Brooks's Books

Episode 43: Princess Mononoke

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

We're between seasons again, so movie time is upon us. This month our listeners chose Princess Mononoke, and it turns out that it's a very good movie! Join us as we discuss creepy worms, really tall sandals, and the coolest elk who ever lived.

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

If you'd like to support the show financially, head over to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

Next time we'll be reading chapters 1-16 of Ilse Witch.

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Episode 42: Angel Fire East (Ch. 15-28)

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT

It's time for our last outing with Nest Freemark and John Ross, and we're a little sad to see them go. This week we're discussing themes of addiction, trapped negative emotion and coping mechanisms, whether or not Findo Gask is really The Coolest Demon Who Ever Lived, and, of course, famed rapper Lil Jon.

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Episode 41: Angel Fire East (Ch. 1-14)

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

After a brief detour to a galaxy far, far away, we're returning to Hopewell, Illinois and Nest Freemark. What's she been up to in the last ten years since we've seen her? Join us as we discuss Christmastime in the Midwest, which juices are good and bad, and how Terry writes about The Drugs.

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Episode 40: Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Ch. 13-24)

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Star Wars time continues, and Terry is continuing to do his best to put his personal stamp on this story. We've got podracing, we've got the Duel of the Fates, and strangest of all, we've got Jar Jar asking questions about why god allows suffering. Apparently, no one believes in Jar Jar's potential more than Terry Brooks.

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. If you'd like to support the show financially, head over to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

Next time we're reading chapters 1-14 of Angel Fire East.

Head over to r/brooksbooksshow or @brooksbooksshow on Bluesky to vote on which movie we should cover after this season!

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Episode 39: Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Ch. 1-12)

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

It's time for Terry's second and final attempt at writing a film novelization. Fortunately for all of us, this one is dramatically better! We were really surprised by how much strong characterization Terry managed to sneak into this book, including some for... Jar Jar?

Next time we're reading chapters 13-24 of The Phantom Menace.

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. If you'd like to support the show financially, head over to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

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Episode 38: A Knight of the Word (Ch. 14-25)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 21:08:56 GMT

Things are coming to a head in Seattle! We discuss Terry's handling of the topic of homelessness in America, some really great uses of metaphor, and some... less great uses of secrets and reveals. Also, what's up with Terry and owls?

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. If you'd like to support the show financially, head over to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

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New Year's Day

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 04:01:20 GMT

Major technical problems and busy holiday schedules means no regular episode this week! Sorry folks. Instead, we spend a little time talking about some of our favorite media from this year.

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Episode 37: A Knight of the Word (Ch. 1-13)

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

We continue our journey into the Word & Void series with a trip to Seattle! It's time to catch up with John Ross and Nest Freemark five years after the events of the last book, and learn how much of a bad time John has had! There's some really interesting ideas in this one, and we discuss Terry's forays into examining homelessness and what sort of events could push a Knight of the Word too far.

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. If you'd like to support the show financially, head to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

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Episode 36: Running with the Demon (Ch. 17-32)

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

We're closing out Running with the Demon with one hell of a bang! Word & Void has made quite the early impression on us, and we have a great time discussing what turned out be a VERY eventful reading.

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

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Episode 35: Running with the Demon (Ch. 1-16)

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:06:14 GMT

Season 5 of Brooks's Books is here, and with it comes the Word & Void series! It turns out we were REALLY excited to talk about Running with the Demon, and ended up with a giant size episode. Join us as we do a real deep dive on Hopewell, Illinois, Nest Freemark, and John Ross. What a cool book.

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Episode 34: The Crow

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Before we get to season 5 and the Word & Void series, we're taking a little break to watch 1994's The Crow. This is easily our most divisive movie yet, and we dig into the tragic history of the movie, hear some thoughts from the director's commentary, and learn all about how many actors in this also appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street.

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Episode 33: The First King of Shannara (Ch. 18-34)

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

It's time to finish up the first Shannara prequel, and see how well Terry handles some of the pitfalls that prequels can fall into. Hope you're ready for a whole bunch of battles! What happens when the fate of the Four Lands is entrusted to a jock?

