Rating: 
Summary: fans will like it more
Review: let me start off by saying that i am a huge terry brooks fan. i have thoroughly enjoyed all his work and eagerly await each new
release. that said, i must admit i was ever so slightly disappointed in this latest release. i believe fans of the series
will enjoy this book more than newcomers. i say this due to the feeling that this book varies little from the existing recipe that has made this series so very sucessful. if you're a long time reader you always know what you're going to get with a new shannara novel and this is no exception. the story moves quickly
and you feel yourself turning pages before you're really ready to but i found myself less attached to this particular group of
adventurers than ever before in a terry brooks novel. its a good read, especially if you're a fan of the series, but i can't help feeling that the best in this trilogy is yet to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting!
Review: One of the best books of 2003, third in the Annual Poll of the National fantasy & Horror Club of Bulgaria... Exciting, adventurous, magical - that's why we are reading fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Another great story
Review: Terry Brooks is a master story teller and this book once again proves it. His abilty to weave a tale that is very deep but so easy to read is incredible. I would highly recommend this newest book in the series. It may be one of the best in all of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Gr8 book, just toooo short!
Review: Terry Brooks is still my favorite storyteller; his works get better and better. I love the way he intertwines storylines, and keeps the pages turning. The beginning story of this trilogy is well-thought out, intricate in its subplots, but not in its writing. Brooks keeps the pace light, without delving into trivial matters, which some other authors, like Robert Jordan does(though he is an excellent author too). What I'd like from Terry Brooks is a Shannara novel as thick as a Robert Jordan novel, around 1000 pages! Mr. Brooks, if you're reading this, please reward your loyal fans and produce a big novel, so we don't have to bite our nails waiting for the next one! In any event, if you've read Brooks Shannara series and liked it, there's no reason why you won't enjoy his latest work. It's full of fantasy, backstabbing, intrigue, power struggles, magic, and beasts. Oh, and druids r kewl!!
Rating:
Summary: The classic series continues.
Review: Terry Brooks is the dominating fantasy author since his first novel - "The Sword of Shannara" and this will hardly change, I admit looking at his latest novel, "Jarka Ruus". Truly, it's amazing that "Shannara"-novel can still challenge my mind, but Broos is just great. In "Jarka Ruus" he introduces a new generation of characters, who face the ultimate evil from a place so dark, that just to speak of it is dangerous(that's why I won't tell you it's name:). There are vivid descriptions, well-described battles and cool, dark atmosphere which still fascinates.
I'm eager for the next volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Here We Go Again
Review: Terry Brooks once again takes us down the path that started in the first Shannara books, with no druid council worth talking about, except that this one has more back stabbers than usual. He once again puts someone in trouble (Grianne) and has two youngsters out to rescue her.
I am not sure I will pursue the following books of this trilogy since it follows the same formulas of the others. I was hoping that this time there would be a full and functional Druid Council ready to help the four lands and bring the wars to an end. Alas, I am again dissappointed. If you like Brooks, this will set well with you, but expect nothing new except previously unknown areas of the four lands.
Rating:
Summary: More of the same, yet different enough
Review: Terry Brooks revisits the land of Shannara, where he earned his fame and fortune. High Druid of Shannara: Jarka Ruus is the beginning of yet another three-book series set in this world. After the lackluster Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series (Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr), I had hoped Brooks wouldn't visit Shannara again for awhile, as that series was very similar to all of his other books and didn't offer very much new. I'm very pleased to say, however, that while it's not the most original book around, Jarka Ruus is actually a very entertaining book to read. While Brooks hasn't knocked one out of the park with this entry, he has certainly stabilized the Shannara franchise after the free-fall that was Jerle Shannara. The characters are interesting in this one, with Grianne's redemption and the temptation of her old life actually making her a fascinating character. She knows she must never go back to the person she was, but it makes dealing with the plots against her very difficult. Her first instinct is to blast back. Her determination to better herself and to continue on in the face of such diversity is really nice to see. In addition, it makes her a different character than most of Brooks' other ones, which is refreshing. The other main characters, Pen, Tagwen, Ahren, and Khyber (Ahren's niece) are also nicely done, though less distinctive. Pen is an Ohmsford, and he isn't much different from the Ohmsford heroes of old from all of the previous books. He has his own little piece of magic (though the magic itself seems to be dying out as it's diluted along the Ohmsford bloodline) that is seemingly useless but becomes appropriate for the mission at hand. That does seem a little convenient and arbitrary, one of the faults with the premise of the series. He's young and impetuous, easily falling in love with the daughter of the airship captain they hire to take them on their journey. The others have some nice characterization as well, though they do not stand out The saving grace of this novel is the world and the fact that Brooks seems to be trying something a little different. Redemption has never been one of his main themes, but this time he tackles it with full force. Grianne is put in a situation that will require her to make choices between her old self and the new, and the consequences of those choices could mean her life. There is a parallel between this series and Jerle, in the fact that another male relative of Grianne's has to save her. However, Jarka Ruus shows us that Grianne is more than capable of taking care of herself while she's waiting to be rescued. This is clearly her story even as it's Pen's coming of age. Brooks handles the two plot lines with effortless ease, never letting us grow tired of one before switching back to the other one. Another strength of the book is the use of Shannara continuity. I've always loved this world, even as I've disliked some of the books, and Brooks takes us on another travelogue around it. He uses just the right combination of old and new to season the book without overpowering it. There are references to almost every previous book, but either they are just for the fans and aren't really necessary, or he explains them well enough that the new reader will not be confused. Brooks has been known to wallow in this stuff, so seeing the light but firm touch he has on continuity in this book was great. We even get to see places that have been referred to but never actually seen (the Forbidding, where demons have been locked away for millennia, and the far northern areas of the world). Only a couple of things bring the book down, though. First, Brooks continues to have his characters brood as a way of thinking about the things happening to them. There are times when this goes on for a page or two, with the character just thinking about their situation, how they got there, and what they should do next. At least they didn't do this in the middle of combat, which was one of my criticisms of earlier books. It still got monotonous, though. Secondly, there is a bit of an internal logic problem that gnawed at me. During the run from the other druid airship, much is made of the fact that Ahren cannot use his druid magic or else the bad guys would be able to trace them. They are constantly talking about this. Then, once when he is forced to use his magic, they don't seem to express any worry about it. They settle down in a city waiting for the storm to abate so they can cast off again. They are then surprised by the druid ship. Shouldn't they have been expecting and worrying about this? However they should have reacted, it should not have been with surprise. Jarka Ruus is a very promising first entry in the High Druid of Shannara series. I hope that Brooks can maintain this quality, or even exceed it. He does seem to have a winning formula, but this time he's not trying to sell us more of the same in a different package. It's familiar enough for regular Brooks readers, but not so familiar that you feel you just shelled out more money for the same book. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Still going good..........
