“The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brooks

As a new reader of the Terry Brooks Shannara universe, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I picked up the book because I was looking for a new fantasy novel, and since it was an already well established series, I figured it would give me something to read.  The first 200 to 300 pages were painful.  The pacing of the story was so slow.  Perhaps I’ve mentioned it before on a previous post, but Brooks would take 3 or 4 pages repeating the same information in describing a scene or setting, yet he would a character relate 5,000 years of knowledge in a paragraph.

Okay, so that little section above is my only real complaint about the entire novel.  I’m not here to praise Mr. Brooks, but I am here to offer my account of the book I was told not to read. 

Why was I told not to read it?  In a nutshell, it goes like this:

“It’s a complete ripoff of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.”

That’s it.  Message board users and fantasy fans proclaim this point over and over.  Brooks admits that he was heavily influenced by Tolkien and other authors of the genre, but should that be a reason to not read any novel?  There are no original ideas anymore, at least not that I’ve come across.

As far as ripping off LotR, I can only base my opinions on the movies, as I’ve never been able to sit down and read past the first few pages of the Tolkien trilogy.  Story-wise, The Sword of Shannara is your typical epic fantasy.  There is an innocent bystander thrust into a fantastical situation.  A wise and powerful wizard, warrior, thief, elves, dwarves, proud majestic kingdoms, war that threatens the entire world, etc.  Ripoff or not, I’d recommend giving The Sword of Shannara a try, if you can muddle through the first half of the book.

What makes Brooks’ world different and come alive and really capture my attention?  Sadly, it wasn’t the story itself, it was the history of the world.  The Shannara books have been out for some time now, so I’d dare say it is no spoiler to reveal that this fantasy world is actually our own Earth, many thousands of years in the future after a great nuclear holocaust.  This, in and of itself, and the fact that Brooks has been creating a new series to link this with his previous series of fantasy books such as Running with the Devil to make one large universe is something I crave in literature.  A huge universe of characters and a timeline in which their story is played out and passed along to new generations.  Yet, over all, the stories are stand-alone but intertwined. 

The book itself, involves a rag-tag band of folks on a mission to stop the Warlock Lord, a being of demonic power who ceased being human ages ago.  He has been gaining power and building an army to storm the land and create a new War of the Races in hopes of conquering the divided lands.  Lead by the mysterious druid, Allanon, the group embarks on a quest that will take them across their lands into the savage Northland.  Their goal is to reach the ancient Sword of Shannara, a powerful talisman that can only be weilded by a direct decendant of Jerle Shannara, a high elf who originally battled the Warlock Lord long ago.

The ancestory belongs to a young man known as Shea Ohmsford, raised with his Man adoptive family.  He knows nothing of his elven background, only what he’s grown up around in his small Southland village.  He and his brother, Flick, are thrust suddenly into the quest when one of the Warlock Lords evil shadow creatures, a Skull Bearer, comes searching for Shea to kill him and end the threat.  They flee their tiny home, and our adventure begins.

And while his may lead into your typical fantasy theme, I have to admit, I was thrown a curve ball or two that my little brain didn’t see coming.  That is, in fact, what kept me going through the last hundred or so pages.  The less I knew I had to read ‘til the end, the more I wanted to see how it was going to be wrapped up.  I wasn’t really disappointed, either, but as I always say, I’m easily entertained!

The entire novel seems to take place over a matter of weeks to a month or so, the passage of time isn’t really delved in to, but the pacing picks up greatly halfway through the book.  Knowing that these events take place on a future Earth kept my mind trying to find connections to locations, wondering how things got in one way or another, but I’m sure it is or will be all explained when the entire cycle is complete. 

So, does The Sword of Shannara rip off LotR?  Maybe.  But I’m not a huge LotR novel fan, so I’m not bothered by that.  Even if it did, the entire story is told in one self-contained novel, yet the Shannara universe covers many more novels and stories than that.  I would recommend any fantasy fan pick it up and give it a read, it won’t be a waste of your time just for the lore alone you’ll be exposed to.

