Shannara coming to television

[Katsunami]

Weird. Wikipedia says that episodes 3 and 4 still have to be aired. Then how can people watch them; are the ones on the MTV site not sneak previews but full episodes already?

edit: Oh, OK. Answer is in the Wiki article as well. "The third and fourth episodes were released online after the first two episodes aired on January 5, 2016, prior to their original broadcast schedule."

How many episodes will there be? I've read somewhere that Elfstones would be adapted in the first 10 episodes, but that elements from the other books will be added along the way, to make the series progress with those storylines after Elfstones concludes.

Also... where is the Wing Hove in this version of Shannara?

In the books, it's in the south of the Westland, but in this version, Amberle tells someone she is going to the mission in Culhaven. If the Wing Hove is the mission, then it would be in the Eastland. Maybe Amberle just lied and she wasn't going to Culhaven and the Wing Hove is not the same as the mission.

[Conan46]

Since I bought the season on Google Play I'm still waiting to see episodes 3-4. I'm a cable cord cutter so no cable login to use. Regarding commercials, recent episode of Big Bang Theory only had 18 minutes of the actual show, the rest of the half hour was commercials. Most one hour shows have about twenty minutes of commercials. Paying a hundred bucks a month for cable and getting deluged with commercials...that's one reason I cut the cord.

[Katsunami]

It's a pity that cable internet mostly has the best price/speed ratio in the Netherlands; and because of having cable internet, I also need to have at leasat basic cable TV.

Maybe I'll look into other providers to see what can be had nowadays. Last time I checked is a few years ago already. I rarely watch television. Netflix is the only subscription I have ever considered. If it stays this way, with us (people in Europe/Netherlands) having to wait for months or even years for series to appear on TV, while they can be watched through Netflix, I'll probably ditch cable TV completely for an internet/netflix combo. But, as noted, my internet speed will probably go down.

[Ken Maltby]

I saw the first two episodes on MTV on DirecTV. It looks like the next two episodes are available. What I am not sure of is if there are anymore than the four episodes? It is on the same day and time as "Expanse" a new SiFi series. So far I have them both being recorded on my DVR.

Is there a Eruopean satellite TV service?

Luck;
Ken

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You've mentioned this before, and you were just as wrong then.
It has been perfectly clear from Sword of Shannara on that the setting was our world in the far distant future.

Could you give an example of what makes it perfectly clear? It certainly never crossed my mind when I read the original book that this was the case. I get the distinct impression that this was an idea that Mr Brooks introduced much, much later.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Could you give an example of what makes it perfectly clear? It certainly never crossed my mind when I read the original book that this was the case. I get the distinct impression that this was an idea that Mr Brooks introduced much, much later.

You know, I have to go with Harry on this. I read Diap's post the other day and said, , really? I don't remember that from Sword. Not at all. I remember thinking...was it Elfstones?...that the ancient crumbling cities could be from Earth, but...forgive me for confusing the titles, but the one with the flower chick. You all know what I mean. (As in..."A flower chick, a boy and a Druid go into a city, meet a spider...") That, I think, was my first real inkling that Shannara=Earth.

Hitch

[DiapDealer]

There were many hints in Allanon's "history lesson" lesson in chapter two. Then there was the rusted-out girders of modern buildings they came across when traveling through the Wolfsktaag mountains (where they were attacked by a half-biological/half-machine-like creature). It really kicks into gear in the Heritage series (which is what you're thinking of, Hitch) with "creepers" and Cogline's use of technology like gunpowder in Wishsong (The druid order was was first centered around technology and not magic). There were also numerous references to "smokeless torches."

The only thing Word/Void and the later Genesis of Shannara revealed in this regard was that the specific location was the Pacific Northwest.

And the Word/Void series was technically not even a part of the Shannara Universe when it was written and published. Terry had no plans to connect them at that point (but he'd already been discussing the post-apocalyptic nature of his earlier series online and in interviews by that point). He decided to tie Word/Void to Shannara via the Genesis series.

