Ballantine Books Terry Brooks revives
his Shannara’ series.
By Leila Mobayen
Daily Bruin Contributor
For die-hard fans of fantasy/non-fiction writing, the 1977
release of “The Sword of Shannara,” written by Terry
Brooks, marked the beginning of a new era. Not only was it the
launch of a long and fruitful career for the writer, but it was
also the beginning of an extremely successful series.
Now finally, after a nearly eight year hiatus, fantasy author
Terry Brooks has returned to the world of Shannara, the one for
which he is most loved.
“The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Isle Witch,” the
first in a five-book series, was recently released to the public,
an event many of Terry Brooks’ fans have been eagerly
anticipating.
According to the story, 30 years ago, the elven prince Kael
Elessedil left on a quest to find a legendary magic said to be the
most powerful in the world. His entire expedition vanished
mysteriously and no one has heard from the Prince since.
But now a lone survivor has delivered to Walker Boh, the last of
the druids, a mysterious map leading to that same magic. The
dreaded Ilse Witch, however, a beautiful but dangerous woman with
magical powers which rival Walker’s own, also knows of the
map. She will stop at nothing to possess it ““ and the
magic.
Brooks is best known for his books about the magical world of
Shannara, but hasn’t written a book in that series since
1993. He spent several years focusing on another series, “The
Word and the Void,” and most recently was chosen by George
Lucas to write the novel version of “Star Wars, Episode One:
The Phantom Menace.”
The author speaks very highly about his experience working with
Lucas and the amount of freedom he was allotted to expand the
storyline while adding his own touch to the epic tale.
“It was a really good experience, being a project where I
could go beyond the plot given without having any restrictions put
upon me. Actually, (Lucas) specifically asked me to expand upon the
character of Anakin a little, which was interesting.”
Despite his enthusiasm, Brooks decided not to take the job again
for Episode 2.
“It was my choice not to do the book. It was a great
project to do, but now I’ve already done it and it’s
time to move on,” he said.
Among other things, Brooks entered into a five-year-long
commitment to this series of Shannara books, with one being
released on the first Tuesday of every September for the next five
years.
The author is extremely excited about his current work and
speaks candidly of his “strong commitment to the project and
the material.”
Since it has been a while since his last book in the series,
many begun to wonder if he left the series for good. Responding to
these thoughts, Brooks said, “This is not a surprise. I
always knew I would come back.”
Terry Brooks actually spent his first two decades out of college
as a practicing attorney until 1986, by which time four of his
novels had become bestsellers.
The former lawyer sees his writing as much more than
child’s play. For him, fantasy is a way to get across his
ideas concerning broader issues. His latest novel, about a perilous
journey through unknown lands in search of an unprecedented form of
magic, has themes which run much deeper.
“I’m dealing with issues and characters that I feel
strongly about,” said Brooks. “This one is about
redemption.”
He also mentioned how pertinent the subject of redemption should
be given our “current political environment,” referring
to what he perceives as the diminishing moral values of
today’s politicians. Despite the grave undertones in his
work, it is clear to anyone who has read his stories that, at the
core, Terry Brooks is an intelligent man with a fascinating
imagination. His novels enter the worlds and minds of creatures
from distant lands and far-off times, transporting readers into
another world to escape the harsh realities of this one.
The ability to carry a message in his work without the
restrictions of reality is one of the reasons that Brooks has stuck
to his genre over the years.
When asked how he comes up with such a constant flow of
creativity, Brooks explained, “You live with one foot in the
world of your writing. You’re out of it half of the time.
“But I just love to write,” he said. “I have
always loved it and every new book is a different kind of
challenge.”
BOOKS: Fans of his work can learn more about Terry Brooks and
his writing on the Web, at www.terrybrooks.net, his personal Web
site, and www.shannara.com, the
official Web site of the series.