DeletedUser
Guest
You need to read them all in a row, from the beginning, and then move onto 'The Sword of Truth' series :icon_razz:.
You need to read them all in a row, from the beginning, and then move onto 'The Sword of Truth' series :icon_razz:.
DeletedUser
Guest
lol, I'll keep that in mind.
DeletedUser
Guest
Yeah, that's what I meant :icon_neutral:
DeletedUser54064
Guest
I am on the second book, Shadow's Edge, it's amazing. I ended up missing my physics class as a result of me staying up late.
DeletedUser
Guest
Well now thats no good :icon_razz:
Paladin606
Guest
Not much of a reader anymore(thanks internet) but a series I really enjoyed was Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
A seven book series and worth every page.
A seven book series and worth every page.
DeletedUser
Guest
i read occasionally, and sometimes get so stuck into a book i can hear the birds morning chorus and think f .. ive gotta get sleep ..
but these books that cause this are by an author called Bernard Cornwell.
he wrote the telivised series sharp, altho as usual the books are alot more detail and epic, the desiption of battles are amaizing, same with all his books. the saxon storys are some of the best, with old england torn by saxons and vikings, the storys always based around a central character, but the battle desriptions are amaizing, you can just imagine the wounds and the fighting, well worth a read for anyone, and is a definate must.
he has also done a grail series in which ive just finished reading. set in the 100 years war with france, truely epic.
i urge anyone to start one of these books. and then want more and more
but these books that cause this are by an author called Bernard Cornwell.
he wrote the telivised series sharp, altho as usual the books are alot more detail and epic, the desiption of battles are amaizing, same with all his books. the saxon storys are some of the best, with old england torn by saxons and vikings, the storys always based around a central character, but the battle desriptions are amaizing, you can just imagine the wounds and the fighting, well worth a read for anyone, and is a definate must.
he has also done a grail series in which ive just finished reading. set in the 100 years war with france, truely epic.
i urge anyone to start one of these books. and then want more and more
DeletedUser
Guest
I am a big fantasy book reader and must say that I was very disappointed at the entire The Sword of Shannara serries, in fact it is probably the worst fantasy series that I have ever read. I think it is a complete rip off of Tolkien. It might be a good read for preteens, but not for adults(most of the fans of this book read them when they were younger).
Consider these....
Tolkien - LOTR series - standard by which all other fantasy books are judged. Not the best by far and avoid the Silmarillion if you can, lot of history and info.
R R Martins - Song of Fire and Ice series, is the best series that I have read, only up to 4 books so far and is considered to be best fantasy series written to date and I agree. Geared towards adults(some language), but you feel for the guys you hate by the third book and you never know who will die. I still don't know the main character/hero/heroine as it changes and they die. Wonderful read!
Steven Erickson - his series Malazan Book of the Fallen shows promise, but I am only a few books in, good read, think it should be better than LOTR, but not too far into the series.
Robert Jordan - RIP, he just died, 2 books from the end of his 13-14 book series(wheel of time) that he started in the mid 70s. His latest book just came out ghost written by his son and wife I believe. First 4 books were great, then it goes down hill till book 9. One of the better series, but he need to remove characters instead of added them.
thebigt625
Guest
I liked the Silmarillion...
DeletedUser
Guest
What is it even about. I can't even read past the first chapter because I have absolutely no idea whats going on and end up getting boredI liked the Silmarillion...
Its like the creation story of middle earth or something
thebigt625
Guest
What is it even about. I can't even read past the first chapter because I have absolutely no idea whats going on and end up getting bored
Its like the creation story of middle earth or something
Yeah, its very complicated... and sometimes Dry
But it tells you how everything happened, the creation of the elves, dwarves, men.
I find it very interesting.
But you have to be intelligent to follow it.
:icon_wink:
:icon_razz:
DeletedUser
Guest
I read the 'Shannara' series at about 16, but i've just gone back to the 'High Druid of Shannara' section, (at 19) as they were my favourites. Those, are nothing like LOTR.
