A Silent Voice vol. 7

This is it. This is the final volume in the series. Oh all the feels. Let me try and capture how awesome this series was.

So, if you saw my first review of volume 1 (only posted days ago because I couldn't put these manga down!) then you got the bare bones of how the story starts. Let me give you a little more of a recap. Shoya was the middle school daredevil, the kid that jumped off bridges to prove his worth to the other boys he considered his friends. He hated boredom. So when they get a transfer student who happens to be deaf, Shoya makes it his purpose in life to torment Shoko and pit the other classmates against her. Even though it works, all the other students, even the teacher, bully poor Shoko, it all backfires terribly when Shoko's mother demands recompense for the numerous hearing aides Shoya has destroyed. Suddenly Shoya finds himself on the other end of the stick as the others in his class begin bullying him. Unable to take it, Skoya lashes out at Shoko one final time that causes her to finally leave the school.

The meat of the tale begins when Shoya, having had enough of the loneliness he has had to endure over the years since his actions, decides to take his own life. Getting his affairs in order, Shoya realizes there is one last thing he must do before he ends it all: apologize to Shoko for what he did. But when he goes to confront her she is understandably upset, and when he "speaks" to her (because he actually learned sign language to get his message across) he realizes that he wasn't the only one just done. Deciding to try and right the wrongs he caused this girl, Shoya resolves to push on, resulting in one of the most incredible pictures in manga that I fell in love with.

The rest of the series is about their growing friendship. That's not to say everything is rainbows and unicorns from there on out, oh no! Shoko and Shoya both have a lot of pain that lies just beneath the surface, and sometimes it rises up and people get hurt. They also have a lot of people they have effected over the course of time they have known each other, and not everyone is as forgiving as Shoko or as determined to make amends as Shoya. The ride is bumpy and incredible.

To say I loved this series would be an understatement! The story was so real, from the bullying to the difficulty in making things right; the characters were real, from Shoya's complicated feelings about Shoko to the mothers who are trying to raise difficult children alone; the plot was real, and all of it came together to form a story that will stick with me for some time. This is a series I plan on buying to reread in the future and recommend to everyone who reads manga. This one was just amazing! So if you haven't read it yet, go find it, now! And if you have, tell me what you think. I would love to talk about this one all day!

A Silent Voice vol. 1

Last year I saw a trailer for an anime that looked really interesting, but I have been unable to find it. So imagine my surprise and excitement when I stumbled upon the manga at the library! I am so eager to read this series!

A Silent Voice is the story of Shoya, a middle school boy that hates to be bored. So when the new transfer student turns out to be just another girl, he is disappointed because girls never want to have fun like the boys do. Only, Shoko, the new student, is deaf! This leads to Shoya deciding that the newest way he is going to keep himself entertained is by tormenting Shoko. Until karma strikes and Shoya looses everything.

In this first volume we hate Shoya, that's exactly how the creator wanted it. You need someone just horrible to suffer for what he has done, otherwise it seems unnecessary. But in this story we cheer karma on after Shoya becomes the target for all the bullying in the school in retaliation for all he put young Shoko through. Yet, I still feel a bit of sympathy for Shoya at the end of this one, and can't wait to see where the story takes him and Shoko!

Seriously, this is a great story already, and I encourage all my manga fans to pick this one up! And if you have seen the anime, please, tell me where I can find it!

The Elfstones Of Shannara

Setting out to reread the Shannara series with a friend, I was thrilled at the chance to return to the world that not only drew me into the world of fantasy, but that awakened within me a desperate need to tell my own stories of fantastic nature. However, I was a little worried that upon rereading some of them I would find that I was no longer as in love with Terry Brook's early writing style, after all my tastes have changed a lot since I was 10. I need not have feared. Elfstone of Shannara was the first book that left me crying long after I put it down (a sad spoiler I won't detail), and when I watched the show it came as no real surprise that I was curled up in my husband's lap for an hour as I cried more tears for that plot point. Yes, today I cried again. I love this book so much, and even after all this time the story still touches every part of my heart!