Terry Brooks Official Site

“Got Milk?” via Pseudopod.org

Pseudopod #160: “Got Milk?”

The audio horror podcast, Pseduopod, posted episode 160 a couple of weeks ago.  I’m a little behind, so I’m just catching up.  But, the episode, “Got Milk?” by John Alfred Taylor, is a slightly humerous and disturbing take on how one man takes advantage of a “not as rare as you might think,” medical issue.

Another good episode I recommend, and I don’t recommend that often ;)

Kindle 6” Price Reduced, Again?

Major Nelson recently tweeted that the Kindle price had been dropped again.  This time, the beautiful e-book reader was dropped to $259.00 from $299.00.  This is fantastic news for me, since I’ve been wanting to get my hands on one of these suckers for awhile. 

The confusing thing is that when you click on the link to “buy a Kindle,” it takes you to the newer $279 version that features U.S. and International wireless access.  So, maybe this is a limited time offer until the “new” model arrives.  Either way, this baby is falling into my price range just in time for Christmas!

“Empress” by Karen Miller

** Potential Spoilers Follow Below **

“Empress” by Karen Miller is the first book in the Godspeaker Trilogy.  It is followed by “The Riven Kingdom” and “The Hammer of God.”

Synopsis: In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader.

But Hekat was not born to be a slave.  For her, a different path has been chosen.  It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her god, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak.

This is the story of Hekat, slave to no man."

Miller has not only created a fantasy world, she has created an entire religion for her people to worship.  The only issue I take with it, at least as far as the first book goes, is that the origins of the God is not really covered or dealt with.  We simply know it is there, and is virtually a center character in and of itself.  Without the God the characters worship, there is no story to tell.

Starting at the general age of 12, we are taken into Hekat’s world to watch her grow and what guides her in the decisions she makes.  And, let me tell you, the decisions she makes, although they may be for her God’s glory, are down right insane.  If, by the end of the first book, you do not completely despise Hekat, then you are a better person than me! 

I do not mean that in a bad way, either.  Miller is so devout in seeing Hekat follow through with her self-centered and stubborn ways that she succeeds in creating a completely unlikable main character.  In one sentence I will feel sorrow for Hekat and her ways, then in the next 100 pages, I’ll hate her completely, only to have another sentence pop up that shows her human side once again.

Never … I repeat, never have I been so torn between a fictional character such as this woman who rests in the God’s smiting eye.

As for the story itself, that is an epic all of its own.

Similar to Miller’s other series of novels, the “Kingmaker, Kingbreaker” storyline, “Empress” follows a lower-class individual as they rise through the ranks of society.  The particular society of “Empress” sees our main protagonist start out as a poor, abused child.  She is bought by slave traders and treated “special,” sparking the attitude that will serve her later, throughout the rest of the novel. 

Hekat frees herself, works her way into the the cities military unit (called a warhost, here) as a “chicken killer,” and eventually becomes a soldier.  From there she only moves up, never looking back, sacrificing whatever she feels the God wishes her to.  Even if it means slaughtering hundreds, she feels the need to please the God and sees herself as a tool it uses to purge the land and teach the world of It’s power.

Eventually, Hekat does meet those who would clash with her dash to power.  In those people, she seethes her hatred, defying them at every turn and creating power struggles against the warlord from his once closest advisors.

The characters are each fairly simple and one-minded.  You won’t find too many instances where one particular figure really jumps out at you as being wildly different.  All of the players here are cardboard, rarely straying from their cut pattern.  But I just can’t express how much the story hooked me in despite that.  I do not know what Ms. Millers secret is, but I hope she continues the magic in the next two novels of the trilogy.

But, of course, don’t take just my word for it.  I went out on a limb and bough the first novel anyways, after reading several negative reviews of the work.  Luckily, you really can’t judge a book by its cover (or its reviews.)  Each person is different and has their own tastes and opinions on what good fantasy is.  Personally, I think Miller has hit a home run, once again, by creating this magical land, its all seeing God and the numerous lead figures within it.

