I'm 74 years old, so I have a different perspective on this than younger people do. I read Lord of the Rings in the mid 1970s and fell in love with fantasy. I wanted more. But in the mid to late 70s there was almost nothing else. Fantasy was almost dead. Terry Brooks almost single handedly saved fantasy. He wanted to pay tribute to LOTR with his own story. Publishers basically told him and other writers to give them more Tolkien. So he did. I will always love the writings of Mr. Brooks because he saved fantasy and gives us a fun adventure to get lost in. It's easy to criticize him all of these years later. But you have to look at this through the lens of time. He made it possible for Jordan, Sanderson, and many others to tell their stories now. Thank you, Terry Brooks.
Well, from what I remember reading, most fantasy at the time was pulp fantasy and found in magazines and such. Also a lot of the stuff was really really experimental and esoteric like wizard of earthsea, nine princes of Amber and Elric. I remember reading one review from the 80s on the belgariad series that said "thank God this is just a fun good vs evil story and not some meditation on morality with a dwarf." Sword of Shannara pretty much started the 80s high fantasy paperback boom. I don't think Sword of Shannara should be dismissed for being derivative, I think it showed other fantasy authors that it's fine to sit in his shade.
I don't know that it's fair to say that fantasy was "almost dead." Lots of truly foundational fantasy was published in the mid to late 70s, the issue was that anything other than tropey Tolkienian fantasy was marketed very poorly.
The book that hooked me on fantasy as a teenager nearly 40 years ago, without this book I would never have read Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson or Abercrombie. Thank you Terry Brooks 🙏
I loved this series as a kid. Revisited it as an adult, and really disliked it. The writing style just really bothers me now for some reason, with a third person omniscient narrator who tells you the characters' thoughts except when the thought is suddenly something the author does not want you to know.
I'm the same way with RA Salvatore's books, loved them as a kid and teenager, but God after reading so many great fantasy and sci-fi writers I just can't read those books anymore.
Same. This was the series that got me into Fantasy when I read it as a kid in the 80s. I loved it and my first D&D character was even named Walker Boh because I loved the books so much. It was fantastic back then, but the genre has evolved and improved a lot since then.
@@winglessrayven4294 I'm starting to relate with this a bit. Though I somehow just can't get invested in new authors (mainly its the worlds), lately, as I've been revisiting Salvatore, I just keep noticing all these little things that make the writing not great. I just finished The Cleric Quintet, and I was shocked by how rushed and sloppy the conclusion to that series was, and I certainly wouldn't have identified any of these issues when I was younger. With that being said, what is it that you find about Salvatore's writing that makes it unreadable? Not that I'm disagreeing, but as he's my main inspiration for my own work, I'm naturally curious. Of course understanding that he has a different stylistic approach than "greater" writers, I have to think that his style is perhaps considered more juvenile, or sprawling and rushed, with minimal character work.
Sword of Shannara was my introduction to fantasy as a child. It is tough to read now. However, I do still enjoy my rereads of Elfstones, Wishsong, and the Scions Tetrology every year. It might be a trope to say, "Keep reading, it gets better," but I do believe this about the Shannara series.
I saw Terry Brooks at a book signing. When asked about pronunciation, he clarified how he pronounces it (SHA-nah-rah), but then said "When I'm writing it, it's my book, When you are reading it, it is yours. Pronounce it however you like"
The first book (Sword) was REALLY derivative and mediocre (a classic first book, where the author is learning how to write and mainly just copies his favorite fantasy books), but it immediately gets quite a lot better -- Elfstones and Wishsong are probably my favorites of the series, and those are the next two books.
This is a spot on comparison...i read it in 1977 and thought it was OK but generic it was just a lesser version of LOTR some of the later books were much better
@@greentriangler Yeah, you might be right, those might be better than Elfstones/Wishsong. I really loved the last book in that series. I also really liked the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series. I felt like the series dipped after that.
This is the book which introduced me to High fantasy works, and made me fan of it. Later I discovered LoTR and WoT and I find them better, but The sword of Shannara will always have a special place in my heart.
Yeah, I've read all his books and it was the gateway that really got me into fantasy books. Obviously read so many other great books but Brooks will always have a special place in my paperback heart.
Awesome mentions! I will say that, for me, thanks to my bro in law, HOW WoT begins its breathtaking prologue surpasses both beloved titles of LotR: FoTR's seemingly endless intro/preface/notes/short history ALL before the Gaffer's tale in slow burn chapter one and SoS's arguably slow burn that's more of a stroll. LotR, I realized, is best begun by skipping the preambles and jumping headlong into the main story first and heck the entire trilogy then the wealth of the legendarium to choose from to embark next, including the Silmarillion! If SoS can be surpassed, then I imagine the supposed "slog" of Winter's Heart will be, for me, an absolutely escapist joy of long prose in a thick paperback for a long winter! I don't think that's factored in often enough on booktube: mood and the season. That's what fantasy is for.
For anyone who started reading pre 1990's this was the book that got us into fantasy. Like any long series, some are better than others, but overall, a great series. Terry deserves any accolades he gets. For these booktubers to pick it apart breaks my heart. It won't be for everyone, just like any series. Still beloved!
I’ve been a fan of Terry Brooks my whole life and read all more than thirty Shannara novels. It’s only the first book, The Sword of Shannara, that’s written like this. After that Brooks got better and better and by the end, when I finished the conclusion, The Fall of Shannara series, I was sad that it ended, only to become overjoyed to learn that Brooks is writing another Shannara novel after all. The rest of the series after The Sword of Shannara is far from just tropey, and very diverse. There are books set in modern day, post apocalyptic ones (I mean early American post apocalyptic ones, in essence almost all books in the series are post apocalyptic). His characters are well developed and believable. And his world building is outstanding.
@ The Fall of Shannara was already a quadrilogy. Terry Brooks is writing a whole new Shannara series at the moment. That’s what I referred to. The first book is planned for March 2025. It’s titled Galaphile and will be part one of The First Druids of Shannara.
Shannara was my introduction to both fantasy and multi-book stories back in grade school. I'm supremely grateful to the series for that. I decided to express my gratitude by reading the entire Shannara series a few years ago. I did it. I'm glad I did. But... I don't know that I would recommend this to anyone but the most diehard fans. Elf stones of Shannara will forever will be a favorite. The prequels were fun. However, most of the later books just felt a little repetitive and forgetable to me. That said... Thank you Terry Brooks for showing me these fantasy worlds existed. Forever in your debt just for that.
I felt the same way. The later books got repetitive and lacked the depth of themes explored in some of the other books. My favorite was the Heritage and especially the Talismans of Shannara. He was still a new author with a lot to say, but his writing was much improved at that point, and the end fight with the Shannara turned druid was fantastic.
@PhoenixCrown so actually... Talismans was officially my first book. I bought it at a school book fair because there was a guy in a cloak fighting a grim reaper riding a dinosaur on the cover lol. Had no idea what was going on and THEN I discovered I had to read other books first. Completely blew my mind at the time that that was a thing.
The thing I really enjoyed about the book when I first read it, was what the ultimate resolution was to dealing with the BBEG. *spoilers* How the reason the sword was a danger to him, wasn't that it had some uber attack that could cleave through armies, but the fact that it could simply cut through lies. And I liked the idea that the entire concept of undeath in that reality, was sort of like how flying worked in the Douglas Adams books. How it's basically you tricking yourself and reality, into thinking you can do this thing, and nobody noticing it's breaking the rules. How the spectre was just that, an echo. He was actually dead, and being forced to face that Truth, would unravel his undeath existence. Because it was a lie. I thought that was a really neat twist on the premise when I was a kid. I'd read enough fantasy stories by that point (roughly middle school), to have a familiarity with the tropes, and I remember thinking "oh....well that was kind of clever and fresh. Nice little twist there"
This resolution of the big bad for me as a kid reader was a huge factor in my thorough love of the fantasy genre-because it wasn’t pure brawn that won the day, but, a clever workaround that showed that the big bad… really wasn’t that bad if we just stopped to think for a second and say. Naw fam. You ain’t it. And then, that being what makes it not it. It was a powerful lesson for me as a kid that truth, honesty, and love are more powerful than hatred and lies.
@@ojhilom2786 yep, and I liked how it was presented in the book. I know Daniel didn't like it, but I felt it was well done. Just a bit of "moment of clarity" for the protagonist. Kind of like the way in the Merlin miniseries on Scifi, where the way to defeat Mab was to just simply forget her. That as long as they BELIEVED she was a threat, she was. But that it was all a veil of lies, and the Sword was what revealed that. Pay no attention to the man behind the mirror, kind of thing. Can't recall another book having a resolution like that since.
