First King of Shannara, Terry Brooks
First King of Shannara, Terry Brooks
17 Rating(s)
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First King of Shannara

Author: Terry Brooks

Narrator: Scott Brick

Unabridged: 19 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/10/2003


Synopsis

Horrified by the misuse of magic they had witnessed during the First War of the Races, the Druids at Paranor devoted themselves to the study of the old sciences, from the period before the collapse of civilization a thousand years before. Only the Bremen and a few trusted associates still studied the arcane arts. And for his persistence, Bremen found himself outcast, avoided by all but the few free-thinkers among the Druids.

But his removal from Paranor was not altogether a terrible thing, for Bremen learned that dark forces were on the move from the Northlands. That seemingly invincible armies of trolls were fast conquering all that lay to their south. That the scouts for the army--and its principal assassins--were Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who had fallen prey to the seductions of the magic arts. And that at the heart of the evil tide was an archmage and former Druid named Brona!

Using the special skills he had acquired through his own study of Magic, Bremen was able to penetrate the huge camp of the Troll army and learn many of its secrets. And he immediately understood that if the peoples of the Four Lands were to escape eternal subjugation they would need to unite. But, even united, they would need a weapon, something so powerful that the evil magic of Brona, the Warlock Lord, would fail before its might...

About The Author

Terry Brooks is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including the Genesis of Shannara novels Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra; The Sword of Shannara; the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr; the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken; the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life; and the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas, Star Wars(R): Episode I The Phantom Menace.(tm) His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century. The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full-time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dirk on September 01, 2010

There has been a fair amount of criticism floating around against The Sword of Shannara for drawing too many parallels with The Lord of The Rings. Much of this I felt was unfounded. I love The Lord of The Rings and I love the Shannara series. They're not the same, folks. Any resemblances end with th......more

Goodreads review by Igor on December 03, 2016

I just realized two things: 1) I have not written a book review in a while 2) I have not written a review of this fine book. And then I realized another thing: 3) I gave this book only three stars, but that's not correct, because I loved this book, and it deserves five stars. Amended. Yes, it is a ho......more

Goodreads review by hotsake on January 02, 2022

Of the 8 Shannara books I've read so far, this was my favorite. It featured the same easy reading style as well as most of the same flaws that I found in the previous books (lack of details, telling instead of showing, repetitive dialogue, and storylines) but I felt that the writing was the best of......more

Goodreads review by Alec's Always Bored on May 22, 2023

Loved this very solid chapter of the Shannara chronicles. Great characters and lots of questions answered.......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on October 17, 2007

Yet another great book in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. I would recommend reading this book after the first three books, only because it seems to fit better in this way. It is called a prequel for a reason, and I thing looking at the continuum of the story in an order the mind isn't used to w......more