The Druid of Shannara (The Heritage of Shannara)

This book is absolutely beautiful. The first book I ever read of Terry Brooks was The Elfstones of Shannara. i then hopped onto Wishsong of Shannara (Being, as I was, afraid to tackle Sword of Shannara because there were just so many pages!) and then I started the Heritage of Shannara. No other book has left such an impact on me as the Druid of Shannara and I have read hundreds of books since then. I have since graduated onto the new Master of the Genre (George R R Martin) but this novel will always occupy the number one spot in my heart. The character of Quickening has got to be one of the most astonishing, anywhere in any kind of novel, and her tragic romance with Morgan Leah will make even the strongest of hearts cry. Even now, at the age of 24 a full ten years since I first read the book, I always pray that Quickening and Morgan Leah somehow get together. I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody. Excellent.

The Druid of shannara is perhaps the finest of the heritage of shannara series. While the entire series is an interesting, well written adventure, the Druid showcases Mr. Brooks' finest talents. In many ways darker and meaner than the rest of the series, it is not overly so. Pe Ell, a master assassin working for the evil Shadowen, is quite possibly the most sinister character Brooks has ever created. despite the heroism of the protagonists and the 'righting the wrongs' theme, the assassin's shadow looms over the heroes through the whole book. The line drawn between the members of the little band of people is often toes, sometimes crossed and never certain. It creates an excellent air of tension and provides for excellent dialogue and conflict for the characters. This conflict, coupled with the continuing self doubt and inner struggle of the druid, Walker Boh, provide for some of the best parts of the story. The characters always seem as though they are on the edge of personal and world wide tragedy, and remain human through out. The characters react as human beings would in every situation. The feeling of reality prevails and engrosses the reader totally. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This simply one of the best books I have ever read. The story is enchanting, and the charaters flow and mesh together like a song. Walker is put under a magnifying glass in this book, and we see more of the real him. I think that this is one of the best in the series, and I reccomend this book ONLY if you have read the Scions of Shannara. If you have, read it today!

This is definitely my favorite Shannara book -- it's darker than some of the others, and the characters are far more original than the generic "elf, dwarf, warrior, reluctant hero" etc. types in Mr. Brooks' earliest novels. For some reason, I always love the weirdest characters: Pe Ell was my favorite this time around!!

I thought this story was very absorbing. I could relate to the characters and often found myself feeling thier emotions with them.You would have to read the entire series to understand it, but it's well worth it. A few dry points, but they are great none the less! Terry... I'm a huge fan!