Armageddon's Children

My introduction to Terry Brooks was in the "Magic Kingdom" series. They were entertaining enough, so I picked up the first Shannara novel (in terms of publication order) to see if his master series was any good. And it wasn't for me. No harm, no foul.

When I found "Armageddon's Children" in the bargain section, I decided to give it a chance specifically because (a) it bore no mention of Shannara, and (b) was mentioned in the text as a good introduction to Terry Brooks for someone who hasn't read Shannara.

Only when I finished the book (with an ending that felt more like a stopping place than a conclusion) did I realize that (a) it was part of a series, and (b) that the series was entitled "Genesis of Shannara." In other words, a story show more that had originally appeared to be a standalone, post apocalyptic novel without any relationship to Shannara turned out to be a mere prequel.

And let me say, it is no place for the uninitiated. Too many characters and concepts are introduced without making the reader care about them. Perhaps in other novels that came before, we are told what is at stake and why we should care, but it is conspicuously absent from this volume.

I gave the book two stars instead of one because I can't blame Brooks for the way the book was marketed. I gave it two stars instead of five because the book was poorly written.

I'm sure there are those for whom Brooks' style is intended, but it is not for those with any attention to detail. Foreshadowing is layered in heavily, and when it pays off, it is done so with a giant finger pointing backward to the setup. It is as if the author has no faith in the ability of the reader to remember something that happened even a few pages back.

The plot was trite, the characters one-dimensional archetypes with no personality of their own, and the introduction of elves halfway through led me to abandon the book for months, before forcing my way to the end.

If you're a Terry Brooks fan, then this review only made you mad. If you're not, let it stand as a warning--if you want to be a Terry Brooks fan, this is simply not a good place to start. show less

It's been 30 years or so since I've read the Shannara books (what is now called "the original trilogy"). I know Brooks has become something of a byword for Tolkien rip-offs these days, but I enjoyed the books when I was a teenager, and imagine I'd enjoy them well enough today. Not everything has to be original, people!

Anyway, this book isn't original either -- it's Stephen King's The Stand, a Manichaean apocalypse-in-progress, but instead of Christian eschatology, it's modern high fantasy eschatology: Good Versus Evil. Several different quest stories, with lots of flashbacks to explain how we got from there (contemporary/ near-future US) to here (magical post-nuclear/post-plague apocalypse). A pretty good airplane read if you like show more apocalyptic fiction, and I do, so I'll pick up the next two volumes in this trilogy. show less

The problem with this book is that it can't decide what kind of novel it wants to be. Post apocalyptic? Fantasy? Zombie (yes, really)? As a result, it runs the gamut, leaping from one genre to the next like a child on a trampoline. The results are not pretty.

this is the first in trilogy that ties the Word and the Void Trilogy to his Shannara series. This was a well written book. Dark enough like the W&V series but without as much of the hopelessness of it. The future envisioned by John Ross is here. Demons and once-men roam the world while humans hide behind walls in enclaves that are slowling falling to the demons onslaughts. Follows one Knight of the Word as he is sent to find and protect Nest Freemark's son, the gypsy morph, who has not aged in the last 80 years. Another Knight[and these 2 seem to be the last 2 alive, all the others falling prey to the Demon Gask's machinations] is led to protect a group of elves who are on a quest to find the Elven lodestone, in which the Elcrys can show more hide and survive the coming destruction. The final focus is on a group of kids[teens and early 20's] who have banded together and are led by a youngman named Hawk, who has a vision[and who is the gypsy morph, it is revealed at the end]. I enjoyed this, without the emotional problems I had with the W&V series. show less

I have long been told that Terry Brooks was a writer i would enjoy, but i really had no strong desire to start reading his mammoth Shannara series. 19 books is quite a commitment to a single author, as such, i just never got around to reading any of them.

About six months ago, i ran across a copy of Armageddon's Children on the cheap. I read the inside cover and it was pretty clear that this was a standalone book, and a nice introduction into Brooks, with out having to commit myself to a mass reading project. i picked up the book and read it, enjoying the whole plot. Unfortunately, the book ended up not being a standalone. Instead, it was the first book in a standalone TRILOGY. the prequels to the Shannara series... damn you publishing show more house.. damn you. The other two books are "The Elves of Cintra" and "They Gypsy Morph"

I searched out and found matching hardback copies of the rest of the trilogy and got sucked into the story with absolutely no effort.

The series is pretty solid. it details the journey of a band of children living in the pac nw after the world has essentially ended. radiation has created waves of mutation in humans. healthy people are holing up in fortresses for safety, often times made out of the largest populace centers available, stadiums.

One band of children, led by a boy named Hawk, live in the pioneer square area of seattle. they are fending for themselves and eking out a moderate existence as a surrogate family.

Hawk has a dream that he will lead the children to a safe world where they can thrive in safety. the children follow him almost like a father figure.

From an alternate location, Logan Tom, is a Knight of the Word. he hunts demons that roam the planet, seeking to destroy all that exists, seeking dominance over the world. Logan Tom is sent by the essence of existence, the "Word" to find Hawk and help him achieve his goals. He must do this before the world in engulfed in a flaming apocalypse which will destroy everything.

There are a lot of sub plots and a large number of characters i do not make mention of. I would highly suggest this series. even if you have no desire to read the whole Shannara series, this prequel set is a solid read and is written in a way that you are never forced to moe on. Shannara is not even mentioned by name.

funny, i finally get why people spout off at the mouth about Terry Brooks. Perhaps i will pick up his novelizations of Hook and The Phantom Menace and read those soon. show less

Set in the future in a dystopian wasteland spotted with civilisations, this book follows several groups of characters are they live out their lives. We see life in a safe zone, the interactions between gangs of children outside of them and a knight's quest.

I loved the world building and enjoyed the politics of surviving the outside world the most. I did, however, find my focus slipping at times. I'll read the next book though. This book ends on a cliffhanger.

With this series I did what I NEVER do - I read book 2 first. This was because I was looking for an e-audio book to listen to on long bus journeys to work, and started with Elves of Cintra not realising it was the second of a trilogy. Elves made fairly good sense, and I then downloaded the third - Gypsy Morph - but decided they were good enough that I wanted to read the whole set. Now I know why I never read out of order, because I got myself very confused about the sequence of events. Entirely my fault.
It is a strength of the stories that I've worked my way around and now want to reread Elves to get the full picture in order. It was interesting reading some of the early events knowing what was coming - I tried to think of it as if I show more were re-reading, like watching a movie the second time.
I have read many Terry Brooks before - most of the Shannara stories - and knew I'd like the writing. The characters here are all engaging, and the story pulls you in. Sad to say, the prophecies of doom and gloom are all too likely in the real world - perhaps minus the daemons and elves, but who is to say for sure?

I would highly recommend this series, but it is definitely best read in the right order. show less