Elfstones follows the story of Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil as they try and safe the magical tree, the Elcrys, from death which would result in the failing of a magical barrier that keeps hordes of demons at bay. Wil and Amberle's journey takes them across half the FourLands, introduces them to numerous characters that both hinder and help their cause, and twists and turns in ways that are truly captivating.

Even though this was the third time I read this book I loved it just as much as the first. However, since I read it after watching the show, I found that there were so many details that I had forgotten, details that were left out of the show. Does this upset me? Well, a little since some of my favorite characters were left out of the show (*cough* Stee Jans *cough*). But as Terry Brooks has been heard saying lately, the show is a beast in and of itself. Things had to be changed to keep audiences interested, to keep things new and exciting. So if you are going to read this book because you loved the show, keep in mind that the book was here first, and it's its own story.

I look forward to the next time I am able to sit down and reread the whole series once more in the future. This is a story I love to revisit from time to time. So tell me, how did you discover Shannara? What do you think of both the book and the show? Let me know!

Bunny Drop vol. 5

This is just a short update on the series as I had originally planned on waiting until I had finished the series and could give a final thought on what the series was like and where it went. But with this volume we see a major leap in the time line as it starts ten years after the end of  the last chapter, and I would like to make a note of that.

In this volume we see Rin in high school, preparing for the possibility of college, while trying to figure out the relationships in her life. Most notable is her friendship with Kouki which might or might not be going further. With both of them unsure of things, however, this is a bit slow going but makes for some good moments that have me rooting for Kouki in the long run.

Along this same plot line, the final chapter in this one deals with a little flashback to when Kouki and Rin were in middle school and Diakichi had a moment with Nitani that might hint at the future between these two supporting characters.

I love that we are getting to see more into the growth of these characters, something that was not possible with the anime, and I am really looking forward to what we may get to see in the final volumes of the series. Making it this far, I am of course going to encourage every manga fan to give this one a try. It is such a touching story! If you make it this far, please, let me know what you think!

Attack On Titan v. 21

So this one finally arrived at the library and as soon as I saw it there was no question that I was going to grab it up. I am so involved in this story, guys, I am not sure how I am going to wait another month before the next volume is even published!

Ok, nearly a year ago I started reading this series after having watched season one of the anime and wanting to know how things turned out. At volume 9, we had begun to cover new territory that has now been covered in season 2 recently released. Unfortunately I have been unable to watch the second season thus far, but I have been keeping up with the manga. Here in volume 21 we are finally able to get some more answers! At the risk of getting yelled at about spoilers, I think I can almost safely admit that Eren and the gang has finally! reached his old basement, a scene that had one of the most impressive two page, word-less spread that will probably go down as my favorite art in the whole series. So the second half of this volume was for taking a giant leap backward in time to begin telling the history of the world, the titans, the walls, the people!

While I think some may moan about the lack of forward movement in the plot, as not too much happened in this one truthfully, I firmly believe the event of getting to the basement and the history we are given more than makes up for it. I am really happy with this volume!

So, have you read this far? Have you seen the second season? Let me know what you think!

Supernatural: Nevermore

Listening to: Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas

Ok, so I accidentally read this one out of order, not paying attention when I picked up Witch's Canyon and Goodreads informed me that it was book number 2. Oh well, the only impact that really had was that in the epilogue of this one, when the boys are handed the case that they would take care of in the next novel, I suddenly understood a little more. This early in the series, and being a long fan of the show, reading them out of order didn't effect anything.

