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gilda_elise) wrote2020-09-24 01:09 pm
gilda_elise) wrote2020-09-24 01:09 pm
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Paladins of Shannara by Terry Brooks
The Paladins of Shannara are considered separate ebooks but are really short stories, so I'm posting them all together. I've also added Indomitable which is sort of #3.25 to the original Shannara Trilogy.
Allanon's Quest
The legendary hero Allanon takes center stage in the first of three gripping new stand-alone eBook short stories set in the world of the fantasy-fiction phenomenon that is Shannara—by beloved New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks.
The Druid Allanon knows only too well the prophecy passed down to him by his late master: that eventually the Warlock Lord will return. Now, after hundreds of years, that day seems imminent. And the time is at hand for the Sword of Shannara to once more be brought forth from its sanctuary to serve its ancient purpose. All that remains is for a blood descendent of the Elven house of Shannara to carry the blade into battle.
With ever more portents of doom on the horizon, Allanon must seek out the last remaining Shannara heir, who alone will bear the burden of defending the Four Lands’ destiny. But with agents of darkness closing in from behind, unexpected enemies lying in wait ahead, and treachery encroaching on every side, there can be no certainty of success. Nor any assurance that this desperate quest will not be the Druid’s last.
There’s not much to the story. Allanon’s quest to find a Shannara heir is already known to be successful, as this story was written long after The Sword of Shannara, so there’s no real suspense. It’s basically a small filler to the Shannara mythology. Not a necessary filler, or even what one might call a good one, but a filler, nevertheless.
So far I’ve enjoyed the Shannara books, but I’d prefer Brooks go on to something else.
The Black Irix
An old friend urges Shea Ohmsford to take a dangerous risk in the concluding story of this gripping Shannara eBook series by New York Times bestselling fantasy master Terry Brooks.
Shea Ohmsford has had quite enough of quests. A year after surviving a harrowing odyssey, he is still plagued by troubling memories and dreams. A mysterious trafficker in spells and potions provides a restorative nostrum for the stricken Shea . . . along with a warning: Shea will break his vow to never again leave Shady Vale. And then the potion-maker’s prophecy comes to pass.
A thief, adventurer, and notoriously charismatic rogue, Panamon Creel unexpectedly appears in the Vale with a request for his long-time friend, Shea—journey into the untamed Northland, infiltrate the stronghold of a sinister dealer in stolen goods, and capture a precious artifact: the sacred Black Irix. Creel wishes to return this treasure to its rightful owners. Shea cannot refuse such a just cause. But what lies behind the black castle walls they must breach? And will this quest truly be their last?
I found this story more fulfilling than Allanon’s Quest, probably because it was nice to find out more of what happened to Shea after Sword of Shannara. That book’s sequel picks up years later, during the time of his grandson. Also, there’s a bit more meat to this story. It’s a good story, but not a great one.
Not sure why this one is considered #3 in the Paladins sequence, since it takes place before The Weapon Master’s Choice.
The Weapon Master's Choice
His extraordinary—and deadly—skills have earned Garet Jax renown and infamy as the man called the Weapons Master. Rootless, solitary, and endlessly sought after, he roams the Four Lands, loyal to none but himself . . . and whomever can afford his services as warrior, assassin, and avenger for hire. But Lyriana is unlike any who have come to him before: as beautiful as she is bold, as enigmatic as the distant city she is desperate to save, and possessed of an intangible, irresistible allure that entices even the hardened Garet Jax more than any amount of gold or silver ever could.
But the challenge she comes bearing may give even the celebrated Weapon’s Master pause. The remote city of Tajarin, Lyriana’s home, is being laid to waste by an immensely powerful and boundlessly evil warlock of the deadliest order. With the populace enslaved and no champion to stand against the invader, Tajarin will soon be wiped from the map—perhaps only the first city to fall. Whatever hope exists rests in the deft hands, lethal blades, and unerring instincts of Garet Jax. With righteous fury in his blood, and feelings he has never before known in his heart, he will face the most dire of enemies, and dare the blackest of fates, for the mysterious woman at his side—whose deepest secrets have yet to be revealed.
Set before Wishsong, as in Allanon’s Quest, there’s no real suspense, as we know the main character will be alive at the end. Still, it’s a good, solid story, and does give us a look into the character of Garet Jax, the Weapon’s Master, who was a favorite of mine from Wishsong. And I liked the new character of Lyriana. In that regard, I would have preferred this having been written as a novel. I would have loved a story that delved more into the relationship between these two characters.
Again, the Paladin stories seem to be out of sequence, as this is the second in the series, yet is set after the third.
