Quite different in tone and content to its parent series, the connections to the wider universe may not be immediate. It’s an urban fantasy set in Illinois, set (and published) in 1997. Though it’s definitely not necessary to read the Shannara series in strictly chronological order, there are bound to be some completist readers who will absolutely want to! In this case, Running With the Demon is your place to start. Running With The Demon (Word & Void Trilogy, Book 1) It’s not only a great place to start the Shannara series, but a great introduction to the fantasy genre as a whole if you haven’t read much before. Riffing heavily on Lord Of The Rings while still offering its own distinct flavour, The Sword Of Shannara tells the story of Shea Ohmsford’s quest to retrieve the titular sword from the evil Warlock Lord. The book that started it all! Well, maybe not within the series’ internal chronology, but it was the first of the series to be published. The Sword Of Shannara (Original Shannara Trilogy, Book 1) You can also check out Terry Brooks’ suggested reading order here. With instalments coming out regularly since 1977, the series now spans more than 25 books, as well as a number of short stories, eBooks and a TV series – The Shannara Chronicles.īut if you’re looking at reading the books for the first time, where should you start? To help you out, we’ve put together three of the key books for readers to jump into the world of Shannara. As is gradually hinted through the books, the Four Lands are actually the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, albeit with many features changed. Nuclear wars has devastated the planet, and caused long-forgotten magics to return, along with races like the Elves, Trolls and Gnomes. Rather than being set in an alternate universe (like Game Of Thrones or The Wheel Of Time), the Shannara books are set in the Four Lands, a future version of Earth. Shannara offers a somewhat unusual setting for a fantasy world. With millions of copies sold worldwide, he remains a significant force in fantasy more than 40 years after the publication of his debut novel – The Sword Of Shannara. His Shannara series of novels have garnered him an enormous cult following. Few names in modern fantasy can approach the stature of Supa-Star Terry Brooks.

The sword of shannara trilogy