Review: Terry Brooks took on a new and original Shannara novel.Never ever has he come up with something like this.It's exciting,romantic,and purely interesting.
Grianne Ohmsford is now the Ard Rhys of the Druids,but the War on the Prekkendorran is still going on,and those who cannot forget that she was once the Ilse Witch plot against her.It goes to the extent that Shadea a'Ru, a Druid who despises her above all,traps her in a place of horror beyond imagining.
Tagwen,a Dwarf,and her trusted servant,is suspicious of Shadea ,and goes to Bek for help.Unfortunately,that's not who he finds.He finds Penderrin Ohmsford,one with a new gift,that isn't the wishsong.They ,Ahren Elessedil,and his niece Khyber embark on a journey to find the magical tree that can free Grianne from where she is trapped.
I love this book,but I have begun to notice that Terry's Shannara style is beginning to falter.Penderrin is not as strong a character as Bek,or Par,or Shea.And I found this book a bit less challenging than the others.
But,it is perfectly worth reading,and I engourage any Shannara fan to read it.
Rating:
Summary: He Keeps Writin' them and I Keep Readin' them.
Review: Terry Brooks's Shannara Series was my first journey into Fantasy writing, and I've been a huge fan ever since. In this 4th Shannara series, he picks up 20 years after the events of Voyage of the Jearle Shannara. Admittedly, the story is very similar to the rest of the Shannara books, and you get the idea that only the character names have been changed to protect the bored. Once again, Brooks uses his standard "unlikely hero" formula, but once again it works just fine in this first installment.
In this tale, we are introduced to Penderrin Ohmsford, son of Bek Ohmsford, hero of the Jearle Shannara series. While Pen does not carry his father's gift of the Wishsong, he has the unique ability to communicate with animals and plants around him. It is because of this trait that he is chosen by the King of the Silver River to go on a quest to save his aunt, Grianne, whom readers may remember as the Ilse Witch. Since the last series, Grianne has become Ard Rhys (High Druid) of the Third Druid Council of Paranor. However, a series of failed endeavors and her inescapable history as the evil Ilse Witch have haunted her followers to the point of mutiny. Now she's been exiled, and only young Pen can find her.
Jarka Ruus tells the story of the first leg of Pen's journey. Brooks introduces a number of new characters, good and evil and of course a fair amount of folks who ride the line between the two. By the end of this first volume, each still has a lot of room for further development. Brooks tells you just enough about each new character to keep you focused on the main story, but remain aware that each has an important back-story undoubtedly leading to plot twists somewhere down the line.
I also noticed that this book reads much quicker than all of its predecessors. Although I've only finished book one, I get the feeling that this trilogy could easily be written as one book - perhaps an epic much like the original Sword of Shannara. Instead, I get the idea that he's writing this one like a serial, with installments much shorter and simpler than his earlier works. Perhaps this is a hint that Brooks may need to retire this highly respected series before it gets too tired.
The bottom line is that I still enjoyed this first book. I still plan on reading the next two, and I still care enough about the characters to wonder what happens next (something I can no longer say about Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, but that's a different review altogether...). Sure, it's admittedly formulaic, but it's a formula that works for Brooks. He doesn't try to make this series anything it's not. He doesn't stray from the story, or get overly wrapped up in unimportant details. This book is nothing new and spectacular, but it's still a very good continuation of Brooks's Shannara universe. If you enjoyed the other Shannara's, then pick this one up too.
Rating:
Summary: Brooks did it again...
Review: The "Shannara" series continue and Terry Brooks is still writing them better and better. This is probably the best one, with it's sudden twists in the plot, with the appearances of well-known characters from the past and a great new generation of heroes...
Brooks is my second favourite author. Only Robert Stanek is better.
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