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Genesis of Shannara #3
The Gypsy Morph
Terry Brooks won instant acclaim with his phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Sword of Shannara. Its sequels earned Brooks legendary status. Then his darkly enthralling The Word and the Void trilogy revealed new depths and vistas to his mastery of epic fantasy. Armageddon’s Children and The Elves of Cintra took Brooks’s remarkable mythos to a breathtaking new level by delving deep into the history of Shannara. And now, The Gypsy Morph rounds out–with an adventure of unforgettably imaginative scope–the first phase of a new chapter in this classic series.
Eighty years into the future, the United States is a no-man’s-land: its landscape blighted by chemical warfare, pollution, and plague; its government collapsed; its citizens adrift, desperate, fighting to stay alive. In fortified compounds, survivors hold the line against wandering predators, rogue militias, and hideous mutations spawned from the toxic environment, while against them all stands an enemy neither mortal nor merciful: demons and their minions bent on slaughtering and subjugating the last of humankind.
But from around the country, allies of good unite to challenge the rampaging evil. Logan Tom, wielding the magic staff of a Knight of the Word, has a promise to keep–protecting the world’ s only hope of salvation–and a score to settle with the demon that massacred his family. Angel Perez, Logan’s fellow Knight, has risked her life to aid the elvish race, whose peaceful, hidden realm is marked for extermination by the forces of the Void. Kirisin Belloruus, a young elf entrusted with an ancient magic, must deliver his entire civilization from a monstrous army. And Hawk, the rootless boy who is nothing less than destiny’s instrument, must lead the last of humanity to a latter-day promised land before the final darkness falls.
The Gypsy Morph is an epic saga of a world in flux as the mortal realm yields to a magical one; as the champions of the Word and the Void clash for the last time to decide what will be and what must cease; and as, from the remnants of a doomed age, something altogether extraordinary rises.
Eighty years into the future, the United States is a no-man’s-land: its landscape blighted by chemical warfare, pollution, and plague; its government collapsed; its citizens adrift, desperate, fighting to stay alive. In fortified compounds, survivors hold the line against wandering predators, rogue militias, and hideous mutations spawned from the toxic environment, while against them all stands an enemy neither mortal nor merciful: demons and their minions bent on slaughtering and subjugating the last of humankind.
But from around the country, allies of good unite to challenge the rampaging evil. Logan Tom, wielding the magic staff of a Knight of the Word, has a promise to keep–protecting the world’ s only hope of salvation–and a score to settle with the demon that massacred his family. Angel Perez, Logan’s fellow Knight, has risked her life to aid the elvish race, whose peaceful, hidden realm is marked for extermination by the forces of the Void. Kirisin Belloruus, a young elf entrusted with an ancient magic, must deliver his entire civilization from a monstrous army. And Hawk, the rootless boy who is nothing less than destiny’s instrument, must lead the last of humanity to a latter-day promised land before the final darkness falls.
The Gypsy Morph is an epic saga of a world in flux as the mortal realm yields to a magical one; as the champions of the Word and the Void clash for the last time to decide what will be and what must cease; and as, from the remnants of a doomed age, something altogether extraordinary rises.
459 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Terry Brooks
410 books77.6k followersTerry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.
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October 22, 2022
The stunning conclusion to a fantasy trilogy that rivals LORD OF THE RINGS!
In a horrifying blend of post-apocalyptic terror and new age urban fantasy, Terry Brooks' GENESIS OF SHANNARA series describes a world ravaged by nuclear war, plague, pestilence, famine, mindless zombie-like creatures, demons and terrifying creatures born out of devastating mutations. Deaths have numbered in the billions and humanity teeters on the very brink of extinction. Most of those few humans who have survived have reverted to a dark age in which they remain walled up in fortified compounds brutally scavenging from one another and scratching out a mean subsistence life in much the same fashion as tribes would have done during the earliest periods of mankind's existence.
The power and excitement of this series rests in his convincing blend of the reality of a burnt-out destroyed human landscape with the beguiling and utterly fascinating mythological beginnings of the fantasy world that was born in full bloom in his earlier Shannara stories.
Long, long ago in a place that was definitely not far, far away, the Elves conquered the demon hordes wandering Earth and sealed them away in a bleak existence called "the Forbidding". A biblical scholar might have suggested that "The Word" ruled over the Earth and the Earth was good - a kindly, warm and benevolent place to live.
But current events on the earth - the wars, the nuclear radiation, the burgeoning evil that mankind is both experiencing and causing - are weakening the walls between Earth and the Forbidding. As evil's grip on the earth tightens, its defence has been reduced to the last two remaining Knights of the Word - Angel Perez and Logan Tom - two warriors carefully chosen by the Word for their indomitable spirit who have been given a magical staff and special powers to be used in the fight against demons and "The Void".
Perez and Tom have been charged by the Elven nation with finding a talisman called the Loden Lodestone and a magical young child called "The Gypsy Morph". Without the magic of the Lodestone and the power of the Gypsy Morph whose destiny is critical to the survival of humankind, earth is doomed. Goodness and "The Word" will disappear forever and the world will become the dominion of the demons and their dark lord, Findo Gask. "The Void" will rule forevermore.
GYPSY MORPH is powerful indeed. Far more than a simple story of the unending and timeless conflict between good and evil, it tells a story of love, commitment, honour, dedication, trust and so much more. For example, the tale of orphaned children attempting to raise themselves in a bleak, nuclear-blasted world without reference to parental guidance, while astonishingly reminiscent of Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, is fresh, exciting, heart-wrenching and most definitely not derivative in any way.
Brooks' descriptions of a troubled world are graphic and breathtaking. His character building is deep, complex and utterly convincing. On the dust jacket of the novel, Christopher Paolini, author of the young adult fantasy, ERAGON, was quoted as saying, "If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy"! Quite a compliment coming from a fellow author who might well be assumed to be in competition with Terry Brooks for the same audience. I have to agree with Mr Paolini's ebullient assessment.
I waited a long time for this one and, I think you'll agree. The GENESIS OF SHANNARA series combines the earlier SHANNARA and KNIGHT OF THE WORD series in a stunning, entirely innovative new series that fantasy fans are going to eat up.
In THE GYPSY MORPH, the stunning climactic conclusion to the series, we witness Kirisin Bellorus, the young elf who has been entrusted with the ancient magic, deliver his entire civilization to safety from the demon armies as the Word and the Void clash for dominion over a scarred mortal world. When the dust settles we are privileged to witness the tentative dawning of a new era.
On the face of it, a magnificent fantasy that ties Terry Brooks' universes together into a wonderful, complex but very complete and unified whole. On a slightly different level, THE GENESIS series is a mystical allegory and while it may be typical in that it pits good vs evil and personifies both sides of the battle, it is unique in the depth and the excitement that is conveyed during the exploration of this age old theme.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
In a horrifying blend of post-apocalyptic terror and new age urban fantasy, Terry Brooks' GENESIS OF SHANNARA series describes a world ravaged by nuclear war, plague, pestilence, famine, mindless zombie-like creatures, demons and terrifying creatures born out of devastating mutations. Deaths have numbered in the billions and humanity teeters on the very brink of extinction. Most of those few humans who have survived have reverted to a dark age in which they remain walled up in fortified compounds brutally scavenging from one another and scratching out a mean subsistence life in much the same fashion as tribes would have done during the earliest periods of mankind's existence.
The power and excitement of this series rests in his convincing blend of the reality of a burnt-out destroyed human landscape with the beguiling and utterly fascinating mythological beginnings of the fantasy world that was born in full bloom in his earlier Shannara stories.
Long, long ago in a place that was definitely not far, far away, the Elves conquered the demon hordes wandering Earth and sealed them away in a bleak existence called "the Forbidding". A biblical scholar might have suggested that "The Word" ruled over the Earth and the Earth was good - a kindly, warm and benevolent place to live.
But current events on the earth - the wars, the nuclear radiation, the burgeoning evil that mankind is both experiencing and causing - are weakening the walls between Earth and the Forbidding. As evil's grip on the earth tightens, its defence has been reduced to the last two remaining Knights of the Word - Angel Perez and Logan Tom - two warriors carefully chosen by the Word for their indomitable spirit who have been given a magical staff and special powers to be used in the fight against demons and "The Void".
