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![Armageddon's Children [With Earphones] by Terry Brooks](https://rwszupzmsadbjqghhiwjxwntmpecjm.thestorygraph.com/rails/active_storage/representations/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBd2FMcVE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--20c705c4be4944061f05db87ebd1d35152a6b173/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdCem9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFISWFRSXNBUT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--00c37adcced4a8550a6710e57b1d4208998aafcc/Armageddon's%20Children%20%5BWith%20Earphones%5D.jpg)
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Interesting branch of the original Shanarra (sp?) series, enjoyable, a bit depressing on the state of humanity, but entertaining.
Absolutely insane ending???? So. So. Good. Possibly the best Shannara book so far? Amazing. SO AMAZING.
I like post-apocalypse books but it was a little jarring to have elves in it. Other than that, I liked it. I'm glad there are 2 more.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was good. But nothing that I’d highly recommend or anything. I’ll continue with the series because I already have the other books, but I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. It was kind of slow and the writing didn’t inspire any major emotional response to the characters or story line.
This was my first Terry Brooks and I really enjoyed it. I was concerned about coming in in the middle of things and feeling lost, but it held up just fine without me needing to have read any of the other related books from the world.
Originally posted at THE BIBLIOSANCTUM:
Many years ago, I tried to read [b:The Sword of Shannara|15575|The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #1)|Terry Brooks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1218672503s/15575.jpg|877015] but the story and characters failed to capture my attention and I set it aside. I grant that I didn’t get very far into the book, but I had read enough by that time to know when a book just isn’t working for me, even that early on. Fastforward to the present and my brother is on the phone raving about the new Genesis of Shannara series. I trust his judgement, so here I am!
The Genesis of Shannara is, as the series title suggests, the beginnings of the world created by Terry Brooks. Shannara fans are likely to recognize characters, events and artifacts, but someone new to the series like myself, is by no means alienated. This is a clean introduction to this realm, and an introduction to the characters whom we will, presumably, be following through the series. Armageddon’s Children takes place in a post-apocalyptic earth, destroyed by the follies of man. Violence and mutation have reduced the human population to mere thousands. Many of the surviving humans live in compounds, some hide in ruined cities, but all are hunted by the various demonic (formerly human) creatures led by the “Old Man” at the bidding of the Void. We meet Logan Tom first, as he and his family attempt to escape an attack by once men and demons. Logan is orphaned in the process.
Logan’s tragic story is similar to many of the characters that follow, most of them teens or pre-teens or adults who were forced to grow up far too soon. The overwhelming theme is that these characters are survivors of their horrible reality and must stay one step ahead of the evil closing in on them in order to remain alive. My original complaint with the lack of interesting characters in The Sword of Shannara does not apply here. While I feel that the characters fit into various established tropes as – well, children of an Armageddon, they are still unique enough in and of themselves to be appealing and I enjoyed the way their stories and connections are unravelled as the book progresses.
As I said, this is an introductory novel and it very much plays out as one. The story establishes that the humans are being hunted by the Old Man and his minions and, eventually we are introduced to the quest that will bring the main characters together and move them forward. For this book, there is little progression in regard to that journey. This book is about letting us meet the main characters and grow to love or hate them as needed. Every major player, including the Old Man, is allowed moments to reveal their inner thoughts and motivations, as well as the events and people that have made them who they are. Many secondary characters also have back stories, strengthening the reader’s sense of attachment and understanding of just how awful this world is.
The original Shannara series is firmly seated in the fantasy genre, complete with swords and sorcery. Logan and his fellow Knight of the Word Angel Perez carry staves that are definite sources of yet to be fully explained magic, but otherwise, there is very little magic in this world just yet. The idea is that that the future world of Shannara comes from the one we know now, following this cataclysm – a concept that really intrigued me. I really liked the idea of the magic slowly leaking (back) in. Fire from a staff here, telepathy there. And when the elves are introduced, having hidden themselves away from humanity for centuries – even they do not display a significant use of magic.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, in that it does a good job of making you comfortable in its world and with its characters, and provides just enough mystery to entice you to continue on with the series to find out where this is all leading. For those who already know where it is all leading, I imagine it is nice to finally get the full details. For people like me who are new to the world, let’s just say I find myself looking forward to learning more about the genesis of Shannara. if I like this series enough, I’d not be opposed to trying The Sword of Shannara again.
Many years ago, I tried to read [b:The Sword of Shannara|15575|The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy #1)|Terry Brooks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1218672503s/15575.jpg|877015] but the story and characters failed to capture my attention and I set it aside. I grant that I didn’t get very far into the book, but I had read enough by that time to know when a book just isn’t working for me, even that early on. Fastforward to the present and my brother is on the phone raving about the new Genesis of Shannara series. I trust his judgement, so here I am!
The Genesis of Shannara is, as the series title suggests, the beginnings of the world created by Terry Brooks. Shannara fans are likely to recognize characters, events and artifacts, but someone new to the series like myself, is by no means alienated. This is a clean introduction to this realm, and an introduction to the characters whom we will, presumably, be following through the series. Armageddon’s Children takes place in a post-apocalyptic earth, destroyed by the follies of man. Violence and mutation have reduced the human population to mere thousands. Many of the surviving humans live in compounds, some hide in ruined cities, but all are hunted by the various demonic (formerly human) creatures led by the “Old Man” at the bidding of the Void. We meet Logan Tom first, as he and his family attempt to escape an attack by once men and demons. Logan is orphaned in the process.
