A few years following the Tolkien craze of the late 60's came a book attempting to follow the same pathways to excitement. It too was filled with Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves and Trolls. It too featured plenty of good magic and bad sorcery combined in a story that had more than its share of adventure, quests, combat and tender fellowship. And it too was big -- some 700 or 800 pages worth.
The book was The Sword of Shannara and its author was Terry Brooks.
The Sword of Shannara suffered a bit at the hands of critics simply because Brooks wasn't Tolkien and, true, Brooks had a lot to learn. His writing was stilted; he over-used his magic; his warm-heartedness towards his characters frequently slipped into the mauldlin. But learn he did and Brooks' subsequent novels were much better and they've earned him a deserved standing among best-selling novelists.
I recently read (for the second time) The Sword of Shannara and, willing to forgive the limitations of a first novel I mentioned above, generally enjoyed it. In fact, I went on to spend the next few evenings reading the other two novels in Brooks' first trilogy: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara.
These next stories were maturer works: better planned and more carefully written. (Brooks' editor may have improved as well.) I liked them even more and I'd give the series a B or perhaps B+ recommendation to readers who enjoy this kind of fare.
I will say this, however, I can only take so much magic.
I get awfully bored with it after awhile when it serves as a substitute for clever plots and I'm afraid that often happens. It is like the deus ex machina of the Greek tragedies or, to use a more pedestrian reference, like Batman's utility belt. The heroes need never fear when they're in a jam, they've got a built-in escape.
So, even though I enjoyed my journeys in Terry Brooks' fantasy world, I'm not all that eager to make a return trip. Brooks went on to write a dozen or more fantasy novels and they have been successful and, I'm sure, continued to improve. But, for this reader, those first three will be sufficient.
