BrooksBlog: A Few Loose Ends – Part 2

Back again. Maybe this will become a habit, who knows? In this short space of print, I want to talk a little about the end of a few things. Please bear with me on this if you’ve heard some of it before or already have the news. But I think all of it needs commenting on.

You never write, you never call, you don’t care about me.

I have reached a point where I have to admit I can no longer keep up with reader mail. I am sad about this. For the better part of thirty years, I always answered my mail with a personal letter. But as it keeps piling up with these days, I know I will never be able to do that again. It is not that I do not value your comments and stories. I read them all. But answering is just out of the question with work, family, depleted energy and advancing age. I cannot do it. I very much appreciate hearing from you; so many of you I know well by now and have communicated regularly with over the years. But no point in leading you on. If I can, I will respond – especially to requests for help with writing or school or library or charitable matters. But mostly I won’t be able to answer. Sad, but it is my loss.

Is this really the end of Shannara?

I have heard this a lot recently. What do you mean, you say. You are not writing in Shannara anymore. Stop already. Here is the gospel on this twisted rumor. I am writing the End of Shannara. After this four book set – The Fall of Shannara – I will not be going forward in the history of the Four Lands, but will devoting time to completing the pre-history and filling in gaps between books already in print where I see they need filling. Also, I have new projects in mind, a Magic Kingdom book to write and some short stories you might find interesting. But time is precious these days, and my energy won’t allow for me to do as much as I once did. I already covered this, didn’t I? So RIP to all of it.

The Shannara Chronicles is dead.

Not true. SPIKE, in its wisdom (cough, hack) decided the show wasn’t doing well enough. Or they lost interest. Or they never cared enough anyway. You choose. Point being, they did not renew the show. So that’s it, you say. It’s dead. But our gang of twenty or so – producers, writers, actors and financiers – have not given up. We are looking for a new home, and perhaps we will find one. But you have to believe – like Dorothy and Frodo – in the magic we cannot see. There are reasons to think the show will be back. If not, I will write you and tell you again as I am telling right here and now how much I love those people I mentioned above and what wonderful friends they have been to me while making the show.

I will never forget them, and I will look to work with them again one day, Shannara or no Shannara.

So there you are, some things finishing, some not, all of them pretty wonderful journeys that you have accompanied me on. What more can you ask for? Just a chance to carry on, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

All Good Magic,
Terry