The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Title:  The Sword of Shannara
Author:  Terry Brooks
Format:  PB
Pages:  726
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher:  Ballantine, 1978
ISBN-13:  978-0345314253
Series:  Shannara, Book 1

Favorite Quote:  "Legends and myths that did not exist in yesterday's world will exist in tomorrow's.  Things of evil, ruthless and cunning, after lying dormant for centuries, will now awaken.  The shadow of the Warlock Lord begins to fall across the four lands."

Synopsis (Amazon):  Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revaled that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destory the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara--Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him....

Review:  Really, this story is just a rehash of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The basic storyline is so close as to be almost laughable at times.  The Ringwraith wannabes (called Skull Bearers in this version) were almost carbon copies...and that's just one example.  However, it wasn't a horrible version of a well-known fantasy story.  It was okay and certainly an 'easier' read than Tolkien, although the story did move rather slowly in places.  It certainly wasn't original and didn't exactly excite me either.  Since Mr. Brooks is still publishing novels, I'm going to give the next book a try....maybe after he got his Tolkien phase out of his system, he managed to come up with something new and interesting.

Rating:  2 / 5