The paint-by-numbers nature of this book makes a lot of sense when you learn about why Terry wrote it and the context in which it was released. Terry read and loved LOTR, and after hating law school, decided he wanted to write. he saw a real lack of accessible fantasy books, and basically set out to write his own version of LOTR that would be easier to read for average people and younger readers. It just so happens that publishers were looking for the same thing. So it really succeeds at exactly what it set out to do. This was an excellent review, and I appreciate your honesty, because many people really just dismiss it as a shitty LOTR rip-offl
Part of the fun I had with these books was the constant lore that built on itself. As you read more of the books the elements like the wishsong and the druids all build on each other. I'd say the defining books of this series for me is The Voyage of the jerle shannara or any of the books with Walker Boh, Allanon's successor.
The Sword Of Shannara was the book that got me addicted to reading and inspired me to be a writer when I was a wee lad. I have a fondness for it for sure
Also Allanon is mano bBennet and so good, and gets character conflict and being, a fun grumpy adass mentor. Honestly the female leads too are so good. Its MTV so of course they do fanservice, but yeah the actors really make it good, Austin Butler too is good in being sassy at times and conflicted. Oh and good conflicts. I think season 2 went, i just dont like the dude the show wanted to hype but else, very fun even tragic. And the thief girl is a scene stealer.
I'm a massive fan of the whole Shannara saga, it was my introduction to fantasy, which is now a lifelong love. But the BEST part of it is the eight prequels, from 'Running with the Demon' onwards. It's HIGHLY original, sets out the lore and the history beautifully, and the way it builds from our world in the late 90s through to the world of Shannara is GENIUS. Check it out.
I see a lot of people in the comments saying that the first book is mid, but that Elfstones and Wishsong are huge improvements. I will add that not only are Elfstones and Wishsong absolute bangers, but First King (the prequel) and the entire 4 book Heritage sequels series are FUEGO. Sword of Shannara is a little rough, but after that, Brooks finds his legs and goes on a real run.
Shannara is one of my fav series. Edit: Possible spoilers for overall series world set up... I love how chronologically the story starts in what could be our modern day and evolves from there. All the different magical races stemmed from mutated humans, except the elves cause they were never gone, just hidden from humans. The formula of all of the books is the same; we start with a group they get split and go on side quests to find the sacred thing (usually the elf stones), then come back together for the final battle. Through that we see how vast the world stretches; simple, yes, but still enjoyable. I never finished the total series so I may go back and start from the beginning. Thanks for reminding me of this.
Would this be considered a spoiler maybe? I've already found this out in passing unintentionally which intrigues me even more and yet I also maybe wished I had at least read the SoS trilogy up to First King of Shannara maybe before finding out, so I could say I never knew until much later on? But it's almost inevitable when you encounter Armageddon's Children and slowly begin to piece it together and then it's upfront confirmed in the MTV series...
@@genghisgalahad8465 The book series is nearly four decades old. But, I suppose I could be one of very few that doesn't worry about spoilers when a property is that old. I'll edit in a warning.
I absolutely love this series and have immense nostalgia for the first book...but the first time I read it, I almost gave up multiple times within the first 150 pages. So I definitely hear you on how rough getting through the beginning of the book was! And I'm also glad you didn't give up. (Especially the final battle--still one of the best I've read!) And you're right...the subsequent books do get better in a LOT of ways. I definitely recommend reading the next two books in this trilogy and seeing where Brooks goes from here. Also, as others have commented, the fact that this book came out in the 1970s when fantasy was on a downswing and did so much to revive it as a genre is huge. It's not great now, but for its time it was epic.
I got the 1st The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara book for christmas in 2000/01 , not sure, but reading that trilogy before going back to the earlier books definitely made it easier to ignore the flaws. Also I was 12/13 and that trilogy was probably the first time I encountered "what if sailing ships but they fly?".
It's a primer for kids before they've head deep into Tolkien and hard-core fantasy. Loved it as a kid. Made me feel super grown-up. Probably not some thing that I would enjoy now though. Although....I cried at the last book. For the villain. IYKYK
I'm excited that you've made this video. The Sword of Shannara is the book that got me into fantasy and I've been waiting to see your review since I discovered your channel during covid. As a series, Shannara definitely has some inconsistency in quality, with significant highs and lows, but the next two books are some of the best he wrote and I hope you'll also review them on your channel soon.
Agree with so much of what you said here. This was the book that got me started on fantasy, so it will always have a dear place in my heart. I was too young for anything to be "cliche" (I hadn't read LOTR yet), and it was such a magical story. I didn't know what "exposition" was, and maybe my memory comes from the later books, but ALLANON TURNS INTO A BADASS. Lastly, I actually loved the way Shae defeats the Warlock Lord--it was so unexpected it was an interesting twist AND I felt it was justified by what was alluded to in the history (how Shae's dad failed to defeat him). When I rediscovered my love for fantasy as an adult, I read TONS of the Shannara books, and they start to feel pretty repetitive, lacking the strong theme in the Sword and instead just kind of light entertainment. If you're interested in the series, def start with the Sword, and if you like it, finish the trilogy, but my recall is the BEST by far is the HERITAGE OF SHANNARA tetralogy. Enjoy!
This was the first “modern” fantasy book I read. I was 10 years old in 1977. I grew up reading my fathers Howard, Burroughs and Carter. After those older stories Shannara was the first modern read for me. It’s definitely full of tropes. However, you need to remember when it came out. These tropes weren’t quite as tired or severe back then. Reading this for the first time today I can see how a person would roll their eyes at it. All that said it sets up a wonderful fantasy universe and Brooks got progressively better as the years rolled by.
Allanon was a great example of showing vs telling in writing. Everything around him says he's powerful and mysterious, but everything we see is mostly just a grumpy bastard who's outlived joy. Menion Leah was my favourite. his character has stuck with me for the last 20+ years when all the rest are either Allanon or fuzzy grey outlines of characters.
I am curious if you will keep reading into the series. I read them as a teen, and most of them again as an adult, and still enjoyed them. My favorites of the entire thing are probably the Heritage (Scions, Druids, elf queen and Talismans), which i feel are the strongest natively and it takes the world into some pretty interesting places as far as technology and politics go.I also liked the three books after those, as it also makes use of some different ideas. It is also interesting to watch some of the magic and history passed down through bloodlines as the books continue. Some magical items even evolve, or become magic if they weren't before.
I totally agree, his character relationships are what actually keep you reading! Even though it seems formulaic now, I thought it was really fun to read and “pay homage to” one of the most impactful, classic stories that shaped where fantasy is today (even though I DNFed the next book in the series)
1:50 Terry Brooks’ books were the bees knees. I read a few of his books when I was in my mid 20’s (2005 timeframe) I a thought they still held up fine. In fact, there is something about that style that is refreshing, simple, and conjures images in the reader’s mind. I miss this style in today’s writing. It should also be noted, this is the first book, and the rest of the series does its own thing.
I am the reader I am today because of Terry Brooks. It was the first adult fantasy novel I ever read (I was 12 at the time), and it made me a lifelong lover of reading and fantasy.
I read Lord of the Rings in 1977 and was so blown away I had to have more. I discovered Sword of Shannara and Niel Hancock's Circle of light and Donaldson's Thomas Covenant chronicles all about the same time and absolutely loved them all and still do. If you look at them in 2024 you might criticize them but if you first encountered them in 77 you would appreciate them so much more.
I read this in the day and felt similarly. Elfstones and Wushsong were definitely more enjoyable but could speak to how they hold up. The fantasy genre was much narrower back then, so this was the cream of the crop at the time.
I re-read this book recently, I liked it overall, and yes... It was partly because of the nostalgia factor. I was surprised to feel quite moved right at the very end when a certain character returns to shady vale. It's weird how you get older and different things in novels speak to you.
Great video, love getting to watch your stuff. Shannara is an enjoyable series(more so when i was younger), the Word and Void trilogy plus the Genesis of Shannara trilogy show how our world turned in the fantasy world if you were curious about that transition.
It's been almost 30 years since I read The Sword of Shannara, and you are making me feel like reading it again. I was a child and I remember NOTHING! (and btw, I need you to talk me into finishing the first book in The Wheel of Time because I'm struggling)
Very similar boat! I binged most of these in middle school and 25 years later all I have are some really strong images and emotions with little remembered context.
And I am back after the video and I agree. One of the things that marks a decided shift in the series for me was when it went from every other year or every three years to every year book release. The stories were physically shorter but the narratives were still so bulky that it just felt so fast. And my final note for some hindsight is big three in that first trilogy is carried by the characters. Probably the least compelling story but one of my favorites because the characters just make it happen for me.
