The Sword of Shannara

by Terry Brooks

Info

Date Finished: 1/26/2026

First Sentence: The sun was already sinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley, the red and grey pink of its shadows touching the corners of the land, when Flick Ohmsford started his descent.

Last Sentence: In a rush, his sons were past him through the kitchen door and halfway down the hallway to the lobby of the inn.

Companion Album:

New Cover

A book cover for "THE SWORD OF SHANNARA" by Terry Brooks against a solid white background. The title is written at the top in bold black capital letters, and the author's name is printed in a larger, matching font at the bottom. The center features three men in detailed fantasy costumes, a wizard in grey robes and a pointed hat with a long white beard on the left; a dark-haired ranger in a green cloak and brown tunic in the middle; and a blonde elf in a dark green velvet cloak holding a bow on the right.

A Few Thoughts

Alan Moore once said that you should read terrible books to understand what makes good books work. The Sword of Shannara is a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings. Temu Tolkien.

It's so egregious that it helped me understand better why Tolkien is so good. It also led me on a bit of a rabbit hole on how fantasy publishing worked back then.

But it was fun! It made me laugh out loud at points while listening. Wanna know how Not-Gandalf survived the plunge into a fiery pit after fending off the Not-Balrog? There was a ladder. He climbed back up. Will continue with this series. Can't wait.

Cover Notes

Didn't want to put too much effort into this one. Learned how to type on path to create an arc, but decided against it. Sources for images -- 'Aragorn' costume, 'Gandalf' costume, and 'Legolas' costume.