I recently finished the Genesis of Shannara trilogy. Not my favorite by Mr. Brooks. They were a little heavy handed with the "humans are screwing up the planet" motif. It's obvious from the very first, and yet all throughout the books, we are constantly reminded of the fact that the elves are pissed off at what the humans have done.
I ready fantasy to ESCAPE reality, not to be reminded over and over about some moral lesson I learned in 2nd grade.
Once you get past that, it's a fairly standard trilogy. Set up the basics and introduce everyone in book 1. Get most of the quests going. Have a few stray odds-n-ends plot threads that go nowhere (re: the Preacher). End with some horrible cliffhanger that on the surface makes it look like everything is doomed.
Book 2: we are miraculously saved by some Deus ex machina. Continue adding random plot threads. Split up the various parties. Have 6-8 major plot lines and groups of people you need to keep track of. Put one of our main characters in mortal danger, have him fall into a deep sleep/coma/healing trance.
Book 3: Introduce character in chapter 1 we've never seen before, then ignore him. Start tying all the threads together. Various parties start meeting up, and join in the main quest. Have a big battle with the secondary bad guy. more groups meet up. Have big battle with Big Bad Guy. Main characters love interest (who is isn't really dating yet) saves him JUST in the nick of time. Everyone is happy. World is saved - well, the world was already pretty much borked, but the elves and some humans are transported to a 'safe' place, and 'walled in' due to the sacrifice of someone else following his destiny. Have that forgotten character REALLY destroy the world, exept our heroes.
Really truely, not my favorites here.
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