July Ask Terry Posted

Derek Gipson writes: Hello Terry, I would like to first thank you for years of providing your fans with these amazing novels. I am an avid fan of the world of Shannara; my only question is after the last book in the Fall of Shannara series will you never again revisit the World of Shannara? Is this the end? If it is truly the end what will be the focus of your books after that?

Terry Brooks replies: I answered this question a few months back, Derek, and I think you will be pleased if I answer it again. Yes, there will be more Shannara. I just don’t intend to go forward with the story after ending Fall of Shannara. I will go back and fill in a few gaps, pick up some old storylines, try my hand at some short Shannara fiction so I can make that collection come to life and see it published in print and that sort of thing. I promise I am not intending never to write another Shannara book. Too much fun and too much interest from my readers to do that.

Steven writes: Without spoiling things, there is a boy character in The Black Elfstone that shares a name with a character in your original trilogy. Are the two connected beyond just sharing a name? Or is it more than that?

Terry Brooks replies: Now, now Steven. That would be telling. All I will say is that there will be more of this character in Book Two and thereafter, and his storyline will begin to emerge in full by the conclusion. Seems at first blush as if this could not be possible, doesn’t it? So is he telling the truth or just the truth as he knows it or is he something more than what he appears. Inquiring minds want to know, so I will try to satisfy them. Patience, please.

Laurie Rosenthal writes: Are all of your new audiobook titles only available on download? No more physical CDs?

Terry Brooks replies: That might be the case, yes. The publisher is moving away from CDs to digital download these days. I have no power in this. Guess we all have to evolve with the times.

Jenny A. Writes: I have read every Shannara and Landover book available and have been a loyal fan for years. Today I finished The Black Elfstone (can’t next summer get here sooner?!), and I have a question regarding Tarsha and Tavo. We know both have had use of the wishsong for about seven years prior to the events of the book, so why were the Druids unaware of their existence? Surely during Drisker’s time as High Druid he would have been diligent concerning the scrye waters, and we know even Balronen maintained a watch on them. So why ignore the signs that the wishsong has returned to the Four Lands? Both have reason to be invested in this power: Drisker proves throughout the book he is interested in the siblings’ lives and in their magic; even Balronen’s Druid Order surely would not have wanted to dismiss such a powerful and legacy-ridden magic, especially if they could further their own political ends using it somehow. Therefore, how have the Kaynins remained unknown all this time?

Terry Brooks replies: Wow, how do I get out of this one? Just you watch. The way the Druids know about other magic where there is no direct contact is through a disturbance in the waters of the Scrye Bowl in the Cold Room. The waters register all uses of magic, but the attention paid to those signals varies dramatically with the nature of the Druid Order at any given time. So there would have been real attention paid while Drisker was High Druid, but not after he was gone and things started to fall apart. Also, not every use of magic registers significantly enough to warrant an investigation. It has to be substantial. And the waters do not necessarily reveal to the Druids the nature of the magic. So we can assume that the uses Tarsha and Tavo were expending were small in the overall scheme of things and not significant enough to draw the attention of Paranor. Both were young and not yet very powerful in their command of the magic. Mostly, they were experimenting with it. So clearly nothing drastic enough happened until Tavo used it on their parents and uncle after things had gone to hell and back at Paranor.

Amy writes: If you could rewrite any of your books would you? And if you did which one would you rewrite?

Terry Brooks replies: No, Amy, I would not rewrite one word. I have a philosophy about that. Once you have writter something, you should let it be. It was your best effort at the time, and you should not be so ashamed of it or troubled by something in it that you have to spend time doing it over. That is an endless, thankless approach to writing. After all, your readers loved your workd when they read it for what it was. What does it say to them if you then announce that it really wasn’t that good, so you are going to do it again. You are saying they were mistaken in loving it the first time. Don’t think I want to go there. I want to keep moving ahead to new work. Then you can compare and contrast if you want.