So, at the start of this book the author so kindly tells us exactly where in the series it fits. Between episodes "Crossroad Blues" and "Croatoan" is where this story takes place. Sam's wrist is still in a cast, having been broken a few episodes back, as they head to New York to take care of a case for Ash as well as a case Sam caught in a paper. As the boys bounce back and forth between the two cases, trying to make their way through the crowded city not only in their car but with the cops keeping a watchful eye out for them, there is a lot of the banter that I have missed in these later seasons. It was also very satisfying to read of Dean flirting with a particular bartender outside his normal standards, and getting just a glimpse a little deeper into him when he is turned down.

We also get a little look into how others saw John Winchester. whereas in the next book we got to see flashbacks from boys about John's strict training that actually proved helpful, in this book we hear from a few people that have worked with John in the past, and found him extremely difficult. It's good to get a little deeper into the story like that.

I really enjoyed DeCandido's writing and look forward to reading the third book in the series, Bone Key, also by him. Let me know what you think of the series if you have been able to pick the books up!

Supernatural: Witch's Canyon

July: Books with trees on the cover.

Ok, so I really stretched it on this book fitting into this month's category, but hey, those are trees behind Sam and Dean! Honestly, I have been planning on reading these books for a while now, since a friend gave me a stack of them when she had to downsize her book pile. With the boys back in Vancouver for filming and season 13 right around the corner, I thought it would be nice to revisit the world from a new angle.

This book, the first in the series, takes place soon after t season 1. There are mentions of John Winchester's death (and if that is a spoiler you are far too behind to be complaining) but there is no mention of the major story arc from season 2. It does refer to the few months they have been traveling together to give the reader a little of the time frame. For this particular case the boys are in Arizona to investigate a series of murders that occurs once every forty years. And boy does it turn out to be a big one. Along with leading the boys repeatedly to square one with how little there is to go on, the number of bodies that drop in this book is astonishing. One of the worst cases the boys face if you ask me.

I really enjoyed this book! One of the nice things about this is being able to jump right into the story, it's just a case fic, you don't need to know which big bad they have been fighting up to this point. We also get a bit more backstory through memories that Dean has of training with his father when they were younger. Also included is the quip almost mandatory to the story that brings a little "what fourth wall" humor to the story when a suspect repeatedly calls Sam by his brother's name, insisting that he just looks more like a Dean. Something we got to see a little more of was a look into Dean's personality from how Sam sees it. The way he gives all the credit of solving the case to others, or turning down asking that one girl out with a bravado that Sam sees right through. This book falls right in line with how the show used to be, what drew me to the series in the first place, and what made the story so great.

I look forward to picking up the next book, so look for another post soon enough! Jeff Mariotte did a great job with this one, but one of the things I love about tie-ins are the chances to read different authors while staying with the characters I love. (Also why I love fanfic, but in this case all stories are show approved.) Next up is Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido which now I know is listed as the first novel of the series. (oops)

The Sword of Shannara

Back in January 2016, I wrote a post about the show The Chronicles of Narania that had premiered. I went on to say that I as I thoroughly enjoyed the show (which only went on to get better from that first episode onward) I hoped that it would draw people into the books. Well, I got my wish. A friend messaged me not long after the show ended for the season, asking me where to start in the series (a question I highly discourage because my answer tends to be long-winded at best, mind-numbing at worst) as she wanted to read the books that inspired the show. I pointed her to The Sword of Shannara partly because that was where Brooks started, and partly so that she could get a little bit of backstory for some of the things she would be seeing later on in the series (book or show). As we talked about it, I decided to join her and read the books again as well. While it took me a lot longer to finish, only because life got really in the way, the story was everything that I remembered it to be.

Sword tells the story of Shea Ohmsford, small town boy looking to mind his own business until the Druid Allanon appears to tell him that he is the heir to an overwhelming birthright in the form of a legendary sword that would be the one weapon that could take out the incredible powerful evil that is the Warlock Lord. A lot of traveling, fighting, chaos, confusion, and adventures ensue. It is a great place to start the series if you have never read the books before.

This is not the beginning though. Even that first time I read the series, when I was around 10, I started with The First King of Shannara which tells how the sword came to be, sets up the stories of the families, the druids, the world that is the Four Lands. I encourage everyone to read it!

