Spoilers Shannara revisisted

[Procutus]

About a week ago, I discovered a new novel by Terry Brooks in his ongoing Shannara series - Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara. As it's been seven years since I had read anything of Shannara, I decided to check it out of our library to have a look.

In the Shannara timeline, this novel takes place about 500 years after the Legends of Shannara duology and 500 years before the events of First King of Shannara and the Second War of the Races. Galaphile is the elf who established the first Druid Council and has been mentioned in previous novels.

Although I'm only seven chapters in, I'm finding it to be an enjoyable read. One of the things that drew me to it is when it takes place in Brooks' fictional future history and the fact that it continues to fill in the gaps between our modern world and how it eventually morphs into the Four Lands. The indications are that this is the first novel in what is likely to be another trilogy.

If you're a fan of the Shannara saga, I think that like me, you'll find it worth your time.

 

[Procutus]

A few more thoughts, having now finished it.

It was only after I had started reading it that I found out that Brooks had announced his retirement from writing in March, right around the time of the book's publication - and that he is leaving the legacy of continuing the Shannara novels to another fantasy writer, Delilah Dawson (who work I'm not familiar with).

This led me to wonder as I continued reading just how much of this one TB had written himself, of if Dawson was already involved. All in all, I have to see that it still felt like Brooks' writing at this point. I'm guessing that the second volume of this trilogy will be presented in much the same way as Clive Cussler's series are now - with Brooks' name in big letters, and with Dawson's at the bottom. The implication of what I read about their partnership is that TB intends to be something of a consultant, even though he's handed of the brunt of the writing to Dawson.

All in all I enjoyed it, though I was hoping for a bit more connective tissue to the duology that preceded it, such as an explanation of where the 'Valley' in that story was, in relation to other areas of the Four Lands.

But the thing I liked most was the foreshadowing the end, hinting at the origins of Brona, the Warlock Lord from the first novel in the series. Like me if you're a fan of Shannara, you'll appreciate the groundwork laid by this one.