Platypus of Truth

Inspired by my students, I picked up a pack of Prismacolor brush tip markers on Saturday. To the left is my first attempt to get a feel for these new tools and what they can do. The image is from Yvonne Gilbert's cover for the 1984 paperback of The Tombs of Atuan  by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's the book my wife and I happen to be reading right now. I didn't discover Ursula Le Guin until I was almost out of college. It's a pity. These are the books I should have been reading back in junior high instead of wasting all that time on "The Re-Reads of Shannara". Oh well. Each thing has its season. What stands out to me about Le Guin's Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan  in particular, is her strict minimalism. Not only is her word count and vocabulary perfectly restrained -not a word more than is needed- but her world and its characters are too. That's nothing short of phenomenal in a genre where over-writing is par for the course. Le Guin allows her character...

This post will cover the remaining chapters of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara along with my final assessment of the work.  Those who have not read the book and do not want the ending spoiled should not read on. *Spoilers Plain and Simple* So here we go.  The end was known from the beginning and now we have it: the final confrontation with the Warlock Lord and the creation of a legend.  Rather than outline it all for you, I'll break this last section down into pros and cons.  Pros need to go first. Pro: The action rises straight through to the conclusion.  The penultimate battles are striking and well-narrated.  The final chapter shifts into a more "legendary" tone that lends the ending sufficient gravitas and the mood is fitting for the Pyrrhic victory with which the story concludes.  Allanon also becomes integrated into the cast in the way he needs to be for the ending to satisfy.  The greatest praise goes to the subtle way in whi...

Today's post will cover chapters XXIX and XXX of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  As always, don't read on if you haven't read the book yet and want to keep it a surprise. *Spoilers* Chapter XXIX cuts away from the action in the west to follow Kinson and Mareth's attempt to rally what's left of the dwarves.  The pass through the ruins of Culhaven, fight a skull bearer left to keep watch and link back up with Risca and the dwarven remnant.  Brooks attempts to continue Mareth's character development in this chapter by having the skull bearer pretend to be her long lost father.  The action plays like a hasty remix of Rimmer Dal and Par Ohmsford in The Talismans of Shannara  and thus falls flat.  The dramatic smooch between Kinson and Mareth when its all over is too cliche to be really satisfying (For me reading about it at least.  If it worked for them, who am I to disagree?  That's what I get for peeping in on other people's business). ...

This post will cover chapters XXVI through XXVIII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  We're nearing the end of yet another "Summer of Shannara" and I hope to have this book finished by the end of next week.  Plans are in the works for a similar blog-through of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories so stay tuned!  In the meantime, let me give the usual waver: if you haven't read First King of Shannara  and want to remain spoiler free don't read on. *Plot Sensitive Material* Chapter XXVI closes out the section entitled The Forging of the Sword.   Here, Bremen takes the weapon forged by Urprox Screl to the spirits of the Hadeshorn.  Rising up from the abyss, the druids of the past each impart what remains of their power to convert the sword into a talisman capable of destroying the Warlock Lord.  We've already had one Hadeshorn scene in this book, but this second tryst doesn't disappoint.  The council of druid shades is frightening image and ...

Today's post will cover chapters XXIV and XXV of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Once more, the goal is to blog after each of my reading sessions in order to record a more in-depth assessment of the work as I'm actually experiencing it.  A final post giving my thoughts on the book as a whole will be posted at the end.  For previous entries in this series, click on the label "Shannara" at the bottom of this post.  Thoughts on other authors of note can be found on the side bar.  For the sum total of my literary musings, click the label marked "The Platypus Reads" at the bottom of this post.  As always, if you don't want spoilers, don't read on. *Spoilers...  I know, I feel like I still have to say it...* Chapters XXIV and XXV begin the inevitable interlacing of the three plots (the sword, the elves, the dwarves) that will draw the novel to its thundering conclusion.  The first part of chapter XXIV features more dramatic dwarf battles...

