Genesis of Shannara (Series Summary)

A Fantasy Series Summary

Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Epic Fantasy Series, Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, 16+
Book Reviews: Armageddon's Children - The Elves of Cintra - The Gypsy Morph

80 years in the future the world is in ruin. Disease, mutants, poisons, and demons ravage what few have survived. In addition, there are worse things coming that will destroy all that remains. However, four very different heroes may be able to save the remnants of humans, elves, faerie and mutants. Hawk, a charismatic young boy, Kirisin, a Chosen of the Ellcrys, Logan Tom and Angel Perez, both Knights of the Word all have a role to play, but Findo Gask, the most powerful of the Demons of the Void, has other ideas.

Terry Brooks has created a truly frightening post apocalyptic world peopled with fascinating characters. This series creates a bridge between his The Word and the Void series and the massive world of Shannara. It answers the questions of how, from the dust of a destroyed world, a magical one is formed. The writing is at times brilliant, especially in the third book. The characters are amazing, both in their will to survive and, in the case of the demons, their desire to destroy. The details of the horrific living conditions are vivid and scary.

Now I am not a fan of Urban Fantasy and I have read only one of the Word and the Void books but I am a huge fan of Shannara so I tried this series. I was not disappointed. While I did not like the world Terry Brooks created, frankly, it scared me; I could not help but fall in love with the characters. This, of course, is the way things were intended. The Ghosts, a band of street kids fighting to survive in what remains of Seattle, had a tenacity I admired and yet an innocence that was endearing. The Knights of the Word I did not like so much. They exhibited excessive amounts of angst and self-doubt, but they had a hard life and had to deal daily with some serious issues. The elves, well, what can I say, I always love elves.

There are both young adult and adult issues explored but in a way that will appeal to both groups. There is plenty of graphic violence, but it is a violent world. There is very little romance, and language is mild. I suggest it may be more appropriate for older teens and adults based solely on the graphic nature of the death and violence but it really depends on the person.

I do not normally enjoy this type of series but I did like finding out exactly how the world of Shannara came about. For more detail about each book, I recommend reading the individual book reviews. I am also including some links for more information about this series, Terry Brooks and his other works.

Terry Brooks The World of Shannara Notes on a Lecture by Terry Brooks Suvudu: 5 questions for Terry Brooks The Apocalypse Is Coming: An Interview with Terry Brooks Del Rey Online Available in Kindle, Audio and eBook. See individual reviews for more information.