I discovered another fellow fan of Terry Brook's work- yay for Hades' Daughter!- and decided there should be a thread to discuss his work from the Shannara series, the Word and the Void, and the Magic Kingdom. :)

My favorite book of his is easily Elfstones of Shannara, for obvious reasons. ;) How about the rest of you fans?

HD!! Back to our discussion! I totally agree with you- having Wil get together with Eretria (however you spell her name) was merely a way to have him pass his genes along. I never believed that Wil loved her the way he did Amberle. He was powerfuly attracted to Eretria, but what he shared with Amberle went beyond physical attraction to something spiritual. Very much like Clerith. ^_^

So you did start a thread! :D

Yup, he was attracted to her...but there wasn't anything deep or meaningful in it. Eretria basically came after Wil. There was even a scene in there where she nursed him back to health. Reminds me of Cloud and Tifa. O.O

What really made me not like the ending was that Brooks sort of just stuck the two characters together. Nothing deep had been developed between them, and Wil got with her because Amberle was dead AND because he didn't have a reason not to now. She risked her life for him and she had no one to go home to. It was out of pity... :puke:

As for Wil and Amberle, yeah, their relationship was so deep and spiritual. :wub:
Remember when he saw her in a dream? It was almost like how Cloud saw Aerith in his dream right before she left for the City of the Ancients. Teehee, and it was so sweet that his role was to be her bodyguard on her difficult journey. Ah, and then there was that one scene with Mallenroh where she asked Eretria if she cared for Wil but suddenly said something like "but I think he cares for someone else. An Elven girl, maybe?" For some funny reason, that reminded me of Cait Sith's Cleris prediction and the whole ordeal about not telling Tifa. :lol:

I forgot, but I thought Wil confirmed that it was true too... ^.~

Yup, I did!!! :D

That was my feelings on the matter too- because Wil couldn't be with Amberle, he just sort of gravitated towards Eretria- going with her because she the only one left. But even though he's with her, he's still thinking of Amberle. Even in Wishsong when we see Eretria and Wil, they just don't feel like a couple really in love, despite the fact that they have two children. It felt as if Eretria had changed completely in personality as well- all of a sudden she's calm, cool, and collected, working as a healer with Wil- that didn't sound at all like the girl in Elfstones.

:lmao: Ah yes, I remember that. Think TB secretly plays FFVII? ;) Eretria just wouldn't let it go- she kept coming after the poor guy, even when he flat out tells her that he can't be in a relationship with her. I honestly can't understand why Eretria is so determined to be with him- really, Wil isn't her type. Not that I don't like Wil, I just felt that maybe Eretria was so desperate to have him as a way of escape. Didn't she say that her father had plans to marry her off soon? Wil was a way out of that, a decent enough guy that she felt she could take advantage of.

I think Wil does. He tells Amberle he loves her, doesn't he? When they're on their way back to the Elven city. Not that it isn't obvious in his every action, lol. Same for Amberle. She tells him she cares for him after she hurts her ankle and he has to leave her to go back for the Elfstones.

That dream. . . the one they had when they were with the King of the Silver River? Where Amberle was in darkness and trying to call out to Wil who she could see, and Wil in a garden unable to find her? It does remind me of the dream Cloud had of Aerith. . . So sad, how the foreshadowing of that came true. :cry:

Amberle also has that deep connection with the earth, much the same way that Aerith does, the last of the caretakers of the Elcrys. And Wil is her bodyguard, just like Cloud is for Aerith. :wub:

Really though, I think Elfstones was TB's best effort on romance. Most of his romance is somewhat lacking, you know?

Oh, I really have no idea. The only books I've actually read from him are The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara. They're the only two I currently own, though I'm thinking about picking up the rest of the books in the series. So far though, Elfstones is definitely my favorite of the two. Sword was very similar to LoTRs. :lol:

For a while there, the ending to the Elfstones made me not want to continue the series. Even though there was some foreshadowing, the whole thing was still so sad. It's how I felt too when Aerith died...just didn't have the will to play on for days. :sad:

Plus, I don't care for Wil+Eretria.
I did look into The Wishsong though...and I guess it's about Wil and Eretria's daughter, Brim?