Granted in some of them, I see similarities, as do I with Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series. There's a character called Samuel who is a blatant rip off of Smeagle, except with the sword instead of the ring, You have to read them to understand.
Regardless, that was an awesome series.
DeletedUser
Guest
Actually I hear his new stuff is better, but as for sword of shannara it is a blatant rip off of LOTR series....
Witness Shea, our token Frodo with his Sam, now known as Flick, loyal to a fault. Shea/Frodo is no hero, but he's got strength of character and will see this thing through to the end. Found in a small town and has to leave while things are hunting him.
Withness Allanon/Gandalf, the wise and ominous figure who knows so much and is a friend to all throughout the lands for he is so wise and blah blah.
Witness Aragorn/Balinor, the heroic man of royalty who..suddenly because Faramir/Boromir near the end of the book when we see that his brother, under the influence of the villanois Stenmin/Grima has ventured to take the throne from the king who is slowly being poisoned to death by Stenmin/Grima. Gasp.
Never forget Gimli/Hendle and then poor Legolas who gets turned into two generic elves who are utterly and totally pointless to the story in its entirety and serve only to remind you that yes, Elves exist here.
And then Menion Leah, who really has no parallel in Tolkien. That must mean he's original, right?
Marvel as they journey through the creepy mountain that is not Moria. Witness Allanon fight a Skull Bearer that is not a Balrog, only to smite the beast but have it grab him at the last second and pull him to a fiery doom. Except that he miraculously survives. And is not Gandalf.
Behold the Gnomes who are certainly not Orcs as they lay siege to the imepenetrable human stronghold that is set into a mountain and is not the same one from Lord of the Rings.
Wonder why the Sword of Shanarra, that is not the Ring of Power, winds up in the hands of a Gnome who is not Gollum, who goes crazy and fights to keep his precious sword, who is forced by madness to grasp it even though it is killing him, and he dies for it.
or if you will....
Lets have a run-down of the similarities between Brooks and Tolkien:
Allanon =darker, meaner version of Gandalf
Shea =Flat, uninteresting version of Frodo
Flick =Whinier, more simple version of Sam
Menion =More impulsive, dumber version of Aragorn (complete with the famous Sword)
Durin & Dayel =Less interesting versions of Legolas (yep, they're elves)
Handel =Crabbier version of Gimli (yep, another dwarf)
Orl Fane =Equally crazy, skinny, obsessive version of Gollum (you guessed it, small with bad skin tone)
Sword of Shannara =One Ring of Power
Brona =Sauron + Saruman
Skull Kingdom =Mordor (big scary mountains in both)
Tyrsis =Helm's Deep (seige behind a walled city, etc)
Eventine =Less enigmatic version of Elrond
Shirl =Arwen
Gnomes =Slightly less-gross versions of Orcs
Skull Bearers =Nazgul (Black robes, chilling, flying, etc)
Burial Place of the Kings =Mines of Moria
Rock Trolls =Cave Trolls (both part of Dark Lords armies)
Poison tree that catches Menion =Rotten willow that absorbs Sam, Merry and Pippin
Mist Marshes =Dead Marshes
Black Oaks =Fangorn Forest without talking trees
Paranor =Orthanc (Wizard's keep surrounded by forests and overrun with the evil army, of course!)
Big Water Monster outside of Burial Place of Kings =Big Water Monster next to entrance to the Mines of Moria
DeletedUser
Guest
Who the heck are you arguing with here?
I am not disputing the fact there are obvious similarities :icon_confused:. My favourite section of the 'Shannara' series, are the 'High Druid of Shannara' collection, the most recent as far as I'm aware. These 3 books have no blatant similarities to LOTR in terms of character and story-line.
Not sure why you said you hear his new stuff is better, I was referring to Terry Goodkind's series as awesome, who happens to be a completely different author.
What you've said is not wrong, just kind of irrelevant when quoting my post.
