The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel by Terry Brooks
The readers can download The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel Audiobook for free via Audible Free Trial.
Summary
Horrified by the misuse of magic they had witnessed during the First War of the Races, the Druids at Paranor devoted themselves to the study of the old sciences, from the period before the collapse of civilization a thousand years before. Only the Bremen and a few trusted associates still studied the arcane arts. And for his persistence, Bremen found himself outcast, avoided by all but the few free-thinkers among the Druids.
The success of an audiobook heavily relies on the narrator. A skilled narrator has the power to transform a mediocre story into an extraordinary journey. On the flip side, a poor narrator can hinder the impact of even the most thrilling moments. In the case of this audiobook, the narrator's diction is crisp and easily comprehensible. However, they tend to over-dramatize every sentence, causing important moments to lose their intended impact. Additionally, all the characters sound too similar, making it difficult for me to fully engage with the narrator's performance. If you're unfamiliar with what I'm describing, I recommend listening to the first three audiobooks in George R. Martin's series as a point of reference.
Before diving into the Sword of Shannara, I decided to give The First King of Shannara a shot. The reason being, I had already played the adventure game adaptation on my PC a while back and completed it.
Let me tell you, this novel was an absolute work of art. The level of emotion woven into the story astounded me. It had me completely captivated, always on the edge of my seat (or bed, to be precise). The battles depicted in the book were on a grand scale, rivaling those in Return of the King, if not surpassing them. If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings series, trust me when I say that you'll fall head over heels for this novel.
I found 'The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel' to be quite predictable, although I should mention that I haven't read the main series. It tended to be overly dramatic without any hint of humor, and the characters all seemed to blend together without much distinction. While this story might be more engaging for a teenage audience, I would suggest that adults explore other options.
I've been a fan of Terry Brooks for a long time, and this book is no exception. However, there's an issue with the audiobook, and it lies with the narrator. Scott Brick couldn't even pronounce "Shannara" correctly. Honestly, it's the most disappointing narration I've ever come across.
The narration was quite boring, with a monotone delivery that reminded me of Ben Stein. The story itself was not very inspiring and seemed to lack the vibrant quality of real life. The sense of authenticity was quite weak. Overall, I would say that this audiobook is merely a placeholder for fantasy enthusiasts who are eagerly awaiting more captivating works from other authors, but it can still be enjoyed as a mindless read.
This book is filled with an excessive amount of lengthy, unnecessary, and inconsistent descriptions. The ending is incredibly unsatisfying. The only redeeming quality is the well-crafted character development. I have no intention of delving into the other books in this series.
I was stoked to give my first audiobook a listen, but man, I gotta say, I was really let down by the monotonous narration in "The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel." It was just lacking any kind of excitement or emotion, you know? I really hope not all audiobooks are this snooze-inducing.
Loading...
10 comments
Or use one of these social networks