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The Wishsong of Shannara (The Shannara Series)
  
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The Wishsong of Shannara (The Shannara Series) (Paperback)

by Terry Brooks (Author) "A change of seasons was upon the Four Lands as late summer faded slowly into autumn ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (Mm); Rei edition (Mar 1997)
  • ISBN-10: 0345911296
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345911292
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Review

A marvellous fantasy trip' Frank Herbert 'If Harry Potter has given you a thirst for fantasy and you have not discovered the magic of Terry Brooks, you are in for a treat' ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS 'Confirms Terry's place at the head of the fantasy world' Philip Pullman --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Horror stalks the Four Lands. The Ildatch, immemorial book of evil spells, has stirred to eldritch life, sending its foul Mord Wraiths to accomplish at last Mankind's destruction. Once again Allanon, ancient Druid Protector of the Races, must seek the help of a descendant of Jerle Shannara. Brin, daughter of Wil Ohmsford, born with the magic of the Wishsong which alone can open a way to the Ildatch, reluctantly joins him on his perilous journey east; meanwhile her younger brother Jair learns that Brin will fail and die, unless he can reach her in time. And as Brin walks into the trap the Ildatch has set, Jair must travel through the very heart of evil to reach her... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars How many ways can you write the same novel?, 21 Aug 2003
By longshot75 (Woking, Surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wishsong of Shannara (Shannara Series) (Paperback)
Three... That's the answer given by Terry Brooks as he presents the third installment of the highly popular Shannara series. The Wishsong of Shannara sees yet another quest by a descendent of the Half-Elf family Ohmsford under the watchful eye of the great druid Allanon. Yes there is a great evil threatening the lands, yes they need to seek something out to stop it, yes Allanon arrives in Shady Vale, yes no-one trusts him... etc, etc. If it sounds like you've heard it all before, it's because you have - the whole plot, and the narrative devices are virtually identical in every way to it's predecessors. I found myself reading the opening few chapters in disbelief that the exact same things were taking place yet again with only a few aesthetic details changed. The Sword of Shannara presented an absolute wealth of potential to it's readers - characters, lands, creatures, races, a great back-story and some nice themes. But all of this just gets wasted by sequels that are nothing more than a re-hash of the same story. The legacy of the series is not enough to carry this novel. Yes we have loved the characters and the ideas that Brooks has developed, but they are only ever going to be as strong as the story and situations you put them in. If all he's going to do is the re-work the same old tired quest idea, then we're going to get bored. Wishsong is the point where that boredom kicked in for me. Brooks hides behind his winning formula at a time when the series really badly needed a massive injection of fresh ideas, and I was very disappointed.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars "You are Saviour and Destroyer...", 24 July 2006
By Ravenna (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wishsong of Shannara (Shannara Series) (Paperback)
Out of the original trilogy of Shannara novels, "The Wishsong of Shannara" is possibility the best of the three, though certainly not Brooks's best overall (not that his best is groundbreaking literature anyway). As one of the early detractors of Tolkien, Brooks's "Shannara" series caters to the fantasy buffs that just can't get enough of noble quests against evil - but with likeable characters, fast-paced narrative and some genuinely intriguing components stirred in Brooks's works aren't a complete plagaristic waste.

Something makes me keep coming back to Brooks's work each time he publishes a new book, that I can't explain (and it's not just the fact that my father loves him, buys his books and then passes them on to me). At this stage, I've simply become invested in his created world, but I know better that to enthusiastically recommend his work. The facts are twofold: 1. Brooks unmistakably bases heavily on Tolkien's work. 2. Some people don't care about that. You should know by this stage which category you belong to and whether you want to continue reading this review or not.

The great-granddaughter of Shea and the daughter of Wil (the protagonists of the first two books in the series), Brin Ohmsford is called upon by the Druid Allanon to undertake a mission for the sake of the Four Lands. Her father's use of the magical Elfstones in the previous novel had an extraordinary effect on the capabilities of his children: both Brin and her brother Jair have magical abilities based in song. Coining it "the wishsong", Brin and her brother simply have to sing for whatever they wish and it will occur. Brin is the stronger of the two since her singing actually causes reality to change, whereas Jair's is based in illusion, and so it is she that is called upon by Allanon.

The Druid tells her about an ancient book known as the Ildatch, which is the root of all the evil that has ever plagued the Four Lands; the tome which corrupted the Druid Brona into becoming the Warlock Lord. Although Brona was destroyed in "The Sword of Shannara", the book's existence is still a danger to those seeking out power, having already created a new kind of evil that has been set loose in the world. The mission is simple: to find the book and destroy it.

Brin sees little choice in the matter, and sets out with Allanon and her friend Rone Leah to do precisely that (stopping for a couple of detours to the Druid's Keep and the Hadeshorn to complete Allanon's own mysterious errands). Jair is not happy about being left at home, but is soon caught up in his own adventure when he runs into two strangers: a Gnome called Slanter with whom he forms an unusual friendship, and the King of the Silver River who has a task for him that coincides with his sister's fate.