When this book came out, I was deep into science fiction and fantasy. The general opinion around me at the time was, this was not a serious attempt at fantasy. I read it and enjoyed it, but it was not quite fluff, but close. It was the transmutation of high fantasy into light reading, that spawned a vast industry. That's how I remember it, but that was the general opinion. The truth may lie elsewhere.
I have read all of Terry's books and my favourite work of his is still the first ones I ever read. I found the Word and the Void trilogy in my highschool library when I was 14 and I have reread them as an adult and I still feel like they are some of his strongest books. My personal favourites anyways.
Huh- the hype I've heard is that it was a middling at best Tolkien knock-off that mainly succeeded because there wasn't that much other fantasy to compete with at the time.
Yep that all I heard the last 30 years or so since I read it. Its just like most of the stuff on Royal Road. A new authors attempt to write what's popular. Terry really grew as an author after this though and the series really grew to be much more intricate and better.
I also want to add to the "pulling from other authors": if you strip every story down to it´s basic plot points, then yes a lot of stories are the same. But the actual story can be very diffrent. That´s why two people can use for example the heroes journey as a base for their plot, but in the end they have two completly diffrent stories. Doesnt mean anyone ripped off the other
Brooks even says he saw LoTR and was amazed they were still printing that. That is why he wrote Sword. Yes, very inspired by it. He never shied away from that. I agree with most of your criticism and appreciate your praise as well. The info dumps were bad and the first half was a bit of a slog. Also, the final confrontation was a bit lack-luster (His book First King of Shannara does a much better job explaining what the sword actually does - hindsight!). What Books does do, is he keeps the main theme from most/all his books: technology vs magic. And unlike most who do it once, Brooks often does the young/innocent protagonist. His writing improves and like most fans, think his second book is his best. I always think of it as fantasy Die Hard. He does some very interesting things with his world if you keep reading. Interesting choices. He does have his own style, and I can still read a fight scene and know the feel of it. It's like if you know Sam Rami movies, you know the feel of his fight scenes - whether it is Army of Darkness or Spiderman. Thanks for giving it an honest try. Hope you try at least one more.
I didn’t care for the first trilogy, though I did enjoy the twist about _why_ the Sword was able to vanquish the dark lord. I decided to pick up the Legacy tetralogy because Brooks had the time to improve his craft. I . . . also didn’t care for it. Edit: yo, love the rock version of your outro!
:O I tried to read the book because I'd heard you mention a release in the series like it was a big exiting deal, so I thought you were already into it. I regretfully DNF'd. Was ready to eat up the tropes but couldn't connect with the writing style. I honestly liked the info dumps because it was one of the few times where I felt like I got to see the sort of characterization exchanges I like when a lot of the narration felt too distant from the cast for me to get invested in them. I tried so hard to like it. I got around halfway through. I'm sure the writing improves and I wanted to badly to have a big epic series to sink into, but I just couldn't get into it.
Super nostalgic series for me, but definitely not up to the quality of even some of its contemporary's. Formative work for me that I would have trouble returning too. Your commentary makes me wish to return to it though.
This was the first fantasy series I read as a teenager. Therefore I will always have a soft spot for it. As others said, the series does get better, but at the time I fell in love with it. I had not read LOTR. I love how easy to read it is. I reread it every now and then and it's almost like cosy fantasy to me, because it comes with such a wave of nostalgia. I can't be unbiased and I don't need to be. I always love Shannara.
Sexy MTV elves - the Shannara t.v. series isone of the best fantasy adaptations I've seen; really moved me by the end. The books were good when I was young and, perhaps, less discriminating.
I was about 12 or so when I first read TSOS. Even then I’d read enough to recognise the tropes and stereotypes and the, let’s be honest, not great dialogue, but I still loved it. I remember thinking at the time (and stand by it) that Terry Brooks is extremely skilled at relationships, scene setting and motion description. The quality of the writing does improve vastly over the series, as you can see Brooks honing his skills. I’d really recommend his Landover series as an example of just how delightful and inventive his work can be.
I love these kind of videos. Also watching this channel really motivates me to write and don't procastinate. These forms of media that you express your opinion is lovely. Be opiniated its lovely. LG
Just started getting into the video so not sure how it is going to go but out of everything I have ever read, the word and void is my all time favorite series. The connection with Shannara was shaky but cool in my unprofessional opinion but Word and Void I like to revisit at least once a year.
I started with the 2nd book in the trilogy because that was the one that was available at the library. When I went back and read The Sword of Shannara I found it very interesting because it answered a lot of questions I had from the reading the sequel first. That said I was a young teenager and don't particularly remember anything about how well it was written, I just remember really enjoying the stories.
It was/is comforting that you start with the tropeyness (if that's even a word), so that the twists and other developments seem more impactful when they eventually deliver. Even the MacGuffin that is actually a real thing (i.e. and not merely a MacGuffin like the briefcase for Marsellus Wallace). It can be a little tedious, particularly on a reread; even in the 80's it was seen as highly (but not entirely) derivative of LotR. But the world building is superb, and the whole affair gets better over the next couple books (Elfstones and Wishsong). The second trilogy was still very strong, but losing heat in the shadow of the first outing. I'll admit I didn't get much farther than that, though more because of "life" and not because of the books per se.
This was really good as a kid. Then I read Robert Jordan and needless to say that The Wheel of Time is one of the best if not the best series ever written behind LOTR.
That feeling you got about the bad guy at the end is the exact feeling I got at the end of The Great Hunt. I know you love Jordan, but that is why I never continued Wheel of Time.
I read this in high school back in the 90s. As an early book in someone's reading journey, it's fine. I recently picked up an annotated version that I'm curious to check out. I've really enjoyed a lot of modern fantasy, but at the moment, life is super busy and complicated, and good ol' simple fantasy seems like just the ticket.
Didn't read the books, but I had fun watching the TV-Show with my Brother and Dad. And since my dad had actually read the books he was finally the guy who could point out what was different and what wasn't (mind you, it's been a few years for him, but still), which normally either me or my brother does depending on the story.
My brother in law ended up recommending me this book. The First King (prequel) and Sword were by FAR the hardest books to get through. I still have 3 trilogies until I finish, but The Genesis of Shannara is my favorite trilogy and the later/shorter they are, the better they tended to be for me :D
I enjoyed the series as a kid, and the big twist about the origin of his world was a bit of a shock when I read it, but I couldn't really get back into them as an adult.
I remember a really old interview with Terry Brooks about how derivitive of zlord of the Rings this book is, and he basically said it definitely was because that is what his publisher asked him to do. From there he had a lot more freedom to tell a story that he wanted to tell a unique story, and it really shows with this series. Elfstones changes in some major ways.
I read the book over a weekend while visiting my dad, just because it was a big book on the shelf. I was 9 or 10. For that audience, I think it is brilliant.
I am tempted to re-read some of these now. It was my second fantasy series, after my dad read Tolkien to me. I binged these in middle school and despite recognizing most of the titles folks are mentioning in the comments have almost no memory of any of the stories.
The 1st half of this book is a bit of a slog, but the 2nd half rocks! Really hope you read the next book, Elfstones. It's very good and a huge step in the right direction. Would love to hear your thoughts on it. I've read 8 Shannara books so far, and Elfstones is still my fave at this point. If you enjoyed the big battle in Sword, you've got something to look forward to in the next installment 😬
THE FURY OF THE GODS!!! I can't wait for that one - on the whole I think the Bloodsworn Trilogy is the most epic fantasy series I've ever read and FURY was the most epic of the three!
I enjoyed this book at the time when I was a very young reader and the second one Elfstones had more original story. Back then things didn’t seem so tropey when there wasn’t so much material on hand. Of all the authors of that time my absolute fave is Julian May . I fully recommend her series Saga of the Exiles and Galactic Milieu. She’s at least as intelligent as anyone writing science fiction/fantasy today .Hope you’re able to discover her some day but I know the deal. Thousands of subscribers = thousands of recommendations 🤣. See you soon Daniel
I found this book as a kid at summer camp. Someone left it under a bunk. Till that point all i had read was mystery and sci fi. I didn't know LOTR till my first DnD group in middle school. Shannara was my introduction to fantasy and despite the lore dumps, Allanon was my favorite character🤣. Though i do she with your take on the ending cause i was also very unsatisfied with it. But yes the fights are dope!
