From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)

Terry Brooks

Start date: September 1, 2012

Finish date: September 30, 2012

Discussion: Book Discussions

Why we're reading this: Classic fantasy/sci-fi discssion September 2012
#67 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) h …more
[close] Classic fantasy/sci-fi discssion September 2012
#67 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#59 on Locus Magazines Best Fantasy novels of the 20th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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What Members Thought

Jun 15, 2009 Tracey rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I loved this when I was thirteen.

I loved it when I was sixteen. And probably at least once in between there.

When I was thirty-six I picked it up, made it about a chapter and a half in, and threw it against the wall.

Literally.

It left a dent.

(Edited for the trolls among you: A- this is a touch of hyperbole. Look it up.

and

B- It's a 700+ page book, and I was incensed. It's not entirely inconceivable that this thing would dent the drywall.

Just saying. Back to the original review... )

This book w ...more

42 likes · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2007 Jim rated it did not like it

Shelves: 1paper, fantasy, sword-sorcery, 2fiction, 3series

This Book came out & I jumped on it. I was a real fan of the Lord of the Rings - so much so that I recited the first several pages of the Hobbit when we read it in class during the 6th grade - & this looked similar. I was ecstatic because I'd waited so long for another epic journey of that sort! How could I be so lucky? Star Wars & now a new Tolkien-like saga?!!! The gods must be good!

Then I read it & almost wept in frustration. It was too similar to The Hobbit. Wasn't it plagiarism? This wa ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Mar 09, 2010 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, fantasy-top-10, edition-verified

There are so many parallels to Tolkien's LotR trilogy that they're difficult to count... however, in spite of this, Brooks does manage to keep his readers' interested throughout. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2013 Tom rated it really liked it

A re-read, 20+ years after the first time... maybe 30+ years? Sheesh. This book is old and so am I.

So I didn't remember a lot of things. For instance, I completely forgot about Panamon Creel and Keltset, two pivotal characters.

I admit that I look at this book through the nostalgic eyes of the 13 year old kid I was around the time this came out; but I don't get all the hate foisted upon it here in Goodreads. Sure, it's derivative of the Lord of the Rings and yes, there have been hundreds of book ...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Jessie rated it did not like it

One of the few books I've stopped reading before finishing. It's not terrible, in fact, I probably would had liked it, had I not read Tolkien first. It's just so similar to the Lord of the Rings that I kept comparing the two, and Brooks' book was found wanting. ...more

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Sep 01, 2014 Lauren Farris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 2014

Sure, it felt a bit like Lord of the Rings fanfiction. But who cares? It still transported me into an exciting fantasy world, and so I'm happy. ...more

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