The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

Book Description

Twenty-five years ago, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks wrote a novel that brought to life a dazzling world that would become one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time, beloved by millions of fans around the world. Ten more Shannara books would follow. Now, for the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by the author, here are the first three novels of that classic series: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara—the beginning of a phenomenal epic of good and evil.

The Sword of Shannara
Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

The Elfstones of Shannara
The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars the Demons from enacting vengeance upon the land. Now Wil Ohmsford must guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one of the Ellcrys’ seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened into a powerful new force. But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

The Wishsong of Shannara
An ancient Evil is stirring to new life, sending its ghastly Mord Wraiths to destroy Mankind. To win through the vile growth that protects this dark force, the Druid Allanon needs Brin Ohmsford—for she alone holds the magic power of the wishsong. Reluctantly Brin joins the Druid on his dangerous journey. But a prophecy foretells doom, as Evil nurses its plans to trap the unsuspecting Brin into a fate far more horrible than death.

Thus begins Terry Brooks’s thrilling Shannara epic, an unforgettable tale of adventure, magic, and myth.

Customer Reviews:

Don't listen to the 1 star people, all of these books are great!.......2007-10-07

the similarities between tokien and these books are made up. even if it is an exact copy (which it isn't) these books are magical, wonderful, and possibly some of the best fantasy books out there. i speak not only for these three, but for all of the shannara books. personally, i didn't find tolkien's books that entertaining, but i love these books. in each book, a clear image formed in my mind of where the setting was and what was happening, whereas in the LOTR, not so much. in fact, i had to stop halfway through the third book because I couldn't take it any more. believe me, you won't be able to put these books down.

The Sword of Shannara Triglogy should be required reading........2007-05-12

This book is the actually three books in one bound together in hard cover as they should be. I read these books years ago when they came out and had to wait for the second and third books upon their subsequent releases. While each book stands on it's own merits it is a great pleasure to reread all of these as one. I am reminded why I fell so in love with Terry Brooks' writings in the first place.

Terry Brooks is the BEST!!!.......2007-03-16

I had owned all the paperbacks and wanted a hardcover edition. The originals are rare. This edition was just what I needed.

The 3 books in this compilation are timeless classics. I have read all of the Shannara books over and over again. I'm sure you will too.

Shannara Trilogy.......2007-03-09

Lord of the Rings was taken to another level when it came out on film...I'm wondering when someone will see the brilliance in Brooks' works and put them into film. An excellent read for those who enjoy fantasy and adventure.

The must-have series for a fantasy lover.......2007-02-17

In a few words: awesome. I read just about everything that I can get my hands on, and the Shannara series is something that I re-read just to immerse myself into what fantasy should be. Nothing I have read comes close, Tolkien, Eddings, etc...I have honestly read the Shannara series books 1 through 7 at least 10 times, and have never been let down.
One word of warning: the High Druid of Shannara series seems to be a bit rushed, and is not the least up to par with the rest. It does help close a couple of open areas, but that is about it.
Please, read book 1, The Sword of Shannara. Everybody needs to have knowledge that it is out there and available for others to enjoy.

Average customer rating:

A great read
Bad LOTR cover version
Not Free SF Reader
Great book
Tolkien's evil twin

The Sword of Shannara
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345314255
Release Date: 1983-07-12

Book Description

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 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....

Download Description

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peacefulShady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. Butthe supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything inhis wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Swordof Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea,last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

Thus begins the enthralling Shannara epic, a spellbinding tale ofadventure, magic, and myth.

The Sword of Shannarais the second volume of the classic seriesthat has become one of the most popular fantasy tales of all time.

Customer Reviews:

A great read.......2007-09-14

After reading the first Shannara books years ago (and all the ensuing books), I attempted to read Lord of the Rings (when the movie came out)and I couldn't muddle through 2 chapters of that book. It was long, drawn out, boring and put me to sleep. I even find the movies boring. Brooks has a style that keeps you reading and wanting more. I see others have said that SoS is a "rip off" of LofR, but I have to disagree. Tolkien didn't have a patent on writing about elves, magic and fantasy. Just as many authors write romance novels and each has their own talent to bring to the table, Brooks has his own style and I, for one, enjoy reading his books.

