Dark Wraith of Shannara

The Original Shannara Trilogy #3.5

by Terry Brooks

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

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adventure

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel that extends, enhances and enlivens Terry Brooks’ magnificent Shannara universe!

Go back … go WAY back, go back to THE WISHSONG OF SHANNARA, the concluding novel of the original SHANNARA tetralogy, that debuted over (can you believe it?!) forty years ago with THE SWORD OF SHANNARA!

Brooks has used the conditions at the end of THE WISHSONG as a jumping off point for a new and exciting addition to the original Shannara series. The Mwellrets and the evil Croton Witch have kidnapped Cogline. The witch is using her awesome powers to invade and drain Cogline’s arcane knowledge, to combine it with the spells in the last remaining scrap of the Ildatch – “the book of dark magic that had subverted the Warlock Lord” – and to reveal the hiding spot of Paranor, the Druid’s Keep. Allanon’s shade has appeared once again and charged Jair Ohmsford with stopping that from happening and protecting the Four Lands from the evil that threatens. But to do so may require his use of the Wishsong, the devastating , seductive magic that threatens to subsume his very being and forever close the door to Jair’s return to reality.

A note of warning to potential readers – DARK WRAITH OF SHANNARA would be utterly meaningless and, as a result, unenjoyable for anyone who was not a confirmed fan and a reasonably knowledgeable reader of the existing Shannara universe. BUT the reverse is also true. Existing fans will love it. The story line is new and compelling. The illustrations by Edwin David are convincing and add in a very meaningful way to the setting, the atmosphere and the narrative. And enough threads are left hanging slightly loosely that one might hope for more to come in the graphic novel format.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

[Ken W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

The original Shannara trilogy will always be my favorite and this was set in that world and time period so it was perfect for me! Excellent art, exceptional story! 5 stars!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast, easy read. I only liked it because it featured Jair from Wishsong. Elfstones and Wishsong are my favorite Shannara novels out of them all. So more Wishsong is always good. Very cool ability.
Too bad this graphic novel was in black & white, I'd have preferred color but I wasn't reading it for the graphics, just the story. Had it been in color, I might have appreciated the artwork more.

I must say I'm not thrilled how some of my favorite authors are jumping on the Graphic Novel craze. I'd be happier if they just wrote the stories as they've always been writing them.
Make no mistake, I like Graphic Novels to a degree but I feel there are authors who are graphic novelists and authors who are strictly novelists and it should stay that way. I resent having to purchase an extremely short story just so I can get more to a series I'm already involved in.
If they want to do GNs, fine, then do the whole series from start to finish in that format, don't crap out on me halfway through a written story and give me a GN. Not cool.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read if you love the Shannara books you will love this and maybe if you haven't read them you may still love it .

[Mhollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of Graphic Novels

Being a classically trained artist myself, I can appreciate all that goes into the creation of the artwork for a graphic novel, however, the genre is just not for me. I like traditional books. Me reading the printed word and transforming those words in my head into my own translation of the story. I don’t want someone else’s pictures with a limited dialogue. If this was any other author other than Terry Brooks I wouldn’t have even considered reading a graphic novel. I read it because I love the characters and the world Terry Brooks has created and have been reading his books since I was in junior high school in the early 1980s and am currently rereading the complete series in the story’s chronological timeline as opposed to the order of publication.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read all of the previous Shannara books, I had to read this. Although I am not a reader of graphic novels (apart from the very occasional Sandman) I thought it had the potential to be better than some of Brooks' more recent books with its setting in the 'classic' Shannara period of the original trilogy. The Wishsong has always been a really interesting concept, especially what it can do to you and the dangerous nature of all magic. The story, then, appealed to me with its exploration of Jair's Wishsong and the danger he faces from it.