Perez and Tom have been charged by the Elven nation with finding a talisman called the Loden Lodestone and a magical young child called "The Gypsy Morph". Without the magic of the Lodestone and the power of the Gypsy Morph whose destiny is critical to the survival of humankind, earth is doomed. Goodness and "The Word" will disappear forever and the world will become the dominion of the demons and their dark lord, Findo Gask. "The Void" will rule forevermore.
GYPSY MORPH is powerful indeed. Far more than a simple story of the unending and timeless conflict between good and evil, it tells a story of love, commitment, honour, dedication, trust and so much more. For example, the tale of orphaned children attempting to raise themselves in a bleak, nuclear-blasted world without reference to parental guidance, while astonishingly reminiscent of Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, is fresh, exciting, heart-wrenching and most definitely not derivative in any way.
Brooks' descriptions of a troubled world are graphic and breathtaking. His character building is deep, complex and utterly convincing. On the dust jacket of the novel, Christopher Paolini, author of the young adult fantasy, ERAGON, was quoted as saying, "If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy"! Quite a compliment coming from a fellow author who might well be assumed to be in competition with Terry Brooks for the same audience. I have to agree with Mr Paolini's ebullient assessment.
I waited a long time for this one and, I think you'll agree. The GENESIS OF SHANNARA series combines the earlier SHANNARA and KNIGHT OF THE WORD series in a stunning, entirely innovative new series that fantasy fans are going to eat up.
In THE GYPSY MORPH, the stunning climactic conclusion to the series, we witness Kirisin Bellorus, the young elf who has been entrusted with the ancient magic, deliver his entire civilization to safety from the demon armies as the Word and the Void clash for dominion over a scarred mortal world. When the dust settles we are privileged to witness the tentative dawning of a new era.
On the face of it, a magnificent fantasy that ties Terry Brooks' universes together into a wonderful, complex but very complete and unified whole. On a slightly different level, THE GENESIS series is a mystical allegory and while it may be typical in that it pits good vs evil and personifies both sides of the battle, it is unique in the depth and the excitement that is conveyed during the exploration of this age old theme.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
September 1, 2011
The Gypsy Morph concludes the "Genesis of Shannara" trilogy. This trilogy worked to bridge the gap between Terry Brooks's fantasy world set in a more traditional fantasy setting (elves, dwarves, trolls, castles, knights, magic, etc) and Terry's books set in our own contemporary world (his Word and Void series). Granted, even though the Word and Void books were set in our current time, there was still plenty of magic, demons and other fantasy elements. The Genesis of Shannara examines the end of our world as it currently exists. Over the course of the trilogy, a handful of people (human, elves and others) must band together not to overcome and destroy the evil forces…but to escape them.
For the first two books there is a lot of running, scheming and fighting but it was still somewhat ambiguous as to how these young survivors will actually eventually survive. In The Gypsy Morph, that question is often brought to the forefront, especially by the Morph himself (a faerie creature in human form). He knows that he is supposed to help with the gathering of the survivors and that he is to lead them somewhere, but he has no idea where he is leading them or what they will do once they get there.
In many aspects, this series had a lot of elements core to a fantasy-adventure novel. It has the strong, battle weary knight, the unlikely underdog heroes, the overly vile villain, and a seemingly impossible quest. All of this was fun and entertaining. But what it didn't have as a super obvious element was HOW things would finally be resolved.
Brooks really enjoys filling his novels with tension as primary characters are separated and brought to the brink of death and disaster again and again. The book usually had at least two story threads going at one time, each following one or more main character. By alternating these threads, he was able to create a fair degree of tension and then pan over to the other story arc in order to let the tension simmer and come to a boil. By having characters in each arc attached to or anxious for characters in the other arc, it increased our ties to the characters because the reader felt the same tension the characters felt for those who were "off stage" at a particular moment.
In many of Brooks's books (and indeed in many fantasy novels), I've wondered about the possibility of religious allegory. While some writers are very explicit (C.S. Lewis) and others adamantly deny the possibility (J.R.R. Tolkien), I'm not sure if Brooks has taken a stance on the subject. I know he's commented about the Word/Void series being relatable to the troubles in society today and that naturally carries over into this series, but I'm not sure about his stance on religious allegory.
However, this series explicitly brings up and explores the Old Testament story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Society is in chaos so there isn't much in terms of organized education, religion or any organization at all really. But the Mother character in the book has told "her children" (the Ghosts) stories over the years. One story in particular has resonated with them…the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt. Furthermore, they've come to understand that Hawk (the human form of the Gypsy Morph) will act as their own Moses and lead them to the Promised Land.
This story is brought up a few times throughout each novel and indeed the Exodus that the children and others take is evocative of the flight from Egypt. In this novel, however, there is one particular scene that struck me as drawing very heavily on the Moses story. (*potential spoiler, but I'll try to walk lightly*) Basically the survivors are backed up against a large body of water with very little choice for escape. I fully expected there to be a "Parting of the Red Sea" moment…though that might have been a little too overt and trite. Instead of a duplicate "escape" method, we're given a parallel miracle of sorts that had similar enough characteristics to make me think of the Bible story but was still different enough to make it fit in this story.
At the same time, I felt a little bit robbed by the "simplicity" in overcoming the challenge. Along the journey there were so many fights that seemed insurmountable and were very tense and exciting. This particular fight had a sort of deus ex machina that left me a little less than satisfied. It was still spectacular and fun, but a little anti-climactic. I know that a lot of the book was filled with knock-down, drag-out battles and fights so perhaps extending this one would have been overkill. But I was left wanting just a bit more.
The final couple of chapters of the book wrapped up the end of our own world and the beginning of a new world to come. I felt like the "end of the world" method was realistic enough but felt a little jarring going from the fantasy adventure to the catalyst that ended the world. It worked alright though. I'm still a little worried about the logistics of how the survivors will survive long enough to emerge into a new world, but I felt like it was wrapped up adequately….I'll just have to dive into the next series (Legends of Shannara) to see what happens "500 years later."
All in all, I found this a good conclusion to the series and overall I really enjoyed this series. While it was similar in tone and feel to much of Brooks's other books, it was unique enough that it felt fresh. Setting it in the ~near future also made it more intriguing to me.
If you've read this book/series, let me know your thoughts. If you haven't, give it a try and let me know if you liked it.
4 stars out of 5
****
For the first two books there is a lot of running, scheming and fighting but it was still somewhat ambiguous as to how these young survivors will actually eventually survive. In The Gypsy Morph, that question is often brought to the forefront, especially by the Morph himself (a faerie creature in human form). He knows that he is supposed to help with the gathering of the survivors and that he is to lead them somewhere, but he has no idea where he is leading them or what they will do once they get there.
In many aspects, this series had a lot of elements core to a fantasy-adventure novel. It has the strong, battle weary knight, the unlikely underdog heroes, the overly vile villain, and a seemingly impossible quest. All of this was fun and entertaining. But what it didn't have as a super obvious element was HOW things would finally be resolved.
Brooks really enjoys filling his novels with tension as primary characters are separated and brought to the brink of death and disaster again and again. The book usually had at least two story threads going at one time, each following one or more main character. By alternating these threads, he was able to create a fair degree of tension and then pan over to the other story arc in order to let the tension simmer and come to a boil. By having characters in each arc attached to or anxious for characters in the other arc, it increased our ties to the characters because the reader felt the same tension the characters felt for those who were "off stage" at a particular moment.
In many of Brooks's books (and indeed in many fantasy novels), I've wondered about the possibility of religious allegory. While some writers are very explicit (C.S. Lewis) and others adamantly deny the possibility (J.R.R. Tolkien), I'm not sure if Brooks has taken a stance on the subject. I know he's commented about the Word/Void series being relatable to the troubles in society today and that naturally carries over into this series, but I'm not sure about his stance on religious allegory.
However, this series explicitly brings up and explores the Old Testament story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Society is in chaos so there isn't much in terms of organized education, religion or any organization at all really. But the Mother character in the book has told "her children" (the Ghosts) stories over the years. One story in particular has resonated with them…the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt. Furthermore, they've come to understand that Hawk (the human form of the Gypsy Morph) will act as their own Moses and lead them to the Promised Land.
This story is brought up a few times throughout each novel and indeed the Exodus that the children and others take is evocative of the flight from Egypt. In this novel, however, there is one particular scene that struck me as drawing very heavily on the Moses story. (*potential spoiler, but I'll try to walk lightly*) Basically the survivors are backed up against a large body of water with very little choice for escape. I fully expected there to be a "Parting of the Red Sea" moment…though that might have been a little too overt and trite. Instead of a duplicate "escape" method, we're given a parallel miracle of sorts that had similar enough characteristics to make me think of the Bible story but was still different enough to make it fit in this story.
