There’s a fairly popular adage going around these days about how every character is the protagonist in their own story. And while I appreciate the spirit behind this concept in that each character should be treated with the same attention you garner your protagonist, it’s simply untenable in execution. I mean, think about just a single battle scene with 1,000 soldiers: Are you, as the author, supposed to know the backstory and inner life of pikeman #367? Of course not. There’

I know it’s en vogue to bash on Brooks’ books, but the word of Shannara will always hold a special place in my flinty heart. Sure, it’s derivative of Tolkien, but no more so than a weekly D&D session, and no one gets all up in Gygax’s business for daring to include elves, dwarves and orcs. Still, a lot of fantasy purists aim a lot of ire Shannara’s direction I don’t think it deserves. In a lot of ways Shannara may sum up Gen X’s take on fantasy the same way that LOTR did for