First King Of Shannara (First King of Shannara - Terry Brooks)

Member Name: mattydalton

Product:	First King of Shannara - Terry Brooks
Date:	24/09/06 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Plot, Strong Characters

Disadvantages: Abrupt Ending

Introduction

Having recently been reintroduced to the Shannara series by chance, I thought it only right to go back and refresh my memory of the prequel to Sword Of Shannara. I had read this book about ten years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it but, due to my poor memory, couldn't remember anything about it other than I liked it!!

Terry Brooks is an acclaimed writer of top notch fantasy novels of the Lord Of The Rings genre.

The Plot

Much like other fantasy books of this genre, First King Of Shannara pretty much follows the set in stone formula cast down by previous classics. It is similar in many ways to Sword Of Shannara, yet at the same time very different.

This book was never really planned but, due to massive public demand, Brooks decided to give us all a glimpse of the heritage behind one of the best selling series to have hit the shelves in recent times. In this edition of the series we are introduced to nine main characters - The Warlock Lord, Bremen, Kinson Ravenlock, Mareth, Allanon, Tay Trefenwyd, Risca, Preia and Jerle Shannara, the man behind the legend of the Sword Of Shannara book.

We are introduced to the novel with the meeting of Bremen, a Druid, and Kinson, a lone borderman. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a major struggle between good and evil looming. The Warlock Lord is the face of evil, with Bremen and friends making up the face of good.

We follow Bremen and Kinson around the four lands on a quest to warn others of the danger and to attempt to get some important people on side to help in the struggle. Along the way, they encounter multiple hurdles in their quest to save mankind, as is always the way in any epic adventure.

Bremen and Kinson travel to the Druid's Keep in an effort to persuade the Druids to save themselves and the rest of mankind by joining them in their quest. The Druids refuse but two of Bremen's old friends agree to try to help him and, thus, we are introduced to Tay and Risca.

After visiting a mysterious lake to speak to the dead, Bremen reveals that he has been shown four visions with regard to the struggle with the Warlock Lord. Inevitably, the friends split up to fulfil various duties. Risca goes to warn, and enrol the help of, the dwarves. Tay is sent to the elven community to achieve a similar goal, with the added quest of finding something vital to the battle. Meanwhile, Bremen undertakes a quest for knowledge and the tools to defeat the evil Warlock Lord, accompanied by Kinson and Mareth.

The Characters

Bremen

I found Bremen to be a likeable character. He is a very old Druid, kept alive for hundreds of years by a thing called the Druid Sleep. He comes across as a very powerful man who has courage, determination and a strong sense of right and wrong. He is the equivalent of Gandalf - a very wise man who everyone looks to in times of trouble.

Kinson

Kinson is somewhat an outcast from the human race. He has grown up on the borders of the four lands, and has never really integrated with any of the societies. He is a quiet, ponderous man who has a lot of respect for Bremen and will do anything he asks without question.

Mareth

As stated above, Mareth is a Druid who claims to have innate magic. She has a somewhat illegitimate background and is, in ways, like a lot of present day teenagers. She is deeply troubled by her heritage and is determined to persuade Bremen to help her. She comes across as a bit of a loner at first, mostly down to her untrusting nature created by mistreatment in the past. As the novel progresses, we learn more about Mareth and she evolves into a likeable character with many desirable qualities.

Tay Trefenwyd

Tay is an elf who has gone to the Druid's Keep to practice the art of magic. In the past, he was coached by Bremen and there is an apparent multitude of respect between the two. Tay has to return to the elven community for the first time in many years and confront his past, and help secure the future for the four lands.

Risca

Risca is a dwarf who, like Tay, has gone to the Druid's Keep to practice magic. Tay, Risca and Bremen were very good friends during Bremen's time at the Keep and the respect between the three is highly apparent. Orders are undertaken without question or thought for oneself. Risca reminds me a lot of the dwarf in Lord Of The Rings. He is a very strong character, weathered down the years yet all the more resolute for it.

Preia and Jerle Shannara

Preia and Jerle are childhood sweethearts who have grown into important members of the elven community. Jerle is part of the royal family of the elves, by cousinship to the King. He is in charge of the Home Guard in the Westland. Preia is the rock on which Jerle's life is built. She always helps him with words of encouragement in his times of despair.

The relationship seems quite distant between the two to begin with but, as events unfold, they are thrown closer together and form a strong partnership. Jerle is a reliable, strong willed and adventurous man, with a determination rarely surpassed. I think Preia is the woman that makes these traits possible. As they say, behind every great man there is a lady…

Allanon

If you have read my review on the Sword of Shannara or, indeed, the book itself then you will already be familiar with this man. Allanon is one of the central characters in the aforementioned novel, and it is here that we learn of his heritage and the connection between Bremen and himself. Allanon is a very quiet young man, having been discovered by Bremen on his travels in a village destroyed by the Northland invasion. He is the sole survivor of the encounter and is very mysterious. He comes across as a strong, single minded young man with a determination rarely found in people so young.

What The Critics Said

Absolutely nothing for a change!! Not on the book anyway!

More Importantly, What I Said

I really enjoyed this book, from start to finish. I was quickly drawn into the story and enjoy the way in which Terry Brooks writes. Admittedly, he can use some big words from time to time and sometimes quite often, maybe in an effort to impress us with his knowledge of the language. I would have been more impressed had he used a range of different words to get his point across however.

Although the book follows a very similar format to that of Sword Of Shannara, Brooks differed the plot sufficiently not to take away from the enjoyment of the story. One thing that did slightly annoy me at times was the stark similarities between the main characters of this book and the main characters of Sword Of Shannara. The central characters played similar roles in both stories and it would have been nice for a bit more variety.

That said, I warmed to the characters quickly enough and the familiarity probably added to the ease of the read. I would say my favourite character was probably Tay. He, like me, is a bit of a loner who, on return to his former home, feels much out of place. He is a very brave, strong-willed character and will do anything for his friends.

The character I most disliked would have to be the baddie of the story, the Warlock Lord. Obviously, we all dislike the baddie, for reasons very apparent. He goes against all that mankind strives for and will not be satisfied until the four lands are obliterated.

This book was about 250 pages shorter than Sword Of Shannara and I think this is one of the bad points to this book. The story was wonderfully told throughout but, after taking his time to build up this tale, Brooks ended it all too quickly. I like books to build up to a big finish but I found that, just as I was beginning to enjoy it, it suddenly ended.

For people out there who are fans of the fantasy genre, or Terry Brooks himself, I would whole-heartedly recommend this book. Similarly, if you are not normally into this sort of thing but fancy something different, give it a try - it is a story well worth reading the once.

Some Random Information

First Published: 1996
Pages: 489
Overall Rating: 85%

Summary: A good read for any dantasy novel enthusiast