Logan’s tragic story is similar to many of the characters that follow, most of them teens or pre-teens or adults who were forced to grow up far too soon. The overwhelming theme is that these characters are survivors of their horrible reality and must stay one step ahead of the evil closing in on them in order to remain alive. My original complaint with the lack of interesting characters in The Sword of Shannara does not apply here. While I feel that the characters fit into various established tropes as – well, children of an Armageddon, they are still unique enough in and of themselves to be appealing and I enjoyed the way their stories and connections are unravelled as the book progresses.
As I said, this is an introductory novel and it very much plays out as one. The story establishes that the humans are being hunted by the Old Man and his minions and, eventually we are introduced to the quest that will bring the main characters together and move them forward. For this book, there is little progression in regard to that journey. This book is about letting us meet the main characters and grow to love or hate them as needed. Every major player, including the Old Man, is allowed moments to reveal their inner thoughts and motivations, as well as the events and people that have made them who they are. Many secondary characters also have back stories, strengthening the reader’s sense of attachment and understanding of just how awful this world is.
The original Shannara series is firmly seated in the fantasy genre, complete with swords and sorcery. Logan and his fellow Knight of the Word Angel Perez carry staves that are definite sources of yet to be fully explained magic, but otherwise, there is very little magic in this world just yet. The idea is that that the future world of Shannara comes from the one we know now, following this cataclysm – a concept that really intrigued me. I really liked the idea of the magic slowly leaking (back) in. Fire from a staff here, telepathy there. And when the elves are introduced, having hidden themselves away from humanity for centuries – even they do not display a significant use of magic.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, in that it does a good job of making you comfortable in its world and with its characters, and provides just enough mystery to entice you to continue on with the series to find out where this is all leading. For those who already know where it is all leading, I imagine it is nice to finally get the full details. For people like me who are new to the world, let’s just say I find myself looking forward to learning more about the genesis of Shannara. if I like this series enough, I’d not be opposed to trying The Sword of Shannara again.
I've never seen an author go quite as in-depth with a world as Terry Brooks has with Shannara, and it's only been for good. Since Sword of Shannara was published forty years ago, Brooks's world has only gotten deeper and richer, and we can see how it began with Armageddon's Children.
Armageddon's Children picks up about 100 years from our here-and-now, after the world has been virtually destroyed and the only survivors are scattered, hunted, and often mutated. It, like most of Brooks's work, has a wonderful cast of characters, from the boy Hawk and his children to the brooding Knight of the Word Logan Tom and the eager and principled Elven boy Kirisin. All these characters have different stories, different lives, and different perspectives, but they're all interwoven into one complex and riveting story that I couldn't put down.
If you enjoy dystopian fiction, high fantasy, and/or urban fantasy, you'll love the Genesis of Shannara series. It manages to blend all these subgenres into one excellent tale and I now rank it among some of my favorites.
Armageddon's Children picks up about 100 years from our here-and-now, after the world has been virtually destroyed and the only survivors are scattered, hunted, and often mutated. It, like most of Brooks's work, has a wonderful cast of characters, from the boy Hawk and his children to the brooding Knight of the Word Logan Tom and the eager and principled Elven boy Kirisin. All these characters have different stories, different lives, and different perspectives, but they're all interwoven into one complex and riveting story that I couldn't put down.
If you enjoy dystopian fiction, high fantasy, and/or urban fantasy, you'll love the Genesis of Shannara series. It manages to blend all these subgenres into one excellent tale and I now rank it among some of my favorites.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't know that the Word/Void series by Terry Brooks was the origins of Shanarra when I listened to each of them on audiobook, but I enjoyed that series. Now, see there is a tie, and this book is the beginning. Armegeddon's Children does an excellent job of laying out the world as it stands today...a desolote landscape of debris left over from what once was our society. There was enough of time between listening to the previous series and reading this one that Ididn't remember the Gypsy Morph or Nest or John Ross until they were revealed to the characters of this book. And then, I remebered nd was happy to hear about them all over again. Ultimately, the story is about a 'tribe' of children called the Ghosts trying to live in this destroyed world. Humans and those who have mutated into other forms now roam the world and continue to seek it's ultimate destruction. Some, called demons, are actively trying to wipe out the last vestiges of humanity. Against this backdrop, the Lady has called upon two Knights of the Word. Once to find the Gypsy Morph and the other to help the Elves of Cintra. It is an engrossing tale that hit upon all of the things I'm liking in a postapocalptic story these days.
I've always loved the world of Shannara and having these books that provide some backstory to how we got to that world? It was spectacular. Hawk is a great character; he has the responsibility of taking care of his rag-tag family of other children, he has flaws, he's in love--one that wouldn't necessarily be a good choice -- and he has compassion shown early on in the book. I don't think anyone would regret reading these books, however I would read them in the suggested order or it does cause a bit of some confusion/spoiling for later books. More when you get to the Elves.