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| Armageddon's Children (The Genesis of Shannara, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 3077
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 034548410X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345484109
ASIN: 034548410X
Publication Date: July 31, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
If you have never read anything by beloved fantasy writer Terry Brooks, take your chance with Armageddon's Children, a rich and absorbing epic in which the world lies in ruins as the powers of darkness and light battle for control. Want to learn more? Watch our video featuring Terry Brooks:
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Product Description
Terry Brooks is one of a handful of writers whose work defines modern fantasy fiction. His twenty-three international bestsellers have ranged from the beloved Shannara series to stories that tread a much darker path. Armageddon’s Children is a new creation–the perfect opportunity for readers unfamiliar with Brooks’s previous work to experience an author at the height of his considerable storytelling powers. It is a gripping chronicle of a once-familiar world now spun shockingly out of control, in which an extraordinary few struggle to salvage hope in the face of terrifying chaos.
Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family’s slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization’s downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness.
Across the country, Angel Perez, herself a survivor of the malevolent, death-dealing forces combing the land, has also been chosen for an uncanny mission in the name of her ruined world’s salvation. From the devastated streets of Los Angeles, she will journey to find a place–and a people–shrouded in mystery, celebrated in legend, and vital to the cause of humankind . . . even as a relentless foe follows close behind, bent on her extermination. While in the nearly forsaken city of Seattle, a makeshift family of refugees has carved out a tenuous existence among the street gangs, mutants, and marauders fighting to stay alive against mounting odds–and something unspeakable that has come from the shadows in search of prey.
In time, all their paths will cross. Their common purpose will draw them together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.
In Armageddon’s Children, Brooks brings his gifts as a mythmaker to the timeless theme of the unending, essential conflict between darkness and light–and carries his unique imaginative vision to a stunning new level. Prepare for a breathtaking tour de force. To those who are new to Terry Brooks, welcome. And to those who have read him for many years: prepare for a dramatic surprise.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 108 more reviews...
Bridging Word/Void with Shannara October 19, 2006
87 out of 90 found this review helpful
Terry Brooks revisits the world of his greatest work: The Word and the Void. That original trilogy was set in a modern day United States where there are demons working for the Void trying to turn humans to acts of evil to twist the world to be a more violent, dangerous, and lost place. John Ross, a Knight of the Word, fought daily against visions of the future that he had to try to prevent. Ross's visions were of events that could happen in his own lifetime and for all of Ross's success, all he did was delay the inevitable. Armageddon's Children is set some eighty years after Angel Fire East and the world is a ruined place and things are only fixing to get worse. Pollution is out of control, a nuclear war occurred, the humans which are "safe" live in compounds (like Seattle's Safeco Field) warded off against the outside world. Those compounds are all under siege and they are falling day by day until there will be nowhere left to run or hide. In Seattle there are gangs of children calling themselves Tribes. Adults have failed them and street children are not allowed in Compounds so they must survive by becoming their own families and looking out for each other. Humans who had been caught outside for too long and who somehow survived drinking radioactive water and eating off of the poisoned land have mutated. This is our world, only broken. This could be our future.
Terry Brooks works on four storylines in Armageddon's Children. One storyline is of a Tribe of children in Seattle called the Ghosts. The Ghosts are led by an older boy named Hawk who is just trying to keep his family alive. It is through Hawk's eyes that we see what his world and our world has become. Two storylines have to do with the two known remaining Knights of the Word: Logan Tom and Angel Perez. Logan Tom has been sent by The Lady to find the Gypsy Morph somewhere in the Northwest. The Gypsy Morph is a being of great power and magic and which we know was somehow born to Nest Freemark after Angel Fire East. Before I mention the last two storylines I need to mention what had been previously rumor and conjecture. Up until the announced publication of this novel it was suggested that the Word / Void Trilogy could be the world before The Great Wars that ruined the world and slowly evolved into the Four Lands that we know in the Shannara novels. This was always a great theory. In interviews before the publication of Armageddon's Children Terry Brooks finally admitted that this was true. That in his next trilogy he would start bridging Word / Void with Shannara. So, that brings us to storyline number three: Angel Perez. Angel Perez is another Knight of the Word who has been fighting to rescue as many children as possible before compounds are overrun by the demons and Once-Men. She is given a new mission: to find the Elves and to help them find some Elfstones. Now, elves have nothing to do with Word / Void, but have everything to do with Shannara. And that brings us to storyline number four: The Elves. We actually find out about the elves before we find out about Angel Perez and when they appear and they mention the Ellcrys, longtime readers of Terry Brooks knows without question that the two series have now been linked. The Ellcrys has given one of the Chosen a mission: to find the seeking elfstones to located the Loden Elfstone to carry the Ellcrys out of the Oregon woods whole. This may not make sense to readers who have not read Elfstones of Shannara or The Elf Queen of Shannara, but Brooks makes these concepts fairly clear even to newer readers of the series.
