. The elves suddenly being there and all the random mutations for one. The once-men (how are they different from regular men, except that they don't seem to have morals at all?). The wars that destroyed civilization. I wanted more background I guess.
Not to mention the characters are mostly generic. Very much fantasy type heroes in an apocalyptic world. Just doesn't seem to make sense. Also some characters seem to remember "the old days", but weren't the old days more than 100 years ago or something? The world-building in this is just... lazy.
usedupalltheglue's review against another edition
3.0
This was an ok read for me. Didn't grip me like previous novels. It did set the stage for a good finale in the 3rd book so I am looking forward to that. It probably didn't help that I started this in audio book format and then decided to finish it in print. I just don't get the kind of retention or enjoyment out of listening to someone else read the book to me. I did start reading it in print a good ways back from where I was in the audio book. This novel just didn't inspire me to keep going like so many other Brooks novels do.
zlionsfan's review against another edition
4.0
Better than the first in the series, perhaps because more of it takes place in Elven settings. I'm not sure why I like those better. Maybe it's because the Shannara stories tend to be more like "good fights evil and eventually wins in the end" and these are more like "good fights evil and wins the battle, but it doesn't matter because evil will win the war." (Right now, I seem to prefer the former.)
One thing that seems to happen in this series is that in confrontations, the good characters seem to have these hidden powers that make them much more powerful than their opponents. I guess it's the same outcome as in the all-fantasy books, but it feels different in these, almost as if Brooks couldn't figure out a way to bring those powers into play during the normal course of the story. It's OK, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. (Why doesn't Character X figure out that she can do Y when Z happened?)
One thing that seems to happen in this series is that in confrontations, the good characters seem to have these hidden powers that make them much more powerful than their opponents. I guess it's the same outcome as in the all-fantasy books, but it feels different in these, almost as if Brooks couldn't figure out a way to bring those powers into play during the normal course of the story. It's OK, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. (Why doesn't Character X figure out that she can do Y when Z happened?)