Indomitable
In The Sword of Shannara, a Druid subverted by his craving for magic’ s power manipulated Trolls and Gnomes in his effort to gain mastery over the other races. He failed because of Shea Ohmsford, the last of an Elven family with the Shannara surname. Shea, with the help of his brother and a small band of companions, was able to wield the fabled Sword of Shannara to destroy the Dark Lord.
Subsequently, in the Elfstones of the Shannara, his grandson Wil was faced with another sort of challenge, one that required the use of a magic contained in a set of Elfstones. But use of the Stones altered Wil’s genetic makeup, so that his own children were born with magic in their blood. As a result, in the third book of the series, the Wishsong of Shannara, Brin and her brother Jair were recruited by the Druid Allanon to seek out and destroy the Ildatch, the book of dark magic that had subverted the Warlock Lord, and was now doing the same with the Mord wraiths.
The story that follows takes place several years after the conclusion of The Wishsong and again features Jair Ohmsford, who must come to terms with his obsession with the past and his use of his magic that his sister has warned him not to trust…
I’m not much of a short story reader, but I really enjoyed this one, no matter its short length. Jair and Garet Jax were my two favorite characters from Wishsong. Kimber comes in a close third, so the inclusion of her and her grandfather was a plus. There is a definitely growth in the Jair character, yet I kept hoping that there would be more to the return of Garet Jax than there was.
The story is much better than the three Paladins short stories that precede it, probably because this is more of a novella, rather than a short story.
Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.
1. A Wicked War
2. The Grapes of Wrath
3. The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses
4. Thera: Pompeii of the Ancient Aegean
5. Unbury Carol
6. The Institute
7. With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change
8. Elevation
9. The Remaking
10. The Great Lakes Water Wars
11. The Heresy of Dr Dee (John Dee Papers #2)
12. The Black Death
13. A Chain of Thunder (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater #2)
14. American's Last Wild Horses
15. Children of Time (Children of Time #1)
16. Julius Caesar
17. The Elfstones of Shannara
18. Animal Farm
19. Bloody Mary
20. The Hercules Text
21. Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me
22. The Town House
23. Wakenhyrst
24. The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog
25. Dreamland
26. The Gap Into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die (Gap #5)
27. The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America
28. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
29. The Smoke at Dawn: A Novel of the Civil War (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater #3)
30. The Wishsong of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #3)
31. The Brothers York: An English Tragedy
32. Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2)
33. Paladins of Shannara
BOOK BINGO 2020 - 32. Read an ebook or audiobook
Allanon's Quest
The legendary hero Allanon takes center stage in the first of three gripping new stand-alone eBook short stories set in the world of the fantasy-fiction phenomenon that is Shannara—by beloved New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks.
The Druid Allanon knows only too well the prophecy passed down to him by his late master: that eventually the Warlock Lord will return. Now, after hundreds of years, that day seems imminent. And the time is at hand for the Sword of Shannara to once more be brought forth from its sanctuary to serve its ancient purpose. All that remains is for a blood descendent of the Elven house of Shannara to carry the blade into battle.
With ever more portents of doom on the horizon, Allanon must seek out the last remaining Shannara heir, who alone will bear the burden of defending the Four Lands’ destiny. But with agents of darkness closing in from behind, unexpected enemies lying in wait ahead, and treachery encroaching on every side, there can be no certainty of success. Nor any assurance that this desperate quest will not be the Druid’s last.
There’s not much to the story. Allanon’s quest to find a Shannara heir is already known to be successful, as this story was written long after The Sword of Shannara, so there’s no real suspense. It’s basically a small filler to the Shannara mythology. Not a necessary filler, or even what one might call a good one, but a filler, nevertheless.
So far I’ve enjoyed the Shannara books, but I’d prefer Brooks go on to something else.
The Black Irix
An old friend urges Shea Ohmsford to take a dangerous risk in the concluding story of this gripping Shannara eBook series by New York Times bestselling fantasy master Terry Brooks.
Shea Ohmsford has had quite enough of quests. A year after surviving a harrowing odyssey, he is still plagued by troubling memories and dreams. A mysterious trafficker in spells and potions provides a restorative nostrum for the stricken Shea . . . along with a warning: Shea will break his vow to never again leave Shady Vale. And then the potion-maker’s prophecy comes to pass.
A thief, adventurer, and notoriously charismatic rogue, Panamon Creel unexpectedly appears in the Vale with a request for his long-time friend, Shea—journey into the untamed Northland, infiltrate the stronghold of a sinister dealer in stolen goods, and capture a precious artifact: the sacred Black Irix. Creel wishes to return this treasure to its rightful owners. Shea cannot refuse such a just cause. But what lies behind the black castle walls they must breach? And will this quest truly be their last?
