A worker at the Jabal Saraj cement factory poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. In an area desperately short of industry and jobs, local workers hope that the relaunch of the plant in Jabal Saraj, built by Czech engineers in 1957 and closed down by the Taliban in 1995, can show that Afghanistan's shattered industry can climb back to its feet after decades of war and destruction. But the outdated state-owned plant some 75 kilometres outside Kabul also shows how far it has to go before that promise can be achieved and there are serious questions over whether it has a viable future unless a new, modern facility is built to replace it. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Cheng Chen (R), a 27-year-old worker at a state-owned enterprise, poses for a photograph with his nephew who is wearing his home-made Iron Man armour, in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province April 13, 2015. It cost Cheng about 500 yuan ($81 USD) to make the armour, which weighs about 4 kilograms, with plastic boards and LED lights, local media reported. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Storm chaser Brad Mack from Buena Park California videotapes a rotating supercell storm west of Newcastle, Texas April 9, 2013. Many of the storms in Tornado Alley that were forecast to be severe this week were taken out by a cold front from Canada. Picture taken April 9, 2013. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Reuters)

Nikolai Vasilyev, 62, dressed as Father Frost, Russian equivalent of Santa Claus, water-skis along the Yenisei River outside Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, December 10, 2015. Vasilyev, a teacher of the Krasnoyarsk Aerospace Academy, constructed the self-made water skis to travel on the water surface. The skis are made of plastic foam and the sticks are designed to propel him forward. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A hiker walks in the Zillertal Alps during an autumn day near the village of Ginzling, Austria, October 15, 2019. (Photo by Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

The Christmas Train of Lights on November 27, 2024 on the Dartmouth Steam Railway in Devon, UK, which runs until 30th December 2024, is reflected in the calm water of the River Dart after leaving Kingswear on its return trip to Paignton. The carriages and steam locomotives on the festive service are lit inside and out with coloured lights. (Photo by Graham Hunt/BNPS)

The “Sarandi” stream, dyed red due to unknown contaminants allege residents, flows into the Río de la Plata on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 6, 2025. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

The Shannara Chronicles - A Refreshing Adventure in a Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Future

I was sitting idly on the couch, drinking cola and playing Red Flush online casino games while my better half was channel surfing besides me. I was completely immersed in my game, but dragged back with my feet on the ground when I heard a name - Terry Brooks - coming from the telly. And from MTV?!