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email them in to brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. If you'd like to support the show financially, head on over to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow.

Next time we're between seasons, so we're watching the movie you voted on: 1994's The Crow!

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Episode 32: The First King of Shannara (Ch. 1-17)

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We take one last dip into Shannara before spending next season away, and we're here to learn about the fall of the Druids. Look at all the familiar names and places! We dig into our thoughts on prequels, Terry's "tell, don't show" approach to character traits, and discover the coolest location that Terry has ever written.

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Bonus Episode: We Play the Shannara Video Game

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

When we got together to play a couple of hours of the Shannara video game, we put a mic in the room to capture our experience. If you want to know what that was like, here is some mostly unedited audio.

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Episode 31: Shannara Video Game (1995)

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

On Brooks's Books, we read books. Occasionally we watch a movie. Today, it's... a video game? Did you know there was a Shannara point and click adventure game released in 1995? Did you know that it has some really wild stuff in it? Join us as we dive into this really bizarre thing.

If you'd like to support the show, head to ko-fi.com/brooksbooksshow. If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

Next time we're reading chapters 1-17 of THE FIRST KING OF SHANNARA.

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Episode 30: Witches' Brew (Ch. 12-21)

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We've identified our witches, and we've identified what the brew is. Unfortunately, now it's time for us to... drink it? I'm losing track of the metaphor. Despite this book not living up to the standard of our other Landover favorites, there's a few bright spots to be found. Terry, why you gotta be so mean?

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

Next time, we'll be discussing the 1995 video game Shannara.

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Episode 29: Witches' Brew (Ch. 1-11)

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We've only got two Landover books left, and Witches' Brew is the last one for a long time! We'd better make the most of our stay. I sure hope that this is a great one! It's a great one, right?

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

Next time we'll be reading chapters 12-21 of Witches' Brew.

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Episode 28: The Tangle Box (Ch. 11-23)

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We're prying our eyes away from our Mind's Eye Crystals just long enough to talk through the back half of the Tangle Box! Join us as we talk through more audiobook mishaps, find out Terry's real self-insert character, and discover the most unhinged scene we've covered on the show to date.

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Episode 27: The Tangle Box (Ch. 1-10)

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 11:00:00 GMT

A new season of Brooks's Books is upon us, and that means we're back in Landover! Join us as we podcast from the depths of the mystical Tangle Box. It's misty in here!

If you'd like your questions answered on the show, send us an email at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

Next time we'll be reading chapters 11-23 of The Tangle Box.

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Episode 26: Army of Darkness

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:00:04 GMT

That's a wrap on Season 3! Before we return to the Magic Kingdom of Landover, we're taking a detour to the magic kingdom of Sam Raimi's brain to watch Army of Darkness! Boy, this movie is wild and Dave and Leah were not prepared for it! Join us as we dive into just how Looney Tunes the Evil Dead franchise can get.

Next time we'll be reading chapters 1-10 of The Tangle Box. If you'd like your questions answered on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

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Episode 25: The Talismans of Shannara (Ch. 20-37)

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:00:00 GMT

The finale of Heritage is upon us, and there's a lot for Terry to get done in this last reading. Join us as we discuss some of the cool maneuvers that the book makes, elements of the ending that didn't quite get there for us, and how we feel about the Heritage project as a whole.

If you'd like your questions read on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

Next time is our between-seasons break where we watch a fantasy movie that came out in the years we covered during this season, so this time we're watching 1992's Army of Darkness!

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Episode 24: The Talismans of Shannara (Ch. 1-19)

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

It's time to kick off the last book of Heritage! Will Terry be able to pay off all the mysteries he's laid out? What's going to happen when these story lines start crashing into each other? How many terrible plans can our heroes make?

If you'd like your questions read on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com.