But with the next season starting soon, I am glad that my friend started with Sword because I am going to quickly jump into Elfstone of Shannara, the next book upon which the show is based, and hopefully get to Wishsong of Shannara before the show starts getting too far off track from the original story line (which has already been confirmed to mixed reviews).

Anyway, I absolutely loved getting pulled back into this story once more. I have loved this series, this world for so long, getting to fully step back into it again was like returning to an old friend. And we picked up right where we left off. Once more I have the insatiable urge to read them all! Getting to talk with a new fan was a real bonus that I greatly enjoyed as well. So if you have recently picked up the books, please let me know so we can talk about them! If you have only just found the series, that's great too, because I love it just as much! And if you need a push to get into either, let me know, I will gladly give you a nudge as I pick up Elfstones and program the TV to record season 2 on Spike! Join me in one of my very first fandoms! Trust me, it is so worth it!

Sword Art Online: Progressive vol. 1

So, during my long wait for whoever else is reading the Attack on Titan series to finally return it, I started looking among the other mangas. And look what I found! I absolutely love the anime series with all my little heart (ask me about a cross over fanfic I wrote) and was so excited to see this on the shelf.

So, this is kind of a retelling of the story we love. Except it goes back to the beginning and gives Asuna's side of the story. In this first one we have just a taste at why she started to play the game, when she first met Kitito, and even a couple of mildly inappropriate drawings of her taste in undergarments. But hey, the story is rated Teen for a reason.

I love that we get the chance to see Asuna more. In the show she takes a little while to show up and a little longer to be someone awesome. This is her half of things. I hope. Only one book in isn't going to give me much. But I am excited for the series anyway.

As with other graphic novels I will let you know more about what I think when I reach a pivotal point in the story, or when I finish. Until then, let me know what you thought about SAO! Or the manga. Or if you have any recommendations for new manga/anime inspired by this title!

Game of Thrones

I will freely admit that a friend got me hooked on the show a few months back and when I ran out of episodes to watch I immediately jumped to the book series. Just like with Attack on Titan, I was looking to find out what happened next. I also wanted to know how the two compared. Wow, they are so incredibly similar that it really is like HBO brought the books to life.

I wont give away any spoilers by telling you where the book ends in comparison to the series, but I will say that more than just season one is in this first book. Sh, that's all you're getting.

So, in case you have absolutely no idea what these books or the show are about (because you are cozy under your rock) I will try and give you the briefest overview:
Martin created a vast world where most of the land is united under a King with Lords that have sworn fealty to him. This first book starts with King Robert making the trip north to Winterfell to ask his old friend (and almost brother-in-law) Eddard Stark to be his right hand man, the Hand of the King to be exact. Meanwhile, across a sea are the last two members of the Targaryen family, the former rulers of the kingdom before they were overthrown by Robert. Viserys, the brother, is trying to amass an army to help take back his throne, only things are not going his way.

So much goes wrong, chaos fills this world as people betray others, families fight, and the common people kind of get stuck in the middle of it all. And all the while Winter, a years long frozen season, is coming, bringing bad things from the North.

Martin weaves an incredibly complex tale aptly titled that resembled a very intense game of chess. There are a few good guys, plenty of bad guys, and even more people with intentions that are so muddled I am not sure how Martin himself kept them all straight.

I do have to warn you, there is plenty of inappropriate moments throughout the book as well. Scenes of gore that made me a little sick and other...intimate moments that made it a little awkward since I was listening to the book on my phone. It is also a long read. Something like 50 hours on audio that took me a full month to listen to.

All that being said, I think this is an incredible read! If high fantasy, intrigue, plot twists, are your thing, this book will fill your heart with glee. Right before someone you like dies, but that is a risk you won't mind taking because there will be someone new to love!

Pick this one up! Let me know what you think! Or if you have seen the show, let me know too, I love fangirling over it with people!