Bad LOTR cover version.......2007-09-07

I first enjoyed this decades ago, and came back to it as I work through my old books. In some cases this is a great pleasure- either being reminded of some of the reasons I enjoyed it originally, or enjoying `new' ones as an older, different reader. Some books, however, it turns out are best left to nostalgia.

To be fair, I loved it at the time. Like so many Tolkien devotees desperate for more fantasy, I remember my sisters and I devouring this back in the 70s (a nephew of mine even bears the middle name `Shea'). We could not put it down. But twenty years on ... the complete opposite: after a few chapters it was a chore to pick up, and I couldn't force myself more than half way. The style is just plain clumsy: very early on, for example, I was stunned by the way that Alenon dumps a few pages of exposition on us, with not even an attempt to explain why this aloof mystic is suddenly taking on the role of human prologue.

But what was overwhelming, and doubtless has been pointed out a hundred times before, is that this is so obviously a cover version of Lord of the Rings. No, it's not `in the style of', it's unashamedly sticking to a template. It's like Brooks was, understandably, learning his art by using the model of a master, but the copy is so close as to be a (long) writing exercise. Alenon is Gandalf. Shea and Flick are Bilbo and Frodo. Whatever it is I've forgotten now are the Ringwraiths. The dwarf is Gimli. Moreover the structure, the pacing of the book is a slavish copy. Here we are fleeing the shire. Now we're gathering the fellowship. I didn't get that far this time, but I'm sure I recall a desperate trip through underground caves that might just call to mind Moriah.

SoS makes me think of a garage band playing a song you love very badly.

It is hard to do anything original or fresh in this overcrowded cannibalistic genre, but SoS is not even an attempt. Maybe Brooks would have been better off openly writing fan fiction- like Poul and Karen Anderson's excellent `Faith' (from `After the King: Stories in Honour of J.R.R. Tolkien') At heart so much fantasy is a mirage, drawing us in with the promised pleasure of the elves, wizards and heroes we so loved in LOTR, but ultimately leaving us unsatisfied. These mythical figures weren't great in Tolkien merely because he named them, it's because he invested them with dignity, potency and history. In recalling these images, even as a façade, derivatives do give the pleasure of reflection, but little more.

That being said, the genre can still occasionally offer something more satisfying. I don't quite know how Gemmell gets away with it, but he manages somehow to produce moments of purity from stock standard fantasy settings. In `The Knight' Wolfe soars apart from the squawking pack, ignoring mandatory plot conventions in celebrating the surreal and moral context of many an Arthurian tale: he, thankfully, is well aware (as Tolkien was) that Tolkien hardly invented elves, wizards or heroes!

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Commercial quest fantasy clone blueprint.

Elves, dwarves, wizards, ok, druid, but not a lot of sickle and magic potion work, or slaughterning and divination to be seen. You have to have a magic sword as well. Obviously, as a deliberate experiment to see if you could sell this sort of thing it succeeded wildly, and spawned an industry, and a lot of boring books, but so does anything like that I guess. An ok book.

Great book.......2007-08-16

This book looks like a very long book to read at first. It is long, but this is one of the books that once you start it you can't put it down. You read it so fast it seems like it is only a 200 page book. The only thing that I didn't like is that at one point in the story they were telling five different adventures and it was easy to get lost. Although each one was interesting. If you like the book Eragon, this book will be great for you. It is filled with magic and lots of fantasy considering the races. I thought the idea of the way that the different races were formed was very interesting. It is thought that everyone was once man. After the First Great Wars, they split. Depending on what kind of terrain they lived on is the way they morphed. This book has a lot of long talks about the history of this story. They kind of bored me. But later on in the book every new chapter is something good or something bad. There is always a surprise in the next few pages. It keeps you going and wanting to read. It starts out a complete surprise to just a simple villager in the south who is expected to believe that he is the only one that can save everyone in the lands. The first part of the story is him learning about the history and traveling to the Sword of Shannara, the most important piece that he needs. I suggest this book to anyone that wants a good fantasy book.

Tolkien's evil twin.......2007-06-23

Don't read this. You'll find the same story within the text of LotR.
That's all I need say.