DeletedUser
Guest
In the realm of fantasy, the avoidance of similarities is hardly possible. Fantasy characters, namely elves, dwarves, trolls, wizards and dragons are common place throughout almost all fantasy type stories. Further the designs and machinations of the evil character in fantasy books is all relatively similar. Saying the Sword of Shannara is a blatant rip off of LotR is to ignore the entire premise of the Sword of Shannara, that they are in a time long after a great Nuclear Holocaust that laid waste to the civilization we know.
Further, most stories of epic journeys involve characters of many of the same qualities. Does that make them all rip-offs? If so, than clearly Star Wars is a LotR rip-off, too:
Luke-Skywalker = Frodo - The main character that starts as basically nothing but ends the long journey after finding a depth of courage and resolve within he nver knew was there.
Emperor Palpatine = Sauron - The most evil being, possesing a power unimaginable so as to seem nearly impossible to overcome.
Darth Vader = Sauramen - Once a pillar of good, is turned evil and helps his evil master, yet entertains ideas of overthrowing his master for his own designs.
I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
So, yes, there are quite a few similarities between the sword of Shannara and LotR. But there are also many differences.
DeletedUser
Guest
Obviously each genre of books has its similarities, you could not have westerns without -bandits, gunslingers, lawmen....; you could not have sci/fi without aliens and spaceships and the likes....; and you can't have fantasy without similarities in elves, dragons, dwarfs...... As each defines the genre.
Now I have read over 30 series and hundreds of books in the fantasy realm(no pun intended) and I can't think of a worse series of fantasy than Sword of Shannara. Thought is was Terry Goodkind, but it is Terry Brooks thank you GoK for pointing that out. I was referring to an earlier post and just wanted somebody to not to waste their time when there are so many better series out there.
and as for "that they are in a time long after a great Nuclear Holocaust that laid waste to the civilization we know." I know fully well the intent of author, but it was almost added as a side note in the book, did not tie in to the story well and was not revisited much throughout the book.
What I hate even more and this is no fault of the author is the language used in the book, I believe it was written for teens and preteens even. So after I bought the series, as somebody in late 20s, I was very displeased, not only at the story, but at the way it was told.
DeletedUser
Guest
I notice that you don't try to refute my character comparison from outside of the genre, either. Fact of the matter is, most stories involve the same sort of character representations which you say are ripping off from LotR. These similarities in the personality and purpose of the characters is similar in countless stories, from well before LotR, and will be used countless times in the future. Just because LotR was written in the same basic mold as was the Sword of Shannara does not make one the rip off of the other.
That is your opinion. Granted I have not read as many Fantasy series as you have(I prefer sci/fi more, actually) I still found the first series to be enjoyable and entertaining. Obviously, our opinions differ.
It was a purpose not intended to be revisted much more than to explain the shape of the Earth at the time of the tale, much like the story of the first war with Sauron and the tale of Isildur in LotR. It is background setting.
Again, I disagree. Sure it was easier to read, but that lays more to the fact that it is written in a much more modern style of language than was LotR. There is nothing wrong with that. It is a style used by countless authors and doesn't necessarily mean the book is adults or at teens.
DeletedUser
Guest
He's got a point. Of all the fantasy i've read, it is most like LotR. There will be many other authors out there that have taken inspiration from what was probably the 1st epic fantasy books.
DeletedUser
Guest
Actually I thought it was a pretty poor comparison that did not need rebuttal. Plus(from your prev. posts), you don't like to lose arguments, no matter what, but here you go...
Sure characters are like archetypes that can be found in any society - wise old man, foolish youth, ect... You are going to find similarities of character traits and flaws from books written in every time period in history to books written in different languages by different cultures to books of different genres. I pointed out that yes the characters are the same, but also pointed out that much of the plot was the same, and yes plots are used over and over again(some good some bad). So you have a book of similar characters with similar character traits, a similar cast of main character, in a similar setting, with close to the same plot and many of the same subplots.
