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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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been reading the Shannara books since I was fourteen and am wise enough to wait until an entire trilogy is published before starting it, knowing how quickly is will devour them once I begin! This first book in the Trilogy has a cliff hanger, making me even more glad I have the next to go onto straight away! Its great that Terry Brooks has a such a clear idea of how Shannara began, the post apocalyptic world it grew from and how the world slides into the apocalypse. Everything fits neatly together, and if you have read the original Shannara series its easy to see how he is joining it with the 'word and void' trilogy.
You don't need to have read the other novels as he adds in explanations of the past at various points, good reminders for the key points of previous novels seeing as there is a lot of information to take in. The characters are likeable, not infallible and I really enjoyed the start of this particular saga. Weaving together two related series is not easy, so its good proof that Brooks knows his world so well he is able to do this.
You don't need to have read the other novels as he adds in explanations of the past at various points, good reminders for the key points of previous novels seeing as there is a lot of information to take in. The characters are likeable, not infallible and I really enjoyed the start of this particular saga. Weaving together two related series is not easy, so its good proof that Brooks knows his world so well he is able to do this.
A hundred years or so after the events in the Word and Void trilogy, this novel is set. Following demonic assaults and climate change, the earth is becoming increasingly catastrophic. The Word & Void trilogy was fantastic, and this one connects them into the Shannara universe, which I also found to be enjoyable.
I couldnt really get into this book. I must have tried reading it before because alot at the front of the book seemed very familiar. The story line sounded really cool but didnt really like where it went. Disappointed.
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a decent post-apocalyptic book that is supposed to be a prelude
to the original Brook’s fantasy world. The plot and characters were both
decent (two paladin-types in a rush to save the remnants of the world
before it is reborn in fire), but the end of the book was a horrible cliff
hanger. Literaly, two characters are thrown off the top of a building on
the third-to-last page. That was really annoying.
to the original Brook’s fantasy world. The plot and characters were both
decent (two paladin-types in a rush to save the remnants of the world
before it is reborn in fire), but the end of the book was a horrible cliff
hanger. Literaly, two characters are thrown off the top of a building on
the third-to-last page. That was really annoying.
Having read the first in the Bearers of the Black Staff series, it was interesting to jump back in the timeline to witness the origin of Hawk and his ragtag band of followers. Although, it also had the effect of semi-spoiling a few things… I never really felt concerned for Hawk, for instance. I know he must survive for the other series to be possible. I had no such reassurances about any of the other children and youth in his band, however.
The 3rd-person POV cycles around through several protagonists and antagonists--initially split across events happening on different sides of the former United States. It does gradually become clear how everything is ultimately going to consolidate and tie together. By the end, the overarching plot is poised to become a clearly cohesive thing for the next installment.
Most of this book has a distinctly post-apocalyptic feel rather than fantasy, despite the demonic hoards, bits of magic interspersed, elves… and something about a gypsy morph. >.> So much of the central worldbuilding involved scraping, scavenging, and reflecting on all that had been lost in the collapse of civilization.
I didn’t care at all for Tessa for some reason. She seemed annoyingly dithering, and I never got much sense for her personality. As a result, the romantic element between her and Hawk fell pretty flat. I wanted to root for them, but couldn’t bring myself to care enough. Not when simple survival felt vastly more compelling.
Ultimately, this story felt like more like the first 1/3rd rather than a complete book. We end off with a few revelations, a cliffhanger, and no real satisfaction. (Very much like the 1st in the Bearers of the Black Staff series. Perhaps this is the new formula?) And although I’d like to see the protagonists succeed, I don’t feel particularly attached to any of them.
Brooks continues to do high-stakes action and situational tension exceedingly well. But for this reader, the character connectivity and emotional investment isn’t quite there. I’m unsure if I will continue on in the series.
The 3rd-person POV cycles around through several protagonists and antagonists--initially split across events happening on different sides of the former United States. It does gradually become clear how everything is ultimately going to consolidate and tie together. By the end, the overarching plot is poised to become a clearly cohesive thing for the next installment.
Most of this book has a distinctly post-apocalyptic feel rather than fantasy, despite the demonic hoards, bits of magic interspersed, elves… and something about a gypsy morph. >.> So much of the central worldbuilding involved scraping, scavenging, and reflecting on all that had been lost in the collapse of civilization.
I didn’t care at all for Tessa for some reason. She seemed annoyingly dithering, and I never got much sense for her personality. As a result, the romantic element between her and Hawk fell pretty flat. I wanted to root for them, but couldn’t bring myself to care enough. Not when simple survival felt vastly more compelling.
Ultimately, this story felt like more like the first 1/3rd rather than a complete book. We end off with a few revelations, a cliffhanger, and no real satisfaction. (Very much like the 1st in the Bearers of the Black Staff series. Perhaps this is the new formula?) And although I’d like to see the protagonists succeed, I don’t feel particularly attached to any of them.
Brooks continues to do high-stakes action and situational tension exceedingly well. But for this reader, the character connectivity and emotional investment isn’t quite there. I’m unsure if I will continue on in the series.
My first experience of Terry Brooks. This is a prequel to other stories he has written and is a grim tale of a post apocalypse world. Ends on a real cliff hanger so need to get book 2 from library quick...
Note to self: Don't read books with "Armageddon" in the title when the news is full of nuclear threats, wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes...
Definitely one of my favorite Terry Brooks books. He effortlessly blends our world and the world of the Shannara series into a chilling post-apocalyptic ruin. The characters are great and the settings are amazing. And even if the plot is not as original as possible (teen boy with magic powers is destined to save the world, etc.), Brooks still puts enough new spin on it to make for an interesting, and unpredictable, read.
P.S. If you decide to read it, make sure to have the sequel on hand as soon as you get finished. This book has one of the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) cliff-hanger endings I've ever read.
P.S. If you decide to read it, make sure to have the sequel on hand as soon as you get finished. This book has one of the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) cliff-hanger endings I've ever read.