Sword of Shannara

 

If ever there was a rubber stamp of the J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, this book would be it. Terry Brooks pens a fantasy novel that is so similar to Tolkien that I had difficulty reading it

In this story a valeman (I can't remember his name) who is half elf and half human is the only remaining elven descendant who can wield a sword that can defeat the evil Druid. The valeman is accompanied on his journey to find the sword by his brother, another valeman, a prince, dwarf, and a mysterious Druid. The journey if full of high adventure and some tragedy that helps the valeman mature into his role.

If you were to create two columns that compares Lord of the Rings with the Sword of Shannara, you would easily see the similarities. In one list the major characters and events in the Sword of Shannara. For each one, there would be an equivalent in the Lord of the Rings.

I was unable to finish the book even though I persevered to about half way. When the main character is lost down a mountain river, I no longer even cared. A sure sign of giving it up. It is true that Terry Brooks has many dedicated, loyal fans for his series. It just wasn't for me.

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.