So I guess technically you could say that the Genesis series is where people were first slapped really hard in the face with the reality of the post-apocalyptic nature of Shannara, but it has been common knowledge among his fan-base since the early eighties.

The best proof of this is simply to read the early books again (with the post-apoc knowledge) and see how many times you were told and just didn't notice.

The Pacific Northwest may well have been retconned into the series, but the post-apoc setting was there all along--and intentionally.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Hitch

You know, I have to go with Harry on this. I read Diap's post the other day and said, , really? I don't remember that from Sword. Not at all. I remember thinking...was it Elfstones?...that the ancient crumbling cities could be from Earth, but...forgive me for confusing the titles, but the one with the flower chick. You all know what I mean. (As in..."A flower chick, a boy and a Druid go into a city, meet a spider...") That, I think, was my first real inkling that Shannara=Earth.

Quickening, from the Druid of Shannara, where she returns nature to a city turned to stone by an ancient monster/fairy creature called Uhl Belk, to stop him spreading the 'stone disease' outward.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

There were many hints in Allanon's "history lesson" lesson in chapter two. Then there was the rusted-out girders of modern buildings they came across when traveling through the Wolfsktaag mountains (where they were attacked by a half-biological/half-machine-like creature). It really kicks into gear in the Heritage series (which is what you're thinking of, Hitch) with "creepers" and Cogline's use of technology like gunpowder in Wishsong (The druid order was was first centered around technology and not magic). There were also numerous references to "smokeless torches."

In my book, those are only hints, and references to 'could be'. It doesn't make anything certain.

The only thing Word/Void and the later Genesis of Shannara revealed in this regard was that the specific location was the Pacific Northwest.

And the Word/Void series was technically not even a part of the Shannara Universe when it was written and published. Terry had no plans to connect them at that point (but he'd already been discussing the post-apocalyptic nature of his earlier series online and in interviews by that point). He decided to tie Word/Void to Shannara via the Genesis series.

People suspected that the World of Shannara was post-apocalyptic.
Word and Void *was* post-apocalyptic. So, people naturally started wondering if Word and Void had some connection, and Brooks made it so.

So I guess technically you could say that the Genesis series is where people were first slapped really hard in the face with the reality of the post-apocalyptic nature of Shannara, but it has been common knowledge among his fan-base since the early eighties.

I still disagree. It was highly suspected, sure, but it was not official until Brooks connected Shannara and Word & Void.

The best proof of this is simply to read the early books again (with the post-apoc knowledge) and see how many times you were told and just didn't notice.

We noticed, but there was no official proof. Until that was given, for me, it has always been a 'could be' or 'possibly is'.

[Katsunami]

I've watched episodes 3 and 4.

The one thing that sticks out to me like a sore thumb (really) is the absolute down to the last detail perfection of the women's faces. There is not a single imperfection in texture or color, to such an extent that it looks completely unnatural and Barbie-like. Even when in the middle of a huge forest, travelling for several days, everyone, and especially the women, just stay pretty and perfect.

Spoiler:

A love triangle between Wil, Amberle, and Eritrea. I should have known... even though it didn't happen in the book. There, Wil loved Amberle, Eritrea loved Wil, but there was no triangle, and as far as I remember, Amberle and Eritrea didn't hate eachother.

Wil Ohmsford is an idiot. Seduced and robbed by Eritrea a second time. I wonder how she was able to surmise that HE seduced HER. I didn't get that.

At the end of the episode, it looks like the shapeshifter is not dead. Do I have that correct, or is it a different demon?

In the end, up until now, the series is OK with the possibility of becoming good, if you keep in mind that it's targeted at current day teenagers and if you DON'T compare it to the actual book.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I still disagree. It was highly suspected, sure, but it was not official until Brooks connected Shannara and Word & Void.

It's possible that you have an entirely different view of "official" than I do (and that's fine by me). Because "we suspected," and "the author confirmed (long, long before Word Void was written)" is more than official enough for me.