I think it’s better if you read this book before getting into the heavier fantasy series like LOTR and WoT. Because that’s exactly what I did and I loved it. I even re-read this book a few years ago and still loved it. And yeah, I understand all of your critiques and I also was bored of Allanon’s lectures. But I trucked through it and fell in love with everything about it….especially the battles. Also, if you really liked the way Brooks describes large scale battles then you should check out First King of Shannara because the battles get even more insane in that book (and I’ll leave it at that). You have a good one. 🍻
This was the 2nd fantasy series I fell in love with as a kid. It and the trilogy was on the shelf next to lord of the rings growing up and the covers fascinated me so much, I made my mom read me lotr and these books. I think she trimmed and summed up some things as she read this one (and definitely lotr lol). And I loved these books as a series so much because of the trimming she did as she read it aloud to me. And the later books in the series I read myself were fantastic. But. Going back as an adult to read this book in particular. I was confused why I loved it so much. But then, I already knew the big reveals. So that took some of the book away. I was also shocked to see that… there are no women in the book for… at least the first half? If at all? As an adult and a woman who loves reading fantasy, I was blown away by how dude oriented this introduction to fantasy for me was , given my memory of powerful and interesting gal characters in the later books.
Great video and summary of the book. Few remarks from my side: - Regarding the title. It's 2024, nearly 2025. There is 0 hype around Shannara nowadays 😀 I started rereading the whole Shannara-series this year and when checking GR, Reddit, YT, literally nobody mentions it. - I think it could have been mentioned that besides Brooks being heavily influenced by Tolkien, there was also a certain pressure from the publisher back in those days to keep it as similar to LotR as possible due to the commercial success those books enjoyed. - As I mentioned, I started rereading the Shannara series earlier this year. I did not reread Sword of Shannara, once was more than enough. It's quite weak as a standalone. His next 6 books (Elfstones, Wishsong and the 4 books in the Scions of Shannara tetralogy) are decidedly better. Afterwards he descends back into mediocrity (at best) with his books. I managed to make it 2 trilogies further into the Shannara world (Ilse Witch and Jarka Ruus) and it was a chore to get through them. Simple and formulaic, back to ticking off the checkboxes. - Surprisingly enough, he still gets asked by his publisher to write Shannara books, even though the latest ones barely get 10k ratings on book platforms online.
I LOVED the shannara series early in my teens. as I grew older I kept loving the books. Elfstones of Shannara is still the best, and I'd love to see a review of that one, and how it stands up under review even despite it being the 2nd book in the series. The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is a trilogy and kicks off a trilogy of trilogies and that whole story is centered on one character and is very very epic. and then the last highlight is the Word and the Void series, which began as something set in our time, or the end of our time and it wasn't originally counted as a Shannara series, but he eventually connected it through the end of the world, and connected it to pre-sword of shannara. it's a great read that being said, the last series of books that Terry Brooks added to this series were just so damn boring and recycled so many story beats from early books in this series, even reused names, and i stalled out completely. Add to this, that at the same time as I was trying to finish reading these books, I discovered Brandon Sanderson. mic drop
The cover art of the paperbacks intrigue me showing faraway landscapes and hooded figures and castles and the premise of DRUIDS in fantasy draws me in and then the MTV series came along and well Gimli's actor has a major supporting role and then discovered in passing through no fault except my own an intriguing SPOILER premise! That and finding second hand paperbacks here and there and the neat grouping of the expanse of stories into trilogies, including this surprising SPOILER post-apoc sets of trilogies, I think it's fair to say I will continue in gathering the series of novels up to completion, including the kindle exclusive three shorts I have, that includes PALADIN in the title - something I rarely see explicitly front and center outside of DnD or the Forgotten Realms. And looking up the first time reading order, I get that the First King of Shannara prequel is to be read AFTER the Sword of Shannara trilogy AND the Heritage quadrilogy. I do wish that the mundane pastoral country living moved a bit more forward and faster in pacing in the early first book. Later trilogy premises are actually quite intriguing to jump into when one hankers for fantasy with druids and paladins or in this case, paladin-druids! So while it may not have the latest piping white hot draw of other fantasy on booktube, the early books have their bucolic appeal when the mood strikes and one can complete a trilogy in no time, on some of the later books. The final set of books on first glance feel like an epic saga as it should be. I appreciate the graphic that itself has a "but wait, there's more..." quality to it, that's all I'll say! No future reader will be misled by the above graphic and its unintentional "blind" or omission! If you read it, you will know!
The Sword of "sha-NAH-rah" was the first fantasy book I ever read, back when I was in elementary school (1982-ish). I had tried to read the Hobbit because it was a favorite of my father's. He recognized my struggle with it and suggested this instead. I've tried to go back and re-read it and have found I can't get thru it, but it's only this book in the series of books that encompass the "sha-NAH-rah" world that I can't re-read, and I think it's because of it's simplicity.
This was also my gateway book into the fantasy genre years ago in junior high. I wasn't much into reading until I read this. I think your review is spot on in so many ways. When I would recommend it to others I would warn that you have slog through the first part laying out the history and that it was dry and boring. I would imagine if Terry Brooks were just starting the series today and wrote the same book, a lot of the storytelling elements you didn't like would not be there because narrative styles have evolved in the genre. He would still have mistakes as a new author, but I think there's a lot more to guide new authors into better narrative styles. I think you would really like Elfstones. It's more epic with the evil faced. The choreographed battles are better. The lore revealed is great. It has been said that some of the storytelling in Sword of Shannara was forced upon Brooks by the editors/publishers that thought it had to be like LOTR to be successful. Elfstones is where he starts into his own storytelling. But it's odd to call it a trilogy because all three of those first books are about different generations.
Tolkien says this could have been your earth, you will never see it as it was. Brooks says this could one day be your earth, but you will never see it as it will be. The same longing for something we can't have, didn't even know we wanted.
The series really develops and matures. The first book reads like an author gaining confidence and skill and learning how to work the muscles for the long haul. I enjoyed them much more as a kid, and I don't think they kept up after the years as well as Tolkien and Feist (authors from that period and genre that everytime I read I get a new rush of joy). That being said, the series is fairly solid. I dislike some of Brookes' portrayal of magic being something that is evil and will corrupt the user, but they have to use it, but it is enjoyable anyway.
Haven't read any Shannara. I did read a couple of novels by Terry Brooks though and my impression of his writing was that it was kind of clumsy and not that good, just as you experienced. Enough so to not want to pick up any more of his books, moreso now you've confirmed my thoughts on the author.
This was my introduction to "adult" fantasy (wouldn't really consider it adult fantasy as we know it now, but it's in the adult section, so...). I think Sword of Shannara was my least favorite that I read of this series. I outgrew them eventually, then moved on to Feist, whom I found to be a significant improvement. I've got plenty of respect for Brooks and his contributions to the genre, and I don't think Fantasy today would be as good as it is if we hadn't gotten over the hurdle of the "paint-by-numbers" era, but this is a series I just moved on from rapidly when I was young. Can't imagine going back to it as an adult.
I'm 74 years old, so I have a different perspective on this than younger people do. I read Lord of the Rings in the mid 1970s and fell in love with fantasy. I wanted more. But in the mid to late 70s there was almost nothing else. Fantasy was almost dead. Terry Brooks almost single handedly saved fantasy. He wanted to pay tribute to LOTR with his own story. Publishers basically told him and other writers to give them more Tolkien. So he did. I will always love the writings of Mr. Brooks because he saved fantasy and gives us a fun adventure to get lost in. It's easy to criticize him all of these years later. But you have to look at this through the lens of time. He made it possible for Jordan, Sanderson, and many others to tell their stories now. Thank you, Terry Brooks.
❤
Agreed ❤️
Well, from what I remember reading, most fantasy at the time was pulp fantasy and found in magazines and such. Also a lot of the stuff was really really experimental and esoteric like wizard of earthsea, nine princes of Amber and Elric. I remember reading one review from the 80s on the belgariad series that said "thank God this is just a fun good vs evil story and not some meditation on morality with a dwarf."
Sword of Shannara pretty much started the 80s high fantasy paperback boom. I don't think Sword of Shannara should be dismissed for being derivative, I think it showed other fantasy authors that it's fine to sit in his shade.
@@jackkroesen7680 completely agree
I don't know that it's fair to say that fantasy was "almost dead." Lots of truly foundational fantasy was published in the mid to late 70s, the issue was that anything other than tropey Tolkienian fantasy was marketed very poorly.
The book that hooked me on fantasy as a teenager nearly 40 years ago, without this book I would never have read Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson or Abercrombie. Thank you Terry Brooks 🙏
Samesies. After I read the first 7 Shannara books, I moved on to Wheel of Time, and life has never been the same =)
I loved this series as a kid. Revisited it as an adult, and really disliked it. The writing style just really bothers me now for some reason, with a third person omniscient narrator who tells you the characters' thoughts except when the thought is suddenly something the author does not want you to know.
