BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks’s The Measure of the Magic.Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revaled that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destory the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could … Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara–Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him….
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All of the Shannara books are great. You keep wanting to know what happens next.
I love Shannara books.
love this book
Unlikable protagonist
Epic fantasy
I read it several years ago and there is a whole series of these –
timeless classic. i loved it
I have maintained for a couple decades now that if you want to be literate about epic fantasy, you need to read at least “The Sword of Shannara” (as opposed to all of the rest of the books in the series). Some folk would write this off as a LotR rip off, and to some degree they are not wrong, but Brooks did it on purpose. It was a homage to Papa Tolkien, given his own twists. Very worth reading. And, I found the next two books better than the one before.
One of my all time favorite books!
This book blew my mind. I thought Brooks was going to be the next Tolkien (even wrote my senior thesis on it for AP English in high school). The Tolkien-like storyline is twisted and contorted in many ways, although the subtle indications that it takes place in the distant future gives it a nice flavor. Really enjoyed the depiction of Shea as the outsider, described in ways that get at you emotionally, peeling away a bit of the mythic feeling that is so often associated with novels like this. Highly recommended!
I loved this book
Big fan . love all his works
As a voracious reader, I rarely read a book twice. Let alone a full series. The world of Shannara is one notable exception. I was introduced to the Shannara series as a teen, have gone back to it multiple times as an adult, and now recommended it to Advanced readers in my middle school classes. If you loved the Lord of the Rings, but have gotten tired of endless orc battles, I invite you to come and get lost in Shannara. But be warned, this is not only three or four books. The initial series was, but then you add on the pre histories and the spin-offs who follow the younger characters as they grow up. It really is a world of its own.
Brilliant! The characters are entertaining and one keeps wanting to know what is going to happen on the next page! Make sure you have time to read chunks at a time as, you will not want to put it down!
Terry Brooks is a wonderful storyteller and world-builder. Relatable characters and interesting rules of magic in Shannara. The only problem I have with his stories is that they end. I am always wanting more.
the shannara books are all good reads. i recommend the first trilogy especially.
I just love Terry Brooks. The Shannara series are one of my favorites!
Entertaining book but could easily be considered a RIP off of Lord of the Rings.
Great Series. A must Read. As good as GOT and WOT.
There are quite a few books in this series and I highly recommend every single one. I have been reading fantasy books for 40 + years and this series of books is in my top 3 favorites, right next to Tolkien.