I thought that too at first. Maybe that's why I sort of felt an immediate dislike to her character...but then, after a while, I thought that maybe it was her way of letting him know that she was interested in him. I mean, this is Eretria we're talking about. I can't really see anyone forcing her into something like marriage. I remember her being sort of the rebellious type...?

I don't think he actually ever spoke the three words...but yeah, his actions spoke so much more than words ever could have: the way he just kept calling for her when they emerged from the Safehold after having defeated the Reaper...the way he held her, fearing to let her go...knowing without really knowing that he was losing her...and then finally, the way he reacted when she walked toward the garden. He tried to run after her and so they had to tie him down. Even then, he was struggling against the bindings so bad, Eretria had to cut him loose and let him go after Amberle. He fell on his knees and wept when she... :sad:

*searches through her book*
About that whole Mallenroh thing, Wil nodded when she asked him if he cared for the elven girl even though Eretria cared for him...so,yeah, confirmation from him.

I think I need a tissue. *hands Alantie one too*
I swear, I have a love/hate relationship with this book. It's just so tragic...!

Definitely. I began to see the similarities right away. Amberle wasn't always perky like Aerith...but everything else about them was just about the same. They're both the feminine/white mage type...kind and caring. Their destinies were very similar...and yes, they both had a strong love for and deep connection with the earth. Just like Aerith, Amberle was strong enough to sacrifice her life for the planet even though she cared so much for Wil. Didn't the elven girl also have brown hair and green eyes or something like that??? O.o

Teehee...does he have an email where fans can write to him? Maybe I'd like to ask him? :D

! Oh my! I definitely recommend you read more of his work. Definitely read the rest of the Shannara books (starting with Wishsong, then the Herritage of Shannara series, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series, then the High Druid of Shannara), then the Word and the Void triolgy(Running with the Demon, Knight of the Word, and Angel Fire East), then you can start on his new series, the Genisis of Shannara(Armageddon's Children and Elves of Cintra)- Don't read either AC ( :lol: ) or EoC until you read the others first! Elfstones is definitely my favorite of all his works though. Sword of Shannara, to be honest, is one of my least favorites- not that it wasn't good! I just felt it went on too long and could have been cut shorter. It is quite a bit like LotR! TB sort of follows a pattern through his series, but that's ok. They are still wonderful and keep you guessing.

I sympathize completely- after I read Elfstones I was so upset I didn't want to touch any of the others. Same after Aerith's death- I just wanted to cry. Then the rage came, and I had to go slice Sephy up. :D

No worries, I hate Wil/Eretria too. :puke: There really wasn't much of it in Wishsong, and what there was was really bland- they did not seem like a loving couple at all, more like they were together out of convinence than anything. But yes, Wishsong of Shannara focuses on their daughter Brin, and their son Jair. I actually really love Wishsong. Not as much as Elfstones, but it's highly enjoyable. I particuarly loved Jair; he's so much like Wil it makes me laugh- I had a bit of difficulty liking Brin, but she's a great character too.

Eretria is quite rebellious, but I also felt she was also very good at being deceptive. I remember quite clearly her telling Wil that her father was planning a marriage for her- Eretria said she had no desire to be sold off like a cow, or something to that effect. I felt though that despite all her tough talk that Eretria was too afraid to go out on her own- she was very insistant upon Wil taking her away with him, but at the same time she says that even if he doesn't, she'll leave anyway.

Oh, I know. :sad: My heart completely broke and I sobbed for ages when Wil cried. And when Wil says this line to Allanon: "Consequences! What do you know about consequences, Allanon? Do you know what she meant to me? Do you know?" I about lost it. *takes the offered tissue and dabs at eyes* I could swear somewhere though that Wil tells Amberle he loves her. . . Maybe not. It's been awhile since I've read it. Now I want to again. :P Even if he never said it, that line up there ^ pretty much says it all.

Completely agree. And yes, Amberle had chestnut colored hair and beautiful green eyes, just like our flower girl. And, funnily enough, Wil was blond, blue-eyed, just like Cloud! XD

LOL! I'm not sure if he does- you can check his official site and see. You should totally ask him!

