September 2001's Author of the Month

Terry Brooks
(Chosen by reviewer, Jo Rogers)

Why Mr. Brooks?

About Mr. Brooks

Book List

Book Reviews


Why Mr. Brooks?

Why is Terry Brooks one of my favorite authors? It's because he knows how to tell a good, old-fashioned fairy tale of the best quality. His first novel was a best-seller, and that is a claim few authors can make. But he isn't content to let his name carry his work forward. He produces a high quality of work that only improves as he gets older. To this date, all of his books have hit the best-seller list, and that is also a rare feat. As long as he consistently turns out this kind of high quality work, he will always have a title on the best-seller list. That is why I admire this man's work, and I continue to learn from him.

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About Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks was born in Sterling, Illinois, in 1944, and lived there for forty years. He did go away to attend Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where he majored in English Literature and received his undergraduate degree. From there, he attended Washington & Lee University Law School, before returning to Illinois to practice law in 1969.

Brooks began writing while he was still in high school. He began The Sword of Shannara while he was in law school in an effort to retain some of his sanity. When he began to practice law, he worked during the day and wrote at night. Finally, in 1977, The Sword of Shannara was published, and a long and distinguished writing career began. The book hit the New York Times best-seller list as a paperback, and stayed there for five months, making writing history for a first novel.

The Elfstones of Shannara followed in 1982, and it also hit the bestseller list. In 1985, The Wishsong of Shannara was published, completing the original trilogy. It was also a best-seller. In 1986, Brooks gave up his law practice to write full time. He has since published fourteen more consecutive best-sellers.

Brooks no longer lives in Illinois. He and his wife, Judine, divide their time between homes in Seattle and Hawaii. There are now more than twelve million of his books in print, and there will be more to come. When asked why he wrote, Brooks said that writing is a profession that chooses its practitioners, they do not choose it. He writes because he must, it is a compulsion. He added that he wrote fantasy because it gives him "a much larger canvas to paint on." Those of us who are addicted to his tales hope he is an author who will write as long as he is able, and we hope he will be able for many more years to come.

Here are some links to sites dedicated to Terry Brooks and his work.


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Terry Brooks Book List

All of these may be available in limited quantities as harcovers.

The First King of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara
The Scions of Shannara
The Druid of Shannara
The Elf Queen of Shannara
The Talismans of Shannara
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch

Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (based on the screenplay and story by George Lucas)

Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold!
The Black Unicorn
Wizard at Large
TheTangle Box
Witches Brew

Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East

Hook: A Novel
 

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Book Reviews

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Del Rey Books/Random House - 1977, reprinted March 1991
Ballantine Books - 1990 reprint
ISBN: 0345314255 - Paperback (Ballantine reprint)
ISBN: 0394413334 - Hardcover (Del Rey Books, limited availability)
Fantasy

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
Buy a Copy

Terry Brooks, in the Sword of Shannara, has created a world that every child who ever loved a fairy tale would recognize, and one we still love to visit, even as adults. Peopled with Gnomes, Trolls, Dwarves, Elves, Druids, Warlocks and humans, this is a classic tale of a battle between good and evil.

The Four Lands thought the battle with the Warlock Lord, Brona, had been over for a thousand years. They thought he had been killed in battle by the Sword of Shannara, the magic talisman wielded by the Elven king, Jerle Shannara. In fact, there were some humans that thought the existence of Brona, even the war itself, was all a myth used to frighten children into behaving. But Brona is all too real, and he is back, planning to resume his assault on the Four Lands.

Only two things stand in his way -- the Druid Allanon and the Sword of Shannara. For the Sword to be used against him, it must be wielded by a direct descendent of Jerle Shannara. Brona has masterminded the deaths of all but one, a half-human, half-elf named Shea Ohmsford. But the Sword is in the Druid's Keep, Paranor, and Shea is in the village of Shady Vale, a long and dangerous journey to the south of Paranor. Can he get there before Brona? And can Allanon keep him safe long enough to find and work the magic that will destroy Brona for good?

The Sword of Shannara is masterfully written, and though the action takes place in many areas and is difficult to keep all in mind, it is a tale you will not soon forget. In fact, you will read it, and the sequels again and again.

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The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Del Rey -- 1982
ISBN: 0-345-28554-9 - Paperback
Fantasy/High Fantasy

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
Buy a Copy

THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA is the second book in the original trilogy. It takes place fifty years after the events in THE SWORD OF SHANNARA.

Thousands of years ago, when the fairy folk filled the Four Lands, there was a war between the good and evil fairies. The good fairies, including the Elves, cherished all life and sought to preserve it. The evil ones, the Demons, were destructive, and would have destroyed themselves before they would preserve any form of life. Finally, the good fairy folk pooled their magic and created the Forbidding, which imprisoned the Demons in a black pit. The Forbidding would remain in place as long as the magic tree, the Ellcrys, lived. She had stood for thousands of years, lovingly tended by the Chosen, a group of young Elves the Ellcrys selected to serve her for one year.

But now, the Ellcrys is dying, and the only hope is a rebirth. One of the Chosen must carry a seed from the Ellcrys to Safehold and immerse it in the Bloodfire, then return it to the Gardens of Life to be planted. But the strongest Demons have already breached the Forbidding and have slain the Chosen, all but one.

If anything, THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA is even better than THE SWORD OF SHANNARA. It is realistic in that the hero and heroine are reluctant to take on those roles, and are beset with doubts and fears. But they have no choice but to try to accomplish their quest, for the entire world is at risk. It is a haunting tale, right down to the bittersweet end. Read it and THE SWORD OF SHANNARA, and join the growing number of adult children addicted to Terry Brooks' fairy tales!

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2001's Honorary List
Dr. Alma Bond
Patrick Bone
Suzanne Brockmann
Terry Brooks
Douglas Clegg
James Clemens
Diana Gabaldon
J.M. Jefferies
Jude Morris
Brenda Novak
Kathy Reichs
S.D. Tooley

 


 
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