I'm the same way with RA Salvatore's books, loved them as a kid and teenager, but God after reading so many great fantasy and sci-fi writers I just can't read those books anymore.
Same. This was the series that got me into Fantasy when I read it as a kid in the 80s. I loved it and my first D&D character was even named Walker Boh because I loved the books so much. It was fantastic back then, but the genre has evolved and improved a lot since then.
@@winglessrayven4294 I'm starting to relate with this a bit. Though I somehow just can't get invested in new authors (mainly its the worlds), lately, as I've been revisiting Salvatore, I just keep noticing all these little things that make the writing not great. I just finished The Cleric Quintet, and I was shocked by how rushed and sloppy the conclusion to that series was, and I certainly wouldn't have identified any of these issues when I was younger.
With that being said, what is it that you find about Salvatore's writing that makes it unreadable? Not that I'm disagreeing, but as he's my main inspiration for my own work, I'm naturally curious. Of course understanding that he has a different stylistic approach than "greater" writers, I have to think that his style is perhaps considered more juvenile, or sprawling and rushed, with minimal character work.
@@nedved1198 i feel with him it's the shallow nature of the world, the plots aren't that deep, that the characters never really grow except the a few.
@@winglessrayven4294 Fair enough, I can see all of that. Thanks for the reply!
Don’t worry it gets progressively better. Not to mention he did what Sanderson wants to do with the Cosmere and made the era changes pretty well.
Sword of Shannara was my introduction to fantasy as a child. It is tough to read now. However, I do still enjoy my rereads of Elfstones, Wishsong, and the Scions Tetrology every year. It might be a trope to say, "Keep reading, it gets better," but I do believe this about the Shannara series.
@@brycebarrow4376 Elfstones and Wishsong are my favourite ones. If I'm introducing someone to Shannara, I'll give them Elfstones.
I only dabbled in this series growing up, but every pronunciation that isn't shuh-nar-uh still has me absolutely shook
This is the only correct pronunciation
The first time I heard someone say SHAN-nara I was baffled.
I saw Terry Brooks at a book signing. When asked about pronunciation, he clarified how he pronounces it (SHA-nah-rah), but then said "When I'm writing it, it's my book, When you are reading it, it is yours. Pronounce it however you like"
@@Yuukanna I love that generosity!
@@Yuukanna I have heard this exact anecdote before! It must be a thing he's had to say a *lot* over the decades.
I read this book when I was like 12 years old. I had not read any fantasy other than children's books.
Needless to say, I fell in love with it.
The first book (Sword) was REALLY derivative and mediocre (a classic first book, where the author is learning how to write and mainly just copies his favorite fantasy books), but it immediately gets quite a lot better -- Elfstones and Wishsong are probably my favorites of the series, and those are the next two books.
This is a spot on comparison...i read it in 1977 and thought it was OK but generic it was just a lesser version of LOTR some of the later books were much better
@@wildfire160 Yeah, Sword is almost a scene-for-scene, character-for-character copy of LotR.
The whole series was one of my favorites when I was a kid, but for me Heritage was when it really got good.
@@greentriangler Yeah, you might be right, those might be better than Elfstones/Wishsong. I really loved the last book in that series. I also really liked the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series. I felt like the series dipped after that.
The Heritage of Shannara were my favorite, and by far the Talismans (final in the tetralogy) was incredible.
This is the book which introduced me to High fantasy works, and made me fan of it.
Later I discovered LoTR and WoT and I find them better, but The sword of Shannara will always have a special place in my heart.
Same here
Yeah, I've read all his books and it was the gateway that really got me into fantasy books. Obviously read so many other great books but Brooks will always have a special place in my paperback heart.
Awesome mentions! I will say that, for me, thanks to my bro in law, HOW WoT begins its breathtaking prologue surpasses both beloved titles of LotR: FoTR's seemingly endless intro/preface/notes/short history ALL before the Gaffer's tale in slow burn chapter one and SoS's arguably slow burn that's more of a stroll. LotR, I realized, is best begun by skipping the preambles and jumping headlong into the main story first and heck the entire trilogy then the wealth of the legendarium to choose from to embark next, including the Silmarillion! If SoS can be surpassed, then I imagine the supposed "slog" of Winter's Heart will be, for me, an absolutely escapist joy of long prose in a thick paperback for a long winter! I don't think that's factored in often enough on booktube: mood and the season. That's what fantasy is for.
Same!
For anyone who started reading pre 1990's this was the book that got us into fantasy. Like any long series, some are better than others, but overall, a great series. Terry deserves any accolades he gets. For these booktubers to pick it apart breaks my heart. It won't be for everyone, just like any series. Still beloved!
I’ve been a fan of Terry Brooks my whole life and read all more than thirty Shannara novels. It’s only the first book, The Sword of Shannara, that’s written like this. After that Brooks got better and better and by the end, when I finished the conclusion, The Fall of Shannara series, I was sad that it ended, only to become overjoyed to learn that Brooks is writing another Shannara novel after all. The rest of the series after The Sword of Shannara is far from just tropey, and very diverse. There are books set in modern day, post apocalyptic ones (I mean early American post apocalyptic ones, in essence almost all books in the series are post apocalyptic). His characters are well developed and believable. And his world building is outstanding.
I'm really glad to know this now as far as prose! glad you also mentioned the above Fall of Shannara books that has a fourth title!
@ The Fall of Shannara was already a quadrilogy. Terry Brooks is writing a whole new Shannara series at the moment. That’s what I referred to. The first book is planned for March 2025. It’s titled Galaphile and will be part one of The First Druids of Shannara.
Absolutely incredible video!!! (I’m 16 seconds in but can see the future)
Shannara was my introduction to both fantasy and multi-book stories back in grade school. I'm supremely grateful to the series for that. I decided to express my gratitude by reading the entire Shannara series a few years ago. I did it. I'm glad I did. But... I don't know that I would recommend this to anyone but the most diehard fans. Elf stones of Shannara will forever will be a favorite. The prequels were fun. However, most of the later books just felt a little repetitive and forgetable to me.
That said... Thank you Terry Brooks for showing me these fantasy worlds existed. Forever in your debt just for that.
I felt the same way. The later books got repetitive and lacked the depth of themes explored in some of the other books.
My favorite was the Heritage and especially the Talismans of Shannara. He was still a new author with a lot to say, but his writing was much improved at that point, and the end fight with the Shannara turned druid was fantastic.
@PhoenixCrown so actually... Talismans was officially my first book. I bought it at a school book fair because there was a guy in a cloak fighting a grim reaper riding a dinosaur on the cover lol. Had no idea what was going on and THEN I discovered I had to read other books first. Completely blew my mind at the time that that was a thing.
The thing I really enjoyed about the book when I first read it, was what the ultimate resolution was to dealing with the BBEG. *spoilers*
How the reason the sword was a danger to him, wasn't that it had some uber attack that could cleave through armies, but the fact that it could simply cut through lies. And I liked the idea that the entire concept of undeath in that reality, was sort of like how flying worked in the Douglas Adams books. How it's basically you tricking yourself and reality, into thinking you can do this thing, and nobody noticing it's breaking the rules. How the spectre was just that, an echo. He was actually dead, and being forced to face that Truth, would unravel his undeath existence. Because it was a lie. I thought that was a really neat twist on the premise when I was a kid. I'd read enough fantasy stories by that point (roughly middle school), to have a familiarity with the tropes, and I remember thinking "oh....well that was kind of clever and fresh. Nice little twist there"
This resolution of the big bad for me as a kid reader was a huge factor in my thorough love of the fantasy genre-because it wasn’t pure brawn that won the day, but, a clever workaround that showed that the big bad… really wasn’t that bad if we just stopped to think for a second and say. Naw fam. You ain’t it. And then, that being what makes it not it. It was a powerful lesson for me as a kid that truth, honesty, and love are more powerful than hatred and lies.
@@ojhilom2786 yep, and I liked how it was presented in the book. I know Daniel didn't like it, but I felt it was well done. Just a bit of "moment of clarity" for the protagonist. Kind of like the way in the Merlin miniseries on Scifi, where the way to defeat Mab was to just simply forget her. That as long as they BELIEVED she was a threat, she was. But that it was all a veil of lies, and the Sword was what revealed that. Pay no attention to the man behind the mirror, kind of thing.
Can't recall another book having a resolution like that since.
I really enjoy your more classic look back at books and book series. Hope too see more of this... for good or ill :P
The paint-by-numbers nature of this book makes a lot of sense when you learn about why Terry wrote it and the context in which it was released.