The graphic component was a bit more difficult. One of the reasons I tend to prefer books to their film adaptations is (aside from the fact that books generally ARE just better) is the fact that I have images in my head of who these people are and when I see other people's images they don't tally with mine. I spend ages going 'whaaat? that's not so-and-so!' and it was no different here. I have to admit that some characters were executed perfectly, such as Allanon and Slanter - but others such as the fur-bikini-clad Kimber Boh don't seem right to me at all. Not to mention the fact that I disapprove strongly of Whisper the Moor Cat saying 'Raaah!'!

So I liked it, and probably did like it more than the latest Brooks trilogy, but didn't enjoy it as much as I might have enjoyed a novella of the same story.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent filler story but I think it would've worked better as a traditional short story than as a comic.

[logankstewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a Terry Brooks fan for near a decade, and most of his books have always entertained me. When I first heard of Dark Wraith a year or two ago, I was hesitantly excited. After it was released, I picked it up in the book store, browsed through it, and then decided that I didn't want to own this Brooks book. I forgot about it until I spied it at my local library the other day, whereupon I seized it and decided to read it.

The graphic novel is disappointingly short, and the story is just on the surface. Returning to Shannara is often fun, but this book, while visually appealing (though slightly corny), failed to give the same excitement I've come to expect from Brooks.

I understand that it's Brooks' first graphic novel, and I felt that this was evident with each page. I've been a graphic novel fan for a while, and this definitely does not compare to many of the other graphic novels.

The art was beautiful, but a little cliche.

Overall, the graphic novel was okay and worth the read, namely because it was fast and easy. However, it definitely could have been much, much better if it was longer and more in depth. I'm still glad I didn't buy the book, but checking it out from the library was an okay deal with me.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING graphic novel! The art style workd really well for a fantasy story. Easy to read, it can also be picked up and enjoyed as a stand-alone.

[Jared · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bad graphic novel. It only took about an hour to read, but I want that hour back. The title is not explained, there’s no accountability or recompense for the only significant decision or character development in the book. There’s a lot of worthless action sequences and even a horrible love scene.

[Ruth L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why a graphic novel?

I am not a big fan of graphic novels. If I weren't so interested in the continuing story of Jair I would not have bought this. Love the story idea but would have preferred a good old fashioned novella.

[Jed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was really good, for people who like medieval times and fantasy I would recommend this book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga continues

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Wraith of Shannara is neat tale expanding on the original Shannara trilogy and gives us a great look at the characters and fill in some of the gaps that take place in the generational leaps that occur! :D It is like an extra chapter added on to these book buts works really and has a breakneck pace and the Croton Witch is a chilling bady though no match for Jair and those handy Elfstones! :D

The art style is sharp and clear and clearly conveys the characters expressions and actions! :D This really conveys the pace of the story which proceeds at a crazy pace! :D The book also has a making of and sketches which really give you an insight into how it all comes together! :D

Dark Wraith of Shannara is breakneck paced book full of adventure, humour and action! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first experience with a graphic novel (well, except for my abortive attempt at a Locke & Key by Joe Hill). I enjoyed the story which continues Jair's adventures after The Wishsong of Shannara but truthfully, the graphic format didn't add anything for me. I found that I was reading the dialogue and captions and all but ignoring the artwork. Well, at least I can say that I have tried the format properly now!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A diverting coda to the original Shannara trilogy, though the story doesn't add much to the series' overall narrative. Great artwork, but would have looked even more marvelous in color instead of black and white.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The tale was OK, but one of the things I love about Terry Brooks is his ability to draw you into the story with amazing descriptions and details. I thought the graphic novel took away from his story-telling skills.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fantasy manga. I really enjoyed the 17 hours i put into it......

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely read this at some point back in the day when I was originally reading the Shannara series as a teen, but apparently I never even bothered to give it a star rating on Goodreads like I did a fair bit of the series proper. So I have no idea what I thought of it back then. Reading it again now is interesting, because I feel like it’s an interesting little story but also suffers from some of the same issues with the short stories I read in Small Magic.

