One legitimate reason to hate Terry Brooks

[Balgin]

The worst fantasy writer ever is undisputeably (IMO anyway) Terry Brooks!!!!! His first book The Sword of Shanara was a blatant rip off. Every scene (and I don't just mean the major ones) was taken from The Lord Of The Rings (the monster searches for Shea and his freind in the first chapter: the Black Rider incident on the road to Bree, Hendel distracts the Gnomes to allow the parties passage AND Alanon fights a demon in the boiling rooms beneath the dark lords castle(both are blatant Balrog rip offs) whilst one of the half elves escapes to act out a blatant remake or the Sam fights an Orc on the stairs whilst rescuing Frodo from the Orcish tower(just after Shelob), the gnome that he takes hostage becomes distinctly like Golum, Hendel rushes to the cities defense only suddenly noticing a blatant weak point, only slowly followed by others: Boromir defends Merry and Pippin from Orcs, and many other travesties of literature). Not only this but his second book (can't remember the title), featured another Blatant Balrog scene only a few chapters in and began to look familiar. In addition to this the chap who used to do the book review for White Dwarf (a British gaming mag, now more tabletop than in the eighties) took the liberty of describing a very bad book as "so Terry Brookish" and after that my long enmity for this writer has never allowed me to read another book of his.



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Balgin, the Dwarf

[Sir Taliesin]

I have to say that I enjoyed The Sword of Shanara, but that was it. Every book he wrote in that series afterwards had the exact same plot. BORING! Actually I agree with you Balgin. He did rip off Tolkien, but at the time I was really, really, really into Tolkien and was searching for something similar. Now I'm just really into Tolkien. I'm much older now.

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Sir Taliesin

Ten Rings there are, and nine gold torcs on the battlechiefs of old...

[Gabriel]

Originally posted by Balgin: The worst fantasy writer ever is undisputeably (IMO anyway) Terry Brooks!!!!! His first book The Sword of Shanara was a blatant rip off. Every scene (and I don't just mean the major ones) was taken from The Lord Of The Rings (the monster searches for Shea and his freind in the first chapter: the Black Rider incident on the road to Bree, Hendel distracts the Gnomes to allow the parties passage AND Alanon fights a demon in the boiling rooms beneath the dark lords castle(both are blatant Balrog rip offs) whilst one of the half elves escapes to act out a blatant remake or the Sam fights an Orc on the stairs whilst rescuing Frodo from the Orcish tower(just after Shelob), the gnome that he takes hostage becomes distinctly like Golum, Hendel rushes to the cities defense only suddenly noticing a blatant weak point, only slowly followed by others: Boromir defends Merry and Pippin from Orcs, and many other travesties of literature). Not only this but his second book (can't remember the title), featured another Blatant Balrog scene only a few chapters in and began to look familiar. In addition to this the chap who used to do the book review for White Dwarf (a British gaming mag, now more tabletop than in the eighties) took the liberty of describing a very bad book as "so Terry Brookish" and after that my long enmity for this writer has never allowed me to read another book of his.

SO you read one perhaps two books of his and you clame his the wrost writter ever, give me a break!
Try reading Running with the Demon some time it is a damn fine book! YOu can judge a man but some of his work! heck nearly every fansty book follows the same stroy line.

[Memnoch]

I've never read any of his books myself, but I'm surprised to hear that he sucks so much. Wow!


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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...destined to be a footnote in the sands of time.

[Memnoch]

He can't be as bad as Greenwood. NOBODY can be as bad as Greenwood. Did you read the the second-last scene in Temptation of Elminster, where El and the elf from Cormanthyr had their "reunion"?

I needed a bucket to vomit into after that.

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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...destined to be a footnote in the sands of time.

[Throntar]

Originally posted by Memnoch: He can't be as bad as Greenwood. NOBODY can be as bad as Greenwood. Did you read the the second-last scene in Temptation of Elminster, where El and the elf from Cormanthyr had their "reunion"? I needed a bucket to vomit into after that.

He's worse than Greenwood Mem!

He's probably not the *worst* ever, IMHO (I reserve that distinction for David Gemmell)...but he is a total rip-off artist. No doubt about that!

[Erekose]

Memnoch, read something in the 'Greyhawk' series by Rose Estes. That is my challenge to everyone out there. Please don't under any circumstances buy the book, she doesn't deserve the royalties, borrow it if you can. Trust me, this will be the worst book you will EVER READ

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"You all wished me to arouse the blade and use it. Now, I think, we begin to understand the consequences. The Black Sword must be fed. It will feed on friends if it cannot feed on enemies......"

[Balgin]

"As bad as Greenwoody"? Maybe he isn't now (after all he did get to write the Hook novel) but he was then. However I still disagree with Throntar over David Gemmel due to the sympathy and understanding that his writing managed to evoke in me concerning two Nadir tribesmen as they climbed the rope ladder up the walls of dros Delnoch comfortably chatting to each other about the bounty on the might Druss' head before being hacked to pieces by him ironically. I enjoy his way of depicting events from multiple viewpoints wich not many other authers seem to bother with. This allows the reader to choose their own favourite characters rather than be simply told wich to like (aka Enid Blyton whose descriptive, multiple viewpoint writing just about stretched to "it was a hard fight but in the end Robin Hood's men won" and really riled me). However, I'm inclined to agree with Throntar upon certain recurring elements in Gemmels writing (plotlines, recogniseable character archetypes) but it's the finer points of characterisation and perspective that he brings to his work that I like.

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Balgin, the Dwarf

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Erekose: Memnoch, read something in the 'Greyhawk' series by Rose Estes. That is my challenge to everyone out there. Please don't under any circumstances buy the book, she doesn't deserve the royalties, borrow it if you can. Trust me, this will be the worst book you will EVER READ

Erekose, when I was young and foolish I read the Lone Wolf trilogy by Rose Estes and it was the worst piece of unmitigated trash I thought I'd ever read, and I've tried to do by level best to lock those awful memories into the deepest part of my subconscious so I'm glad to say I don't remember a thing she wrote about!

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[Fljotsdale]

I must just say that you guys have chosen some of the worst writers in the genre: I AGREE TOTALLY!
It's SUCH a pity that so many people read them and that therefore they make pots of money out of writing poo!


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Smile! Life is too short for bitching!

Fljotsdale