Highly recommended from my bookshelf, “Empress” is a novel you should at least pick up at your local library, if they have it.  Give it a try, if the fantasy genre is your flavor.  You might be disappointed, you might not – but you’ll never know until you try.

The Ashen Thing

Another stand-out Pseudopod presentation.  “The Ashen Thing,” by Paul Mannering, is a spectacular piece of short horror fiction.  You can check it out at the link below.

Pseudopod 126: The Ashen Thing

Brief Thoughts About Eragon: Book & Movie

I was finally able to finish “Eragon: Book I of the Inheritance Cycle” by Christopher Paolini.  While most of the fan sites and forums I visit repeatedly compare its basic outline to that of the Star Wars trilogy (that’s the original trilogy), I can easily over look that.  “Eragon” stood out to me as a very pleasant read once I got into the book and caught on to the writing style of the author.  That’s the big catch for me; if I can grab on to your flow and style in the first couple of chapters, we’ll get along just fine.  But if you try and impress me by using large words or get too descriptive, I feel you’re wasting valuable space that a real story could be going into.

Paolini did a great job of submerging me into his world.  The fact that it took me so long to read the book wasn’t his fault, for there was plenty to keep me interested in, it was my schedule’s fault.  But the job was done and I was excited to see what the movie adaption was like.  We already owned the dvd, my son had it because he liked the dragon on the front (dragons were the precursor to his dinosaur phase, which we’re still in).  So, tonight, I popped in the dvd and settled down to be entertained.

I believe the trendy catchword to describe my experience is: FAIL!

Eragon, the movie, is utter crap, in my humble opinion.  The acting was dull and cardboard.  The story was moved along too fast.  And, while I haven’t read the second or third books yet, there were scenes in this movie that I have no idea where they came from.  It’s like the screenwriters said, “Hey, let’s take what he’s written, tear a giant gaping hole in it, then fill it with some very poorly written @#$^.  This way we can detract from the real story and intercut our drivel with dizzying bits and pieces of the original work that we’re going to smear our fecese all over and present to moviegoers …”

Okay, maybe that’s not even what they had in mind, but you could have fooled me.

If you want to check out “The Inheritance Cycle,” then by all means.  You’d be depriving yourself of good fiction if you didn’t.  But avoid the movie at all possible costs.

The Holidays Are Officially Over

It is January 5, 2009 and the holidays are officially over for me.  This marks the first day of the new year that I’ll be going back to work.  I won’t lie, the 2 week vacation was nice, even if it feels like I didn’t rest a single day of it.  But, in the tough economic times we’re facing, it is nice to be able to have a job to go back to – even if its future isn’t bright.

For the most part, my holiday was great.  The only downsides were my mom being sick and worrying about what the job front would look like when we went back.  And, even though I was busy and on the go nearly the entire two weeks, a few slacker-type things did manage to get some attention.

I bought, played and finished Fable 2.  I put some emphasis on ‘finished’ because there are three endings for Fable 2, and also the ability to continue playing and doing sidequests after the main storyline is complete.  So, as of today, I’m performing sidequests and trying for the rest of the achievements.  The final 2 achievements, which are one each for each of the different endings, I’m saving for last.  Since I was “into” the closing scenes and credits, I didn’t reset my console in time to go back and complete those goals before the game exited out and saved to its current state. 

I signed-up for and downloaded the 14-day trial of City of Heros, an online MMORPG that lets you create a superhero.  So far I’m iffy on the game.  The graphics aren’t that great, the animation of characters sucks and the lack of quests (at least, in the beginning areas) is really annoying.  You just run around and grind out your levels on random thugs strewn throughout the city.  The character creation is the best part about the game, though I’m sure there is some nice end-level content, I just can’t see it right now.

Finally got around to, and almost finished, reading Eragon.  I know, I know – the time I spent playing Fable 2 could have been dedicated to reading and I could probably be halfway into book 2 of the series by now.  Crazy me.  But, some things are best saved for passing time at work, and that’s where I like to read, for some odd and crazy reason.