There’s definitely something bittersweet about reading the introduction, where Terry Brooks outlines that this is an experiment. It’s him dipping his toe into the graphic novel medium at the behest of his publishers. And given the art style and the timing, it’s clear they’re specifically trying to get a slice of that manga boom pie. The whole book is black and white art with a clear anime style influence, down to Kimber Boh looking like she’s cosplaying the cave girl from Chrono Trigger. But the thing is clearly this wasn’t successful enough to spawn any further comics, and that fact sort of hangs over the whole thing.

I will say, oddities of some of the character designs aside, this is generally a solid adventure. I do have a few potential continuity quibbles, though I admit some of them are based on my vague memories of the Heritage quadrilogy and rereading that may address them. The story follows on from Indomitable, and in fact it opens on a recap of that adventure since this was clearly meant to appeal to people who had no idea what a Shannara is. It seems Jair is plagued by recurring dreams of his destruction of that stray Ildatch page and accompanying transformation into Garet Jax, and while Brin advises him to stop using the wishsong, Jair is worried he’ll need it again.

This worry is fully justified when the shade of Allanon appears to Jair, warning him that destroying the Ildatch really for good this time we swear wasn’t enough to dissuade the Mwellrets from their evil ambitions. Now they’ve teamed up with a random evil sorceress we’ve never heard of before to kidnap Cogline and force him to bring back Paranor so they can steal its secrets. Jair has to stop them, along the way teaming back up with Slanter and Kimber Boh.

It’s not a bad idea for a story and the whole thing does a good job of fitting into the 160 pages it’s allotted. Bringing Slanter back is a great idea - as the only surviving member of Jair’s company from Wishsong, he was an obvious absence in Indomitable. But he’s become a bit of a different person and spends a lot less time protesting about how he doesn’t want to be here. And even if I think her outfit is dumb, it’s nice to see Kimber Boh again and have her and Jair make their feelings for each other clear. Plus the way the new villain gets killed is pretty clever, and even if I’m pretty sure it doesn’t match what will happen in Druid of Shannara, seeing Paranor as a big floating hunk of stone and castle is cool.

Unfortunately the problem here is the same one that reared its head in Indomitable. This is technically a complete story, but it feels like it needs something more to really close up Jair’s character arc and somehow I don’t expect we’ll ever get that. Well, unless the author inheriting Shannara decides to go back and fill this gap. Jair’s identity struggles as he keeps using his magic to be Garet Jax and struggles with the question of whether to stay as him permanently is a pretty cool idea and you could use it to do an interesting exploration of a young man struggling with his identity. But with no resolution to that conflict, this whole story feels incomplete.

As a result, while I found this reasonably enjoyable, I have to repeat what I said about the Shannara stories in Small Magic. Dark Wraith is a neat story that does add a little to the saga, but it’s also pretty easy to just skip it. In a lot of ways I think you actually get a more satisfying story by going right from Wishsong to Scions, because at the end of Wishsong Jair’s arc is complete. This and the preceding novella begin a new arc, but with no conclusion in sight and this book being rather obscure now, I don’t know there’s an especially compelling reason to read it unless you’re being a completionist like I am.

[Sonlly]