Attack on Titan v. 9

I have been reading the series since I started it two months ago, reading on the mangas between other books and when I was out of the house (yes, this was my purse book). Finally I have reached the point at which the anime stopped with volume 8. Here in volume 9 is what comes next in the story! And wow, in just one manga, a total of 4 chapters, so much more of the story has been revealed, only leaving me with a ton more questions! It is nonstop action for our characters as they are not given a moments rest before the next attack occurs. And we get to see more of the 104th training corp Eren was a part of as they are watched closely and backstories are revealed. Because there are more secrets among these new recruits than anyone could have guessed!

If you are looking to pick up where the anime left off this is the book to pick up. Although,  would recommend reading volume 8 because there was a single scene in it that may prove to be important as we move forward.  Or, you can wait until 2017 when, rumor has it, season 2 will finally be released!

Let me know if you do, did, or will read the manga, I love finding fellow fans of this incredible series!

Attack on Titan v. 1

After a long dry spell in the book department, I immediately went to the graphic novel/manga section at the library. Because what doesn't push you back into the mindset of reading like a good comic? I started the show Attack on Titan last week and after getting half way through season 1, I saw this sitting on the shelf. Of course I had to pick it up because the show is awesome but there is only one season available at this time. Reading the manga, I was hoping to get further into the story that is so interesting. I am so glad I did!

Attack on Titan is the story of 2000 years from now when these giants have appeared to try and wipe out the human race, simply for the pleasure of killing off humans. Eren Jeager is the main focus of the story as he watched his home town destroyed by titans and his mother eaten by one five years before the main story takes place. Now the titans have attacked again and Eren is a cadet in the army and determined to kill every last one of them. But things are never that straightforward.

I've only picked up the first volume because sometimes the differences are too great or maybe the story telling isn't as good. . . Now I am kicking myself for not getting the first 10! The only real difference between the show and the manga is the added training scenes that showed a little more of what the cadets went through to become soldiers in the show. But maybe those will come a little later, I don't know. Either way I like the quick pace of the manga that throws you right into the story and makes you keep moving forward.

That being said, I didn't breeze through this one like I have with other mangas. Not because I didn't want to, no, I think if I had all day I would have read it all in one sitting. But as it was I was forced to put the story down at chapter 3 to get things done. And the story if heavy. It isn't just a couple of nice pictures with dialogue bubbles. Even watching the show first I had to slow down, take a little more time with each page, really let it all soak in. And if you ask me that is what makes it great!

Bonus: I was reading it at the DMV and the kind lady that got me my ID replacement smiled and said she loves Attack on Titan. Already I liked her and things went smoothly.  And my husband and I may have scared a few others waiting with our talk of killing titans and Vertical Maneuvering Devices.

So if you are cool with manga and haven't already, pick this one up! The story is intense, the thought behind every aspect of the story is incredible, and the characters and plot are just awesome. Check it out!

Serenity: Those Left Behind

Well, I found this little surprise at our local library and of course had to pick it up. As a huge fan of the show (and Fillion and Whedon in general) I was happy to have yet another reason to return to the story. After all, I just rewatched the show and movie a couple weeks back and was starting to feel the familiar ache of loss.

So here we have a short graphic novel looking into that time between the ending of the show and the start of the movie. In classic Whedon fashion it helps explain why Inara and Shepard Book are not on the ship at the start of Serenity without having to explain anything at all!

The story was too short, much like an episode of Firefly, but also like the show it is filled with sharp witty comments and near death moments. Although, I feel obliged to point out that a comic does not have the same punch as a show, this comes close with a few surprises and new escapes.

And bonus, there is a letter from Nathan Fillion to start off the story recounting his love of comics and superheros that led him to eagerly sign up for the role of Malcolm Reynolds.

So if you like the show, find this little bit more and get some more story on Mal and the crew. I will be looking forward to finding the others in the series to continue this story line and get my fix!