This post will address Chapter XXIII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who have not read the work and wish to remain spoiler-free should not read on. *Plotsees my precioussss....* Chapter XXIII brings us to the moment we've all been waiting for: the forging of the sword.  Here, at last, Terry Brooks is firing on all cylinders.  There is just the right blend of anecdote and archetype for the scene to function in the novel and yet be the epic moment that fans have wanted since 1977.  If more of the First King of Shannara was narrated in this tone it would be a better book (think how the elevated tone of The Silmarillion preserves its feeling of antiquity even when the narration "zooms in" on specific characters and events).  We even have the satisfaction at the end of the chapter in knowing that Urprox Screl isn't a throwaway character but the ancestor of the the Creels so that when Panamon and Padishar insist that their fates are bound up ...

This post will cover chapters XIX through XXII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who have not read the book and wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Spoiling Schtuff* Chapter XIX brings us back to Risca and the dwarves' attempts to delay the army of the Warlock Lord.  This chapter is "merely competent" in execution and might serve as a symbol of much of the book.  The fight scenes are well-narrated in simple, readable language.  The pace is fast without sacrificing coherence.  The problem is that it's all generic material that we've seen dozens of times before.  Raybur, Risca, and company are as soul-less and cardboard as the enemy hordes they face.  The setting and the action itself also fail to be evocative enough to supply what the characters lack.  The chapter, like so much of the book, is "merely competent" lacking the necessary flair to capture the imagination. Chapter XX fairs little better than chapter X...

This post will cover Chapter XVIII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who have not read this book (or others in the original and Heritage series) and wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Plot sensitive material follows* Chapter XVIII details Bremen, Kinson, and Mareth's journey to Darklin Reach and their meeting with the former druid Cogline.  Bremen hopes to learn from Cogline the scientific process for making a metal that can withstand the intense forces that will be involved in forging the Sword of Shannara.  Cogline, after some intial reluctance, tells Bremen the procedure for making steal. I was first struck by the lack of "wandering monster encounters" in the journey from Storlock to Darklin Reach.  Indeed, there has been a general lack of "wandering monsters" in the book as a whole.  This is a real improvement from the seven previous books that seem to revel in presenting the reader with a random "freak of the w...

This post will resume our discussion of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara , beginning with chapter XVI.  Once again, the purpose of this series of posts is to record my impressions after each reading session in order to create a more detailed and "in the moment" analysis of Brooks' literary skill.  Readers who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Plot Information* Chapter XVI leads us into the Chew Magna, a fortress from the lost age of Faerie.  It's also the first real imaginative piece that I've seen in this story.  Much of First King of Shannara has felt a little paste-board and recycled.  With the Chew Magna, Brooks' world suddenly pops into life.  This is a setting to compare with the lost city of Eldwist in The Druid of Shannara or the labyrinthine tunnels and endless hideouts of The Scions of Shannara .  The garden at the center of the fortress formed from the life-forces of the fey who once used the Black Elfstone is at l...

Today's post will focus on Chapters XIV and XV of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Readers who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on.  Also of note, I will be taking a week break from this series starting tomorrow in order to attend to some business.  Once that's over, the blogging will resume. *Spoiler Stuff* Chapter XIV returns us to the exploits of Tay, Jerle and company.  I guess I should say "little company."  Along with the word "shrug" it's one of Brooks' favorite terms.  Unfortunately, Brooks and his editor have not been able to extirpate all his bad habits over the course of two decades.  Oh well...  Moving on, this chapter returns us to the search for the Black Elfstone and also the search for Preia Starle.  There's lots of pulpy high adventure here complete with reconnaissance, sudden intuitions, chases, and a frantic ride right through the enemy picket line.  This is the stuff Brooks loves and he writes...