Sonlly Vang
English 10-1
March 2, 2017
The author of “Dark Wraith of Shannara” is Terry Brooks, illustrated by Edwin David, and also adapted by Robert Place Napton. Terry Brooks is an American fantasy fiction writer born from January 8, 1944 in Sterling, Illinois. He is still and currently still alive at the age of 73. “Terry Brooks is the author of the Shannara, Landover, Word/Void fantasy series as well as the novelization of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. His debut novel, The Sword of Shannara, spent 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has led to a career of words and magic.”
The novel was released on March 25, 2008. It is approximately 208 pages, but much of the book is "behind the scenes" material, such as the creation of the story and preliminary sketches. The novel was Del Rey's first original graphic novel project.
In this story there is no setting or time or place because it’s a journey book where it isn’t focused on one part but I think it would most likely be the mountains because that’s where the events happened.
The character’s name is Jiar which he has the power to summon a killer guy by doing his wish songs. But however he has lots of mysteries with this wolf thing who is like a big huffy werewolf that is part of his help. There is also this girl is his crush (Kinda) that he likes.
That no matter who you are there are always going to have many evil things in the world you can’t stop alone. So basically that means don’t be selfish and think you can do every and anything because you can put yours and some’s life in danger because of an idiotic decision.
So there is this man or boy teen named Jiar Ohmsford who has the power to wish sing and summon a darkly powerful magic swordsman to defeat those ahead of him. He was told that using it could cause him many harms. However back to this story his friend and her father was kidnapped by a Croton Witch that has took many powers from magicians. The witch took her father and her because the witch knows that the old man has the power to open a powerful gate. But when they were going there the girl escaped and when to a cave after being attacked by standing werewolves. But she had a fire shard that protected her from the evil beasts. Then Jiar basically falls and kisses her and goes to save her father. Then he was being cornered by the evil monsters and or witches which he had no choice but to sing the wish song and killed the evil witch and her companions.
“There is no more I can tell you- I do not have the power in death that I had in life.” I think it’s trying to say something else but not literally like an idiom. The purpose is that the mage is telling him that he can no longer be able to protect him now because he’s just a powerless spirit. “”I used it to cut my bonds… I wanted to help Grandfather…”” I guess a metaphor because she is saying the bond as the rope tied to her. The purpose is to tell you what happened.
“The are too preoccupied to notice him.” said the narrator and basically he is trying to kill off the evils to save the old man’s life. “Givess up, boy, there’s no escape unless you wissh to jump.” said one of the evil things that work for the witch. So now that they have cornered him they are going to kill him or make him jump off the cliff and die. “Have you ever been in this alley before?” Jiar asked the old man that he’s going with to save her father. So they are traveling to save him but they are kind of lost.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jair Ohmsford, a young half-elf with the innate ability to summon powerful magic through song, must save his friends from a witch that seeks to harness their power.

Allow me to preface this review by saying I am not a fan of graphic novel tie-ins. Terry Brooks created the world of Shannara through novels, which feel more real and alive in my head than a cartoony graphic novel.

This novel is in black and white and the artistry itself is well done. The extras at the end of the book that illustrated the steps it takes to create the graphics were interesting. Of course, artists renditions of some of our favorite characters will almost always fall short, I don't remember Slanter having a beard - he looks more like a leprechaun than a gnome. (Even Brooks commented in the end notes that Slanter shouldn't have a beard).

The story continues from the novella, "Indomitable," in which Jair discovers a newfound ability with his magic. This story had so much potential but the climax was so outlandish and uncharacteristic of the Shannara universe that it ruined it. The return of Slanter was a bonus, but it would have been much better suited in a novel or novella. Graphic novels, please stay out Shannara.

[David]

This is the first and so far only Shannara graphic novel. The intro by the author states that there would be more if it was well received enough. Apparently, it wasn't because no other has been made since 2008. The biggest drawback I have with the Shannara novels is that after every saga, the previous characters are either long dead or very old and you have to start all over with new, yet similar characters. This book, however, is a continuation of the The Wishsong of Shannara. Not only do we get to revisit older characters again, we now get to see them visually. The book has stunning and haunting black-and-white visuals. It is an unfortunately brief, but satisfying Shannara story. Brooks is known for being rather drawn out and verbose in his storytelling. It is nice to read a Shannara story that can be read in less than a day.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. First, because it was and is the only Shannara graphic novel. It is always enlightening to see how others envision the characters in a book. Second, because it continues on with Jair's growth in life and with the wishsong. It was nice to see a little bit of a love story.

Like several other reviews have noted it would have been nice to see this in color, or even a few pages accented in color. The gray tones started to irritate my eyes after awhile. The story fell into play nicely with the previous short story so if you are reading The Wishsong and then Indomitable it follows to read this straight away.