[PKFFW]

If my memory serves the post apoc Earth setting was clear as day to me by something in book three of the original series. Can't remember exactly what was written or when but I remember having a moment of "WOW! This world is actually ours set in the far distant future!" I'm pretty sure it was something Allanon said about the race of trolls.

Anyway, from that point on I just thought that was the way it was. Never even realised it wasn't "official" or that there was any debate about the issue until much later.

[Conan46]

To me the post-apocalyptic thing was Terry's way of setting Shannara apart from LOTR. It is touched upon, then breezed right past in Sword of Shannara, if memory serves, and he keeps it alive by touching on it again from time to time in the other Shannara books. But it is easy to understand why readers overlook it or even forget about it as it is never a huge focus until Terry decided to join the Void books to Shannara--something I really wish he hadn't done. But that is just my POV.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Conan46

To me the post-apocalyptic thing was Terry's way of setting Shannara apart from LOTR. It is touched upon, then breezed right past in Sword of Shannara, if memory serves, and he keeps it alive by touching on it again from time to time in the other Shannara books. But it is easy to understand why readers overlook it or even forget about it as it is never a huge focus until Terry decided to join the Void books to Shannara--something I really wish he hadn't done. But that is just my POV.

I believe so. I remember reading it explicitly said the humans destroyed the Earth, and that all the races except the Elves branched off from the humans during that time period, and I only read the first two books.

So far, the series hasn't done a lot for me, but then again, I don't think that I'm the target audience for this series. I'm recording it so I can speed through commercials, but yea, it's kind of annoying that they really ratchet up the commercials during the last half hour of the show.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

There were many hints in Allanon's "history lesson" lesson in chapter two. Then there was the rusted-out girders of modern buildings they came across when traveling through the Wolfsktaag mountains (where they were attacked by a half-biological/half-machine-like creature). It really kicks into gear in the Heritage series (which is what you're thinking of, Hitch) with "creepers" and Cogline's use of technology like gunpowder in Wishsong (The druid order was was first centered around technology and not magic). There were also numerous references to "smokeless torches."

<snippage>
The best proof of this is simply to read the early books again (with the post-apoc knowledge) and see how many times you were told and just didn't notice.

The Pacific Northwest may well have been retconned into the series, but the post-apoc setting was there all along--and intentionally.

I'll dig out Sword, and re-read it. I mean, yes, there had been an apocalyptic disaster of some kind. However, even when they discussed it rather overtly, I never really thought "oh, this is OUR Earth they are talking about here." I just assumed it was some planet. Not necessarily THIS one. {shrug}. As a mostly-casual reader of this series, I didn't pursue it.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Quickening, from the Druid of Shannara, where she returns nature to a city turned to stone by an ancient monster/fairy creature called Uhl Belk, to stop him spreading the 'stone disease' outward.

Yup, that's her, the Flower chick.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

The one thing that sticks out to me like a sore thumb (really) is the absolute down to the last detail perfection of the women's faces. There is not a single imperfection in texture or color, to such an extent that it looks completely unnatural and Barbie-like. Even when in the middle of a huge forest, travelling for several days, everyone, and especially the women, just stay pretty and perfect.

But that's ALWAYS the way it is on the dreaded idiot box. Women are always dressed to the nines. It's right up there with those scenes where some chicklet is heading to bed, and she's wearing her damn bra, For the love of...I mean, it's just annoying as hell. Or wearing push-up bras that stick their girls in their chins. MASCARA and LIPSTICK, when they awaken in the hospital after a 5-month-long coma.

Men always have perfect 6-pack abs, that lovely V created by large manly shoulders and a trimmed waist with a tight butt; and chicks always have perfect makeup and boobs, butt, etc., and if their hair is "messy," it's in that "come get me" (cleaned up for the family site) messiness. It's the venomous disease of Television. And if it's aimed at teens, it'll be even worse.

Hitch