So, that's what Armageddon's Children is about. Is it any good? Yes. The more Brooks stays to the feeling of Word / Void the better the book is. I know that we're bridging to a more traditional fantasy series, but he gives better description and characterization and storytelling when he is working in the more natural setting of Word / Void. There are references a plenty to the previous trilogy and several references to things we know from Shannara and even an explanation of why there are demons walking the land considering the nature of what we know of the Ellcrys. The primary complaint is that this is the first book of a trilogy so Brooks spends 350 pages setting stuff up and giving us some action and storytelling, but nothing is resolved. He ends with a cliffhanger (almost literally) and rolls right into Volume Two of this trilogy. Brooks does not tell a complete story. Let me contrast this with his four book Heritage of Shannara series. Each book told a complete story while still building to the larger story of the series. That is what is missing here. It is not a book that can stand alone, but because of the ties to the excellent Word / Void series it is a harkening back to when Terry Brooks was writing strong fantasy with solid description. Brooks intentionally stepped away from that, publishing a book a year and desiring to write faster, more action packed novels rather than longer works of greater quality. He sacrificed quality for quantity even though his sales did not decrease. This is a step back towards some of that quality, though I know that is because he is forced to be more descriptive about the world as it has changed from Angel Fire East and is nothing like The Four Lands. This book is designed as a book where new readers can step in and not feel lost because they haven't read 20 books on both sides of the timeline but will also reward longtime readers. Armageddon's Children is a success in for both groups of readers and while not perfect it is a strong work in the catalog of Terry Brooks.
-Joe Sherry
 Prophecy of the Promised Land November 19, 2006
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
Armageddon's Children (2006) is the first fantasy novel in a new series bridging the Word and Void series with the Shannara novels. In the previous series, John Ross and Nest Freemark liberated Harper and Little John from the demon Findo Gask and his minions, but Ross was fatally injured by the evil creatures and then was released from his tasks by the Lady. Gask confronted Nest briefly, but departed without a battle when he learned that the gypsy morph had disappeared after Wraith destroyed the ur'droch. Nest knew, however, that the gypsy morph had become an embryo within herself.
In this novel, Hawk is the leader of the Ghosts, a tribe of children within the ruins of Seattle. He has had a vision of leading the children away to Paradise, but he is holding off until he can persuade Tessa to leave the local compound and her parents. When a monster from deep below the city attacks their home, he knows that the time has come for them to leave.
Logan Tom escaped from a compound overrun by once-men at the age of eight, but all his family were killed during their flight. Logan got a good look at the demon who leads the assault; the dead eyes will haunt his dreams for decades. He was saved at the last minute by Michael Poole, leader of a group resisting the demons and once-men, and he stays with Michael for the next ten years.
After Michael's death, Logan roams the country for awhile in a solar-powered S-150 assault vehicle, but is soon recruited as a Knight of the Word by the Lady. A decade later, he is wondering if his warnings about demon armies and his raids on slave camps have accomplished anything. He knows that many Knights have been killed by the demons, the number of once-men is increasing, and the environment is becoming even more polluted; is there any way to win this war? Then Two Bears gives him another kind of task to perform: guard the gypsy morph while he leads the children to Paradise.
Kirisin is a young Elf who has been Chosen by the Ellcrys to attend to her needs. As he tends her roots and soil, the Ellcrys asks him why she has been forsaken. After he recovers from his shock at being addressed by the tree, Kirisin tells the other Chosen what he has been told.
Kirisin is not believed and he angrily stalks off to tell the King. There he is placated and told to wait until his message has been researched in the ancient records. Soon, however, he realizes that the King already knows about the Ellcrys's message and is avoiding a response.
Angel Perez was a child of the barrio in Los Angeles. When her parents die, Juan Gonzalez adopts her and teaches her how to survive amidst the ruins. Johnny also teaches her how to protect herself from the human predators in the city, using unarmed combat or any available weapon. When a group of bully boys waylay and kill Johnny, Angel sets up an ambush and kills all of them. She takes over Johnny's role as protector for those in her neighborhood. Then Two Bears recruits her as a Knight of the Word.
During the destruction of the last compound within L.A. by an once-men army led by Findo Gask, Angel guides the surviving children off to safety. When she reaches the camp set up by her guerrilla forces, Angel is visited by a tatterdemalion bearing a message from the Lady. First she is told about Nest Freemark and the gypsy morph, then she is ordered to contact a group of Elves and to accompany them in their search for the Loden stone.
