Shannara Novels (Book Guide) - The Sword of Shannara, the Elfstones of Shannara, the Elves of Cintra, Armageddon's Children, the Wishsong of Shannara (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Commentary (novels not included). Pages: 28. Chapters: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, The Elves of Cintra, Armageddon's Children, The Wishsong of Shannara, The Scions of Shannara, First King of Shannara, Straken, The Gypsy Morph, The Talismans of Shannara, The Druid of Shannara, Dark Wraith of Shannara, Tanequil, The Elf Queen of Shannara, Jarka Ruus, Antrax, Bearers of the Black Staff, Ilse Witch, Morgawr, Original Shannara Trilogy, Heritage of Shannara, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, The Genesis of Shannara, High Druid of Shannara. Excerpt: The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing The Sword of Shannara in 1967. It took him seven years to complete, as he was writing the novel while attending law school. After being accepted for publication by Ballantine Books, it was used to launch the company's new subsidiary, Del Rey Books. Upon its release, The Sword of Shannara was a major success and the first fantasy paperback to appear on the New York Times bestseller list. Its success provided a major boost to the commercial expansion of the fantasy genre. The novel interweaves two major plots into a fictional world called the Four Lands. One follows the protagonist Shea Ohmsford on his quest to obtain the Sword of Shannara and confront the Warlock Lord, the antagonist, with it, while the other shadows Prince Balinor Buckhannah's attempt to oust his insane brother Palance from the throne of Callahorn while the country and its capital, Tyrsis, come under attack from overwhelming armies of the Warlock Lord. Throughout the novel, underlying themes of mundane heroism and...