Just Read Sword of Shannara...

[takyris]

Well, shoot. Now I'm bummed that I sissed out before posting my "The Belgariad as TRON" rant. I had some great stuff there.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Please post it, I'm interested.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I loved the first two series. I believe they were the first fantasy books I read after the Hobbit. I must admit, I may not have liked them as much now if I had not read them before, but I believe they are great fluff reading.

Brooks works borrows heavily from LoTR, but the list on the first page of this thread really stretches a few points. Now the Second book of the Second series borrows heavily from the New Testament of the Bible. (SPOILER) The River King sends his only daughter out into the world where her death heals all of the land and she is betrayed by one of those closest to her.

I really dislike the new stuff, but Magic Kingdom for Sale rocks!

 

[CCamfield]

Maybe you meant Slanter, rather than Garret Jax?

It could be, it's been more than 10 years since I read the book.

I wasn't saying anything about Wishsong, though. I think the parallels with The Lord of the Rings are in the first book; my recollection is that the Shannara sequels are entirely separate tales, unlike The Lord of the Rings, in which each volume is 1/3rd of a larger tale.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I wasn't saying anything about Wishsong, though.

Ohhh, you were talking about the other Garet Jax! The one who wasn't the Weapon Master in Wishsong of Shannara?



-Hyp.

 

[ergeheilalt]

I honestly don't see what the issue with Brooks and Eddings is. I've read the Shannara series a twice (once in seventh grade and again my senior year of high school). I loved them the second time around. They were the first fantasy I read after tolkien (fifth grade). While I now realize the borrowing of ideas and themes from Tolkien, I still think they are good books for what they are.

I find Eddings Belgariad/Mallorean and Elenium/Tamuli to be slightly better than Brooks, as I find characterization to be the most important aspect in driving a book not based in the real world. I've read the Belgariad series four times and the Elenium five times. I break them out when school gets tough and I need to get away for a half an hour or so. Eddings' writing style just rolls smoothly through the brain. I like smooth rolling as opposed to the labor it's took to read Tolkien. Tolkien’s works – while marvelous – are not books I can just pick up where I left off. I had to brace myself and clear my mind of every. Brooks and Eddings I can read between classes, while on a long drive, or while tanning in the marvelous southern California weather.

Erge

 

[Allanon]

I loved the first two series. I believe they were the first fantasy books I read after the Hobbit. I must admit, I may not have liked them as much now if I had not read them before, but I believe they are great fluff reading.

Brooks works borrows heavily from LoTR, but the list on the first page of this thread really stretches a few points. Now the Second book of the Second series borrows heavily from the New Testament of the Bible. (SPOILER) The River King sends his only daughter out into the world where her death heals all of the land and she is betrayed by one of those closest to her.

I really dislike the new stuff, but Magic Kingdom for Sale rocks!

Well the list I posted is accurate. Although one could argue that Sword of Shannara isn't a carbon copy of LotR (couldn't be otherwise mr. Brooks would have been sued) the list points out the similarities which are quit obvious. But as I also stated, I do love the first three books (hell where do you think my username comes from ) and own all 10 books of the Shannara Series. The first series I've read multiple times, the Scion series just once (and I hated the last book which ended the story far too abruptly). And I've read the Voyage series (which in my opinion is the weakest of the bunch).

 

[Desdichado]

I find Eddings Belgariad/Mallorean and Elenium/Tamuli to be slightly better than Brooks, as I find characterization to be the most important aspect in driving a book not based in the real world.

I think by "characterization" you must mean something else. Few of the characters actually are, well, characters. There just racial types to represent each nation.

 

[Desdichado]

Although one could argue that Sword of Shannara isn't a carbon copy of LotR (couldn't be otherwise mr. Brooks would have been sued)

Dennis McKiernan wasn't sued for the Iron Tower, was he?

 

[Allanon]

Dennis McKiernan wasn't sued for the Iron Tower, was he?

I've never read Iron Tower. So I've no opinion in the matter. Should he be sued?