The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

by Shanna Lynn Fanelli A& E editor

It all started with the dark soul of an evil lord whose purpose, lilce that of so many other bad guys, was to take over the world and mold it to his tastes. Thus be•gins the "Sword of Shannara," book one of a trilogy that houses eight works of literary magic.

'The Sword of Shannara," published back in 1977 and the first work of fiction to appear in the New York Times Trade Paperback Bestseller List, ushers the reader into a fantastical land corrupted with an ancient evil. The power to conquer this evil resides only in a descendant of Jerle Shannara, whose blood holds the key to wielding the powerful Sword of Shannara, the only weapon effective against the sinister Warlock Lord. The task falls to half-human, half-elven Shea Ohrnsford, true descendent of Jerle. With the mysterious Druid Alallanon, last of his kind, guiding him, Shea begins a journey that will be passed on through many generations of Ohrnsfords after him.

The writing and characters one encounters in these works is remarkable. Brooks has a gift to make the unbelievable real. The use of imagery is exceptional. A writer who likes to lead his plots into unusual turns, while keeping his characters intelligent enough to surprise the reader, the "Shannara" series is truly an epic worth the encounter.

If the name Terry Brroks, who was born in Illinois in 1944, sounds familiar, it could be one of two things. Either you are already a Shannara fan, or you are devotee to the epic series, Star Wars. Brooks wrote the story for the previously released, "Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace." He is committed to the next two prequels and will be working with George Lucas to craft more journeys into galaxies far, far away.

Along with the "Shannara" series, Brooks has had over ten other books published, including his "Magic Kingdom of Landover" series and "Running with the Demon" series. His one work was turned into the movie "Hook," the story about Peter Pan as a grown man, which starred Robin Williams and Julia Roberts.

Terry Brooks will be releasing his new book, Angel Fire East, the final book in his "Running with the Demon" series in Oct. of 1999. He is in the process of finishing up another book to add to his "Shannara" series, which will be published in Sept. of 2000.

For more information on Terry Brooks, go to http://www.metacrawler.com and type in Terry Brooks in the search box. A list of websites and clubs devoted to Terry Brooks will come up.

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