I found this story more fulfilling than Allanon’s Quest, probably because it was nice to find out more of what happened to Shea after Sword of Shannara. That book’s sequel picks up years later, during the time of his grandson. Also, there’s a bit more meat to this story. It’s a good story, but not a great one.
Not sure why this one is considered #3 in the Paladins sequence, since it takes place before The Weapon Master’s Choice.
The Weapon Master's Choice
His extraordinary—and deadly—skills have earned Garet Jax renown and infamy as the man called the Weapons Master. Rootless, solitary, and endlessly sought after, he roams the Four Lands, loyal to none but himself . . . and whomever can afford his services as warrior, assassin, and avenger for hire. But Lyriana is unlike any who have come to him before: as beautiful as she is bold, as enigmatic as the distant city she is desperate to save, and possessed of an intangible, irresistible allure that entices even the hardened Garet Jax more than any amount of gold or silver ever could.
But the challenge she comes bearing may give even the celebrated Weapon’s Master pause. The remote city of Tajarin, Lyriana’s home, is being laid to waste by an immensely powerful and boundlessly evil warlock of the deadliest order. With the populace enslaved and no champion to stand against the invader, Tajarin will soon be wiped from the map—perhaps only the first city to fall. Whatever hope exists rests in the deft hands, lethal blades, and unerring instincts of Garet Jax. With righteous fury in his blood, and feelings he has never before known in his heart, he will face the most dire of enemies, and dare the blackest of fates, for the mysterious woman at his side—whose deepest secrets have yet to be revealed.
Set before Wishsong, as in Allanon’s Quest, there’s no real suspense, as we know the main character will be alive at the end. Still, it’s a good, solid story, and does give us a look into the character of Garet Jax, the Weapon’s Master, who was a favorite of mine from Wishsong. And I liked the new character of Lyriana. In that regard, I would have preferred this having been written as a novel. I would have loved a story that delved more into the relationship between these two characters.
Again, the Paladin stories seem to be out of sequence, as this is the second in the series, yet is set after the third.
Indomitable
In The Sword of Shannara, a Druid subverted by his craving for magic’ s power manipulated Trolls and Gnomes in his effort to gain mastery over the other races. He failed because of Shea Ohmsford, the last of an Elven family with the Shannara surname. Shea, with the help of his brother and a small band of companions, was able to wield the fabled Sword of Shannara to destroy the Dark Lord.
Subsequently, in the Elfstones of the Shannara, his grandson Wil was faced with another sort of challenge, one that required the use of a magic contained in a set of Elfstones. But use of the Stones altered Wil’s genetic makeup, so that his own children were born with magic in their blood. As a result, in the third book of the series, the Wishsong of Shannara, Brin and her brother Jair were recruited by the Druid Allanon to seek out and destroy the Ildatch, the book of dark magic that had subverted the Warlock Lord, and was now doing the same with the Mord wraiths.
The story that follows takes place several years after the conclusion of The Wishsong and again features Jair Ohmsford, who must come to terms with his obsession with the past and his use of his magic that his sister has warned him not to trust…
I’m not much of a short story reader, but I really enjoyed this one, no matter its short length. Jair and Garet Jax were my two favorite characters from Wishsong. Kimber comes in a close third, so the inclusion of her and her grandfather was a plus. There is a definitely growth in the Jair character, yet I kept hoping that there would be more to the return of Garet Jax than there was.
The story is much better than the three Paladins short stories that precede it, probably because this is more of a novella, rather than a short story.
Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.
1. A Wicked War
2. The Grapes of Wrath
3. The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses
4. Thera: Pompeii of the Ancient Aegean
5. Unbury Carol
6. The Institute
7. With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change
8. Elevation
9. The Remaking
10. The Great Lakes Water Wars
11. The Heresy of Dr Dee (John Dee Papers #2)
12. The Black Death
13. A Chain of Thunder (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater #2)
14. American's Last Wild Horses
15. Children of Time (Children of Time #1)
16. Julius Caesar
17. The Elfstones of Shannara
18. Animal Farm
19. Bloody Mary
20. The Hercules Text
21. Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me
22. The Town House
23. Wakenhyrst
24. The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog
25. Dreamland
26. The Gap Into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die (Gap #5)
27. The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America
28. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
29. The Smoke at Dawn: A Novel of the Civil War (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater #3)
30. The Wishsong of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #3)
31. The Brothers York: An English Tragedy
32. Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2)
33. Paladins of Shannara