Shannara coming to television

[BenG]

As far as Brooks goes, I read the trilogy when it was first published but didn't go any further. I re-read them several years ago and was surprised at how awkward the writing was in the first book, but each of the following books seemed to be getting better, as far as the writing was concerned.
I haven't read anything else by him, except maybe for the Star Wars prequel novelization.
And I wasn't outraged at the Tolkien ripoff. I wanted more Tolkien.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BenG

As far as Brooks goes, I read the trilogy when it was first published but didn't go any further. I re-read them several years ago and was surprised at how awkward the writing was in the first book, but each of the following books seemed to be getting better, as far as the writing was concerned.

I read them when they were first published in the late 70s, when I was a teenager, and enjoyed them (while thinking that "Sword" was an LoTR rip-off, as I've already said) but I should re-read them now to see what I think of them as a much more mature reader. I actually have the original trilogy in an omnibus ebook edition; I'll move it up my reading list, I think.

[conan50]

In fantasy everyone rips off everyone else :-)
Tolkien ripped off the Kalevala, Beowulf, the Eddas--taking many of his dwarf names, Frodo, and Gandalf from them--he also lifted William Morris' "Mirkwood". Authors borrow and are inspired by other authors all the time. Anyone writing Epic Fantasy in the 70s-80s were borrowing from Tolkien with very few exceptions. Others were borrowing from Robert E. Howard, pretty much anything with a barbarian in it was Howard-like, Sword & Sorcery even made it into cartoons "He-Man".
The problem is not borrowing but making it your own, doing something different or unique with it. Shannara, the world, feels very different from Tolkien's Middle Earth, that whole world setting is the best thing about Brooks' Shannara IMO. His stories set there vary in quality, but all feel similar. The Void series is something else altogether, as is his Landover books.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by conan50

In fantasy everyone rips off everyone else :-)
Tolkien ripped off the Kalevala, Beowulf, the Eddas--taking many of his dwarf names, Frodo, and Gandalf from them--he also lifted William Morris' "Mirkwood". Authors borrow and are inspired by other authors all the time. Anyone writing Epic Fantasy in the 70s-80s were borrowing from Tolkien with very few exceptions.

I'd rather have someone borrow from Tolkien, than having him write bad fantasy. One example is David Eddings.

The Belgariad and Malloreon were very good young adult fantasy. The Elenium and Tamuli were on par with that, but basically, the stories were very much alike, especially both sets centering around sentient, all-powerful blue and red stones, and gods to be destroyed by the protagonist.

When writing The Dreamers, Eddings basically wrote the same book four times. It's the only series I've actually dropped, somewhere around 1/3rd of the third book.

With Brooks, just dragging the same families into it by their hair over and over again is just a pet-peeve of mine. Ohmsford, Leah, Elessedil... it's always the same ones.

The Ohmsford bloodline is even mixed into the Elven royal family (Shea Ohmsford is related to Jerle Shannara, Wren Elessedil is also an Ohmsford), and into the druids (Walker Boh is an Ohmsford using his mother's name, and of course Grianne Ohmsford).

Oh, and I still think that "Elfstones of Shannara" should have been called "Bloodfire Quest" or something. The Elfstones were not the main plot in that book. (Although it's the best Shannara book there is, IMHO.)

[AnemicOak]

Official page for the show on the MTV site with some behind the scenes/making of clips...

http://www.mtv.com/shows/shannara

[drofgnal]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I read them when they were first published in the late 70s, when I was a teenager, and enjoyed them (while thinking that "Sword" was an LoTR rip-off, as I've already said) but I should re-read them now to see what I think of them as a much more mature reader. I actually have the original trilogy in an omnibus ebook edition; I'll move it up my reading list, I think.

I'm reading it now and am really enjoying it. Looking forward to the series. Looks awesome.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'd rather have someone borrow from Tolkien, than having him write bad fantasy. One example is David Eddings.

The Belgariad and Malloreon were very good young adult fantasy. The Elenium and Tamuli were on par with that, but basically, the stories were very much alike, especially both sets centering around sentient, all-powerful blue and red stones, and gods to be destroyed by the protagonist.