At the same time, I felt a little bit robbed by the "simplicity" in overcoming the challenge. Along the journey there were so many fights that seemed insurmountable and were very tense and exciting. This particular fight had a sort of deus ex machina that left me a little less than satisfied. It was still spectacular and fun, but a little anti-climactic. I know that a lot of the book was filled with knock-down, drag-out battles and fights so perhaps extending this one would have been overkill. But I was left wanting just a bit more.
The final couple of chapters of the book wrapped up the end of our own world and the beginning of a new world to come. I felt like the "end of the world" method was realistic enough but felt a little jarring going from the fantasy adventure to the catalyst that ended the world. It worked alright though. I'm still a little worried about the logistics of how the survivors will survive long enough to emerge into a new world, but I felt like it was wrapped up adequately….I'll just have to dive into the next series (Legends of Shannara) to see what happens "500 years later."
All in all, I found this a good conclusion to the series and overall I really enjoyed this series. While it was similar in tone and feel to much of Brooks's other books, it was unique enough that it felt fresh. Setting it in the ~near future also made it more intriguing to me.
If you've read this book/series, let me know your thoughts. If you haven't, give it a try and let me know if you liked it.
4 stars out of 5
****
February 1, 2018
A satisfying end to the world as we know it, onward to Shannara proper!
May 17, 2016
I've had it with Brooks. Enough with this Shannara nonsense.
I mean Brooks can decorate the story with nice words, but the story itself is so bland, uninteresting and the characters are so "normal" and stereotypic "confused, but special" and I cannot stress enough - the whole Shannara series of books is repeating the same things over and over and over.
"Oh, I'm just this guy/girl, don't know anything, much confused, but I'm the CHOSEN ONE"
+
"There's this difficult situation, but here's some elfstones/black staff/wishsong/thingy that makes everything soooo booring that there is no suspension and no difficulties to overcome. Every time there is this stupid-ass MAGIC, that is just a fix-it-all for EVERYTHING."
Given that these books are read by children/teenagers, because this is Young Adult fiction after all, one can only come up to one conclusion - these books are MALICIOUS, because that's not how real life works. I know it's fantasy, but it doesn't mean you need to write every situation into being stupid and easy and misleading. I know it's fantasy, but it tries really hard to be this "realistic" and "difficult" "dark" post-apocalyptic world, but actually it's just misleading and annoying.
Nobody is SPECIAL or CHOSEN in real life and there are no EASY solutions to every situation. There are no "do-what-I-need" stones, so please stop writing nonsense.
I mean Brooks can decorate the story with nice words, but the story itself is so bland, uninteresting and the characters are so "normal" and stereotypic "confused, but special" and I cannot stress enough - the whole Shannara series of books is repeating the same things over and over and over.
"Oh, I'm just this guy/girl, don't know anything, much confused, but I'm the CHOSEN ONE"
+
"There's this difficult situation, but here's some elfstones/black staff/wishsong/thingy that makes everything soooo booring that there is no suspension and no difficulties to overcome. Every time there is this stupid-ass MAGIC, that is just a fix-it-all for EVERYTHING."
Given that these books are read by children/teenagers, because this is Young Adult fiction after all, one can only come up to one conclusion - these books are MALICIOUS, because that's not how real life works. I know it's fantasy, but it doesn't mean you need to write every situation into being stupid and easy and misleading. I know it's fantasy, but it tries really hard to be this "realistic" and "difficult" "dark" post-apocalyptic world, but actually it's just misleading and annoying.
Nobody is SPECIAL or CHOSEN in real life and there are no EASY solutions to every situation. There are no "do-what-I-need" stones, so please stop writing nonsense.
September 15, 2008
I did a marathon one day read on this puppy! It's hard for me to give it less than 5 stars because I have loved just about everything Terry has written.
It is the third in a trilogy and you definitely need to read the others to really enjoy it. That said, if you like the others, this will make you happy. =)
Terry pulls all the threads together nice and neat and even threw in a couple of surprises that I really enjoyed.
I tend to be a little vague in my reviews as everyone's taste is a little different. Of course, if I can't stand something I don't hold back. =)
I highly recommend the entire set of the Word and the Void series. It's darker than the Shannara or Landover series (can't wait for the next one of those either) but totally fabulous! It is set in our world with a twist. The global destruction and pollution of humanities resources have changed many in often horrible ways and the story follows those chosen to save who they can.
It is the third in a trilogy and you definitely need to read the others to really enjoy it. That said, if you like the others, this will make you happy. =)
Terry pulls all the threads together nice and neat and even threw in a couple of surprises that I really enjoyed.
I tend to be a little vague in my reviews as everyone's taste is a little different. Of course, if I can't stand something I don't hold back. =)
I highly recommend the entire set of the Word and the Void series. It's darker than the Shannara or Landover series (can't wait for the next one of those either) but totally fabulous! It is set in our world with a twist. The global destruction and pollution of humanities resources have changed many in often horrible ways and the story follows those chosen to save who they can.
February 25, 2021
A nice conclusion to the Genesis of Shannara trilogy. Losses are suffered (more than I hoped for - maybe a little too much) but in the end, the world is saved again. :-) Terry Brooks' stories can be a little repetitive, and this one is not very original. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy it none the less. I really love this world and these series so I'm not really bothered and if I take a break between the trilogies it's not even that troublesome. The only thing that annoyed me in this book was the sudden one-look love relationship between Logan and Simralin. It was very cheesy and not very believable. Also, it wasn't needed. I loved the Panther-Catalya relationship way more, it made more sense.
November 2, 2020
After 2 trilogies I could not but be reminded of the famous quote:
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." – Winston Churchill
If these series that end here were written first, I would say that it was an ambitious endeavor, but given as these were written after the main body of work, it is a bit difficult to gauge {I am trying to read all of the books chronologically} without being sure of any potential threads that would have already been pulled in future books. Nonetheless there is a definite change at the end of the series, but when will the next one start and will there be any recurring characters is yet to be read.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." – Winston Churchill
If these series that end here were written first, I would say that it was an ambitious endeavor, but given as these were written after the main body of work, it is a bit difficult to gauge {I am trying to read all of the books chronologically} without being sure of any potential threads that would have already been pulled in future books. Nonetheless there is a definite change at the end of the series, but when will the next one start and will there be any recurring characters is yet to be read.
November 29, 2010
I've read the other reviews of this book from the many fans of Terry Brooks and his world of Shannara and I have to say I disagree. I am sure I will bear the brunt of their displeasure but this really didn't do it for me.
I read the original Shannara books many years ago and then kind of moved on. The same story kept being told and, frankly I got bored with the plotting and the repetitive and somewhat simplistic style of writing. But then out came Armageddon's Children which dealt with the end of the world as 'we' know it and had an interesting post apocalyptic setting. This was followed by the fairly forgettable Elves of Cintra which introduced the elves that nobody knew about and threw them into the post apocalyptic mix along with the surviving humans and the evolving demons. So here we have the end of the trilogy with the emergence of the Gypsy Morph and our surviving humans and elves heading for a place of safety from the end of our world. So amongst the various chase and quest scenes the author has fun by throwing in modern technology along with the magic, so we have machine guns and a kind of armoured vehicle (that reminded me of the one in that awful film Damnation Valley) and a man in a nuclear bunker.
I think this will be my last visit to the world of Shannara. While the author shows us a pre-history to Shannara he fails to really make it either very interesting or very tense. Part of the problem is that by nature of the other books, you know whether the journey and quest in the book will succeed and indeed the very first chapter hints at how it may well all come about. So no surprises as our bunch of rather dull characters head off to start the promised land of Shannara and this will be the last book I read by Mr Brooks as he wrings more then you would have thought possible out of his imaginary world. Stop the bus, I'm getting off.
