THE SWORD OF SHANNARA

The seminal tale of Brooks's successful fantasy series, THE SWORD is a captivating listen aided in large part by Charles Keating. Keating could read the Oxford English Dictionary and make it sound compelling. Brooks's tale is well crafted and often gripping, as long as you don't mind the blatant Tolkien influence. Story line, characters, and the battle between good and evil are all similar, but the author's gift of clear writing and the reader's ample vocal gifts combine to create an audiobook you may want to keep in your library. The overly convenient ending is a bit boilerplate, but as a modern fairy story, SHANNARA works admirably. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]