Intro

If you’re into fantasy novels, you’ve almost certainly heard of The Sword of Shannara. It’s one of the most famous fantasy books ever—and also happens to be one of my personal favorite reads, particularly around the holidays. (Yes, it’s another book—and series as a whole—that feels seasonal to me for some reason.)

If you asked me to recommend a good old-fashioned classic fantasy book about a chosen one embarking on an epic quest to defeat some dark lord, The Sword of Shannara would be the first thing I’d tell you to read. (Yes, I’d say it before I’d say Lord of the Rings.) Not only does it check all the boxes you want in a traditional high fantasy book, with magic, action, and all the classic fantasy species you’d expect, but it’s also just really well-written, with an interesting world and a dramatic plot. If you like epic fantasy, you’ve got to give this book a try.

So let’s dive into it, shall we?

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks Overview

Shea Ohmsford is an ordinary half-elf. He lives a peaceful life with his adoptive family in the secluded village of Shady Vale, working alongside his foster brother Flick at the family inn. Aside from his elven blood, there is nothing special or noteworthy about him—or, so he believes.

But that belief is proven to be false when a strange visitor arrives at the inn. Allanon, the last remaining member of an ancient order of magicians known as the druids, tells Shea that his elven lineage is far more important than he thought—and is the key to saving the Four Lands from the evil sorcerer known as the Warlock Lord. He is the last remaining descendent of the legendary elf king Jerle Shannara, and thus the only person capable of wielding the Sword of Shannara, a talisman that was used to banish the Warlock Lord when he first attempted to take over the Four Lands centuries before. If the Warlock Lord is to be stopped, Shea must step into the shoes of his ancestor and take up the Sword.

Shea is hesitant to answer the call, but the choice is made for him when the Warlock Lord’s minions come for him, forcing him and Flick to flee Shady Vale. They go to meet with Allanon in the city of Cullhaven, where they assemble a team and make plans to recover the Sword of Shannara from Paranor, the long-abandoned keep of the druids.

But a dangerous quest awaits them, and everything from the Warlock Lord’s minions to natural disasters will stand in their way. Does Shea have what it takes to live up to the name of Shannara, or will the Four Lands be doomed to fall to the Warlock Lord’s darkness?

Personal Thoughts

So, it might not be the most original concept for a fantasy novel—but, to me, that’s actually part of its charm. One reason is just that I like that classic fantasy story of a nobody who winds up being the chosen one to defeat the Dark Lord. (It doesn’t have to be new and revolutionary to be good.) And another thing that I like about it is that it kind of proves the whole idea that two or more writers could have a very similar basic concept, but still write stories that are distinctive and unique from each other. Yes, Sword of Shannara is similar to Lord of the Rings—or any other traditional fantasy novel you can think of—in a lot of ways, but I definitely wouldn’t say they’re exactly the same. That’s part of the fun of the genre.

There are a lot of things that I love about this book, aside from just the classic fantasy vibes. But, for me, the number one thing might actually be the world, which is unusual for my character-loving self. (Though, of course, the characters are great too.) Brooks wrote the book in the 70s, so the world is basically a post-post-apocolyptic Earth where, after everything got all blown up in a nuclear war, civilization had to start fresh. Dwarves, gnomes, and trolls are all the descendents of mutated humans, which I think is just a really cool idea—and it also kind of sets it apart from a lot of other fantasy worlds, where humans are usually the youngest of the species. They find ancient artifacts like flashlights and, later in the series, explore ancient ruins that seem an awful lot like our modern day cities. It’s an interesting concept. (Maybe a little unnerving sometimes, yeah, but interesting.)

And that’s just the backstory. The Shannara versions of elves and dwarves are probably some of my favorites in all of fiction; they generally stay true to your classic Tolkien-esque interpretations of elves and dwarves, but Brooks puts his own twists on both, making them feel unique. And, while the magic system itself is far from the most complex I’ve ever read, all of the lore behind the druids makes it feel very fleshed out and believable. Basically, if you want a cool classical fantasy world to explore, this is one of the best ones out there.

Another thing that I really liked about this book was the plot itself. While, as I mentioned earlier, it isn’t the most original story in the world, it makes up for it by being very well executed. It’s one of those stories where, even though you generally know how things are probably going to end, it still manages to be exciting. I’ve found that, for me at least, stories like this usually seem to be the funnest to read; you know the good guys are going to win, and most of the characters are probably going to survive, but the details of how that happens are unclear. Which is enough to keep things exciting and interesting.

Outro

That’s all for today’s reading recommendation. I hope I’ve gotten you interested in this book and that you’ll check it out. Or, if you’ve already read it, feel free to look into some of the similar books that I’ve listed below. Happy reading!

Books Similar to The Sword of Shannara

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
• The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore
• Eragon by Christopher Paolini