I read the original Shannara books many years ago and then kind of moved on. The same story kept being told and, frankly I got bored with the plotting and the repetitive and somewhat simplistic style of writing. But then out came Armageddon's Children which dealt with the end of the world as 'we' know it and had an interesting post apocalyptic setting. This was followed by the fairly forgettable Elves of Cintra which introduced the elves that nobody knew about and threw them into the post apocalyptic mix along with the surviving humans and the evolving demons. So here we have the end of the trilogy with the emergence of the Gypsy Morph and our surviving humans and elves heading for a place of safety from the end of our world. So amongst the various chase and quest scenes the author has fun by throwing in modern technology along with the magic, so we have machine guns and a kind of armoured vehicle (that reminded me of the one in that awful film Damnation Valley) and a man in a nuclear bunker.
I think this will be my last visit to the world of Shannara. While the author shows us a pre-history to Shannara he fails to really make it either very interesting or very tense. Part of the problem is that by nature of the other books, you know whether the journey and quest in the book will succeed and indeed the very first chapter hints at how it may well all come about. So no surprises as our bunch of rather dull characters head off to start the promised land of Shannara and this will be the last book I read by Mr Brooks as he wrings more then you would have thought possible out of his imaginary world. Stop the bus, I'm getting off.
September 4, 2022
This was a great book, and I enjoyed it right from the start. I am starting to see the bridge to Sword of Shannara, but there are still many questions to answer. There are many memorable characters that are easy to fall in love with, and care about what happens to them. Most of my review contains spoilers so here goes.
All in all, a great read!
All in all, a great read!
April 13, 2016
Somehow and someway, Terry Brooks has managed to effect what I thought was impossible on me. I came out liking the second book of this trilogy more than the climactic undertaking of its final installment.
On its own and as a book, The Gypsy Morph was a decent enough read. It was paced well and interesting in its own right. Most of the characters were still interesting and enjoyable to read about. You know, things that make it easy to read.
But as a penultimate climax of the Genesis of Shannara trilogy and an end of the world scenario, I came out massively underwhelmed by its conclusion. I felt like it was playing small ball when it should have been swinging for the fences, if you excuse the baseball reference. And that feeling persisted right down to the final page of the book for me.
Now granted, when it comes to penultimate books, I have pretty high expectations. Because everything has been building to this moment, you would think to expect the author to hit you with their best and to dazzle you with their brilliance in how they solved the myriad of problems they created to get to this moment of everything crashing down.
And in that moment of collapse, to suddenly reveal the diamond within.
But at a point when things should have been at its most chaotic, it really wasn't. There was no devastating twist, no illuminating revelation, no shocking result. Very little of what came to pass seemed to have come from a place of instinct and desperation. Everything was just a little too straight forward, well-organized and neatly put together. It made for some really predictable outcomes at a time when nothing should have been. Because you can't organize for the world ending.
It was like the world came crashing down, but instead of a diamond, I just ended up with a lot of ugly rocks.
But I think the biggest issue was that every resolution or solution to an issue or conflict in this final installment came off as way too convenient in a deus ex machina way.
Need to travel quickly? Summon the big, powerful vehicle from out of nowhere! Need to find someone or something quickly? Here's a bird that only shows up when convenient so we don't waste time searching!
And then there was the utilization of magic to solve the 'bigger' issues. Big scary monster has a main character cornered? Suddenly "magic" saves them! (Or the monster ostensibly decides they don't feel like killing them today, which is a decision made that I still don't understand or have made my peace with). Seriously, the utilization of magic (or 'magics') in this installment as a means to save someone was a hell of a catch-all here as a "solution to all our issues." And not just by the established magic users either!
And don't get me started on that shallowly patched together romance either. Seriously, it more or less weakened, if not ruined, one of the stronger characters of the series because of the amount of pining that occurred.
I get that Mr. Brooks wanted to keep his story concise, but to make it so that his characters had to basically deal with no real hardships as far as their problems were concerned other than the odd moment here or there because 'magic powers' was like watching them play Oregon Trail on God mode. (Though was there ever a mode that wasn't 'everyone must die' in Oregon Trail?)
The characters as a whole came off as over-powered. Seriously, there were more hardships faced dealing with the baddies in the previous book than this one, and this one was supposed to deal with the really bad guys. The penultimate bad guys. Supposedly anyway.
So there you have it. The ending of this book and trilogy did not justify the journey that got it to this moment. And that's a shame too, because there were promising moments. But in the end, it was too simple and perhaps too juvenile to satisfy me as a fantasy reader.
On its own and as a book, The Gypsy Morph was a decent enough read. It was paced well and interesting in its own right. Most of the characters were still interesting and enjoyable to read about. You know, things that make it easy to read.
But as a penultimate climax of the Genesis of Shannara trilogy and an end of the world scenario, I came out massively underwhelmed by its conclusion. I felt like it was playing small ball when it should have been swinging for the fences, if you excuse the baseball reference. And that feeling persisted right down to the final page of the book for me.
Now granted, when it comes to penultimate books, I have pretty high expectations. Because everything has been building to this moment, you would think to expect the author to hit you with their best and to dazzle you with their brilliance in how they solved the myriad of problems they created to get to this moment of everything crashing down.
And in that moment of collapse, to suddenly reveal the diamond within.
But at a point when things should have been at its most chaotic, it really wasn't. There was no devastating twist, no illuminating revelation, no shocking result. Very little of what came to pass seemed to have come from a place of instinct and desperation. Everything was just a little too straight forward, well-organized and neatly put together. It made for some really predictable outcomes at a time when nothing should have been. Because you can't organize for the world ending.
It was like the world came crashing down, but instead of a diamond, I just ended up with a lot of ugly rocks.
But I think the biggest issue was that every resolution or solution to an issue or conflict in this final installment came off as way too convenient in a deus ex machina way.
Need to travel quickly? Summon the big, powerful vehicle from out of nowhere! Need to find someone or something quickly? Here's a bird that only shows up when convenient so we don't waste time searching!
And then there was the utilization of magic to solve the 'bigger' issues. Big scary monster has a main character cornered? Suddenly "magic" saves them! (Or the monster ostensibly decides they don't feel like killing them today, which is a decision made that I still don't understand or have made my peace with). Seriously, the utilization of magic (or 'magics') in this installment as a means to save someone was a hell of a catch-all here as a "solution to all our issues." And not just by the established magic users either!
And don't get me started on that shallowly patched together romance either. Seriously, it more or less weakened, if not ruined, one of the stronger characters of the series because of the amount of pining that occurred.
I get that Mr. Brooks wanted to keep his story concise, but to make it so that his characters had to basically deal with no real hardships as far as their problems were concerned other than the odd moment here or there because 'magic powers' was like watching them play Oregon Trail on God mode. (Though was there ever a mode that wasn't 'everyone must die' in Oregon Trail?)
The characters as a whole came off as over-powered. Seriously, there were more hardships faced dealing with the baddies in the previous book than this one, and this one was supposed to deal with the really bad guys. The penultimate bad guys. Supposedly anyway.
So there you have it. The ending of this book and trilogy did not justify the journey that got it to this moment. And that's a shame too, because there were promising moments. But in the end, it was too simple and perhaps too juvenile to satisfy me as a fantasy reader.
January 30, 2013
This was a very satisfying end to the series. There were several threads of plot and a few POC. Characters that were all integral to the story. I loved reading about what amounts to the world of Shanarra. I do wonder where the name Shannara will come from, but hope that will come out more clearly later. I hope Logan and his wife are the ultimate originators of the Shannara family. I am also intrigued with the last page... Will we see the return of The boy from the mists? Is he the origin of the Shannara name? I look forward to finding out...
December 11, 2022
Honestly speaking, this was not the greatest book that I have ever read. On the other hand, I started to read a book this weekend that made me realize what a truly bad book is actually like…
So, this is entertaining. I have read it twice, I won’t read it again and I will give it away to a first time reader who will probably love and adore it. That makes me happy, because books should be read by people who will like them.
So, this is entertaining. I have read it twice, I won’t read it again and I will give it away to a first time reader who will probably love and adore it. That makes me happy, because books should be read by people who will like them.
February 27, 2020
The Gypsy Morph is book 3 chronologically in the Shannara series. This book sets the table for the post apocalyptic world in which the entire series is set. The plot got a little bit long-winded but it was very enjoyable. Characterizations drove this story for me. My heart just goes out to the group of street kids (The Ghosts) - as a reader, I just rooted for them the whole time.
January 26, 2020
DNF at 28 %.
I feel bad for leaving a trilogy in the middle of the third book, but the truth is that I'm just not interested in this universe anymore.
I've been defeated and it does not feel good.
I feel bad for leaving a trilogy in the middle of the third book, but the truth is that I'm just not interested in this universe anymore.