Terry read and loved LOTR, and after hating law school, decided he wanted to write. he saw a real lack of accessible fantasy books, and basically set out to write his own version of LOTR that would be easier to read for average people and younger readers. It just so happens that publishers were looking for the same thing. So it really succeeds at exactly what it set out to do.
This was an excellent review, and I appreciate your honesty, because many people really just dismiss it as a shitty LOTR rip-offl
Part of the fun I had with these books was the constant lore that built on itself. As you read more of the books the elements like the wishsong and the druids all build on each other. I'd say the defining books of this series for me is The Voyage of the jerle shannara or any of the books with Walker Boh, Allanon's successor.
The Sword Of Shannara was the book that got me addicted to reading and inspired me to be a writer when I was a wee lad. I have a fondness for it for sure
The tv show had a younger Austin Butler as the lead and he took his shirt off.. so pretty good.
Also Allanon is mano bBennet and so good, and gets character conflict and being, a fun grumpy adass mentor.
Honestly the female leads too are so good. Its MTV so of course they do fanservice, but yeah the actors really make it good, Austin Butler too is good in being sassy at times and conflicted. Oh and good conflicts. I think season 2 went, i just dont like the dude the show wanted to hype but else, very fun even tragic.
And the thief girl is a scene stealer.
I'm a massive fan of the whole Shannara saga, it was my introduction to fantasy, which is now a lifelong love. But the BEST part of it is the eight prequels, from 'Running with the Demon' onwards. It's HIGHLY original, sets out the lore and the history beautifully, and the way it builds from our world in the late 90s through to the world of Shannara is GENIUS. Check it out.
The first book is pretty mediocre. I stand by book 2 being amazing though.
I see a lot of people in the comments saying that the first book is mid, but that Elfstones and Wishsong are huge improvements. I will add that not only are Elfstones and Wishsong absolute bangers, but First King (the prequel) and the entire 4 book Heritage sequels series are FUEGO. Sword of Shannara is a little rough, but after that, Brooks finds his legs and goes on a real run.
Shannara is one of my fav series.
Edit:
Possible spoilers for overall series world set up...
I love how chronologically the story starts in what could be our modern day and evolves from there. All the different magical races stemmed from mutated humans, except the elves cause they were never gone, just hidden from humans. The formula of all of the books is the same; we start with a group they get split and go on side quests to find the sacred thing (usually the elf stones), then come back together for the final battle. Through that we see how vast the world stretches; simple, yes, but still enjoyable. I never finished the total series so I may go back and start from the beginning. Thanks for reminding me of this.
Would this be considered a spoiler maybe? I've already found this out in passing unintentionally which intrigues me even more and yet I also maybe wished I had at least read the SoS trilogy up to First King of Shannara maybe before finding out, so I could say I never knew until much later on? But it's almost inevitable when you encounter Armageddon's Children and slowly begin to piece it together and then it's upfront confirmed in the MTV series...
@@genghisgalahad8465 The book series is nearly four decades old. But, I suppose I could be one of very few that doesn't worry about spoilers when a property is that old. I'll edit in a warning.
I absolutely love this series and have immense nostalgia for the first book...but the first time I read it, I almost gave up multiple times within the first 150 pages. So I definitely hear you on how rough getting through the beginning of the book was! And I'm also glad you didn't give up. (Especially the final battle--still one of the best I've read!) And you're right...the subsequent books do get better in a LOT of ways. I definitely recommend reading the next two books in this trilogy and seeing where Brooks goes from here.
Also, as others have commented, the fact that this book came out in the 1970s when fantasy was on a downswing and did so much to revive it as a genre is huge. It's not great now, but for its time it was epic.
I got the 1st The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara book for christmas in 2000/01 , not sure, but reading that trilogy before going back to the earlier books definitely made it easier to ignore the flaws.
Also I was 12/13 and that trilogy was probably the first time I encountered "what if sailing ships but they fly?".
It's a primer for kids before they've head deep into Tolkien and hard-core fantasy. Loved it as a kid. Made me feel super grown-up. Probably not some thing that I would enjoy now though.
Although....I cried at the last book. For the villain. IYKYK
Lier
I'm excited that you've made this video. The Sword of Shannara is the book that got me into fantasy and I've been waiting to see your review since I discovered your channel during covid.
As a series, Shannara definitely has some inconsistency in quality, with significant highs and lows, but the next two books are some of the best he wrote and I hope you'll also review them on your channel soon.
Agree with so much of what you said here. This was the book that got me started on fantasy, so it will always have a dear place in my heart. I was too young for anything to be "cliche" (I hadn't read LOTR yet), and it was such a magical story. I didn't know what "exposition" was, and maybe my memory comes from the later books, but ALLANON TURNS INTO A BADASS. Lastly, I actually loved the way Shae defeats the Warlock Lord--it was so unexpected it was an interesting twist AND I felt it was justified by what was alluded to in the history (how Shae's dad failed to defeat him).
When I rediscovered my love for fantasy as an adult, I read TONS of the Shannara books, and they start to feel pretty repetitive, lacking the strong theme in the Sword and instead just kind of light entertainment.
If you're interested in the series, def start with the Sword, and if you like it, finish the trilogy, but my recall is the BEST by far is the HERITAGE OF SHANNARA tetralogy. Enjoy!
This was the first “modern” fantasy book I read.
I was 10 years old in 1977. I grew up reading my fathers Howard, Burroughs and Carter.
After those older stories Shannara was the first modern read for me.
It’s definitely full of tropes. However, you need to remember when it came out. These tropes weren’t quite as tired or severe back then.
Reading this for the first time today I can see how a person would roll their eyes at it.
All that said it sets up a wonderful fantasy universe and Brooks got progressively better as the years rolled by.
Allanon was a great example of showing vs telling in writing. Everything around him says he's powerful and mysterious, but everything we see is mostly just a grumpy bastard who's outlived joy. Menion Leah was my favourite. his character has stuck with me for the last 20+ years when all the rest are either Allanon or fuzzy grey outlines of characters.
When you explained the theme/synopsis of the book in the beginning of the video I knew immediately I'd love this book
I am curious if you will keep reading into the series. I read them as a teen, and most of them again as an adult, and still enjoyed them. My favorites of the entire thing are probably the Heritage (Scions, Druids, elf queen and Talismans), which i feel are the strongest natively and it takes the world into some pretty interesting places as far as technology and politics go.I also liked the three books after those, as it also makes use of some different ideas. It is also interesting to watch some of the magic and history passed down through bloodlines as the books continue. Some magical items even evolve, or become magic if they weren't before.
I totally agree, his character relationships are what actually keep you reading! Even though it seems formulaic now, I thought it was really fun to read and “pay homage to” one of the most impactful, classic stories that shaped where fantasy is today (even though I DNFed the next book in the series)
1:50 Terry Brooks’ books were the bees knees. I read a few of his books when I was in my mid 20’s (2005 timeframe) I a thought they still held up fine. In fact, there is something about that style that is refreshing, simple, and conjures images in the reader’s mind. I miss this style in today’s writing.
It should also be noted, this is the first book, and the rest of the series does its own thing.
This book is what got me started reading fantasy. It is not the best book of his but it holds a special place in my heart.
I am the reader I am today because of Terry Brooks. It was the first adult fantasy novel I ever read (I was 12 at the time), and it made me a lifelong lover of reading and fantasy.
I read Lord of the Rings in 1977 and was so blown away I had to have more. I discovered Sword of Shannara and Niel Hancock's Circle of light and Donaldson's Thomas Covenant chronicles all about the same time and absolutely loved them all and still do. If you look at them in 2024 you might criticize them but if you first encountered them in 77 you would appreciate them so much more.
I read this in the day and felt similarly. Elfstones and Wushsong were definitely more enjoyable but could speak to how they hold up. The fantasy genre was much narrower back then, so this was the cream of the crop at the time.
I re-read this book recently, I liked it overall, and yes... It was partly because of the nostalgia factor.
I was surprised to feel quite moved right at the very end when a certain character returns to shady vale.
It's weird how you get older and different things in novels speak to you.
Haven't even watched yet, but Betteridge's law of headlines almost certainly applies...
I dnfed this book years ago, but I will pick it up again now, you reignited my interest :D
Great video, love getting to watch your stuff. Shannara is an enjoyable series(more so when i was younger), the Word and Void trilogy plus the Genesis of Shannara trilogy show how our world turned in the fantasy world if you were curious about that transition.
Book of Swords by Saberhagen had kind of a similar world background
Also, Terry was amazing in that interview lol
I loved the Book Of Swords.