Supernatural: John Winchester's Journal

I was looking for a book to read as I wait for my order from Barnes and Noble, something light that I could finish in a day maybe, that would help me clear my palate so to speak before picking up my next book club read. Well, I had been putting this one off for a while now since I am not a big fan of John Winchester, but it did the trick, got me thinking about Supernatural which I think about all the time anyway, and I was done in a day and can move on to the next book tomorrow. After I watch this week's episode of Supernatural that is.

So, if you are unfamiliar with the show, as you live under a rock, let me give you the highlights: John Winchester was just your average father of two boys, Dean (4) and Sam (6 months), loving husband of Mary, and a small town mechanic. Until November 2nd, 1983 when John stepped into his youngest son's nursery to find his wife pinned to the ceiling and catching fire. After getting his sons out of the house and discovering that he was not crazy, he had seen something unexplained, John became what is known as a hunter. This book follows John over the course of the next twenty-two years as he tries to find out what killed his wife, raise two boys, and kill the monsters that go bump in the night. The journal ends right as episode one of the show begins.

This book did a great job of reminding why I don't particularly like John Winchester. And it does that by being well written with the approval of the show's creator, meaning that fans get to see a little more of what happened in those absent years, learn a little more about the man that taught the two greatest hunters in North America, and even find out some more about the monsters the show is prided on bringing to life.

If you choose to read this one keep in mind that it is a journal, written by a man that never talked about his feelings and was slowly working his way further into the world of the supernatural to find out what killed his wife so that he could finally avenge it. That all means that the narrative is disjointed, the time line is full of gaps, and increasingly the story if more focused on the information gathered on monsters than thoughts or reflections of the boys John is raising to be soldiers. There are four dates every year John consistently marks: Dean's birthdays, Sam's birthdays, John and Mary's wedding anniversary, and the date of Mary's death. And with each year that passes the notes about the first two get smaller while the pain of the last two never diminishes. This book did an excellent job of showing the slow progression from the smiling, proud father to the obsessed, hardened hunter. It does an excellent job at complementing the series.

I recommend all fans of the show give this book a read, as it helps pull a little more from the backstory to explain a bit more about why the boys are the way they are, why they were so driven to find the demon that killed their mother, even Sam who had tried to take a step back from the hunting life. Just keep in mind, maybe John Winchester was not the best dad.

Shada : A Doctor Who Story

Feb. - Books published after 2011

Where do I even begin about this book? Let me start with a little backstory, a "Why it was written" of sorts. Did you know that Douglas Adams was a writer for the original Doctor Who series back in the 70's? I did not. As a great fan of Adams in my late teens, I was unaware of what he was doing outside the Hitchhiker's series. In my defense, as an American I wasn't exactly the target audience for the BBC show. In 2005 when the show started back up I heard about it from all my college friends, some of whom went to Harlaxton for the study abroad program out University offered simply to be closer to all things British they loved so much. It was in 2006/7 that I discovered BBC, falling in love with random episodes of Graham Norton, Doctor Who, even Law & Order: UK! Don't even try selling me on the American version of Being Human because it is crap compared to the original. But being sucked into the world of The Doctor failed to fill me in on one of my favorite author's former hand in the show, even as I watched numerous older episodes. So imagine my excitement when I unwrapped this book one holiday or other and became nearly giddy with the possibility of mixing Adams and The Doctor!

Reading this book, Adams' hand in creating The Doctor has never been more clear! Of course his mind helped shape the Time Lord's personality! How could I never see it before! The Fourth Doctor could have been best friends with Arthur Dent!

This brings me a little further into the story behind this book. Shada was the episode they were working on when the BBC went on strike. The story line never came to an end. And while everyone was distraught over it, Tom Baker (the 4th Doctor) admitting they all cried at the loss, Adams couldn't help but be relieved. Because the story was not what he had wanted. He had been forced to leave things out, drop off whole lines of thought, characters appeared only to leave the plot with no explanation!