I've been defeated and it does not feel good.
May 23, 2019
Really bad writing and sloppily edited. Characters are all over the place and all are held together by one or two traits that the author makes sure you know with every sentence about them. Pulls together for an ending.
March 13, 2018
A great conclusion to the tale of the gypsy morph. It was interesting to read how the world we know collapsed and in the end destroyed itself only to rise again as the four lands. I'm looking forward to continue the journey of closing the loop to the time of Shannara and the continuing evolution of magic.
February 15, 2020
Perfect.
July 14, 2021
4.5 stars. This series was excellent. I really find myself wishing Brooks had written more books that were like this. Ah well. Time for Shannara next. I'm excited to rediscover the classic books.
June 16, 2024
Better than expected
This little trilogy was really nice actually. By the end, I'm smiling. I'm still annoyed at the way Brooks kills off characters and such, but I like this little connection from our world to the world of Shannara. I like it a lot. The apocalyptic world. The storyline of the Elves coming out of hiding and the group of street kids. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed it over all. Yes, I did.
This little trilogy was really nice actually. By the end, I'm smiling. I'm still annoyed at the way Brooks kills off characters and such, but I like this little connection from our world to the world of Shannara. I like it a lot. The apocalyptic world. The storyline of the Elves coming out of hiding and the group of street kids. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed it over all. Yes, I did.
November 8, 2023
There was much I enjoyed about this trilogy, but I found the final volume frustrating. It felt repetitive and the combination of high fantasy and urban/dystopian fantasy seemed at times to clash.
Still, I love Terry Brooks work, it's cozy reading and brings me comfort. I'd take an average, enjoyable book over nothing any day.
Still, I love Terry Brooks work, it's cozy reading and brings me comfort. I'd take an average, enjoyable book over nothing any day.
April 12, 2019
This was a very good conclusion to the series. The pace is fast from the start and doesn't let up. Nothing was entirely unexpected but it was interesting and fun to see how it got there. All the disparate elements to the story were brought together and then diverged for parts until they were all brought back again for the climax.
Character wise I think we saw a decent bit of growth. It can be a bit heavy handed sometimes but it generally works. I really started this series because I was curious how Brooks was going to merge our world to the world of Shannara. It was pretty skilfully done. Yes the onset of 'mutants' was pretty fast paced but it's not like this is the first series to do that, it is fantasy after all. I am now curious if we will start incorporating elements of this in his later Shannara works which I haven't read.
In my limited knowledge of urban fantasy the magical is usually in the form of faerie, vampires, werewolves etc so this seems different to me in that it is definitely old school epic fantasy mixed with our world. Like we have literal knights with staffs of magic with demons and elves. All in all I think this is a very good series and I am looking forward to the 'bridging' novels set around 500 years after this.
Character wise I think we saw a decent bit of growth. It can be a bit heavy handed sometimes but it generally works. I really started this series because I was curious how Brooks was going to merge our world to the world of Shannara. It was pretty skilfully done. Yes the onset of 'mutants' was pretty fast paced but it's not like this is the first series to do that, it is fantasy after all. I am now curious if we will start incorporating elements of this in his later Shannara works which I haven't read.
In my limited knowledge of urban fantasy the magical is usually in the form of faerie, vampires, werewolves etc so this seems different to me in that it is definitely old school epic fantasy mixed with our world. Like we have literal knights with staffs of magic with demons and elves. All in all I think this is a very good series and I am looking forward to the 'bridging' novels set around 500 years after this.
January 5, 2016
L’esercito dei demoni (The gypsy morph) era stato il libro del 2008 di Brooks, ultima parte della trilogia della Genesi di Shannara che tanto aveva voluto scrivere.
Una trilogia che era cominciata bene con I figli di Armageddon, più vicino al Verbo e al Vuoto che non alla saga di Shannara ma con toni apocalittici che si discostavano dagli altri libri di Brooks, ed era a mio avviso un po’ calata con il successivo Gli elfi di Cintra rimanendo comunque sufficiente (molto meglio delle precedenti saghe su Shannara, senza dubbio).
Ho aspettato un po’ per prendere questo libro visto che temevo un netto peggioramento della saga, e che francamente avevo di meglio da leggere. Non amo più Brooks come i primi tempi, quando era tutto ciò che conoscevo di fantasy… comunque di sicuro sa fare bene il suo mestiere.
Le 400 pagine del libro sono volate via rapide e leggere, e probabilmente se prima di attaccare questo volume mi fossi riletto i due precedenti la lettura sarebbe stata molto più agevole, senza dovermi fermare di continuo nei primi capitoli per cercare di ricordare chi stava facendo cosa.
Quindi anche questo libro gode di uno stile leggero e scorrevole, e inoltre è permeato -come tutta la trilogia e più degli altri libri della trilogia- di una vaghissima epicità insita nell’esodo dei bambini, in fuga dal mondo apocalittico, attratti dalla visione di Falco. Una marcia lunga e faticosa, sostenuta solo dalla fede nella loro guida (e dalle prove fornite dalla sua magia, vabbè) e coadiuvata dal ascrificio degli adulti che li accompagnano, pronti a morire per consentire la sopravvivenza dei piccoli.
Una comitiva ben diversa dalle orde di demoni, ex-uomini, mutati e sciacalli che si sono incontrati fin dalle pagine de I figli di Armageddon.
E di sicuro anche questo tema dei bambini, onnipresenti in questo libro, è originale per Brooks.
Ciò che non è originale purtroppo è la piattezza della trama. La prevedibilità del tutto.
Falco dopo l’incontro con l’immancabile Re del Fiume Argento sa tutto e può fare tutto, malgrado un breve istante di paralisi che quasi gli costa la vita; il re degli elfi rinsavisce e appoggia il giovane Kirisin; Simralin e Logan si innamorano con uno sguardo, e lui capisce che forse la vendetta non è la cosa più importante nella vita; Pantera segue il suo cuore, e così fa Cat; Logan Tom ottiene il suo scontro con Findo Gask.
Tutto ovvio e scontato.
L’unica eccezione è il finale del libro (e intendo proprio le ultime righe), che viene modificato quando ormai pensavo a un finale alla Le pietre magiche di Shannara con Falco a immolarsi per la salvaguardia futura della carovana. E Larkin Quill, che a un certo punto avevo quasi pensato potesse essere legato al Re del Fiume Argento e invece si è rivelato un mortale qualsiasi.
La speranza è che il libro scritto l’anno scorso (Una principessa di Landover) e sopratutto la dualogia prevista per il 2010 e il 2011 (Le leggende di Shannara, di cui il primo libro si intitolerà Il portatore del bastone nero e che quindi lascia intuire che possa riguardare un Cavaliere del verbo… o una via di mezzo tra Cavaliere e Druido?) Brooks trovi un po’ di originalità nello svolgimento delle trame.
Perchè va bene la scorrevolezza e la leggerezza dello stile, ma se si intuisce presto come prosegue la vicenda non c’è molto gusto…
Ah, dimenticavo la perla della quarta di copertina. Un autore consiglia appassionatamente di leggere Brooks.
Paolini. Che annuncia, “se non avete letto Terry Brooks, non avete letto fantasy“.
Capisco lo spirito commerciale dietro a tutto ciò, ma loro capiscano che se io mi trovo un autore sconosciuto e vedo che Paolini lo consiglia, col cavolo che lo prendo quel libro!
Una trilogia che era cominciata bene con I figli di Armageddon, più vicino al Verbo e al Vuoto che non alla saga di Shannara ma con toni apocalittici che si discostavano dagli altri libri di Brooks, ed era a mio avviso un po’ calata con il successivo Gli elfi di Cintra rimanendo comunque sufficiente (molto meglio delle precedenti saghe su Shannara, senza dubbio).
Ho aspettato un po’ per prendere questo libro visto che temevo un netto peggioramento della saga, e che francamente avevo di meglio da leggere. Non amo più Brooks come i primi tempi, quando era tutto ciò che conoscevo di fantasy… comunque di sicuro sa fare bene il suo mestiere.
Le 400 pagine del libro sono volate via rapide e leggere, e probabilmente se prima di attaccare questo volume mi fossi riletto i due precedenti la lettura sarebbe stata molto più agevole, senza dovermi fermare di continuo nei primi capitoli per cercare di ricordare chi stava facendo cosa.