Second series is where it really starts to shine
It's been almost 30 years since I read The Sword of Shannara, and you are making me feel like reading it again. I was a child and I remember NOTHING! (and btw, I need you to talk me into finishing the first book in The Wheel of Time because I'm struggling)
Very similar boat! I binged most of these in middle school and 25 years later all I have are some really strong images and emotions with little remembered context.
Nice Video again Daniel!
And I am back after the video and I agree. One of the things that marks a decided shift in the series for me was when it went from every other year or every three years to every year book release. The stories were physically shorter but the narratives were still so bulky that it just felt so fast. And my final note for some hindsight is big three in that first trilogy is carried by the characters. Probably the least compelling story but one of my favorites because the characters just make it happen for me.
Dang daniel , you did your work on this one, You got the Word and the Void on the list
When this book came out, I was deep into science fiction and fantasy. The general opinion around me at the time was, this was not a serious attempt at fantasy. I read it and enjoyed it, but it was not quite fluff, but close. It was the transmutation of high fantasy into light reading, that spawned a vast industry. That's how I remember it, but that was the general opinion. The truth may lie elsewhere.
I have read all of Terry's books and my favourite work of his is still the first ones I ever read. I found the Word and the Void trilogy in my highschool library when I was 14 and I have reread them as an adult and I still feel like they are some of his strongest books. My personal favourites anyways.
Huh- the hype I've heard is that it was a middling at best Tolkien knock-off that mainly succeeded because there wasn't that much other fantasy to compete with at the time.
The first book or two are 100% that. It really does its own thing after that, though.
Yep that all I heard the last 30 years or so since I read it. Its just like most of the stuff on Royal Road. A new authors attempt to write what's popular. Terry really grew as an author after this though and the series really grew to be much more intricate and better.
I also want to add to the "pulling from other authors": if you strip every story down to it´s basic plot points, then yes a lot of stories are the same. But the actual story can be very diffrent. That´s why two people can use for example the heroes journey as a base for their plot, but in the end they have two completly diffrent stories. Doesnt mean anyone ripped off the other
Brooks even says he saw LoTR and was amazed they were still printing that. That is why he wrote Sword. Yes, very inspired by it. He never shied away from that. I agree with most of your criticism and appreciate your praise as well. The info dumps were bad and the first half was a bit of a slog. Also, the final confrontation was a bit lack-luster (His book First King of Shannara does a much better job explaining what the sword actually does - hindsight!). What Books does do, is he keeps the main theme from most/all his books: technology vs magic. And unlike most who do it once, Brooks often does the young/innocent protagonist. His writing improves and like most fans, think his second book is his best. I always think of it as fantasy Die Hard. He does some very interesting things with his world if you keep reading. Interesting choices. He does have his own style, and I can still read a fight scene and know the feel of it. It's like if you know Sam Rami movies, you know the feel of his fight scenes - whether it is Army of Darkness or Spiderman. Thanks for giving it an honest try. Hope you try at least one more.
Journey Of The Jerle Shannara trilogy is amazing so much better than his earlier stuff.
I didn’t care for the first trilogy, though I did enjoy the twist about _why_ the Sword was able to vanquish the dark lord. I decided to pick up the Legacy tetralogy because Brooks had the time to improve his craft.
I . . . also didn’t care for it.
Edit: yo, love the rock version of your outro!
I read it when I was 9 and I loved it. I have always seen it as more of a children's book as a result.
:O
I tried to read the book because I'd heard you mention a release in the series like it was a big exiting deal, so I thought you were already into it. I regretfully DNF'd. Was ready to eat up the tropes but couldn't connect with the writing style. I honestly liked the info dumps because it was one of the few times where I felt like I got to see the sort of characterization exchanges I like when a lot of the narration felt too distant from the cast for me to get invested in them. I tried so hard to like it. I got around halfway through. I'm sure the writing improves and I wanted to badly to have a big epic series to sink into, but I just couldn't get into it.
I hope if you do further books from Mr. Brooks you check out the Word & Void series. That is my favorite series set within the Shannara greater series
Thank you for acknowledging the importance of including ELMS as an essential aspect of any true fantasy work. The most significant of all trees. 20:27
Super nostalgic series for me, but definitely not up to the quality of even some of its contemporary's. Formative work for me that I would have trouble returning too. Your commentary makes me wish to return to it though.
This was the first fantasy series I read as a teenager. Therefore I will always have a soft spot for it. As others said, the series does get better, but at the time I fell in love with it. I had not read LOTR. I love how easy to read it is. I reread it every now and then and it's almost like cosy fantasy to me, because it comes with such a wave of nostalgia. I can't be unbiased and I don't need to be. I always love Shannara.
Glad to see a look at one of my first fantasy favorites!
Sexy MTV elves - the Shannara t.v. series isone of the best fantasy adaptations I've seen; really moved me by the end. The books were good when I was young and, perhaps, less discriminating.
I was about 12 or so when I first read TSOS. Even then I’d read enough to recognise the tropes and stereotypes and the, let’s be honest, not great dialogue, but I still loved it. I remember thinking at the time (and stand by it) that Terry Brooks is extremely skilled at relationships, scene setting and motion description.
The quality of the writing does improve vastly over the series, as you can see Brooks honing his skills. I’d really recommend his Landover series as an example of just how delightful and inventive his work can be.
I love these kind of videos. Also watching this channel really motivates me to write and don't procastinate. These forms of media that you express your opinion is lovely. Be opiniated its lovely.
LG
Just started getting into the video so not sure how it is going to go but out of everything I have ever read, the word and void is my all time favorite series. The connection with Shannara was shaky but cool in my unprofessional opinion but Word and Void I like to revisit at least once a year.
I started with the 2nd book in the trilogy because that was the one that was available at the library. When I went back and read The Sword of Shannara I found it very interesting because it answered a lot of questions I had from the reading the sequel first. That said I was a young teenager and don't particularly remember anything about how well it was written, I just remember really enjoying the stories.
It was/is comforting that you start with the tropeyness (if that's even a word), so that the twists and other developments seem more impactful when they eventually deliver. Even the MacGuffin that is actually a real thing (i.e. and not merely a MacGuffin like the briefcase for Marsellus Wallace). It can be a little tedious, particularly on a reread; even in the 80's it was seen as highly (but not entirely) derivative of LotR. But the world building is superb, and the whole affair gets better over the next couple books (Elfstones and Wishsong). The second trilogy was still very strong, but losing heat in the shadow of the first outing. I'll admit I didn't get much farther than that, though more because of "life" and not because of the books per se.
This was really good as a kid. Then I read Robert Jordan and needless to say that The Wheel of Time is one of the best if not the best series ever written behind LOTR.
That feeling you got about the bad guy at the end is the exact feeling I got at the end of The Great Hunt. I know you love Jordan, but that is why I never continued Wheel of Time.
Haven't read Sword yet, but I really enjoyed Elfstones and Wishsong. Hope you continue the series.
I read this in high school back in the 90s. As an early book in someone's reading journey, it's fine. I recently picked up an annotated version that I'm curious to check out. I've really enjoyed a lot of modern fantasy, but at the moment, life is super busy and complicated, and good ol' simple fantasy seems like just the ticket.
Didn't read the books, but I had fun watching the TV-Show with my Brother and Dad. And since my dad had actually read the books he was finally the guy who could point out what was different and what wasn't (mind you, it's been a few years for him, but still), which normally either me or my brother does depending on the story.
My brother in law ended up recommending me this book. The First King (prequel) and Sword were by FAR the hardest books to get through. I still have 3 trilogies until I finish, but The Genesis of Shannara is my favorite trilogy and the later/shorter they are, the better they tended to be for me :D
I enjoyed the series as a kid, and the big twist about the origin of his world was a bit of a shock when I read it, but I couldn't really get back into them as an adult.
I remember a really old interview with Terry Brooks about how derivitive of zlord of the Rings this book is, and he basically said it definitely was because that is what his publisher asked him to do. From there he had a lot more freedom to tell a story that he wanted to tell a unique story, and it really shows with this series. Elfstones changes in some major ways.
I read the book over a weekend while visiting my dad, just because it was a big book on the shelf. I was 9 or 10. For that audience, I think it is brilliant.
I am tempted to re-read some of these now. It was my second fantasy series, after my dad read Tolkien to me. I binged these in middle school and despite recognizing most of the titles folks are mentioning in the comments have almost no memory of any of the stories.
The 1st half of this book is a bit of a slog, but the 2nd half rocks! Really hope you read the next book, Elfstones. It's very good and a huge step in the right direction. Would love to hear your thoughts on it. I've read 8 Shannara books so far, and Elfstones is still my fave at this point. If you enjoyed the big battle in Sword, you've got something to look forward to in the next installment 😬
THE FURY OF THE GODS!!! I can't wait for that one - on the whole I think the Bloodsworn Trilogy is the most epic fantasy series I've ever read and FURY was the most epic of the three!