Today's post will cover chapters XII and XIII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  If you have not read this book yet and wish to remain spoiler free do not read on. *Spoiler Alert For Anyone Who Needs It* So we're cutting away from the quest for the Black Elfstone.  Chapter XII and XIII turn away from Tay to follow up on the quests of Risca and Bremen.  Brooks did this sort of thing in the Heritage Series and I don't think it worked out so well.  If we're going to label an entire section of the book The Search For the Black Elfstone , oughtn't we to stick to only what relates to finding the Black Elfstone?  Cutting back and for allows us to keep the other characters in view and can be deployed tactfully to increase narrative suspense, but it comes at the price of unity.  I'm not sure why Brooks structured the sections of the book as if he was going to preserve the unity of each action and then interrupted it to keep his other characters in vie...

This post will discuss chapters X and XI of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who have not read the book yet and wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Plot Points and Perils Ahead (spoilers)* Chapter X gets us to the action, specifically a night raid by those gnomes Tay sensed a few chapters ago.  Recycling a trope from The Elfstones of Shannara , the gnomes and a creepy skull bearer break into the castle and kill or fatally wound almost the entire royal family.  As usual, Brooks goes for violence and gore (within limits) over terror and subtly as Tay and Jerle discover what's happening and try to intervene.  This is pulp fiction and, I think, the kind of thing Terry Brooks enjoys writing most.  He's always wanting to throw us right in to the heart of the action.  The best line from the chapter is one that has stuck with me though.  It describes the skull bearer in its death-throes: "Even then, it took a long time to die."...

Today's post will cover chapters VIII and IX of Terry Brook's First King of Shannara.   Readers who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Spoily-schtuffs* Chapter VIII effectively re-launches the narrative as we begin Tay's quest to find the Black Elfstone.  This makes for a clunk in the story machinery that has ramped up with the assault on Paranor and the attempt to recover the Eilt Druin.  Brooks attempts to smooth over this sudden change of pace by letting us get to know Tay a little better.  This chapter also serves as the great reveal of our titular character, Jerle Shannara.  Shannara is a butch "I'm the hero here ladies" so of guy.  Disappointing -except that we know there must be more, because if we've read The Sword of Shannara then we know that at the critical moment this elven beefcake will fail ... and that, that is interesting. Chapter IX complicates our emerging ensemble and thus attempts to deepen the reader's stake...

Today's post will cover chapters VI and VII of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Begin Spoilers (on a 19 year old book)* Noticed something yet?  The book is called First King of Shannara and we don't begin with Jerle Shannara, first king of that line.  In fact, Chapter VII marks the end of the first fifth of the book, The Fall of Paranor , and we still haven't caught more than a prophetic glimpse of the titular character.  There's a distinct similarity here with Star Wars: Episode I , which was just entering pre-production as this novel was being released.  In fact, Terry Brooks wrote the novelization of The Phantom Menace .  But I digress...  What might be reason for Brooks' decision not to begin with his titular character?  Familiarity foes breed contempt, so perhaps Brooks wants to keep Jerle Shannara far enough removed from the audience to keep him a tad bit legendary?...

This post will cover chapters IV and V of Terry Brooks' First King of Shannara .  Those who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Spoilers* 77 pages and no monster battles.  That's quite an achievement for Terry Brooks.  In the past, fights, horrors, and daring do have been his stock-in-trade for keeping the reader reading.  Perhaps that seems like a backhanded way to start, but I think it works out to a genuine compliment.  First King of Shannara is shaping up to be Brooks' most polished book out of the eight I have read.  That's been Brooks' M.O. throughout: always moving his craft foreword.  That said, let's cut over to a plot summary and a few more observations. Chapter IV introduces us to the new character Mareth, a druid apprentice who wishes to study directly under Bremen.  She also appears to be the token female on this adventure.  The hemming and hawing about taking her along is pretty flat, but once the compan...