Quindi anche questo libro gode di uno stile leggero e scorrevole, e inoltre è permeato -come tutta la trilogia e più degli altri libri della trilogia- di una vaghissima epicità insita nell’esodo dei bambini, in fuga dal mondo apocalittico, attratti dalla visione di Falco. Una marcia lunga e faticosa, sostenuta solo dalla fede nella loro guida (e dalle prove fornite dalla sua magia, vabbè) e coadiuvata dal ascrificio degli adulti che li accompagnano, pronti a morire per consentire la sopravvivenza dei piccoli.
Una comitiva ben diversa dalle orde di demoni, ex-uomini, mutati e sciacalli che si sono incontrati fin dalle pagine de I figli di Armageddon.
E di sicuro anche questo tema dei bambini, onnipresenti in questo libro, è originale per Brooks.
Ciò che non è originale purtroppo è la piattezza della trama. La prevedibilità del tutto.
Falco dopo l’incontro con l’immancabile Re del Fiume Argento sa tutto e può fare tutto, malgrado un breve istante di paralisi che quasi gli costa la vita; il re degli elfi rinsavisce e appoggia il giovane Kirisin; Simralin e Logan si innamorano con uno sguardo, e lui capisce che forse la vendetta non è la cosa più importante nella vita; Pantera segue il suo cuore, e così fa Cat; Logan Tom ottiene il suo scontro con Findo Gask.
Tutto ovvio e scontato.
L’unica eccezione è il finale del libro (e intendo proprio le ultime righe), che viene modificato quando ormai pensavo a un finale alla Le pietre magiche di Shannara con Falco a immolarsi per la salvaguardia futura della carovana. E Larkin Quill, che a un certo punto avevo quasi pensato potesse essere legato al Re del Fiume Argento e invece si è rivelato un mortale qualsiasi.
La speranza è che il libro scritto l’anno scorso (Una principessa di Landover) e sopratutto la dualogia prevista per il 2010 e il 2011 (Le leggende di Shannara, di cui il primo libro si intitolerà Il portatore del bastone nero e che quindi lascia intuire che possa riguardare un Cavaliere del verbo… o una via di mezzo tra Cavaliere e Druido?) Brooks trovi un po’ di originalità nello svolgimento delle trame.
Perchè va bene la scorrevolezza e la leggerezza dello stile, ma se si intuisce presto come prosegue la vicenda non c’è molto gusto…
Ah, dimenticavo la perla della quarta di copertina. Un autore consiglia appassionatamente di leggere Brooks.
Paolini. Che annuncia, “se non avete letto Terry Brooks, non avete letto fantasy“.
Capisco lo spirito commerciale dietro a tutto ciò, ma loro capiscano che se io mi trovo un autore sconosciuto e vedo che Paolini lo consiglia, col cavolo che lo prendo quel libro!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2013
From the start one of the hardest things to accept about this trilogy was that all of the events in the novel weren't about saving the world but instead about surviving its destruction. Where so many stories concern themselves with saving the world from Armageddon, it is refreshing to read a story that ensures that it actually happens, just in the right way.
Those who have been fans of Terry Brooks like myself will have read his works that take place after the great wars and the destruction, in a world where magic rules. In spite of this foreknowledge the tension was still there in this story which is a testament to the writing skill of Terry Brooks.
In the Gypsy Morph the characters from the earlier two novels in the Genesis of Shannra finally come together in order for them to follow Hawk as he leads them to safety. It is safe to say that Hawk is the most powerful character in the history of Terry Brooks' novels and yet Mr Brooks did a wonderful job in humanising him. Though he had great power he was beset constantly with uncertainty and danger and only his family and those he loved could keep him going.
The strength of the characters in this series of novels was a real high point and helped to bring these novels together. You felt every loss and cheer for every triumph and before you know it you have spent half your afternoon sucked into the world trapped in these pages and the time has just flown by.
Overall The Gypsy Morph completes one of Terry Brook's best works to date. His seamless stitching of the Word and the Void series to the Shannara series has successfully created a world that is as epic in scope as any other fantasy world in existence.
This is a must read for all Terry Brooks fans and for those who have never read Terry Brooks I can only say that you are really missing out.
Those who have been fans of Terry Brooks like myself will have read his works that take place after the great wars and the destruction, in a world where magic rules. In spite of this foreknowledge the tension was still there in this story which is a testament to the writing skill of Terry Brooks.
In the Gypsy Morph the characters from the earlier two novels in the Genesis of Shannra finally come together in order for them to follow Hawk as he leads them to safety. It is safe to say that Hawk is the most powerful character in the history of Terry Brooks' novels and yet Mr Brooks did a wonderful job in humanising him. Though he had great power he was beset constantly with uncertainty and danger and only his family and those he loved could keep him going.
The strength of the characters in this series of novels was a real high point and helped to bring these novels together. You felt every loss and cheer for every triumph and before you know it you have spent half your afternoon sucked into the world trapped in these pages and the time has just flown by.
Overall The Gypsy Morph completes one of Terry Brook's best works to date. His seamless stitching of the Word and the Void series to the Shannara series has successfully created a world that is as epic in scope as any other fantasy world in existence.
This is a must read for all Terry Brooks fans and for those who have never read Terry Brooks I can only say that you are really missing out.
February 6, 2011
This was a good ending to the Armageddon's Children trilogy. I want to say a great ending - I really do - but I just can't. There are too many little details that are still kind of driving me nuts, even after I'm done reading.
-Spoilers-
1: Panther, Cat and Cheney. So they went through all that, and then they were wiped out with the rest of everything when the nukes went off at the end? I mean, I know that people could survive radiation, nuclear winter, etc. It's possible. But... really?
2: Tom and Simralin. Love at first sight doesn't fly. It just doesn't, and especially when it's the end of the world. There's an issue of "Hello, it's the end of the world, I'm under huge amounts of pressure, and my brain isn't working quite right due to all the stress. But I love you. Is that a problem?" What happens when everything settles down? Do they stay together?
3: Some characters is seemed as though Brooks was getting tired of them or didn't know quite what to do, so off they went. In the series, I'm looking at the Weatherman, Squirrel, and especially Chalk.
4: The giant end battle. Suddenly it's the whole demon army, everything's going wrong, and right in the middle of it Hawk walks in, pulls apart the earth and *poof*, they're gone. No warning, no leadup, nothing.
I'm not sure if the end of the book struck me more as open-ended, with more books filling in the gaps ahead, or just... unfinished and rushed. The first book was awesome, the second struggled, and this one was good, but fizzled just a little.
-Spoilers-
1: Panther, Cat and Cheney. So they went through all that, and then they were wiped out with the rest of everything when the nukes went off at the end? I mean, I know that people could survive radiation, nuclear winter, etc. It's possible. But... really?
2: Tom and Simralin. Love at first sight doesn't fly. It just doesn't, and especially when it's the end of the world. There's an issue of "Hello, it's the end of the world, I'm under huge amounts of pressure, and my brain isn't working quite right due to all the stress. But I love you. Is that a problem?" What happens when everything settles down? Do they stay together?
3: Some characters is seemed as though Brooks was getting tired of them or didn't know quite what to do, so off they went. In the series, I'm looking at the Weatherman, Squirrel, and especially Chalk.
4: The giant end battle. Suddenly it's the whole demon army, everything's going wrong, and right in the middle of it Hawk walks in, pulls apart the earth and *poof*, they're gone. No warning, no leadup, nothing.
I'm not sure if the end of the book struck me more as open-ended, with more books filling in the gaps ahead, or just... unfinished and rushed. The first book was awesome, the second struggled, and this one was good, but fizzled just a little.
May 11, 2011
Si conclude, almeno per il momento, con questo "L'Esercito dei Demoni" l'ultima fatica di Terry Brooks, il ciclo della Genesi di Shannara. Devo dire che, per fortuna, dopo un periodo in cui non mi aveva entusiasmato, con questo ciclo il buon vecchio Terry è tornato agli antichi splendori, scrivendo come lui sa fare.
Il libro, di per se, mi è piaciuto forse meno dei due che lo hanno preceduto; sembra infatti che ultimamente Brooks soffra di una "sindrome da finali", producendo finali delle sue saghe non sempre all'altezza delle aspettative. C'è comunque da dire che come finale questo è nettamente superiore a quello del suo precedente ciclo (Il Druido Supremo di Shannara), quindi spero sia un segnale di una ripresa...
