Armageddon's Children

Terry Brooks

Aug 2006 · Pre-Shannara: Genesis of Shannara Book 1 · Sold by Del Rey

About this eBook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “In this exciting first of a new fantasy trilogy, bestseller Brooks effortlessly connects the Tolkien-infused magic of his Shannara books .  .  . with the urban, postapocalyptic world of his Word and the Void series. . . . Longtime Brooks fans and newcomers will be riveted.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In our world’s near future, civilization has fallen into terrifying chaos. Navigating the scarred landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan Tom has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic and destined to lead the final fight against darkness. In time, Logan’s path will cross with others: Angel Perez, herself a survivor of death-dealing forces, and a makeshift family of refugees forced to survive among street gangs, mutants, and marauders. Common purpose will draw Logan and his allies together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

“Dynamic . . . compelling . . . mesmerizing . . . [with] a cliff-hanger that leaves readers salivating for the sequel.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Strongly recommended . . . a transformative work.”—SFRevu

Ratings and reviews

Shannara isn't a land of the past or fantasy - it's the land of the future. It's the land that emerged after an apocalyptic time period full of demons re-emerging and humans allowing the land to go be poisoned by their greed. In Armageddon's Children, we get to see how it all happened and where it all came from. The last remaining Knights of the Word travel the land under the direction of the Lady. Each has their own mission that will bring them together to save the last of humanity. Angel Perez and Logan Tom each have a mission to complete - a mission that brings keeps turning them closer and closer to a group of street kids that call themselves the Ghosts. The Ghosts will play an important role in the times to come. A time full of danger and strange new discoveries of magic and mutants. They are not what they appear on the surface, but they have not yet realized their full potential. Traveling with the characters we see the beginnings of the strange creatures that inhabit the world of Shannara - lizards, spiders, and once-men that help to make up the landscape of the Shannara series. While I wasn't a fan of the urban fantasy tale that showed more modern times in a previous series, Armageddon's Children begins to bridges the gap between now and the future of Shannara. It's not just a dystopian tale, but the beginnings of an origin story like none I've read before. I did run into a few cases where the editing could have been better - names misspelled and words that should be capitalized weren't.

While I liked the book, it doesn't stand on its own and you have to read the trilogy to understand the book. It's a trick to get you to buy three instead of one.

I was looking for my next series and I am glad that I found the beginning of Shannara! Great way to start the series and I am looking forward to the other books.

About the author

Terry Brooks has thrilled readers for decades with his powers of imagination and storytelling. He is the author of more than thirty books, most of which have been New York Times bestsellers. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.