Author: Terry Brooks
Themes: Duty, family
Quotes: "The rabbit knows a few tricks, that is why it is still alive after so many chases."
Reading/Listening Time: 26 hours for The Sword of Shannara & 23 hours, 12 minutes for Elfstones of Shannara.
Review:
These books are plagued by a set of boring male protagonists. Usually I don't mind male protagonists, even the one's other people say are boring.
Harry Potter?
Love him! Terribly sarcastic and bold, almost to the point of being a jerk. If I went to Hogwarts, I don't think we'd be friends, but that doesn't mean I would LOVE to have him as a friend! I could've been his introverted friend he takes along on adventures, and always seems to get into trouble with. He'd teach me not to be afraid authority figures, and to stand up to them if they're abusing said authority.
A++ Probably my favorite character in the series besides Hagrid.
Luke Skywalker?
Honestly I really related to him as a kid, more so than I did Harry Potter. People always think of Star Wars as a really masculine story but to me there's a lot of Luke's emotional journey that transcends gender dynamics. Even as an adult, I see a lot of myself in him.
Frodo Baggins?
Even though I rank him quite a bit below Bilbo on my "Definitive Tolkien Character Preference Chart", I really appreciate that he's NOT "Bilbo 2.0". He's really thoughtful, determined, and open minded (WAY more than Bilbo was)...But he's also kinda neurotic.
It's a re-occurring thing in the books that everyone kinda expects him to be weak or feeble, I think that's mostly because he himself is very conscious of his personal limitations (and makes an effort to accommodate for them), but also Mr Tolkien really puts him through a lot more than he does the other characters. Tolkien basically DESTROYS everything he loves (or rather he destroys Frodo's ability to enjoy the things he loves), and Frodo STILL goes on and fights the good fight until he can't anymore.
In his weakest and most pathetic moments, I still aspire to be like him.
But Shae Olmsford? Will Olmsford?
They don't really do a whole lot for me. They're kinda bland, half-elven blood notwithstanding. What makes it a bit worse is the narrative has really poor word economy so they'll take ten times longer to do something, or think something through, than a normal person would. So they're not only a bit bland, they're also pretty dim and kinda annoying.
The world these stories take place in is wonderful! I love how you just go into it assuming it's a generic fantasy world, and later on you gradually learn it's actually SPOILER ALERT a futuristic, post-apocalyptic dystopian reality END SPOILER
The side characters are fantastic, and I think they really steal the show. The second book was particularly a pleasant surprise, because the character that did end up being my favorite started out as a total JERK and went through ACTUAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and it was so so rewarding.
So, yeah...you don't have to read these books for the titular characters. Read them for Flick, Menion, Allanon, Balinor, Eventine, Panamon Creel, Keltset, Shirl, Amberle "Disapointment" Elessedil. They are the ones who really make these stories worth it.
I might eventually read the next book in the series, but it won't be for Wil's kids, becuz I'm pretty sure they're gonna be just as boring as their parents.
Rating: 4/5 Stars for The Sword of Shannara, 3/5 Stars for The Elfstones of Shannara.
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