Tutte le trame iniziate nei precedenti libri in questo vengono concluse, alcune un po forzatamente, forse. Si capisce quindi che non c'è spazio per nuovi elementi da inserire nelle trama, tranne quei pochi che si intuivano già sarebbero stati inseriti (tipo il demone che da la caccia ai protagonisti), il che potrebbe essere una debolezza, restituendo un senso di già visto, che per fortuna nel mio caso non è avvenuto...
Il vero punto di forza del libro, e di tutta la saga, è l'ambientazione: Brooks descrive un mondo sull'orlo del collasso, senza più speranze, e lo fa magistralmente.
May 7, 2011
Genesis
I eagerly devoured the "Gypsy Morph," Brooks' concluding tale to his quite satisfying trilogy prequel. Written 25 years after the publication of his first epic, "The Sword of Shannara," the Genesis trilogy lays the foundation for the work that preceded it so many years ago. Interestingly enough I read the first of this trilogy shortly before I became ill with cancer. I purchased the latter two while I recuperated, but did not begin them till last week, then consumed them in a fury. Glancing back now, thinking about the themes pursued throughout the series - faith, hope, courage, commitment & redemption - I cannot but help feel that the arc of the story line parallels my own course into & back from my illness. I can tell you that reading these books made me feel stronger. I saw my confidence level soar with each heroic triumph. I knew that I could better shoulder the way down my path, past those obstacles strewn like boulders in front of me. The heroes & heroines of "The Gypsy Morph" filled me with hope, instilling in me the sense, that beginnings & endings, even when foretold & predicted, are still magical.
I eagerly devoured the "Gypsy Morph," Brooks' concluding tale to his quite satisfying trilogy prequel. Written 25 years after the publication of his first epic, "The Sword of Shannara," the Genesis trilogy lays the foundation for the work that preceded it so many years ago. Interestingly enough I read the first of this trilogy shortly before I became ill with cancer. I purchased the latter two while I recuperated, but did not begin them till last week, then consumed them in a fury. Glancing back now, thinking about the themes pursued throughout the series - faith, hope, courage, commitment & redemption - I cannot but help feel that the arc of the story line parallels my own course into & back from my illness. I can tell you that reading these books made me feel stronger. I saw my confidence level soar with each heroic triumph. I knew that I could better shoulder the way down my path, past those obstacles strewn like boulders in front of me. The heroes & heroines of "The Gypsy Morph" filled me with hope, instilling in me the sense, that beginnings & endings, even when foretold & predicted, are still magical.
September 4, 2018
Finally done with this series. A couple of thoughts overall. First, given that this trilogy is part of a much larger series, there seemed to be a lot of repetitive exposition, probably to help readers who haven't read the other dozen or more volumes. But even coming to this decades after reading his first books, it seemed excessive. Second, enough with everyone doubting themselves! We get it - the main characters who have missions to perform don't know how they will carry them out. They have doubts and uncertainties. And given that the major turning points are pretty deux-ex-machinistic, that's understandable. But it doesn't make it more readable. And frankly, if I saw someone use magic to destroy an entire demon army one day, I probably wouldn't be grousing about "how can we trust him?" a day later.
December 9, 2011
What can I say other than that Terry Brooks is amazing? I did myself a big favor and read this shortly after reading the second book in the trilogy. If you're anything like me and read a gazillion and one series then you probably need a little memory jogging (but on some things just outright forget) when it comes to what happened in the previous book. When I read the Elves of Cintra I remembered very little of what transpired in the first book and what the story was even really about. I let more than a year, maybe two, lapse between reading those. But this time with the last book fresh in my memory I was able to follow right away and Brooks's world of Shannara continues to be nothing but a masterpiece.
November 12, 2022
„Die Flüchtlinge von Shannara“ ist der finale Band der „Die Großen Kriege“-Trilogie von Terry Brooks. Ein letztes Mal begleiten wir die Menschen und Elfen auf ihrem Weg in eine neue Zukunft. Erschienen ist der Roman bei blanvalet im Oktober 2016.
Die Erde ist ihrer völligen Zerstörung nahe. Sowohl die Menschen rund um Hawk als auch die Elfen an der Seite von Kirisin machen sich auf dem Weg zu einem Ort, der ihnen Sicherheit verspricht. Begleitet werden sie von den Rittern des Lichts Angel Perez und Logan Tom. Verfolgt von einer Armee aus Dämonen und Einst-Menschen, die die Welt nun überwiegend bevölkern. Viele Gefahren lauern auf dem Weg zur Zuflucht und die sich ihnen stellenden Aufgaben scheinen kaum lösbar. Nur wenn sie es schaffen, haben die Menschen und Elfen noch eine Chance auf eine Zukunft.
Ich habe die Vorgeschichte zu den Shannara Chroniken beendet und am Ende bin ich doch wieder sehr zufrieden. Teil 2 war sehr schwach und hatte mich ein wenig die Lust an der Reihe verlieren lassen, doch dieser finale Band macht vieles wieder gut.
Diesmal habe ich nicht so viel Zeit verstreichen lassen und kam gut in der Geschichte an. Ich hatte das Gefühl, die Geschichte hat ein festes Ziel vor Augen und wird konsequent voran geführt. Das Schicksal der Elfen verbindet sich endlich mit dem der Menschen und viele schwere Aufgaben müssen gelöst werden.
Das Buch war überwiegend spannend und hat einem nur wenige Pausen gelassen, um alles auf sich wirken zu lassen. Die Düsternis dieser Welt hat einen fast erdrückt, aber ich mochte auch genau diese Düsternis. Die Welt verwandelt sich in dieser Reihe, in die Welt von Shannara, die wir aus den anderen Büchern der Reihe kennen. Wir erleben die Katastrophe, die vorher stattgefunden hat und ich bin sehr dankbar dafür, dass Terry Brooks, diese Reihe dafür geschrieben hat, denn diese Geschichte hat mich brennend interessiert, seit ich diese Andeutungen in der Serie gesehen habe.
Ich bin allen Protagonisten gerne gefolgt. Jede*r hat seinen ganz eigenen Beitrag zum Gelingen dieser Mission beizutragen und ihre Gedanken beim Lösen dieser Aufgaben haben mich sehr fasziniert. Oftmals habe ich darüber etwas zu ihren Motiven und den Ereignissen, die sie geformt haben, erfahren. Gerne war ich dabei, wie einzelne Personen über sich hinausgewachsen sind, aber auch das Gemeinschaftsgefühl, dass in dieser Reihe entsteht, konnte mich sehr für sich einnehmen. Außerdem schreckt der Autor auch nicht davor zurück, einige Charaktere sterben oder ihren eigenen Weg gehen zu lassen. Das hat für mich alles nochmal einen Tick realistischer gemacht.
Kirisin, Hawk, Logan Tom und Angel Perez kommt im gesamten Gefüge eine exponierte Rolle zu. Sie sind essenziell für das Gelingen der Mission. Logan Tom und Angel Perez sind die Ritter des Lichtes. Ihnen kommt eine wichtige Rolle beim Schutz der Elfen und Menschen zu, aber sie haben auch eigene innere Kämpfe auszufechten. Gerade Logan Tom ist jemand, der sich selber viel hinterfragt, aber auch Angel
Perez muss sich einigen Herausforderungen stellen, die ihr alles abverlangen. Kirisin und Hawk haben die große Aufgabe bekommen ihr jeweiliges Volk zu schützen. Beide sind nicht auf diese große Verantwortung vorbereitet worden, wachsen aber mit ihren Aufgaben.
Wir bekommen zumindest auch kleinere Einblicke in die Welt der Dämonen und ihre Gedankengänge und auch diese sind in gewisser Weise greifbar. Dadurch hatte diese Reihe auch eine recht philosophische Komponente. Für was für eine Welt möchte man kämpfen? Worauf kommt es an? Macht oder Zusammenhalt in einer Gemeinschaft? Was sind wir bereit zu geben für unser Ziel?
An sich war diese Welt sehr greifbar. Es ist ganz klar Fantasy mit seinen unterschiedlichen Arten von Magie, aber irgendwie scheint das alles auch in unserer jetzigen Welt zu schlummern. Ich mag es echt sehr, dass diese Reihe auf unserer Erde spielt und sich halt verändert. Wer weiß, ob unsere Welt in 3.000 Jahren nicht eine magische Welt ist, in der es Elfen und viel andere Arten von Lebewesen gibt? Ich mag diese Vorstellung zumindest sehr.