Weren't the demons wicked scary? O_O Especially the Reaper! When it came after them I freaked, lol. First in that fortress, then when it caught up with them in Safehold. . .*shivers* That was SO freaky!

Gah, I rambled on for so long. . . *slinks away sheepishly*

That series is about THE Jerle Shannara who was the first king, right? So that series takes place before the Shannara series?

Thanks for the recommendations. There's a part of me that wants to skip The Wishsong of Shannara...but, yeah, I suppose I shouldn't let my hatred for the Wil+Eretria pairing get in the way of a good story. XD

I think you're right. While she seems pretty tough sometimes(I mean, she did come searching for Wil on her own), she's really not as tough as she makes herself out to be. She was terrified of Mallenroh. I can't imagine what she might have been like if the Reaper had come after her. :lol:

I feel like crying all over again. I was also really mad at Allanon for not having told Wil the truth from the beginning...but I couldn't stay mad at him, because whether he'd told them or not, it was bound to happen. :sad:

Oh, he was? I forgot...

ZOMG, he'll totally think I'm a nuts! :lol:

It really scared me too!!!
But I really loved those parts though, especially while they were running through the castle. My heart was constantly racing, and I was sort of holding my breath, just hoping that he wasn't standing there when Wil and his party turned around the corners. The scenes in the wood were pretty scary too. Wow, I'm getting creeped out just trying to recall them. *hides under a blanket*

*freaks* Oh dear, I forgot about The First King Of Shannara!!! No, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is for an airship that was named after Jerle Shannara. The First King of Shannara is about Jerle Shannara, and how the Sword was made. That was actually the first I read, which works since it's the first in the Shannara time line. ^_^

Lol! :lmao: I felt the same way, don't worry. But once I started reading it, I forgot abuot Eretria (and she's hardly in it at all anyway) and fell in love with Jair and Brin. TB actually wrote another little side story about Jair that was published in one of those collected works things. It takes place after Wishsong, and I enjoyed it very much.

Ha, that's right, I forgot how scared she was of Mallenroh!! XD Not so tough, are you Eretria?!!! Which was funny; I don't recall Amberle being that terrified of Mallenroh- I mean, she was scared, but not how Eretria was.

Oh, I know, I was really furious at him too. It's one of those things about the Druids though that's a theme carried through the books- they never reveal the full truth of what they know. They always keep them in the dark. But I can understand why Allanon didn't tell- it would not have changed anything, and in the end it might have hindered them more than helped them. I believe Allanon says somewhere that even if he had told Amberle the truth about what would happen that she wouldn't have believed him anyway. *sighs*

:lmao: Maybe so, but it would be beyond amusing to hear his answer! XD

Oooh, I know! those parts were SO intense!! Especially once they were in Safehold and the Reaper came after them. . . *joins you under the blanket* Very creepy!! And when Allanon fought the leader of the demons- the Dagda Mor- on the back of the rook? Wasn't that awesome?! Which reminds me of how much I liked Ander Elessedil!!! The second Elven Prince? He was just really incredible to me for some reason. Loved him so much- especially compared to his brat of an elder brother. <_<

OH!!! Guess what I found out? That TB sold the rights to making an Elfstones of Shannara movie to Warner Brothers until 2010!!! Rumor has it that they are supposed to start working on it this year. . . While this is awesome, of course I'm a bit worried- I always am whenever some studio decides to make a book into a movie. It is sort of exciting though, huh?

I read one of the "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" books but I forgot what it was about! :lol: I was tied up on a lot of other science fiction authors at the time and then I moved back to horror :P

I'm a little cautious about sticking my nose back into science fiction land incase I lose my head in the clouds again :lol: Seriously there are so many series' out there! :o

Though a lot of Brook's books seem like they can be read as stand-alone novels, I'd hate to start with a book in one of the middle series. I'd most likely forget it too. :lol:

If there's a book of his that you should read, FB, read The Elfstones of Shannara. It's such a tragic story, it made me cry. You might like it since you're into Cleris...plus, it can be read by itself so you don't need to read any of his other books if you're not really into fantasy/sci-fi.

Alantie:

That's so neat! Hope it's true, 'cos I'd love to see it turned into a movie.
Maybe Peter Jackson will pick it up? :D