WoT pwns LotR

[PhoenixUK]

IMeMin, the Sword of Shannara is a hideous book and a gross rip off of LOTR. It is DIRE. The Elfstones of shannara and onwards are a lot better and much more interesting, although none of them are great works of literature, they are enjoyable enough (although Terry brooks got a little too hooked to trilogies; the heritage of shannara quartet is great, the jerle shannara trilogy is fairly good but ends badly, and the jaarku ruus trilogy was a yawnfest. I've not read the genesis trilogy).

 

As for LOTR vs WOT, I love them both in different ways. I appreciate LOTR because I've read the silmarillion, unfinished tales and some of the History of Middle Earth, and the amount of detail and philosophical detail Tolkien goes into in his own notes is fantastic (Morgoth's Ring is a brilliant book to pick up, goes over the origin of Orcs. the nature of elven life cycles of birth, death and rebirth, and how this might conflict with marriage, and a great debate about how Man fell from grace etc).

 

Beldomon's post did make me chuckle. It's true that there are hardly any female characters in LOTR, but at least they mostly serve a purpose (Galadriel offers respite and talismans, and tests Frodo's resolve, and Eowyn has a nice story in her own right; Arwyn is nothing more than window dressing, as are goldberry, Rose Cotton).

[HighWiredSith]

IMeMin, the Sword of Shannara is a hideous book and a gross rip off of LOTR. It is DIRE. The Elfstones of shannara and onwards are a lot better and much more interesting, although none of them are great works of literature, they are enjoyable enough (although Terry brooks got a little too hooked to trilogies; the heritage of shannara quartet is great, the jerle shannara trilogy is fairly good but ends badly, and the jaarku ruus trilogy was a yawnfest. I've not read the genesis trilogy).

 

As for LOTR vs WOT, I love them both in different ways. I appreciate LOTR because I've read the silmarillion, unfinished tales and some of the History of Middle Earth, and the amount of detail and philosophical detail Tolkien goes into in his own notes is fantastic (Morgoth's Ring is a brilliant book to pick up, goes over the origin of Orcs. the nature of elven life cycles of birth, death and rebirth, and how this might conflict with marriage, and a great debate about how Man fell from grace etc).

 

Beldomon's post did make me chuckle. It's true that there are hardly any female characters in LOTR, but at least they mostly serve a purpose (Galadriel offers respite and talismans, and tests Frodo's resolve, and Eowyn has a nice story in her own right; Arwyn is nothing more than window dressing, as are goldberry, Rose Cotton).

 

In Defense of Terry Brooks, even he admits that The Sword of Shannara was a blatant re-write of LOTR and even goes so far as to say he feels his second book, The Elfstones of Shannara to be his first real entry into the Shannara series. That said, I quite enjoyed the book and still do.

[IMeMin]

I enjoyed the Sword of Shannara as well. I think there is such a thing as a "good ripoff". I actually went in thinking, this will be like LOTR but not knowing what happens next. At some point I may at least read Elfstones and Wishsong, though I've been overdoing the reading so much lately I doubt it'll be next week or anything.