With Umberto Eco safely out of the way, we can descend from the heights of the middle-brow and return to the world of pulp.  This will mark the third "Summer of Shannara" here at The Platypus of Truth.  The First "Summer of Shannara" explored the world of the Trilogy, skipping the The Lord of the Rings knock-off that opened the series and engaging with Brooks' original work in The Elfstones of Shannara .  From there, it was on to The Wishsong of Shannara and closing thoughts on Brooks' initial foray into the world of Fantasy.  Last summer was devoted to the Heritage Series which significantly expanded the world of the Four Lands in space and time.  It also represented a real step forward in Brooks' development as a writer.  This summer, I plan to take a look at the odd chronological back-flip Brooks preformed before continuing his narrative with the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Series.  That odd chronological back flip is the prequel to the origin...

And so we come to the end.  It's appropriate that this final post on the first seven books of Terry Brook's Shannara series should come in October.  That's about the time I finished my first read through the The Talismans of Shannara all those years ago.  Without further comment, then, let's get down to the finale of the Heritage Series. *Spoilers and such* We last left our heroes back at chapter XXV out of a total of XXXVII.  That's a lot of ground to cover.  Coll has to be recovered and his role among the scions of Shannara made clear.  Wren has to face her betrayer and triumph.  Par must succeed in taming the Wishsong and resisting the advances of First Seeker Rimmer Dall.  Walker has broken the siege of Paranor, but his final objective still must be made clear.  Minor characters like Damson, Morgan, Padishar, and Matty Roh still have their stories to tell.  Over all this still looms the question of how the Shadowen can be defea...

This post will cover chapters XXIII, XXIV, and XXV of Terry Brooks' Talismans of Shannara . *Spoilers ahead* With Padishar Creel found, Morgan and Co. are now free to track down Par Ohmsford (and maybe Coll, poor fellow).  Being the odd assortment of dysfunctional adolescents that they are, this leads to lots of moody bickering.  One might expect Morgan's experiences up North to have matured him.  One might expect Matty and Damson's long history with the Freeborn to have hardened them into disciplined fighters, wise beyond their years.  No.  Instead, we watch Matty poke Morgan's ego, Morgan bluster, and both women sue the poor highlander for Radical Emotional Intimacy .  This might work if they were all in college...  The problem is they're not. This all brings up the question of audience.  Who is the intended audience for this novel?  When I was 13, this stuff worked just fine.  Being a teenager was almost as mysterious as being ...

Today's post will cover chapters XVIII through XXIII of Terry Brooks' The Talismans of Shannara , part four of the Heritage Series. *Thar be spoilerz ahead me hearties!* This section brings us further conflict between the Elves and the Federation.  We also see Walker Boh defeat the Four Horsemen at the cost of Cogline's life.  With the last of his connections to his old life stripped away, Walker's transformation into "the druid of Shannara" is complete.  The rest of these chapters is spent with the Freeborn and their quest to bust Padishar out of the clink.  This they succeed in doing with fine fighting flair leaving Damson and Morgan (and Matty) free to pursue Par Ohmsford.  The big question we're still left with is "what has become of Par and Coll?" With many of the original supporting characters killed off if the first three volumes (and now Cogline too), Brooks is obliged to bring in a cast of relative light-weights and second-stringe...

Well, we have a bit of an inevitable slowdown with the commencement of the academic year but things will march on at The Platypus of Truth.  So, bobbing up to the surface again to peer about, here's what up.  My reading of The Talismans of Shannara is stopped at chapter XVIII.  That brings us almost half way through the book.  Without further ado, let's get on to the review. *Spoilers* Chapter 10 narrates Walker's decision to try and break the siege of Paranor.  Predictably, this first plan fails.  The scene is well-narrated in a way that compensates for its predictability and the assurance at the end that Walker has learned something from the episode keeps up our interest. Jumping locations, the next chapter features Morgan's plan for breaking Padishar out of the slammer (yet again).  Damson seeks to force herself into Morgan's confidence in order to speed up the rescue process and force a little emotional healing on him in time for the still ...