The Word and the Void

When I first purchased this omnibus, I got it because of Terry Brooks "Shannara" series, i.e. an author with a deep experience in sci-fi fantasy who, for some reason, I've never read. Little did I know, these books were a prequel to the Shannara series which I never picked up and had no good reason not to. After "The Word and the Void", they are next on my reading list to be sure, even if it is over 20 years later. Hopefully this isn't a spoiler-- it shouldn't be. Several score of pages into "Running with the Demon" I was a bit discouraged-- who seemed to be the main protagonist ("John Ross") I was not connect with. Who ended up not being *that* character was the character who I could become attached to ("Nest Freemark"). Once I knew the story revolved around Nest, the pages flew by without me even noticing. It's classic good and evil, without all the cliches and stereotypes. The story of Nest, from naive and frail teenager to a mature 20-something who has always struggled with who she is was what drives the story. From me, this comes highly recommended. I can't wait to start the Shannara series now.

Good service and an excellent read. I just wish there was an audio version!

When 'Running With the Demon' first came out, I was initially NOT interested--at ALL. Which is quite different for me, especially since I have been such a vocal fan of Terry's since, oh I'd say the late 70's when I first discovered his original 'Sword of Shannara'. I should also point out that I also did not want to read Harry Potter for similar reasons (Fantasy being used in the Real World? No Way, thank you). Based on some prodding by several friends, I began the series and I have been forever grateful to those friends for introducing me to yet another example of why Terry Brooks stands atop the Fantasy World these days. While that statement can (and will) be debated, it isn't up for debate to me. The characters are VERY well drawn out, and quite relatable even despite the element of Magic used. For those who wonder whether Terry has borrowed anything from Harry Potter, I assure you the two series couldn't be more different. Nest Freemark and her troubles from the outset of book one, to the eventual clash at the end of the series in 'Angel Fire East' is one that ALL Fantasy enthusiasts can be excited to read about. A little caution though: the Word and the Void are quite a bit darker than what Terry has written before in the Shannara and Landover series...but not any less entertaining. For those who may (or may not know) Terry is working on the final volume of a series which bridges the gap between the Word & Void series and Shannara--which so far have been absolutely incredible (IMO). I always know to trust Terry when it comes to what he produces, and one additional valuable lesson was that it doesn't really matter what the subject matter is, Terry just isn't going to let me down. He has NEVER disappointed me in the past, and so far, my hopes remain high for anything and everything he has planned for in the future. Highly recommended.

This is his original trilogy in one volume. I have always been a great fan of Terry Brooks and have read everything he's written. This series is connected with that world but set in modern times. Highly recommended for any Terry Brooks fan. If you've never read anything by him I'd suggest starting with "The Sword of Shannara" to check out his writing style, if you love that book as much as I did then this trilogy won't disappoint you.

The is a masterpiece that now starts all of Brooks' tales. This collection of the first three books makes it easy to read all of the starting stories for his entire Shannara lineage.