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Episode 23: The Elf Queen of Shannara (Ch. 15-29)

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:50:01 GMT

This week we're finishing off Elf Queen, a book that has a chapter that is simultaneously one of the best and worst things we've covered on the show. Join us as we learn the answers to big questions like: Will Wren be able to complete her quest? What is the secret of the elven magic? And, most importantly: Which Ohmsford makes the most boneheaded decision? There's a lot to choose from!

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Episode 22: The Elf Queen of Shannara (Ch. 1-14)

Thu, 22 May 2025 11:00:00 GMT

After a brief sojourn to Neverland, we're back in Shannara to continue the Heritage series. We're finally getting some real time with Wren Ohmsford and Garth as they travel to the the mysterious jungles of Morrowindl! We also discuss the worst name in these books to date.

If you'd like us to answer your questions on the show, email us at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. You can also email us if you have suggestions for the movie we should cover at the end of the season! We're considering any fantasy movie that came out during the years 1990-1993.

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Episode 21: Imaginary Friends and Hook

Thu, 08 May 2025 11:00:00 GMT

This week we're bringing you two readings for the price of one! First up is the short story IMAGINARY FRIENDS, the precursor to the Word & Void series. Next is the novelization of the film HOOK, a book that we read so that you don't have to! At least we had fun talking about it.

If you'd like us to answer your questions, send them in to brooksbooksshow@gmail.com and we might read them on the show!

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Episode 20: The Druid of Shannara (Ch. 17-33)

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:00:00 GMT

This book is so good.

Email us questions at brooksbooksshow@gmail.com. We might read them on the show!

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Episode 19: The Druid of Shannara (Ch. 1-16)

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We've finally arrived at the book all three of us agreed was our favorite way back at the start of this show. Does it meet expectations?

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Episode 18: The Scions of Shannara (Ch. 19-34)

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to Brooks's Books, the only podcast about THE PIT. Join us this week as we descend into THE PIT. Meet new friends and reunite with old ones in THE PIT! Did I mention there's a PIT?

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Mini Episode: Congratulations Terry!

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 03:56:20 GMT

We share some impromptu thoughts on Terry's announcement that he is retiring.

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Episode 17: The Scions of Shannara (Ch. 1-18)

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Season 3 of Brooks's Books! It's time to dive back into Shannara with the fan-favorite Heritage series. We're excited to explore what's happened to the Four Lands while we were away, get to know Terry's best cast of characters yet, and soak up the new darker tone that Scions is filled with.

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Episode 16: Willow

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

We're between seasons again, which means it's movie time! We've watched Willow, and boy do we have Feelings about it. Pros: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and a bunch of other great performances! Cons: You can probably guess.

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Episode 15: Wizard at Large (Ch. 12-22)

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

We're closing out our inaugural season of Landover with a bang! Terry really lets loose in the back half of Wizard at Large, and Landover as an idea really hits its stride here. We've got heist movie plans, we've got lots of great comedy, and most importantly, we have the most astonishing ending of a chapter that Terry has written to date. It's a great time.

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Episode 14: Wizard at Large (Ch. 1-11)

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:00:00 GMT

We're diving into Wizard at Large this week, and we're having a great time doing it. Questor's up to some new shenanigans, and it seems to be leading to exactly the type of Landover story we've been hoping for. World hopping antics, Questor being the absolute worst, a weird bottle with clowns on it -- It's all here, folks.

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Episode 13: The Black Unicorn (Ch. 11-21)

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The dark omen foretold by Dave has come to pass: we've hit our first book that we just don't especially care for. While there is still some fun to be had, we're pretty frustrated by the directions this book heads, and we get into some thorough discussions on what broke down for us here. At least Strabo is reliably great!

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Episode 12 : The Black Unicorn (Ch. 1-10)

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 17:07:42 GMT

This week we're continuing our journey into Landover with the mystery of the Black Unicorn. Our characters embark on some extremely short quests, we get to see Chicago again, and Ben makes some really unfortunate errors of judgement. Turns out some former foes might still be a threat!

You may have gotten a version of this with the wrong audio! Sorry for the error.