When writing The Dreamers, Eddings basically wrote the same book four times. It's the only series I've actually dropped, somewhere around 1/3rd of the third book.

With Brooks, just dragging the same families into it by their hair over and over again is just a pet-peeve of mine. Ohmsford, Leah, Elessedil... it's always the same ones.

The Ohmsford bloodline is even mixed into the Elven royal family (Shea Ohmsford is related to Jerle Shannara, Wren Elessedil is also an Ohmsford), and into the druids (Walker Boh is an Ohmsford using his mother's name, and of course Grianne Ohmsford).

Oh, and I still think that "Elfstones of Shannara" should have been called "Bloodfire Quest" or something. The Elfstones were not the main plot in that book. (Although it's the best Shannara book there is, IMHO.)

Agreed. I got tired of Eddings fast.
At first I was put off by Brooks and other Tolkien-like authors, but then I realized why complain about books that are like my favorites?
Where Brooks borrowed from Tolkien is his elves and dwarves. There were no elves or dwarves of that exact type anywhere before Tolkien. You find the same types in most modern epic fantasy, Mithgar, Dragonlance, Shannara, and a host of others.
The traditional type of evil, greedy, imp-like dwarfs were pre-Tolkien, and he has one of that kind in the Children of Hurin. But we find them as a mighty race when Tolkien formed them along with the elves in LOTR and its connected historical books.
Everybody had "Tolkien Elves and Dwarves" after LOTR became popular in the 60s and 70s. And some had "Halflings" which are based on Tolkien's Hobbits.

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'd rather have someone borrow from Tolkien, than having him write bad fantasy. One example is David Eddings.

The Belgariad and Malloreon were very good young adult fantasy. The Elenium and Tamuli were on par with that, but basically, the stories were very much alike, especially both sets centering around sentient, all-powerful blue and red stones, and gods to be destroyed by the protagonist.

When writing The Dreamers, Eddings basically wrote the same book four times. It's the only series I've actually dropped, somewhere around 1/3rd of the third book.

Agreed, I dropped the Dreamers after book 1. It was awful and clearly a clone of his previous books, down to the smart alecky gods and shabby wizards.

At least the Elenium/Tamuli, Sparhawk was a fun/weathered sort of grizzled character vs Garion in the Belgariad/Mallorean.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'd rather have someone borrow from Tolkien, than having him write bad fantasy. One example is David Eddings.

Eddings wrote one bad series ("The Dreamers"); I think we're all agreed that it was bad? However, despite that he's one of my favourite authors. I read his books over and over again as "comfort reading".

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Eddings wrote one bad series ("The Dreamers"); I think we're all agreed that it was bad? However, despite that he's one of my favourite authors. I read his books over and over again as "comfort reading".

I also find Eddings to be perfect comfort reading (at least the Belgariad, Malloreon, Elenium and Tamuli series), but he lost me before "The Dreamers" - I didn't really enjoy "The Redemption of Althalus" either.

I never read "Belgarath the Sorcerer", "Polgara the Sorceress" and "The Rivan Codex" - are they worth the effort?

/JB

[AnemicOak]

Surprised that most of his books aren't available yet in the US as digital volumes.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jbjb

I never read "Belgarath the Sorcerer", "Polgara the Sorceress" and "The Rivan Codex" - are they worth the effort?

The first two, yes, definitely if you enjoyed Belgariad/Mallorean; they fill in the "back story".

The Rivan Codex? If you enjoyed the lengthy quotations from the "ancient texts" that you get at the start of the books of the Balgariad, then yes, otherwise probably no. It's the "complete" version of those.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Surprised that most of his books aren't available yet in the US as digital volumes.

Presumably the usual case of different US and UK publishers. All his books have been available as ebooks in the UK for many years.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Presumably the usual case of different US and UK publishers. All his books have been available as ebooks in the UK for many years.

I'm sure it is (Edit: it's different imprints, but the same overall publisher), but it's still kind of surprising. With the popularity his series' still have it's a pretty big market to leave not served.

[HarryT]

I agree entirely.