Yesterday was a huge release day for Terry Brooks fans!
A Princess of Landover, the long-awaited sixth book in the Landover series, is now published.
It was also the release day for the two omnibuses collecting the previous five books in the Magic Kingdom of Landover series (The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1 and Volume 2), as well as the updated and revised The World of Shannara, which now includes sections on the Word & Void, Genesis of Shannara and High Druid of Shannara trilogies.
In other words, yesterday was a great day to be a Terry Brooks fan!
So is today!
And not because A Princess of Landover is dedicated to me—although that’s very cool!
Release days are always enjoyable for me but for a very different reason than readers might think. Having been Terry’s webmaster now for almost ten years, it is great fun watching fans’ excitement grow as a release day approaches, knowing they are about to sit in their favorite reading spot to crack open the new book and read the first sentence of a new magical tale.
The biggest reason I love release days is because my gag order not to discuss the new book becomes vapor!
As I’ve said before, I get to read a book almost from the moment Terry finishes it. It is part of the perks of working for him. For instance, Terry is always a year ahead of his publishing schedule and he just gave me the completed, unedited fourth book in the Genesis of Shannara series. But while I get to read his books early, there comes the very real responsibility of withholding their contents to the fans. I actively take part in fan discussion every day on the Forum and yet cannot talk about what I read in any way, shape or form.
As an example of what I can’t talk about, I know two possible titles for the fourth Genesis of Shannara book.
Can I say anything to anyone and discuss their possibilities? Noooo….
*Shawn takes a piece of paper and rips it to shreds in undisguised aggravation*
*Shawn calms down and begins to type again*
In a way, I have been in a Forbidding-like limbo for nine months since I read A Princess of Landover. I have had no one to talk to about the book. I haven't been able to talk about the Frog or the Cat or the Monkeys or the Gnomes. Or the hellish library of Libiris. Or Ben and his sylph wife Willow. Or their strong-willed and magical daughter, Mistaya. Or Questor Thews, Abernathy or the kobolds. Or the scheming Craswell Crabbit and his cohort, Rufus Pinch. Or the story that intertwines all of them in what is a fun return to the world of Landover.
Yesterday is the day you could learn about all of those things--and then finally talk to me and other like-minded fans today about them on the Terry Brooks Forum!
A Princess of Landover is in fine bookstores everywhere today.
Terry is also touring for the release of the new book, beginning at Con-Version 25 over the August 21-23 weekend in Canada before returning to Seattle to begin traveling through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah. Every year Terry tours a different part of the country and this year he is staying close to the Pacific Northwest and surrounding states. If you have the opportunity to see Terry at one of the tour events, do so. He is always entertaining and gracious and he loves meeting his fans.
And please. Come to the Forum on Terry's website and let us talk about A Princess of Landover!
Because it's been so long, I finally need an outlet!
Happy Release Day!
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