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Episode 11: Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! (Ch. 11-23)

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:00:33 GMT

We have a great time with our continuing journey into Landover. This time there's evil witches, delightfully annoying gnomes, and we get very excited about a talking dragon. What's up with this Paladin guy?

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Episode 10: Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! (Ch. 1-10)

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:00:07 GMT

We're embarking on the second season of the show by diving into the Magic Kingdom of Landover series! It turns out that it's a lot of fun. We've got terrible wizards, we've got dog men, we've got weird kobold guys. Most importantly: We've got an avalanche of delightfully dated pop culture references.

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Episode 09: Ladyhawke

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 12:00:33 GMT

Now that we've finished Season 1 of the show, we're establishing a tradition of taking a break between seasons by watching a fantasy movie that released in the same time period as the books we just read. This season we've chosen 1985's Ladyhawke with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Buckle up for some goofy action, ridiculous soundtrack choices, and some of the wildest effects sequences we've seen in a long time.

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Episode 08: The Wishsong of Shannara (Ch. 24-48)

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:00:15 GMT

It's time to wrap up the original Shannara Trilogy by reading the back half of Wishsong! Join us as we get a lot more quality time with Team Brin, see the Coolest Man Who Ever Lived live up to his name, and say goodbye to an old friend. Also there's a big cat!

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Episode 07: The Wishsong of Shannara (Ch. 1-23)

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:00:07 GMT

It's time to start the final book of our first season! We deep dive into the Wishsong and meet the next generation of Ohmsfords. We discuss how much the narration thinks Jair is an idiot, Brin's conditioning to view magic negatively, and... barrel-shaped monsters?

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Episode 06: The Elfstones of Shannara (Ch. 37-54)

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 11:00:59 GMT

It's time to close out Elfstones and see the end of Wil and Amberle's journey along with the battle against the demons. Join us as we discuss big internal struggles, the evolution of Allanon's morality, and a top tier lil' freak. We also dig into the best new character, best new name, and how this book stacks up against The Sword of Shannara.

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Episode 05: The Elfstones of Shannara (Ch. 19-36)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:00:26 GMT

We've entered the middle portion of Elfstones! The story picks up a bit and we discuss Wil and Amberle's journey towards Safehold, large scale demon warfare, and meet our new coolest man who ever lived.

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Episode 04: The Elfstones of Shannara (Ch. 1-18)

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:00:26 GMT

We embark upon the second book in the series! Join us as we discuss Terry's first stab at a female protagonist, deeper characterization, some really good action scenes, and many more improvements over Sword. Next time we'll be reading chapters 19-36.

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Episode 03: The Sword of Shannara (Ch. 25-35)

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 11:00:35 GMT

This week we're finishing The Sword of Shannara! Join us as we discuss battle tactics, the true nature of the Sword itself, and dig into whether or not Allanon should have been more truthful with the rest of the party. We also choose our favorite characters, our favorite names in the book, and rate the book overall.

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Episode 02: The Sword of Shannara (Ch. 14-24)

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:00:32 GMT

This week we're back to discuss the middle third of The Sword of Shannara! Join us as we dig into cool new characters like Panamon Creel, discuss the merits of chain mail, and try out our best Warlock Lord evil laughs.

Next episode we'll be reading Chapters 25 through the end of the book.

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Episode 01: The Sword of Shannara (Ch. 1-13)

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:00:43 GMT

Welcome to the first proper episode of Brooks's Books, the show where we read the books of Terry Brooks in publication order. We're kicking things off with the first 13 chapters of 1977's The Sword of Shannara. This week we discuss our main protagonists, Terry's skill at describing cool environments, and how mean Allanon is to everyone.

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Episode 0: Introductions

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Brooks's Books, the show where we read all the works of Terry Brooks in publication order. This is an introductory episode 0 to give you an idea of what we're setting out to do with this show and our coverage of Terry's books. Our first proper episode will be two weeks from the date this is posted (Aug. 1 2024), and we'll be covering chapters 1-13 of The Sword of Shannara from 1977.

The show is hosted by Josh Tiesma, David Tiesma, and Leah Tiesma.

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