Sword of Shannara: The Secret of the Sword (Sword of Shannara)

Average customer rating:

DO NOT BUY THIS

Sword of Shannara: The Secret of the Sword (Sword of Shannara)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345461444
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Book Description

He will face the ultimate battle of dark against light. . . .
The flame of hope is flickering throughout the Four Lands. But thanks to Brona, the evil Warlock Lord, a cloud of dark magic is sweeping south, spreading fear and death. Already Brona’s savage armies have crushed the forces of the Elves and their king. Now nothing stands between them and the fair city of Tyrsis. And if Tyrsis falls, the whole Southland will follow, plunged into an endless night of slavery and worse.

The Druid Allanon has dispatched Menion, the Prince of Leah, to aid in the defense of Tyrsis while he himself continues to search for Shea Ohmsford, the young half-elf who bears the awesome burden of wielding the only weapon capable of destroying Brona: the mysterious Sword of Shannara. Yet magic of the fabled weapon makes it as dangerous to Shea as it is to the Warlock Lord. Now, in the very heart of the Dark Lord’s domain, Shea is about to unlock the deadly secret of the Sword–and come face to face with his destiny. . . .

The Sword of Shannara Part 3: The Secret of the Sword is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in classic fantasy and science fiction for readers 12 and up.

Customer Reviews:

DO NOT BUY THIS.......2006-06-22

I must apoligize for my previos review. I accidentally stated Sword of Shannara was hacked into two parts, but in reality it was three. In all honesty, splitting up LOTR was a good idea but this? now? It was published late 70s and is only 700ish pages long, which makes dividing this up (insert inappropriate word here)'d up

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The Sword Of Shannara
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey / Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sword of Shannara: In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord (Sword of Shannara)

Average customer rating:

Class Time!
good beginning... next books are much better
One of the Best!
Half and half

Sword of Shannara: In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord (Sword of Shannara)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345461460
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

The fate of a world rests on an unlikely hero. . . .

Tucked away in peaceful Shady Vale, the young half-elf Shea Ohmsford gives little thought to the outside world. Yet far to the north, the evil Warlock Lord has dispatched shadowy Skull Bearers, creatures twisted by dark sorcery, to hunt him down. At the same time, a black-cloaked giant of a man appears in Shady Vale. He claims to be the mysterious Druid known as Allanon, a wizardly wanderer of vast knowledge and power–and he has come to see Shea. For Shea, he says, is the last descendant of an ancient Elven king. Only he, in all the world, can wield the fabled Sword of Shannara. And only the Sword can stop the Warlock Lord from destroying all that lives.

The Sword lies far from Shady Vale, in the Druid castle of Paranor. And Paranor has fallen under the shadow of the Warlock Lord. Yet all is not lost. Shea will rise to the challenge. Together with Allanon and a handful of brave companions, he begins a desperate quest into the very heart of evil. . . .

The Sword of Shannara Part 1: In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in classic fantasy and science fiction for readers 12 and up.

Customer Reviews:

Class Time!.......2006-06-22

Instead of writing a typical review like I normally do, I will instead attempt to educate you, internet user who picked to worst review to read (I'm not kidding, read the others) on what makes a person gullible. Ready? Good. Okay, late 70's Sword of Shannara first published and it sells. Dude writes sequals, they sell, and so on. As I write this Amozon sells this book new for $7.99 or used for as low as a penny. But his review isn't about Sword of Shannara, it's about Sword of Shannara : In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord aka what happens if a six year old manages to rip a book in thirds. This sells for $6.99, as do the second and third, which makes the grand total $20.97 a difference of $12.98, as compared to buying the actual book. QUIZ TIME! finish this famous quote, "a fool and his money are ... "

good beginning... next books are much better.......2005-09-01

To me this book was an almost unbelievable rip off of the Lord of the Rings series... reading about Terry Brooks he even says that he was influenced by Tolkien in his younger days. That being said, if you can tough it out through this book, ALL of the other Shannara books and series are well worth reading. There are some direct parallels and some original ideas, it wasn't quite all a copy of Lord of the Rings... The writing is good, though maybe a bit unoriginal. This was my least favorite Shannara series book just because it seemed to be such a ripoff of Tolkien. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it, just be warned that it is similar to LOTR. It does set the stage for the other books in this series and the other Shannara series books, and is worth reading just for that. None of those are anything like Lord of the Rings and Terry Brooks' creativity shines through in those. I also went on to read the Magic Kingdom of Landover series which are also good.