Yes, it was very early in the fantasy genre, but so much of the book parallels Tolkien. In fact, of all the series that I have read, none are remotely close to LOTR, but that is not the only reason I dislike the book. It lacks depth of characters, poor description of settings, bland vocabulary and the plot is spotty from what I remember, been a while since I read it and don't plan on returning.
I am not the almighty sage on fantasy books, but have read a lot and if you like the genre - again I suggest R R Martins "Song of Fire and Ice" series.
The reason to read a book is to enjoy it, so if you like the books or series, the read it.
I have not read the Harry Potter series, but when my father gets a knock on the door and it is the neighbors kid asking if he could do some yard work to make some money so he can buy the next Potter book.....it must be well worth it for the kid to read. So always read what you enjoy.
Again, I thought it was a side note. It was not like "Planet of the Apes" - building up to a great reveal or a major undertone/metaphor like homosexuality and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". I though was a side note that served little purpose to the plot and added little to the feel of the book. He needed to build on it or remove it completely.
I think it is less so style, but more of a bland read, with poorly use vocabulary. It lacks the depth of description that LOTR and many other books have. Again Harry Potter books target a certain demographic - younger readers(older as the series progress), but it can be enjoyed by adults(I have not read the series again). I think that The Sword of Shannara is geared toward younger readers, but here is an paragraph out of the book...
"In that secure, drifting dimension of fantasy, their weary minds could relax, releasing the hidden fears of tomorrow to emerge in whatever form they wished, and there, in that most distant sanctuary for the human soul, be faced privately and overcome. But even with the reassuring sounds of life all about them and the peaceful rushing of the gleaming silver river to soothe their cares, an inescapable gnawing specter of apprehension wormed its stealthy way into their dream world and there, in full view of the mind's eye, it perched and waited, smiling dully, hatefully - knowing well the limits of their endurance."
.....overwriting. He does not know how to group descriptive words into a cohesive paragraph. So most of the book was bland and he would smoke a bowl every now and then and rewrite a paragraph using a thesaurus.
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shannara-Terry-Brooks/dp/0345314255/ref=cm_cr_pr_orig_subj
DeletedUser
Guest
Im not that much of a reader or anything. But I still read whenever i have the time. I dont want to discuss the theme, plot, characters, and traits of this because it will remind me to much of school and i dont want to think about school on my break.
Well I have to say that my ALL TIME FAVORITE book is Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. Its not about fantasy or about or anything, although I did read a bit of J.R.R. Tolkien back when I was in middle school. For those of you who are not into music, especially funk, Scar Tissue is an autobiography written by Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis. Its basically the story about his life and why he is how he is now. It talks about his girlfriends and sex (lots of this), and also about his addiction to drugs (ALOT of this) especially heroin. Overall its a nice story, got me hooked on the first page. By the way, I got the book as a birthday present from my girlfriend and she regretted ever buying it for me because I would rather read the book than spend time with her.
Also, anyone heard of Ellen Hopkins? Thats my girlfriends favorite author and i was hoping maybe one of you guys, or gals, could enlighten me about her and her books. (I want to impress my girlfriend by suddenly having massive knowledge about her favorite author)
Well I have to say that my ALL TIME FAVORITE book is Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. Its not about fantasy or about or anything, although I did read a bit of J.R.R. Tolkien back when I was in middle school. For those of you who are not into music, especially funk, Scar Tissue is an autobiography written by Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis. Its basically the story about his life and why he is how he is now. It talks about his girlfriends and sex (lots of this), and also about his addiction to drugs (ALOT of this) especially heroin. Overall its a nice story, got me hooked on the first page. By the way, I got the book as a birthday present from my girlfriend and she regretted ever buying it for me because I would rather read the book than spend time with her.
Also, anyone heard of Ellen Hopkins? Thats my girlfriends favorite author and i was hoping maybe one of you guys, or gals, could enlighten me about her and her books. (I want to impress my girlfriend by suddenly having massive knowledge about her favorite author)
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