I do enjoy how fast graphic novels read, but was missing the full novel that Terry Brooks is much better at formulating.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a fan of graphic novels based on the written word (let comics be comics,) probably because I’ve already imagined these characters, built them in my mind, and the drawings rarely do them justice. So it was with this book. Plus, the drawings were in black and white, rather than in color, another downside. I know the story would have drawn me in if it had been written, rather than drawn. As it was, I found it to be only mildly entertaining.

I did enjoy learning a bit more about Jair and Brin’s futures, but it was only that, only a bit. And, again, I felt they would have been better served had it been in novel form. Of course, considering all the Shannara novels, who’s to say they haven’t been? So, all in all, this isn’t a necessary read, more for the true Shannara fanatic.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essendo ormai appurato che non posso stare un anno intero senza tornare a questa serie, sono felicissima di avere finalmente messo le mani su questa graphic novel. In parte perché "La canzone di Shannara" è uno dei miei libri preferiti dell'intera saga e tornerò sempre con immenso piacere ai suoi personaggi. In secondo luogo, pur essendo una storia così breve e semplice riesce a essere completamente appassionante, soprattutto per i colpi di scena e per il tormento interiore e lo sviluppo caratteriale di Jair (come se non avesse già sofferto abbastanza nel libro). I disegni poi sono veramente belli e contribuiscono a portare in vita il mondo. Tornare nelle Quattro Terre è sempre un'esperienza meravigliosa e questo volume me lo ha ricordato.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I haven't read any other books in or relating to this series so don't really know who is who but that doesn't seem to be a massive problem with this as it seems to be a bit of a story unto itself and doesn't reference back to others too much (not that I noticed anyway). The story is really good and follow Jair as he comes to terms with his abilities to take on different forms and the temptation to stay in those stronger, more powerful forms. As he tries to find peace, away from the world, he and his sister are draw back into it by the Druids. This is a good read with excellent illustrations and includes some extras showing how the story and the images developed.

[Suzanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shannara was one of my first three fantasy series (after Dragonlance Chronicles, and I think before The Dragonbone Chair series, so that should thoroughly date me) when I was a wee fledgling nerd, and I will always hold a special place in my heart for Allanon and friends. All of that said, I just didn't find the graphic novel medium to be effective for this kind of epic storytelling. It's possible that I am rendered inflexible by having read hundreds and hundreds of pages of Shannara in traditional narrative format. It's also just possible that I could never have found it a good match.

I was curious about the usage of a different medium. I tried it. I did not at all care for it.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an avid Shannara fan, I began this graphic novel with a healthy mixture of excitement and curiosity. The themes explored here, magic/power at a price, ordinary people acting as heroes, etc., were definitely familiar. Less familiar was the stilted and corny dialogue combined with exposition that would hit you over the head with the obvious and further the overall cheesiness of the novel.

I did enjoy the illustrations -- and a brief disclaimer that I have read only a handful of graphic novels/comics. I definitely prefer traditional written novels.

But I'd approach this graphic novel with low expectations.

[Remy Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first and only graphic novel based on author Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, with a prologue catching new readers up to speed on the original trilogy, the first main chapter focusing on the latter events of “Indomitable.” Throughout the story, Jair is regularly tempted to make use of his power and assume the abilities of his protégé Garet Jax, with potential evidence that the Druid Keep of Paranor might still exist. It was nice seeing visual references for the characters in Wishsong, and aside from occasional grammar errors in the text bubbles, this is a worthy read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been slowly getting into the Shannara series after watching the MTV show. I have liked the books so far, and I really did like this one too. I am not a comic book or manga fan, so I bought this simply because it was the next book in the original series. I was pleased that I could sit down and read it in a few hours. It feels like an anime episode. I like the story -- the plot and action are good. The artwork is a little chaotic for me, but I do think it adds to the feel of the story. I was pleased overall with this book. I look forward to reading the next 35 or so books (LOL).