Enter Gareth Roberts. I don't know how he got the script, why he was asked to write this book, but I am eternally grateful he did. Gareth did an incredible job of capturing Adams's voice and writing a book that I could almost believe was written by the late author I so loved. Many times I found myself sinking into a place I hadn't since first reading Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Other parts had me laughing out loud and wishing I could start up some episodes of the 4th Doctor because I definitely heard his voice in my head throughout the story.

Simply put this is such an awesome book. Perfectly told in the way of a Doctor Who episode. With all the humor, chaos, twists, and close calls one would expect to accompany The Doctor. So if you have ever read any of Douglas Adams' work and loved it, or seen an episode of Doctor Who and been enraptured, pick this book up. It is completely worth the read!

::EDIT:: I am marking the scheduled publish date on this for Feb. 29th so it will be listed on the Feb bracket, even though I didn't finish the book until March 15th.

The Shannara Chronicles

Back in 1977 Terry Brooks published The Sword of Shannara, something he later confessed was a bit of a surprise to him and he was even more astonished when called with the news of just how well the book was doing. Just shy of 20 years ago I picked up one of Brooks' other books, The Black Unicorn, and after reading the series it was a part of, I moved to the Shannara series. My life was changed. It may sound cliche, but that is exactly what had happened. Reading Brooks's work I realized that I wanted to tell stories like him, wanted to be a writer. Some of my first works were based off Brooks' characters that had become so much a part of me. Since then I have collected every book Brooks has written, met the man himself and had him autograph many of my books, and followed any and all news of him. This was why when I saw that they were making a television show based on his prominent fantasy series, I was too excited for words. That silence was broken the closer we got to the release date and I started bugging all my friends with my near constant updates on about the premiere. This morning I thanked them all for being patient enough with me not to yell at each new status post. Because last night was the series premiere on MTV!

So, since I had read all the books and waited so long to see the show, I thought I would give a little word on what I thought of it. It was EPIC!

After all the fear behind MTV being the ones to adapt the show, I was reassured every time Terry Brooks made an update about how happy he was with what had been done with the show. See, Terry has always been protective of his work, going so far as to turn down people that had wanted to adapt it when he saw what they wanted to do with his work. So with each new bit of information, I grew more and more confident that the show would be done right. And last night that was proven correct.

I will say that there were a few differences from the book, things that bothered me for a moment but then I could understand why they made the changes they did. After all, you want to keep some things a little bit of a surprise, a moment to catch people that think they know everything about what is going on off guard. Gotta keep them on their toes. I only had issue with one detail that kept getting mentioned, and I am sure will be brought up more in the future, that had been changed from the books. It would have been a very big, very compromising detail if they had started with the book before Elfstones, but since they started where they did in the story, I can almost see why they made the change. That being said I am sure I will forever cringe every time they mention it. Oh well, it is a small price to pay.

At other times I could only marvel at the amazingness of it all. The actors were wonderfully chosen, the sets were beautifully made, and the costumes were so skillfully put together. There was one scene, in which Allanon makes his appearance int the court of the Elven King Eventine, and every little detail of the scene was just so perfect. A shiver ran down my spine, I literally squealed, and I will probably rewatch the scene a dozen times between this week and next.

Have I made my point about this being a great success? I'll say just once more in case you missed it. This show took an already incredible series and made it great again for all of us. I truly hope that as I witnessed my son getting so excited over it, wowing at each new scene, and asking for a chance to read the books with me when I revisit the series, others out there that have not had a chance to read the books will discover the world I so cherish.

So thank you, MTV and Jon Favreau for bringing this incredible series to life for all of us. Thank you Terry for imagining such a world and inviting us all to join you there. And thank you to anyone else who gives the show a chance, falls in love with it all over again, and hopefully makes it possible for the series to continue on in the future. I have always believed the Shannara series was meant for great things, and I think I am being proved right.