One of the Best!.......2003-05-14

I have loved the Shannara series for many years. They have resulted in many of sleepless nights of fighting the clock while repeating the phrase, "just one more chapter." This is a series that is intriguing and beautifully written. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Half and half.......2003-05-04

Terry Brooks jump-started the realm of derivative fantasy with "Sword of Shannara," an unoriginal but pleasant fantasy adventure with your basic elves, dwarves, druids gnomes and medieval humans. While the book itself is fairly enjoyable, there's a not-so-pleasant surprise in store for fans who purchase "In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord."

Shea Ohmsford is not like the other inhabitants of Shady Vale -- he's part Elf. Despite this, he's always been one of the boys in his sheltered village with his adopted family, until the day the Druid Allanon arrives to tell him of his destiny; he's the descendant of the legendary Jerle Shannara, and the one who can use the Sword of Shannara against the Warlock Lord. Dark forces are clustering around Shady Vale, and soon Shea is forced to leave with his brother Flick, on a quest to find the sword.

The problem with this book is... it's not a new book. It's not even a complete book; rather, it appears to be half of the preexisting "Sword of Shannara" novel. In the manner of the split Robert Jordan novel, the first book of the Shannara series has been cut into parts and is being sold as separate volumes. Aside from this detail, those intimidated by the size of the complete novel may prefer this book. Others may be severely disappointed by the lack of conclusion in this book.

... His writing is descriptive, a bit overblown, but not too badly. His characters, while not earth-shattering, are pleasant and likable, such as the reluctant hero Shea and his more suspicious brother Flick.

Book Description

Evil will not give up without a fight. . . .

Without the Sword of Shannara, the evil Warlock Lord cannot be defeated. Yet the quest for the mysterious talisman lies in ruins. The intrepid company of warriors assembled by the Druid Allanon to recover the magic Sword has been shattered, dispersed by the Dark Lord’s power. And young half-elf Shea Ohmsford, the last, best hope of all the races, is missing, perhaps captured . . . or worse.

The Warlock’s fearsome armies are on the march. Tens of thousands of bloodthirsty Gnomes and Trolls are poised to sweep down upon the border kingdom of Callahorn, gateway to the peaceful Southland. In mankind’s darkest hour, as Allanon desperately scours the war-ravaged countryside for a sign of the missing Shea, an extraordinary drama of hardship and courage unfolds on the desolate Streleheim Plains. There, his only companions a brash highwayman and a renegade Troll, Shea will find the Sword of Shannara tantalizingly close–and death terrifyingly near. . . .

The Sword of Shannara Part 2: The Druids’ Keep is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in classic fantasy and science fiction for readers 12 and up.

Customer Reviews:

serialized form of a good novel.......2007-09-17

ok, if you're following Terry Brooks's current work, you might spot the trend here. his newest trilogies have all been short works that lack resolution at the end of each individual novel until you reach the final installment.

these are all single books that have been hacked into thirds, either by the publisher or by the author, in order to make more money.

and now i'm disgusted to see that they have now split his original novel, the sword of shannara, originally published back in the 70's, in order to make even more money. seriously, this is such a blatant rip-off i'm considering a boycott of all del-ray books; too bad it wouldn't work.

Big Time Scam - ZERO ZERO Stars.......2006-09-18

This is unbelievable. It's also unfortunate since some will get duped into buying this. Shame on the publisher and shame on Amazon. Why not break into 5 books for 7 bucks a pop.....don't just be greedy, get really hoggish!

Flim Flam Scam!.......2006-07-17

5 stars for the complete Sword of Shannara novel. Great stuff. And the first of many great Shannara novels. But with this particular book offered here the money trawling publishing company is selling you only one third of the original novel. They split it into three books which cost individually the same as if you bought the Sword of Shannara novel as one book in its complete form. Did that make sense? What they are doing surely does not make sense...except to their profits! Buy the original Sword of Shannara novel and enjoy.

