January Ask Terry Posted

Anonymous writes: Terry, I was really disappointed with the way you ended The Sorcerer’s Daughter by having Paxon’s wife/life mate walk out on him for another man. What made you decide to end the story this way?

Terry Brooks replies: I wanted to write a different kind of love story. Sometimes relationships which seem to be good ones fall apart for reasons beyond what the people involved expect. In the case of Paxon and Leofur, it was a case of one partner not giving enough attention to the other and the other finding someone who needed her more than he did. We don’t know what happened afterwards. We just have to imagine it. I like to think it worked out for the best for all three. This story was not meant to be a downer. It was meant to be bittersweet and cause some thinking about how unpredictable our lives and relationships can be. For the record, Judine and I are very happy – 30 year Anniversary coming up this December.

---

Steven R. writes: Hey Terry, I’m a really big fan of the Landover series. It’s a real bummer to hear about Warner not being interested right now with the movie but what I’m really wondering is where are things with the final book? I’m incredibly eager and a little sad about closure to such an enjoyable group and their tale.

Terry Brooks replies: Well, I was a bit worried about this, but now it appears that like the Walking Dead, Magic K still has some life. So don’t write it off completely just yet, even if I indicated that maybe you should. As usual with these things, it turns out I may have been premature with my eulogy. More as it becomes clear.

---

Andy Yi writes: I read the original Shannara trilogy when I was in middle school, and I always remember how much I loved it. This past year I watched “The Shannara Chronicles” on Netflix, though it wasn’t even close to the awesomeness of the books I still enjoyed it. This Thursday my wife and I are having our first child, and we will name her Amberle. Think it’s a beautiful name, was wondering how you came up with it! Thanks for the great name!

Terry Brooks replies: Wow, congratulations! I have to tell you that I have met more than a few children named after my characters. It is always a great compliment and rather sweet. I always ask those named so if they harbor any regrets or have been in therapy as a result. Oddly, they all seem well adjusted and happy with their names. I can only hope your Amberle will feel the same. As for the origin of the name, for once I can tell you the story. I was looking for an unusual but lyrical name for her, and I kept coming back to Amber. But that didn’t seem quite different enough. So after playing around with various prefixes and suffixes, I settled on Amberle. I still get people who pronounce it AM-Berle, but I have mostly stamped that out. AM-BER-LEE. Now and forever.

---

Michael writes: Will we see any more Graphic Novels like “The Dark Wraith of Shannara”?

Terry Brooks replies: Would like to do someething more, but I personally haven’t had the time to do anything about it. With the TV show entering its second season and to air in the second half of this year, I hope you will get your wish from one source or another.

---

John Sill writes: I just started rereading the story Running With The Demon. The setting of the story is something I find interesting as I grew up in Northern Illinois and have lived most of my life in close proximity to the Rock River. One thing I do not understand about the story is the city in which it takes place. It is said to be Hopewell, Illinois. There really is a Hopewell and it is really on a river, the Illinois River. The city in the story is obviously the city of Sterling, Illinois, which is on the Rock River, is the home of Sinnissippi Park, and even has the same street names and landmarks as the “Hopewell” of the story. My question is: Why did you use a different name for the city in the story?

Terry Brooks replies: I wanted a remove from the connection to my hometown. I thought that giving it a different name would be sufficient for most, and for those like you who wanted to pin it down, it would be easy enough to do so. What’s odd to me is how many people over the years have come up to me and said, “I read Running with the Demon, and I know exactly where it is.” When I asked them what they came up with, they started with at least four other states and towns all over the map. Not that many named Sterling. I still find that funny. I think it has something to do with they way we identify with a story that speaks to us of our childhood. For all of us, the way it resonates suggest it is where we grew up. And for purposes of how the story is meant to impact them, they are exactly right.

---