Brooks is initially more interested in Jair's story than Brin's, as the first half of the book is devoted more to Jair than his sister (who simply follows Allanon around for the first part of her adventure), but soon things balance out to explore the inner struggles of both siblings. Brin is a thoroughly likeable young heroine and has a place in modern-fantasy history as the first female protagonist of the genre. Kind, clever, brave and resourceful Brin has her weaknesses too and as such comes across as a three-dimensional character. She's backed up nicely by the loyal Rone and her brother (the sibling relationship in particular is strong despite the fact they spend most of the book apart, and is necessary for the completion of the plot).

Brooks is terrible when it comes to writing romantic connections between characters (I still wince when I think of Bek and Rue in "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara"; and other couplings such as Par/Damson and Pen/Cinnamonson aren't much better), infusing too much corniness and melodrama into his love stories. But here, the romantic placing of Brin and Rone is fantastically done, simply because it is so understated. Instead of falling in love during the course of the story, Brin and Rone are *already* in love at the beginning of the novel (though they're not fully aware of it) and just beginning to express it to one another. So instead of mushy nonsense, there is simply an unspoken bond between them that is palatable. Brooks *shows* us that they love one another, instead of relying on long-winded declarations of love that pop up in both earlier and later books.

So our three main characters are very good - but any and all supporting characters are sadly lacking. Allanon is there, the same as always but surprising developments remove him from the story reasonably early on. Jair's followers (made up of an elf, a dwarf, a man, a warrior and a gnome) are never developed enough to make us care about them, and though Slanter is given a "crusty gnome with a heart of gold" persona, it comes across a little corny. Likewise, Brin is joined late in the game by a psychotic old man named Cogline and his bland granddaughter Kimber whose presence in the story isn't really justified or explored. (Cogline will turn up again in "The Heritage of Shannara" series with a complete personality shift).

As always, the biggest criticism of Brooks's work is its borrowings from Tolkien which go beyond the typical fantasy scenario (a detailed imaginary world, a quest narrative, good against evil, magical spells). With Brooks several things are so obviously taken from Tolkien that it's painful - the cloaked and hooded "Mord Wraiths" (who are also called "Black Walkers") for example. Even the concept of the wishsong is swiped from Tolkien (who in a throwaway passage mentions that Elves can create visions from the sound of their singing voices).

Unfortunately the concept of the wishsong is a flawed one. It is difficult for any author, not just Brooks, to describe the sound of music and song, and so to make it the main focus of your novel is a little foolish. In this case it gets even more confusing, as Brooks never gives us any clear indications of how it works or what it sounds like; for example he mentions that the wishsong is composed of words, but we never get an example of what these words are. On top of all this, it's quite disconcerting to imagine characters in terrible danger that save themselves by...singing. Sounds like something out of a Disney cartoon. It's not that the wishsong is a bad idea; just that it is clumsily handled within the course of the story.

But despite my complaining, "Wishsong" is a solid story that is sure to entertain established fans of Brooks's works. When read as a complete series (seen in the context of past and future publications, including "The Word and the Void" trilogy and the upcoming "Armageddon's Children") Brooks's work is a fascinating history of a world with *very* close ties to our own. As a complete series, Brooks is in control of his created-world, and as such "Wishsong" also provides set up for further books in the series (namely the Sword of Leah and a strange ritual performed on Brin, both of which will not come into play till the next series, long after the two characters are dead). With this ongoing "master plan" in play across such a massive length of time, it is hard not to get sucked into Brooks's creation.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book, one of the best Shannara novels, 30 Sep 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Wishsong of Shannara (Shannara Series) (Paperback)
I thought this book was fantastic. The charaters are wicked! My favourite was Garet Jax....the Weapons Master. It starts off as a regular Shannara novel. Allanon, the mysterious Druid is in need of help from the Shannara decendents and Brin reluctanlty joins him on his search for the Ildatch, and Brin's brother Jair becomes involved as well on his own quest. This is an amazing book, you must read it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Best so far
Like most I had read the Sword of Shannara and the Elfstones of Shannara and though I had an idea what this book would be like. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2007 by C. Parrott

5.0 out of 5 stars probably the best of the shannara books
The third and final member of the original Shannara trilogy, The Wishsong of Shannara is truly an epic fantasy novel. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2006 by P. Matthews

4.0 out of 5 stars Terry Brooks - Wishsong Of Shanara
This is the third book in the Shannara series, and is in keeping with the same dramatic events as in the first two books in the series. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2002 by Michele Pereira

4.0 out of 5 stars Good
The best book in the series, perhaps because it's a book where we finally see how little control over events and situations the Druids really had, and that they can be just as... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book, one of the best Shannara novels
...I thought it was fantastic. The charaters are wicked! My favourite was Garet Jax....the Weapons Master. It starts off as a regular Shannara novel. Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Shannara Stories
I personally rate this up with the Sword of Shannara as one of the best Shannara novels. Granted there are certain gaps that appear but this can easily be overlooked unless you... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2000

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely one of the worst books ever written by the author
Well, I didn't think it was so easy to get bored reading a fantasy book! The plot is somewhat fragmented, gaps appear frequently... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 1999

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