December Ask Terry Posted

Tom Bancroft writes: I am a 20 year old British actor who has every book of yours on my bookshelf. Once I heard of possible film releases, I wondered if there was some sort of audition I could attend to possibly get a part? Being in a Shannara film would be a dream.

Terry Brooks replies: Or perhaps a nightmare, if it turns out the way so many fantasy films have. But let’s stay positive. There have been a number of options given to various production companys and film studios on both Shannara and Magic Kingdom, but so far nothing has come of it. At present, there is a new deal on Magic Kingdom (stay tuned for an announcement) and various discussions going on with Shannara. So no opportunities as yet for any auditions. We will keep you advised through the website when we get closer to that point. But don’t pack your bags just yet. Thanks for the endorsement, though. Glad the movie is something you would like to be attached to.

Mark Smith writes: Have you ever thought of writing about the life of Allanon between the books First King of Shannara and The Sword of Shannara?

Terry Brooks replies: Funny you should ask, Mark. I have just finished a 10,000 word short (?) story that takes place just before Allanon sets out to find Shea Ohmsford in Sword. I will be posting it online in a few months on all the major sites as an ebook for readers who want something new leading up to publication of the Annotated Edition of Sword of Shannara and the first book in the new Shannara’s Dark Legacy, coming in late August. I haven’t done anything with Allanon in almost 30 years, so it really was time for a new story. Keep your eye out for it on our website and on all the major book burying sites.

Eric Ugland writes: What is your writing space like?

Terry Brooks replies: These days I write inside a turret that is approximately 12 feet in diameter. The turret is hexogonal, with windows on four walls and a painting on the 5th and me seated facing the sixth, which is the largest. There is lots of light, although I am in the woods, so it filters down through the trees. It was designed by me especially for the purpose of serving as a writing room conducive to creative thoughts. So far, so good.

Jacob Bost writes: Mr.Brooks – I know that making Shannara into a movie would boost its and your popularity by a good amount, but are you really going to let a movie producing company degrade your fantastic books? Thank you kindly!

Terry Brooks replies: Gosh, when you put it that way . . . Look, anytime you give your work to someone else to adapt, you run the risk of having it turn out badly. I’ve come close twice, but escaped both times. When I speak with interested studios or companies, I try to assess the nature of the people involved. If they sound like they know how to do things and will give me a voice in the decision making, I am encouraged. That’s the best you can hope for. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I always hope for the best. But if a bad movie comes out of it, the book never changes.

Dustin Warford writes: After The Gypsy Morph, we see a “powerless” Hawk returning to civilization, and in the Legends duology we have people waiting for his return. Did he ever make it back? Did I miss something in the duology about Hawk that explains what happened to him after the mist faded?

Terry Brooks replies: We don’t know what happened to Hawk. The assumption is that he lived out his life, died and passed into legend. We have his descendants in the two book set and a sort of cult that has grown up around his imagined return. But as you can tell from reading the books of Legends of Shannara, that doesn’t work out too well for those involved. There are still a few books to come to bring the series up to the formation of the First Council of Druids, so we’ll all just have to wait and see.