I loved this book. For as much as the previous series was a little slow and wasn't my favorite of the Shannara world books I'm glad I read it as it makes the post-apocalyptic world we're now living in clearer. The demons have essentially won and humanity is dying. There aren't really many Knights of the Word left and it's beginning to feel like all hope is lost.

This is such an interesting concept, the world has been decimated and isolationism has becoming the prevailing world order. But as the final destruction draws nigh there's still a little slice of hope for those that are still on the side of good and the Word. I enjoyed all the characters that are introduced in this story actually. Logan Tom, Hawk and his Ghosts, the elves, and Angel I'm really looking forward to seeing how all of their paths are going to intersect. The introduction of the elves was actually a surprise for me. Not so much that they were introduced, but the history of it, I was thinking that they would be a development of the apocalypse, not a remnant of the old world hidden from sight.

This story moves along quickly and I was hooked right away. I can't wait to see what happens next as we move closer and closer to the world of Shannara as we know it from the original series I read when I was just a kid.

Well, this explains all the unresolved storylines in the Word/Void trilogy, but it almost seems as though too much time has elapsed between this and [b:Angel Fire East|15558|Angel Fire East (Word & the Void, #3)|Terry Brooks|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QAD7YJ6XL._SL75_.jpg|1446217]. There are a number of things that aren't really explained well, but given the time when these books were written, there may yet be more to the story.

It's a typical Book One from Brooks: several threads that take some time to get moving, some back story that is sometimes necessary (and sometimes very necessary, given the gap in time since the last Word/Void novel ended), and then an exciting end with multiple cliffhangers.

There is a very unexpected twist in this story. Well, unexpected only because I'd forgotten something. That particular storyline will be tricky to weave properly in the second book, so we'll see how that goes.

This book helps me see more about how the Word/Void series was written. I'm still not sure it fits in well with the Shannara trilogies, but then it's not easy to write so many interconnected books, and much easier to suggest how they should have been done.

Can't believe I have to finish 3 more books I've already started before I can move into the next in this series!!!

This was a slow read for me, but it evoked several emotions and questions in me, nonetheless. It made me wonder if this world will eventually end up like that, all ruin, almost no signs of life. I sympathize with the children or the next generation that will live the consequences of the previous generation's irresponsibility. Had I lived during a time like that, in a place like that, will I be among those people holed up inside the compound afraid of the unknown, or will I choose to live outside and be free despite the constant danger. Lastly, had I been the only one left fighting, would I continue doing so despite seeing how small the fruits my endeavors are?

L'orrore ai tempi della genesi

L'infanzia non è certo costellata da bei momenti, ma il tempo, supportato anche dalla debolezza della memoria, lenisce tutte quelle zone d'ombra e restituisce un quadretto tutto sommato piacevole.
Ecco, I figli di Armageddon fu terrificante durante la lettura; e il ricordo, oggi, è persino peggiore.
Il romanzo vive di situazione riciclate e stantie (e dire che da piccoli ci si fa andare bene tutto), con l'agghiacciante mondo post-apocalittico che non si preclude mostri geneticamente modificati, demoni che girano in moto (ma perché? che trash!), elfi con armi semiautomatiche, reminiscenze da discount del Re del Fiume Argento - qui dovrebbe chiamarsi Due Orsi, il guru, che spara la paternale al parco, di sera, mentre tutto tace.
Forse 'sto tizio aveva anche combattuto in Vietnam (non sto scherzando).
Da stendere un velo pietoso anche sul mistero del Variante, talmente banale e scolastico che persino il worldbuilding, a confronto, risplende di luce propria.
Terry Brooks ha avuto il merito di far appassionare i giovani a un genere che in quel momento andava molto in voga; e - detto francamente, senza nessuna malignità - non c'è nulla di male a riempire una nicchia che il mercato editoriale riesce a offrirti in un determinato periodo storico: King, un autore che apprezzo molto, fra i suoi alti e bassi, ha resistito rispetto ad altri autori perché ha saputo sfruttare un insperato successo al momento giusto.
Come per King, il momento del congedo penso sia arrivato anche per il caro Brooks.
Rimangono i ringraziamenti, perché i compagni d'infanzia, nonostante tutto, non devono esser dimenticati.

This is my first experience reading Sci-fi/Fantasy. I really like this series and would recommend it to anyone.

This book takes place in the world created in the books "A Knight of the Word" and "Running with the Demon" and "Angel Fire East" (I haven't read this one yet). I did not know that when I picked it up from the library yesterday during the 'snow' day. I just knew that it was by Terry Brooks, who I am a fan of, and it said that it was a new series. I didn't know it had the subtitle of "Genesis of Shannara" until I added it here. I loved the Shannara series and, now that I'm aware, can see how this would be a prequel to them. I did think it strange that there were 'elfstones' mentioned and immediately thought of the book in the Shannara series "The Elfstones of Shannara"

I read this book in one day, 371 pages, the post-apocalyptic world that Brooks has created, and I would recommend that you read the three books I mentioned that come before this, is a masterful blend of realism, fantasy, and nightmares. It includes the right amount of action to keep you turning the pages and the right amount of dialogue and inner monologue to justify/explain the actions. The human side is very real, especially the way the world is described - ruined because of the way humans treated it and each other - adults cling to the old ways, kids form tribes and are more successful at surviving and retaining the idea of family.

Meh, kinda ok..but Im moving to book #2 regardless.

Let’s talk about seriously underrated books and series. Terry Brooks is one of my first fantasy loves. His stories are filled with courage, overcoming fear, strength of heart, despair, pain, kindness, hope, love (though they very rarely focus on romantic love so don’t go in hoping for romance), friendship and epic quests to help save others. Armageddons Children takes place in the not too distant future, where evil now outweighs goodness and society has almost completely collapsed. It focuses on several characters that are still doing their best to bring kindness and courage to the world wherever and whenever they can. It’s the first in a trilogy, and while not the first trilogy publication wise in the Shannara books, chronologically it’s the second trilogy in his series and shows what the world was like thousands of years before the world was completely transformed into the world filled with magical beings. A very worthy read if you’ve not had the treat of delving into any of Terry Brooks stories yet.

Pretty good book....like most of Terry Brooks, it really depends on where the story goes from here. I don't like the Knight of the Word parts as much as I liked Shannara. I'm hoping that the Elves of Cintra goes more in that direction.