Product Description

THE FIRST-EVER GRAPHIC NOVEL SET IN THE WORLD OF SHANNARA!

Possessing an awesome power he is only beginning to understand, young Jair Ohmsford must summon the devastating yet darkly seductive magic of the wishsong on a fateful mission to save his friends . . . and protect the future from the forces of evil.

If you’ve never ventured into the wondrous world of Shannara, consider this an ideal opportunity. Prepare to enter the breathtaking realm of the Four Lands, where beings both noble and sinister have quested and clashed, crossed swords in the names of darkness and light, and engaged in adventures rich with mystery and majesty.

“Terry’s place is at the head of the fantasy world.”
–Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4605 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-25
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Customer Reviews

Interesting Take on this Fantasy Series
Terry Brook's new graphic novel, and his first, The Dark Wraith of Shannara has beautiful art work and an interesting story line that fits in right between Wishsong and Scion of Shannara. The only downside to Brook's new book is that it leaves something more to be desired, the story does seem to go very quick, but it's a bit understandable since he was only allowed 196 pages to work with. If you're an avid Brook's fan get this, it helps complete the series. But if you're starting off, I'd wait in till you've been into the series a little bit more.

A quick read.
I had just finished Wishsong and the short story Indominable, so perhaps the timing was perfect. I found myself wanting to know more about Jair, Brin, Kimber, Colgine, and Slanter. This graphic novel is a fun and quick read that focuses on Jair and his evolving magic. It cannot be compared to Terry Brooks' novels, but for the reader familiar with Shannara and the Ohmsford clan, this is an entertaining extension that touches on many aspects of the mythology. I especially liked the concept of rekindling Paranor's presence, even if it had to be stopped because of the evil behind it. In addition, we do learn a bit more about Colgine's druid past. I recommend The Dark Wraith for Shannara fans, but would have to disagree with book's back cover, which suggests this graphic novel is an "ideal opportunity" for the unfamiliar reader to delve into Brooks' fantasy world. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much had I not already read Wishsong and Indominable. As for those reviewers who were disappointed the book was not a text-based novel, all I can say is read before you buy. The graphic novel format was made very clear in all product information and I certainly knew what I was purchasing.

Nothing Great But Still Very Entertaining (3 1/2 Stars)
I'm not a big reader in the area of graphic novels but I have read a few of Brooks' Shannara series and found them to be very entertaining. So, while I was at an airport recently and not looking forward to the long flight ahead of me I decided to pick up this graphic novel to help ease the pain (I should add that I'm an avid reader but can never get comfortable enough on an airplane to have any kind of good reading experience) and I must say that this little book was just the ticket. For a couple of hours I was thoroughly entertained and enjoying my flight. Unfortunately I got through the book way too soon and still had a few more hours to kill (thank goodness for a lay over where I was able to stop and pick up Brooks' "Armageddons Children"!).

All in all I found the plot of "Dark Wraith" fairly simple but diverting and the art work was pretty good (the witch is a very creepy design) although I did find that some of the creatures that were illustrated in the story looked too much like supposedly different kinds of creatures that had appeared a few panels before so the end result was that they became a bit indistinguishable from one another. Another quibble I had was that the dialog between some of the characters (especially between the hero and his sister) was a tad bit cheesy.

So, the bottom line is: while this is not a groundbreaking story it is an enjoyable fantasy romp if your are a Shannara fan or just looking for a an hour or two to kill. I hope Brooks will do more original Shannara graphic novels and my only advice to him would be to make them longer and maybe go through the art and dialog with a finer toothed comb than was used here.