What is this?.......2006-06-22

Sword of Shannara is a fine book. Why'd they split it in two? What kind of peson decides that the best thing to do is split up a perfectly good story into seperate books? At least they only divided it in half (I think) instead of thirds. Seriosly, who has the idiocy to chop up a story to make it easier to sell? (In case I haven't been clear, I'm refering to Lord of the Rings)

Average customer rating:

The Sword of Shannara
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: New York, NY Del Rey 1979.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Elfstones of Shannara (Sword of Shannara)

Average customer rating:

Review by Author of Everyday Miracles
Awesome!!! One of the best fantasy books I've ever read
WONDERFUL. An emotional, gripping tale
bibliokleptomaniac says:
Great Book

The Elfstones of Shannara (Sword of Shannara)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345285549
Release Date: 1983-12-12

Book Description

Ancient Evil threatens the Elves: The ancient tree created by long-lost Elven magic, is dying. When Wil Ohmsford is summoned to guard the Amberle on a perilous quest to gather a new seed for a new tree, he is faced with the Reaper, the most fearsome of all Demons. And Wil is without power to control them....

Download Description

The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars theDemons from enacting vengeance upon the land. Now Wil Ohmsford mustguard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one ofthe Ellcrys' seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened intoa powerful new force. But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, mostfearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

Thus continues the enthralling Shannara epic, a spellbinding tale ofadventure, magic, and myth. The Elfstones of Shannara is thethird volume of the classic series that has become one of the mostpopular fantasy tales of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Review by Author of Everyday Miracles.......2007-08-23

An excellent book of mythology, delightfully presented by the author to bring to life characters, places and of a particular era. A gripping tale of the experience of ancient demons that threaten the existence of the elves; A horde of vengeful spells holds the reader spellbound from beginning to end.The magical elfstones and the potential destruction of the elves is frightenng. Great structure and style of this book, make this an interesting book to read. I look forward to reading his other books.

Everyday Miracles: Stories That Touch Your Heart

Awesome!!! One of the best fantasy books I've ever read.......2007-04-03

I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Terry Brooks. I have now finished two of his books, (Sword of Shannara being the other one) and I must say that i am very impressed. I would say that his books are just as addicting and well written as JK Rowlings Harry Potter series. I love the fact that at the end of each chapter it leaves with a cliff hanger and you have to keep reading.

The Elfstones of Shannara is an exhillerating fast paced book with plenty of action, romance, character development, drama, intrigue, suspense, etc etc etc that you will find on the market today. The story is absolutely beautiful, the writing is superb and the action and suspense are second to none. The characters are realistic and the content of the book is such that it's really suitable for just about any age. (a lot of violence which you expect and want from a book like this but absolutely no swearing or sex). Imagine that... a beautiful love story that doesn't have sex. Hmmmm

I can' wait to read Wishsong of Shannara next.

WONDERFUL. An emotional, gripping tale.......2007-02-22

The Sword of Shannara, the first Brooks book I read, took some time for me to get into it, as I found the first part to be too similar to LOTR for my liking. The Elfstones of Shannara, however, sucked me in right from the first page. It is very fast-paced, emotional and strangely poetic. I cared very deeply for the 2 main characters, the love they had for each other truly moved me to tears. This book greatly surpassed the original and it's a must-read. Memorable characters, epic battles, romance and a good storyline, this book has it all.

bibliokleptomaniac says:.......2007-02-01

MARVELOUS, simply MARVELOUS. Follow a young elf and her companion in a quest to save the world from being overrun with DEMONS! it is soooooo exciting! i had to read it all in one day, because it wouldn't let me sleep! i think that you will be swept away by it, whoever you are. you'll LOVE it, i promise.

Great Book.......2007-01-28

This is a very well writen fantasy book. The characters are all well shapped and the battles are described very vividly. This is one of my favortite fantasy books.

p.s. I'm not really a "kid" but don't feel like posting the email adress.

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The Elfstones of Shannara (Sword of Shannara)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Shannara Trilogy (The Sword fo Shannara Trilogy)

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The Shannara Trilogy (The Sword fo Shannara Trilogy)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

Fantasy trilogy includes 3 books: The Sword of Shannara 736pgs ISBN 0345314255, The Elfstones of Shannara 564pgs ISBN 0345285549, The Wishsong of Shannara 504pgs ISBN 0345356365.

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