Armageddon's Children
By Terry Brooks Thorndike Press, Large Print Edition, (2006)
ISBN 10: 0-7862-9036-6
ISBN 13: 978-0-7862-9036-9
Genre: Fantasy
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - January 11, 2007
Destruction, death, and despair are the mantra of the survivors of the evil that has spread over the world. Yet even in this turbulent realm, a small spark of hope still shines forth in the form of Logan Tom. As a child, Logan witnessed the violent murder of his family and the other members of the Knights of the Word. Now as a man he must find the strength, wisdom, and magic to gather around him the survivors of the human and elven nations to do battle against the forces of darkness that is threatening to extinguish all life on earth.
Armageddon's Children is a chilling post-apocalyptic fantasy story by Terry Brooks, which is set in an America that has been torn asunder by a host of disasters including environmental catastrophes, plagues, world wars, anarchy, and supernatural forces. Set in the near future, these disasters have led directly to the general collapse of civilization and the break down of law and order. As such, this new world finds the 'normal' people living in fortified compounds as protection against the mutants, demons, and other 'undesirables' that wander the contaminated landscape. At stake in this story of good versus evil is the earth itself. The two main opposing forces in this story are the people of the Word, namely Logan and his human and elven forces (the good guys), who must fight against the people of the Void an its army of demons and mutant humans (the bad guys).
This is a fast paced, epic fantasy story that ends far too soon, and leaves you eager for more. Armageddon's Children is filled with a host of intriguing characters, some human, some elven, and some supernatural, including the mysterious Lady who aids Logan through a series of visions. The story is filled with so many twists and surprises that is a hard book to put down.
Armageddon's Children follows the story line begun in Brooks' Word - Void trilogy. It is also the first part of Brooks' new Genesis of Shannara trilogy that also serves as a prequel to Brooks famed Shannara series. While Armageddon's Children can be read as a stand-alone book, you'll be better off starting with the Word-Void series and reading the books through in order as Brooks sets the foundation of his 'world' in the earlier books and does not fully rehash all the 'rules' in each subsequent book.
The Word - Void Trilogy
Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East
Genesis of Shannara Trilogy
Armageddon's Children
The Elves of Cintra (scheduled for release in 2007)
The name of the third book, and its publication date, have not yet been released.
For the actual Shannara series, which consists of three different trilogies, one tetralogy, and several stand-alone books, you do not need to have read any of books in either The Word - Void Trilogy or the Genesis of Shannara Trilogy.
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Being the first part of The Lord of the Rings in which Bilbo Baggins declares his nephew Frodo is heir, and entrusts him with the One Ring. To keep the ring from the evil Dark Lord, Frodo sets out on a quest to unmake the ring. (Large Print)
