Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara)

Terry Brooks does it again.
Fascinating epic of the continuing saga of the heirs of Shannara. Terry Brooks introduces a new cast of characters that have been well developed leaving the reader with a sense of kinship to them all.
If there is a downside to the book, it would be that it mirrors too closely "the Matrix". To the Shannara fan, I do not feel that it takes anything away from the book, but I do believe that, to the new Shannara reader, it may act as a hinderance to those who will feel that the plot is a "poor imitation".
All in all the book is magical. The reader will be transported to another world. There is a part of each of us in every character. I highly recommend it.

This book starts running from the get go. It picks up the story right where the first book ended, with the main characters scattered all over the place. The story then proceeds to follow them in non-stop action for 384 pages. I think this second book was certainly better than the first book, and definitly worth reading.

I've always been a HUGE fan of Terry Brooks. I loved all of the Shannara books thus far. I found his characters interesting, loveable, and easy to become attached to. THEN I had realized I never read many other books from other authors... So I picked up Eye of the World (1st of the Wheel of Time series), read that, came back to Shannara and read Antrax to continue the series for me. My first thoughts were "What is this crap!?!?!?"
I realized that Terry Brooks can't really write too well. He produces the same sentences...over and over. How many times does he have to tell me that Druids are sneaky before Terry finally thinks the reader realizes that! He also makes another big mistake, describing the characters first-hand, instead of doing it through their actions. He just outright tells you what the characters are thinking, why theyre thinking it, what their entire personality is. I think that completely takes away from the enjoyability of the story.
Terry can create nice plots and an interesting world but the way he writes...it just makes me sad. I sort of want to finish this series and I probably will. I realized you can skim about 50 pages in 10 minutes and not miss one bit of the plot. All you miss is Terry repeating everything you know about the characters over and over and over...

What is this load of nonsense?
I've certainly seen better from Terry.....
Such a disappointment, I truly hope the finale will buck up immensely.
The book seems a bit too rushed at times. Whilst Book 1, Isle Witch was a tad slow, this one moved in a snail's pace.
But, before all you Terry Brooks fans start throwing rotten tomatoes at me, please let me point out: this book is not bad...... sure, it ain't bad, but it just doesn't cut it.... And to think I was waiting for this book to come out.... A bit of an anti-climax, if you ask me....
Also, a word of caution: If you hadn't read Book 1, please do so before you attempt this book. That's because you won't know what on Earth is happening to the main charcaters at all!!
Oh well, I give it the...rating of ....3 stars.

Perhaps I am just getting older but the Shannara series has lost a lot of its previous magic... It seems almost like each release is a technical example of good writing as opposed to a good piece of fiction. Tie that into the repeating theme: One Druid, Two Boys, Everyone discovering super magical powers/legacies that they never knew they had... The best comparison I can think of would be the old kids show "Mighty Morphing Power Rangers". Yes there are different battlegrounds and monsters, but the story always followed the same path ending up in the super-mega-good-guy that always one. If the Shannara series is to continue, perhaps a little life needs to be blown back into the base plot.

B has always a good writing style. he is getting more inventing, and learning to make the characters more interesting. he is learning to carry out on amore deatiled level too, like combats. but this wasn't as good as the first book. there were some uninteresting stuff here, and the plot took a too much stereotypical turn for me. but masybe it's a "second book thing". haven't read the third one. anyway, it's still a good read from a , hopefully, "growing" writer

Just finished the book.The ending bites...you've got to read it!The book is full of thrills and twist and turns. Sword and sorcery,politics, trickery, intrigue, fights, swashbuckling, love, hate...Wonderful storytelling and complicated plot and character relations. if you've read the previous book, Truls Rhok is Revealed!...gotta read it.

I have read all of Terry Brooks' book and all I can say is this is as good as it gets. The character and relationship development is incredible, the suspense, the twists and turns will leave you breathless. I just wished that I did not have to wait 6 months or more for the last book.
Buy this book but make sure you read Ilse Witch first.
Thanks Terry for such a wonderful ride.

I am a big fan of Terry Brooks. I find his writing easy to read and quite enjoyable. I have always been a BIG Terry Brooks fan,so I had to read the heritage of Shannara series.
The first book Isle Witch I thought was quite disappointing until the very end. Immediatly I went out and bought the second book. I thought it was so much better then the first. I loved the Character development,I think that is one of Brooks best qualities in his books. When a character died,It was done so well and so emotional it almost made me want to cry.
at the moment I am reading the third book Morgawr and it is very impressive so far.If your a Terry Brooks fan I recommend this book. I couldn't put it down.