Einen etwas bitteren Beigeschmack hat der Begriff Z*-Morph. Ich möchte den Begriff nicht ganz ausschreiben und ich denke, würde Terry Brooks das Buch heute schreiben, würde er das vielleicht auch anders benennen. Dieser Begriff kommt nicht häufig vor und steht halt für Hawk und seine Magie. Ich sehe da eine gewisse Verbindung zu Sinti und Roma, weil diesen in der Vergangenheit magische Kräfte nachgesagt wurden. Es ist aus heutiger Sicht kein schöner Begriff und vielleicht gibt es in zukünftigen Ausgaben eine Lösung dafür. Es würde nichts an der Geschichte ändern, wenn sich hier ein neuer Begriff ausgedacht wird.
Zusatzmaterial, wie ein Personenverzeichnis oder ein Glossar gibt es nicht und auch kein Nachwort des Autors. Ich konnte der Geschichte aber auch so gut folgen, obwohl es doch eine ganze Reihe an Personen gibt. Es ist eine fortlaufende Geschichte. Die Vorgängerbände haben also jedes Mal mitten in einer Szene geendet. Das ist dann tatsächlich auch das Einzige mit, was ich nicht so mochte. Die einzelnen Bücher haben zusätzlich nicht noch ein eigenes Ziel und das hat den mittleren Band etwas zäh für mich gemacht.
Fazit: Eine spannende Reise geht für mich zu Ende. Dieser finale Band war spannend und konnte mich mit der gesamten Reihe wieder versöhnen. Ich mochte die Düsternis und den Übergang, den sie darstellt. Empfehlenswert für alle, die wissen wollen, wie die Welt von Shannara entstanden ist und keine Angst vor Dämonen und Einst-Menschen haben.
Die Erde ist ihrer völligen Zerstörung nahe. Sowohl die Menschen rund um Hawk als auch die Elfen an der Seite von Kirisin machen sich auf dem Weg zu einem Ort, der ihnen Sicherheit verspricht. Begleitet werden sie von den Rittern des Lichts Angel Perez und Logan Tom. Verfolgt von einer Armee aus Dämonen und Einst-Menschen, die die Welt nun überwiegend bevölkern. Viele Gefahren lauern auf dem Weg zur Zuflucht und die sich ihnen stellenden Aufgaben scheinen kaum lösbar. Nur wenn sie es schaffen, haben die Menschen und Elfen noch eine Chance auf eine Zukunft.
Ich habe die Vorgeschichte zu den Shannara Chroniken beendet und am Ende bin ich doch wieder sehr zufrieden. Teil 2 war sehr schwach und hatte mich ein wenig die Lust an der Reihe verlieren lassen, doch dieser finale Band macht vieles wieder gut.
Diesmal habe ich nicht so viel Zeit verstreichen lassen und kam gut in der Geschichte an. Ich hatte das Gefühl, die Geschichte hat ein festes Ziel vor Augen und wird konsequent voran geführt. Das Schicksal der Elfen verbindet sich endlich mit dem der Menschen und viele schwere Aufgaben müssen gelöst werden.
Das Buch war überwiegend spannend und hat einem nur wenige Pausen gelassen, um alles auf sich wirken zu lassen. Die Düsternis dieser Welt hat einen fast erdrückt, aber ich mochte auch genau diese Düsternis. Die Welt verwandelt sich in dieser Reihe, in die Welt von Shannara, die wir aus den anderen Büchern der Reihe kennen. Wir erleben die Katastrophe, die vorher stattgefunden hat und ich bin sehr dankbar dafür, dass Terry Brooks, diese Reihe dafür geschrieben hat, denn diese Geschichte hat mich brennend interessiert, seit ich diese Andeutungen in der Serie gesehen habe.
Ich bin allen Protagonisten gerne gefolgt. Jede*r hat seinen ganz eigenen Beitrag zum Gelingen dieser Mission beizutragen und ihre Gedanken beim Lösen dieser Aufgaben haben mich sehr fasziniert. Oftmals habe ich darüber etwas zu ihren Motiven und den Ereignissen, die sie geformt haben, erfahren. Gerne war ich dabei, wie einzelne Personen über sich hinausgewachsen sind, aber auch das Gemeinschaftsgefühl, dass in dieser Reihe entsteht, konnte mich sehr für sich einnehmen. Außerdem schreckt der Autor auch nicht davor zurück, einige Charaktere sterben oder ihren eigenen Weg gehen zu lassen. Das hat für mich alles nochmal einen Tick realistischer gemacht.
Kirisin, Hawk, Logan Tom und Angel Perez kommt im gesamten Gefüge eine exponierte Rolle zu. Sie sind essenziell für das Gelingen der Mission. Logan Tom und Angel Perez sind die Ritter des Lichtes. Ihnen kommt eine wichtige Rolle beim Schutz der Elfen und Menschen zu, aber sie haben auch eigene innere Kämpfe auszufechten. Gerade Logan Tom ist jemand, der sich selber viel hinterfragt, aber auch Angel
Perez muss sich einigen Herausforderungen stellen, die ihr alles abverlangen. Kirisin und Hawk haben die große Aufgabe bekommen ihr jeweiliges Volk zu schützen. Beide sind nicht auf diese große Verantwortung vorbereitet worden, wachsen aber mit ihren Aufgaben.
Wir bekommen zumindest auch kleinere Einblicke in die Welt der Dämonen und ihre Gedankengänge und auch diese sind in gewisser Weise greifbar. Dadurch hatte diese Reihe auch eine recht philosophische Komponente. Für was für eine Welt möchte man kämpfen? Worauf kommt es an? Macht oder Zusammenhalt in einer Gemeinschaft? Was sind wir bereit zu geben für unser Ziel?
An sich war diese Welt sehr greifbar. Es ist ganz klar Fantasy mit seinen unterschiedlichen Arten von Magie, aber irgendwie scheint das alles auch in unserer jetzigen Welt zu schlummern. Ich mag es echt sehr, dass diese Reihe auf unserer Erde spielt und sich halt verändert. Wer weiß, ob unsere Welt in 3.000 Jahren nicht eine magische Welt ist, in der es Elfen und viel andere Arten von Lebewesen gibt? Ich mag diese Vorstellung zumindest sehr.
Einen etwas bitteren Beigeschmack hat der Begriff Z*-Morph. Ich möchte den Begriff nicht ganz ausschreiben und ich denke, würde Terry Brooks das Buch heute schreiben, würde er das vielleicht auch anders benennen. Dieser Begriff kommt nicht häufig vor und steht halt für Hawk und seine Magie. Ich sehe da eine gewisse Verbindung zu Sinti und Roma, weil diesen in der Vergangenheit magische Kräfte nachgesagt wurden. Es ist aus heutiger Sicht kein schöner Begriff und vielleicht gibt es in zukünftigen Ausgaben eine Lösung dafür. Es würde nichts an der Geschichte ändern, wenn sich hier ein neuer Begriff ausgedacht wird.
Zusatzmaterial, wie ein Personenverzeichnis oder ein Glossar gibt es nicht und auch kein Nachwort des Autors. Ich konnte der Geschichte aber auch so gut folgen, obwohl es doch eine ganze Reihe an Personen gibt. Es ist eine fortlaufende Geschichte. Die Vorgängerbände haben also jedes Mal mitten in einer Szene geendet. Das ist dann tatsächlich auch das Einzige mit, was ich nicht so mochte. Die einzelnen Bücher haben zusätzlich nicht noch ein eigenes Ziel und das hat den mittleren Band etwas zäh für mich gemacht.
Fazit: Eine spannende Reise geht für mich zu Ende. Dieser finale Band war spannend und konnte mich mit der gesamten Reihe wieder versöhnen. Ich mochte die Düsternis und den Übergang, den sie darstellt. Empfehlenswert für alle, die wissen wollen, wie die Welt von Shannara entstanden ist und keine Angst vor Dämonen und Einst-Menschen haben.
March 10, 2020
I very much enjoyed this one. The boy and his children suffered some losses (which means we did, too). Love was found, and so was life. I thought I might need a break, since the last few books I've read have all been Shannara books, but I think I'm good to jump in to the next one :). Granted, it took nearly a month to finish this one (because of my own issues, not any with the book). Hopefully I'm coming out of my "funk" and I'll get through the next one a bit quicker.
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