I enjoyed this book at the time when I was a very young reader and the second one Elfstones had more original story. Back then things didn’t seem so tropey when there wasn’t so much material on hand. Of all the authors of that time my absolute fave is Julian May . I fully recommend her series Saga of the Exiles and Galactic Milieu. She’s at least as intelligent as anyone writing science fiction/fantasy today .Hope you’re able to discover her some day but I know the deal. Thousands of subscribers = thousands of recommendations 🤣. See you soon Daniel
I found this book as a kid at summer camp. Someone left it under a bunk. Till that point all i had read was mystery and sci fi. I didn't know LOTR till my first DnD group in middle school. Shannara was my introduction to fantasy and despite the lore dumps, Allanon was my favorite character🤣. Though i do she with your take on the ending cause i was also very unsatisfied with it. But yes the fights are dope!
I think it’s better if you read this book before getting into the heavier fantasy series like LOTR and WoT. Because that’s exactly what I did and I loved it. I even re-read this book a few years ago and still loved it. And yeah, I understand all of your critiques and I also was bored of Allanon’s lectures. But I trucked through it and fell in love with everything about it….especially the battles.
Also, if you really liked the way Brooks describes large scale battles then you should check out First King of Shannara because the battles get even more insane in that book (and I’ll leave it at that). You have a good one. 🍻
This was the 2nd fantasy series I fell in love with as a kid. It and the trilogy was on the shelf next to lord of the rings growing up and the covers fascinated me so much, I made my mom read me lotr and these books. I think she trimmed and summed up some things as she read this one (and definitely lotr lol).
And I loved these books as a series so much because of the trimming she did as she read it aloud to me.
And the later books in the series I read myself were fantastic. But. Going back as an adult to read this book in particular. I was confused why I loved it so much. But then, I already knew the big reveals. So that took some of the book away.
I was also shocked to see that… there are no women in the book for… at least the first half? If at all? As an adult and a woman who loves reading fantasy, I was blown away by how dude oriented this introduction to fantasy for me was , given my memory of powerful and interesting gal characters in the later books.
After watching the tv show and enjoying the world and the lore, I’ve considered trying out the books one day. Maybe one day!
Old guy here with a question. Daniel why have you started to eat the microphone? Why isn't it on its stand?
I read the first book in around 2013 and I remember associating every character and events with those from LOTR and everything fit really well.
Great video and summary of the book. Few remarks from my side:
- Regarding the title. It's 2024, nearly 2025. There is 0 hype around Shannara nowadays 😀 I started rereading the whole Shannara-series this year and when checking GR, Reddit, YT, literally nobody mentions it.
- I think it could have been mentioned that besides Brooks being heavily influenced by Tolkien, there was also a certain pressure from the publisher back in those days to keep it as similar to LotR as possible due to the commercial success those books enjoyed.
- As I mentioned, I started rereading the Shannara series earlier this year. I did not reread Sword of Shannara, once was more than enough. It's quite weak as a standalone. His next 6 books (Elfstones, Wishsong and the 4 books in the Scions of Shannara tetralogy) are decidedly better. Afterwards he descends back into mediocrity (at best) with his books. I managed to make it 2 trilogies further into the Shannara world (Ilse Witch and Jarka Ruus) and it was a chore to get through them. Simple and formulaic, back to ticking off the checkboxes.
- Surprisingly enough, he still gets asked by his publisher to write Shannara books, even though the latest ones barely get 10k ratings on book platforms online.
I LOVED the shannara series early in my teens. as I grew older I kept loving the books. Elfstones of Shannara is still the best, and I'd love to see a review of that one, and how it stands up under review even despite it being the 2nd book in the series. The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is a trilogy and kicks off a trilogy of trilogies and that whole story is centered on one character and is very very epic. and then the last highlight is the Word and the Void series, which began as something set in our time, or the end of our time and it wasn't originally counted as a Shannara series, but he eventually connected it through the end of the world, and connected it to pre-sword of shannara. it's a great read
that being said, the last series of books that Terry Brooks added to this series were just so damn boring and recycled so many story beats from early books in this series, even reused names, and i stalled out completely. Add to this, that at the same time as I was trying to finish reading these books, I discovered Brandon Sanderson. mic drop
The cover art of the paperbacks intrigue me showing faraway landscapes and hooded figures and castles and the premise of DRUIDS in fantasy draws me in and then the MTV series came along and well Gimli's actor has a major supporting role and then discovered in passing through no fault except my own an intriguing SPOILER premise! That and finding second hand paperbacks here and there and the neat grouping of the expanse of stories into trilogies, including this surprising SPOILER post-apoc sets of trilogies, I think it's fair to say I will continue in gathering the series of novels up to completion, including the kindle exclusive three shorts I have, that includes PALADIN in the title - something I rarely see explicitly front and center outside of DnD or the Forgotten Realms. And looking up the first time reading order, I get that the First King of Shannara prequel is to be read AFTER the Sword of Shannara trilogy AND the Heritage quadrilogy. I do wish that the mundane pastoral country living moved a bit more forward and faster in pacing in the early first book. Later trilogy premises are actually quite intriguing to jump into when one hankers for fantasy with druids and paladins or in this case, paladin-druids! So while it may not have the latest piping white hot draw of other fantasy on booktube, the early books have their bucolic appeal when the mood strikes and one can complete a trilogy in no time, on some of the later books. The final set of books on first glance feel like an epic saga as it should be. I appreciate the graphic that itself has a "but wait, there's more..." quality to it, that's all I'll say! No future reader will be misled by the above graphic and its unintentional "blind" or omission! If you read it, you will know!
The Sword of "sha-NAH-rah" was the first fantasy book I ever read, back when I was in elementary school (1982-ish). I had tried to read the Hobbit because it was a favorite of my father's. He recognized my struggle with it and suggested this instead. I've tried to go back and re-read it and have found I can't get thru it, but it's only this book in the series of books that encompass the "sha-NAH-rah" world that I can't re-read, and I think it's because of it's simplicity.
This was also my gateway book into the fantasy genre years ago in junior high. I wasn't much into reading until I read this.
I think your review is spot on in so many ways. When I would recommend it to others I would warn that you have slog through the first part laying out the history and that it was dry and boring.
I would imagine if Terry Brooks were just starting the series today and wrote the same book, a lot of the storytelling elements you didn't like would not be there because narrative styles have evolved in the genre. He would still have mistakes as a new author, but I think there's a lot more to guide new authors into better narrative styles.
I think you would really like Elfstones. It's more epic with the evil faced. The choreographed battles are better. The lore revealed is great. It has been said that some of the storytelling in Sword of Shannara was forced upon Brooks by the editors/publishers that thought it had to be like LOTR to be successful. Elfstones is where he starts into his own storytelling. But it's odd to call it a trilogy because all three of those first books are about different generations.
Should I buy you a mic stand? 😅
I read this after my first couple of readings of LOTR'S. I really love it.
Tolkien says this could have been your earth, you will never see it as it was. Brooks says this could one day be your earth, but you will never see it as it will be. The same longing for something we can't have, didn't even know we wanted.
The series really develops and matures. The first book reads like an author gaining confidence and skill and learning how to work the muscles for the long haul. I enjoyed them much more as a kid, and I don't think they kept up after the years as well as Tolkien and Feist (authors from that period and genre that everytime I read I get a new rush of joy). That being said, the series is fairly solid. I dislike some of Brookes' portrayal of magic being something that is evil and will corrupt the user, but they have to use it, but it is enjoyable anyway.
The heritage of shannara is where it really gets good. Also the word and void series is an impressive and disturbing work of urban fantasy
Haven't read any Shannara. I did read a couple of novels by Terry Brooks though and my impression of his writing was that it was kind of clumsy and not that good, just as you experienced. Enough so to not want to pick up any more of his books, moreso now you've confirmed my thoughts on the author.
Damnit, now I want to watch the interview 😂 nice one
I would love for Terry Brooks to redo the 1st book as he got much better as a writer.
This was my introduction to "adult" fantasy (wouldn't really consider it adult fantasy as we know it now, but it's in the adult section, so...). I think Sword of Shannara was my least favorite that I read of this series. I outgrew them eventually, then moved on to Feist, whom I found to be a significant improvement. I've got plenty of respect for Brooks and his contributions to the genre, and I don't think Fantasy today would be as good as it is if we hadn't gotten over the hurdle of the "paint-by-numbers" era, but this is a series I just moved on from rapidly when I was young. Can't imagine going back to it as an adult.