The story for Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Antrax ended in a worse place than the story for Ilse Witch, hence my only giving it 4 stars. I've fallen in love with Bek Rowe as a character, but I also found myself a big fan of Ahren, the Elven Prince, and that NEVER happens for me in this series (except for First King of Shannara, in which you HAVE to love Jerle). I guess I've also enjoyed this particular set because I think Walker Boh is the coolest of all the druids.

ANTRAX:
Antrax was everything I was looking for in a book. Its a timeless story with a lot to like. If you like epic fantasy you are going to love this.
WHAT'S BEST:
Terry Brooks has really come into his own in this trilogy. I've enjoyed reading about Shannara over the years but the early books weren't of this caliber. If you've never read Terry Brooks, start with ISLE WITCH, read ANTRAX and then go on to MOGAWR. If your as happy as I am you'll go back and read Brooks earlier works.
RECOMMENDED?
Yes, highly. Good plot and characters.

My husbands has been to dinner with Terry Brooks and his wife and has been to their property in Cannon Beach, OR. He is a wonderful man and Author.. This book along with all Terry Brooks's books are written with so much imagination, once you pick one of his books up you won't want to put it down. We have lots of books Autographed personally to my husband. I recommend reading all of Terry Brooks's books to anyone needing to get away from the real world for awhile..

This book picks up right where Ilse Witch left off! Of course this means those that try to read the books out of order are really going to be confused. This book is much more fast paced than the first but unlike the first, the reader really doesn't follow one main character - and none of the characters are together. Each character is fighting his or her own battles - literally! Of course this kept me reading and wanting to find out what happened next to all the charcters! Great book and can't wait for the final book out of 3!

Ironically, what a way to destroy the generations of fantasy realms created in the world of Shannara. Although Terry Brooks writing talent is as compelling as ever, Brooks' emphasis on too much science fiction, like the introduction of artificial intelligence, supercomputers, laser-wielding robots and so on in "Antrax", has nulled my hopes that what Brooks is trying to bring to us in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy is any fantastic fantasy concepts or elements. Shannara series is engrained in my mind as pure realms of fantasy and because of what Brooks did with "Antrax," my sentimental attachment to the Shannara realms has been shattered and turned upside down. With "Antrax", Brooks has destroyed that pure fantasy world of Shannara which I had loved so dearly. Needless to say, I won't be looking forward to the third installment "Morgawr." If I want to read science fiction, I'm sure I can find a host of other books to choose from.

This is a great book! I currently own the entire Shannara series and can say that it is easily the best series I have ever read. Terry Brooks does a great job at giving details of the lives of each and every main character in his stories. He always creates twists and turns in his stories. Some you, may be able to figure out before they happen, but there are others that you couldn't guess in a million years. It's a great book that I would reccommend to anybody.

I have all of Terry Brooks' books and normally I have them finished the day I receive them. For some reason, this story seemed a little slow and overpowering. I'd have to put it down to take a break. Normally I love Terry's stories and can't wait for the next one. It could be because things were a bit technical on this one. I am looking forward to the next one though and having Terry back on track.

This book by Terry Brooks is a book that cannot be ignored nor can one stop reading as its very captivating and will hold onto you with great vigor and it will take all your might to muster enough strength to put it down even for a moment, so go switch off the TV and put the answer phone on record.

A fantastic novel! If you've read Shannara before, you'll love this! It's quite a bit darker than his other books, but that only adds to the experience! If you've read Terry's Ilse Witch, then buy this book right now, you won't be disappointed!

After waiting three weeks for the book to arrive I could not believe how fast I read it. I could not put it down. Once again Terry Brooks had me hanging on the edge waiting to see what happened next. The only thing that is driving me crazy is waiting for the 3rd book! I can not wait to read the outcome.

If you are looking to relax and get away from it all, reading the adventures in Terry Brooks novels will certainly help. This book is no exception, I could hardly put this book down there is nearly non-stop action from beginning to end.

This was an excellent book, one of the best from Terry Brooks. However, the excitement of the book trails a bit at the end and I'm not nearly as excited for the next book as I was for this one. Hopefully the third will be just as good

These series are the best in the entire world! I have read everybook of the shannara series and I just can't seem to put the books down. I ave found myself reading util 1 in the morning and not wanting to go to bed because of how great the book is. I give this book and the series a 10+

This Terry Brooks 2nd installment of Journey of the Jerle Shannara was a great read. The book came in fairly quick, took only a couple of days. It was used & had some minor water stains but it made up w/ the fact that it was the hard cover copy. I am very pleased.

I read the first 180 pages the first day I had it, and I bought it late in the afternoon. Terry Brooks keeps up the suspense, and it's hard not to get caught up in the action. I can't wait for the sequel!