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Well, that was an amazing end to a spectacular trilogy, written by an author excelling in his craft. This series is such a great introduction to GGK.
Regarding this book, I don't know how this author writes characters with such depth and can conjure so many different feelings in the reader. This book (and trilogy) are worthy of so much of your reading time.
See the Riftwar from the other side of the Rift. Journey to Kelewan and meet a people previously known to the readers as invaders. Meet Mara of the Acoma and experience the trials and tribulations of this young woman as she grapples with the testing nature of ruling her house and managing the machinations of the great political game within the Empire of Tsurannuanni. Watch her transform from a naive former religious trainee to a skilled ruler with a high level of political nous. On this journey you will meet a vast range of characters, both those extremely loyal to Mara and those harbouring great hatred and ill-will towards our main character.
Having being exposed to the land of Kelewan during Feist's Riftwar saga it is lovely to see a greater exposition of this land through the eyes of natives rather than the characters from Midkemia. The reader gets a greater sense of what drives these peoples, where their will to conquer comes from and this makes the Riftwar saga all the more rounded as a whole. At its heart, this is a story of growing up in the midst of hardship and loss, while also being a story of progression and endeavour while being beset with troubles.
The combination of authors, Feist and Wurts, appears to be a match made in heaven. While retaining the fast paced action and storyline progression of the earlier Feist works, this book (and series) exhibits the exemplary characterisation that one has come to expect from Janny Wurts. The story flows through the characters rather than around them. The characters are three dimensional and appear to leap off the pages as you experience their individual journeys.
I can't recommend this book (and series) highly enough. The authors have created a masterpiece that on the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. I thoroughly recommend this book, it is one of the greatest completed fantasy stories written.
Well, that was a rollercoaster of a series. I am so glad that I decided to finally give this series a try as it was on my watch list for so long. Now that I have completed it, I can thoroughly recommend this series to all. It is so much fun, with a cast of amazing characters.
This book in particular immediately picks up after the events of #6 and never stops with the action. A fitting finale to a thrilling series.
Thank you Jack West Jr for the entertaining adventures. Thank you Matthew Reilly for writing a series that was completely unputdownable once started. This series has been a pleasure from start to finish.
Sometimes you are just unable to write enough good things about a book. A truly amazing reading experience. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommend. Non-fans (if there are any) would also enjoy all the stories.
A lovely book to read at this time of year. Very easy to read. I have known the story from multiple sources but had never read the book. I felt that by reading the book a better understanding of the story was achieved. Highly recommended!
There is no need for any fan of the Eddings' work to ever read this book. This is purely filler material and adds nothing to the experience of reading the Belgariad or the Mallorean, or indeed, the prequels. The story is amazing, the thought behind the story, while interesting in its own right, is a nice to have rather than a necessity.
A fantastical tale of war between two nations across a rift in the fabric of the universe. At it's heart it is a tale of invasion from an eastern influenced and highly martial people. Told from both sides of the rift, this is a wonderful story where one is introduced to characters from the lowliest orphan boy and his best friend to the children of royalty. Experience the lives of these characters irrevocably change as Feist weaves his magic and creates a truly masterful fantasy epic. As strong a beginning to a fantasy series as you can get where the author introduces the reader to the Kingdom of the Isles and world of Midkemia.
A book that has been read multiple times with the sense of joy never diminishing. I already look forward to the next time that I read this book and reacquaint myself with Pug, Tomas, Arutha and Martin.
Can be read as a standalone should the reader so choose.
And so it begins, the start of one of the greatest sagas in fantasy fiction. The wheel turns and as it does the reader is introduced to a whole host of characters that one cannot but become fond of. The characters jump off the page at you so real is the characterisation, which the author should be wholly commended for. You can understand their motivations, their fears, their reasons for a particular course of action and their manipulations. This book feeds the reader information that is relevant to this book in particular while cautiously dropping little tidbits of information about the world for the reader to wonder about at a later stage. This of course makes the book a joy to experience on a subsequent re-read, where the real value in the Wheel of Time saga exists. It constantly rewards the re-reader as aha!!! moments continue apace.
While this book is the beginning of a 14 book journey, and of course it takes a valiant effort to stay the course, it is totally worth it as this is a very enjoyable introduction to this world. Unlike the other books in the series that cannot be self-contained due to the nature of series', this book completes its own story while laying the groundwork for the rest of the books to continue. So in effect, it can be read on its own and the reader stop there should they choose so. But one must wonder why anyone would do so after such an introduction to the story.
Read the book, meet the characters, discover a world that is undergoing change, experience the horrors that this change brings about and finally, uncover a story that will enthrall you and captivate you as your own personal Age will have come and passed.
I have read this book countless times. This is my holiday book, the one that is read in every airport, every hostel/hotel, every bus journey, and all manner of delays or times for relaxation. It is a “cosy” read, one that enthralls you and won't let you go. The prose is as per all Janny's novels, masterful. The characterisation, exquisitely formed. The action, non-stop. It is a book that one can wholly immerse themselves in for hours on end and still find the book calling at a later date for another reading. This author has a gift for getting her literary hooks into you and not letting go until you have experienced the highs and lows along with her characters.
I should also mention that is a completely self-contained standalone novel. A fascinating entry point into the world of Janny's writing for those not familiar with this outstanding author. IfWhen you finish this book, allow yourself the pleasure of Janny's other series'. This form of literary art should be experienced by all readers across her standalones, her completed series (Cycle of Fire), her soon to be completed masterworks (Wars of Light and Shadow) and her collaboration with Raymond E. Feist (Empire Trilogy).
What a great sequel to the first book in the series! Mr Brooks has abandoned the majority of characters from the first book while still retaining the shape and feel of the world. An exploration of the Westland awaits the readers when a threat from the deep past of the Elves announces itself once again.
This book continues the amazement first experienced in the quest for the sword of Shannara while not leaving a new reader lost attempting to puzzle out what happened previously. The reader can see that Mr Brooks has become more accomplished in his writing style and story development. The book progresses at a fast pace that will leave readers enthralled as the story unfolds.
Highly recommended. First read over 30 years ago. This book has lost none of the sense of wonder over this time period. An amazing installment in the Shannara catalogue!
Great book. Fully self contained story which is a huge plus for this book. One of the first fantasy books that I ever read, so to see that it holds up on a reread was a lovely surprise.
Epic, a masterpiece in all senses of the word. If you've gotten this far with the Wheel of Time then you will not be disappointed. This book contains one of the most eagerly awaited chapters in literary fiction and it was well worth the wait. An astounding accomplishment. Thank you Robert Jordan, and thank you Brandon Sanderson!
Sometimes you just need a nice book to read. This is that book. Thoroughly recommended. Old-school fantasy without any grimness.
Another fantastic addition to the fantasy world that houses the Shannara descendants. The author has found a way to bring a great sense of tension to the latest installment in this initial trilogy. Again, another whole host of characters for the reader to become acquainted with. Set in the Eastland, where the reader has not had much introduction to and finds themselves thrust straight into the action that becomes more and more unrelenting as the tension escalates in all aspects of the story. A thoroughly enthralling read and worthy addition to the Shannara canon.
Remains a fantastic read 30 years after first reading this book!