Angel leaves word with the children's escorts that she has been called away on another mission and then follows the tatterdemalion to a storage area. There they find a solar-powered ATV and head north. Unfortunately, a demon is tracking her and follows on another ATV.
This story takes place long after the time of John Ross and Next Freemark. The demons are close to winning everywhere. Now is the time for an exodus of some surviving humans to an Elven Paradise. This first volume sets the scene, but terminates just before the exodus per se. All looks dark, but at least some of the heroes have to survive into the next segment of this story.
Highly recommended for Brooks fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the battles between Good and Evil among humans and Elves.
-Arthur W. Jordin
 A total let down September 8, 2006
16 out of 30 found this review helpful
There was so much hype for this book, that I was expecting a lot more. There are many things wrong with this book. First of all, I am a huge Terry Brooks fan, I have every book he has ever written. The book is not written poorly, in fact, it is well written, fast paced, and interesting. The problem I have is that it jumps into the fact that the war has happened, everything is bad, mutants are out there, etc. I truly believe Mr. Brooks should of started this series even farther back. Show us how it happened, let us come along for the ride. He needs another story that is even before this one. I am not a fan of how magic is just in the world. He should of gone into more details of how it was created, something should of happened to create the magic. That would of made the story actually more believable and closer to home. Instead, we are forced to believe that magic just existed (same as in the Word and Void series). Ay any rate, not a fan of how we are dropped into a world where mutants already exist.
Also, a huge negative to me, a HUGE one, is that I hate when authors shove down your throat their political beliefs. While not being shoved down our throat, Mr. Brooks felt it was necessary to tell us how he felt about the current vice president. Authors should not do this. It alienates those that do not feel that way. In addition, using other, future presidents, etc. would lend that much more weight to the fact that we might be going there then telling us how you feel about the current administration. VERY uncalled for.
The Great Wars Have Begun! August 31, 2006
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
In the epic masterpiece, The Sword of Shannara, the Druid Allanon discusses with Shea Ohmsford how the world of Man was destroyed but eventually rose again to become the Four Lands. That destruction and geographical change was the result of the Old World's inability to control its own passions - and the Great Wars ended that world until a new one could rise again.
In Armageddon's Children, the Great Wars have already begun and humanity is leading itself to a dark precipice of no return.
For those fans who want more of what Terry Brooks has to offer, as well as fantasy fans who have been too daunted to try a Terry Brooks book due to the length of his series, this book is for you! In a world that has been effectively destroyed by humanity's twisted misuse of power, a new world is about to be born. But for the phoenix to rise there must be death, and our world has reached its apocalyptic finale. Terry creates a world that is gray and desolate, and yet echoes all facets we can see in our own world today. Armageddon's Children is our future, and a bleak future it is. Attempting to bring light to the world's existence are two Knights - given great power and a far great responsiblity for those who need to survive the coming holocaust. The characters of Logan and Angel are particularly well constructed, and the reader really gets a sense of what it means to carry the Knight mantle for an extended amount of time in the worst of times. Logan's haunting ghosts and Angel's toughened heart remind us that although humanity has its difficulties, compassion and strength of character can overcome any evil that the world may have. Coming after them is an evil darker and more sinister than humanity has ever known.
This book was great. It is a compelling story with real characters set in a world that could be our future. It is more literary compared to Terry's earlier work, and the only thing that keeps the story from being depressing is the hope that the characters light. I give this book four stars, but it could have been five if I had the other two books of the trilogy in hand! It can be read by new readers without any prior knowledge of what Terry has written and it is assured to delight old Brooks fans.
Come see what hides here in the darkness September 5, 2006
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
A quarter of the way through Sword of Shannara, the astute reader would have predicted the inevitable isthmus between The Word and Shannara (those metal girders from the "great age").
After these many years to finally mate the worlds, I am disappointed in the result. Terry is too talented a writer to fall prey to a video game story line and a gimmick ending that smacks of a television season finale- shame on you (or your editors). Do you really believe your readers won't come back for the next installment.
The characters are mere cellophane archetypes; thin vessels indistinguishable from the wasteland that surrounds them. "Ghosts" was a fitting moniker. The emotional and psychological dies with the external landscape. Where is the energy in that?
More than a cursory handling of the mutants (Spiders, Lizards, Once-men) and exploration of life inside the "compounds" would have richened the political and social flavor of the story-line (and added to the mere 370 pages.)
The Shannara characters seem to be left-over ingredients dropped into a blender resulting in a book whose formulaic structure is itself a distraction from a story line that is as weak as it is ambitious.
Over the last 25 years I have read Brooks faithfully. I am disappointed, but there is nothing for it. The Word and Shannara should never have been mated - the result seems nothing short of, well... "Come look, boy. Come see what hides here in the darkness."
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