In WoW, my Death Knight reached 70, dumped inscription (for now) and picked up a second gathering skill, skinning.  I figured this would be a better move, right now, since he could be gathering materials for my hunter/main that will make some money later.  He’s also fluent in herbalism, a second money maker.  I know skinning isn’t viewed as a major income providor, but I’m not thinking of matts to sell, I’m thinking of what my hunter can make with leatherworking that can be sold.

Also tampered with a couple of respecs to try and find something suitable for solo leveling.  I liked the ghoul minion, but honestly, with my new respec of 38/5/18, I’m breezing through multiple enemies with easy, so far.  And if things go well, I may go ahead and throw a few more points in to resurrect my minion as well.  A little extra help later on wouldn’t hurt.

Oh, and I even watched Hancock on Comcast OnDemand last night.  I’d put it off repeatedly because various media and internet forums kept saying how bad the movie was.  But, honestly, it wasn’t that bad.  I was pleasantly surprised, yet again.  It seems that the know-it-all folks on forums don’t know much else besides their own uppity opinions.  This would be the second time I was lead to believe one thing when actually something else entirely was true.

Briefly, I’ve also joined blip.fm, a music community where users can recommend songs and search from a library of millions.  Facebook has become more lively.  Have a few application games going and finding some old schoolmates I haven’t seen in a very long time.  And, trying to write a bit more by blogging regularly in the new year.  Maybe it will pass on to a few new projects I have going on in my head.  Who knows what the year to come might hold in store.  We’ll just have to sit back and wait to see …

Colin and Ishmael in the Dark

Podcastle is a fantasy fiction podcast.  It features audio works of varying lengths and most are very well done.  I recently subscribed to the podcast, after having listened to some of its sister sites works.  Pseudopod is a horror fiction podcast. 

Anyways, Episode 31 of Podcastle features a short work, "Colin and Ishmael in the Dark.”  Very good tale, and the first one I picked to listen to from the downloads.  Check it out, won’t you?  Download it to your mp3 player and take it with you on a run, walk or at work.

Games, Books, Movies and Monday

I had a pretty decent weekend.  It was quiet and a bit lonely come Saturday, but that was because Jenn and Noah were off to a birthday party for most of the day.  After that, I told them to move on along and I’d tough it out here at the house, alone … playing … are you ready for this?  World of Warcraft!  Surprise!  But wait, that’s not all I’ve been doing.

I picked up Eragon, Book I of Christopher Paolini’s “Inheritance Trilogy.”  So far I’m only 152 pages in and am really starting to enjoy the story.  A thread on a forum I visit had recommended this among numerous other books for “recommended reads,” and so here I am.  Already I have went and picked up Book II: Eldest, so I’ll be ready to jump right in when finished with the first.

Secondly, I held a mini-poll on Twitter and another forum I frequent.  The choices of the poll were simple: Fable 2 or Fallout 3?  Fallout 3 was the winner and I am now almost an hour into this game.  I’m playing it on easy and I’ll be darned if it still isn’t pretty difficult in parts.  Can’t really review this game, either, as I haven’t played that much of it yet.

Also bought “Incredible Hulk” and “Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” on Bluray Disc.  Beautiful pictures, great sound (as expected.)  Hulk was a much improved upon version than the Ang Lee version several years ago.  Yeah, as some critics state, it’s pretty much a rerun of the television series.  But to be honest, the television series was pretty good.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Indiana Jones was a little disappointing, but it wasn’t as bad as everyone has jeered it for.  My only complaint with the movie is that about 45 minutes of it seemed to be one big chase scene in the jungle.  It seemed as if it would never end.  Also, very predictable plot, almost over-simplified by the writing team to perhaps attract modern viewers.  In doing so, though, they have pee’d off the fans that made Indy successful in the past.  Still, a decent movie though, and one I’m proud to add to my collection.

And finally, it’s Monday.  Lord have mercy … But I won’t complain too much, as I’m lucky enough to still have a job (at least, last I checked!)