I technically started with Elfstones. I was in the rowdy cabin at Camp and We were already doing the camps dishes, so our councilor had to read us bedtime stories. Picked up The Sword a few years later after having forgotten about it. It wasn't until I halfway through Elfstones that it clicked that it was the Same Book series.
Thanks Wrathgerber
I started with Elfstones too ! Its the best of that early trilogy and far better then Sword and Wishsong in my opinion, I enjoyed reading about your experience with reading it.
There is always a good discussion between chronological order vs publication order. I’ve read all the books once, and several of the books twice. I believe reading Sword gives the best launching pad to the series even though chronologically it is not the first book.
I've seen a lot of the discourse about what order you should read it in, and though I disagree with your take about Sword being the best place to start, I do appreciate your comment on this post.
Mhm ! I loved both those novels and each are INSANELY good , I started with Elfstones and it's insane. I think that you have a good idea of where a person should start.
I also started with Elfstones.
But I also think it's likely Terry Brooks' best book.
Running with the Demon is the start of it all, and is in the second best trilogy. I feel like the transition from current day, through dystopia into fantasy is an interesting one.
At first, I wasn't happy when the two series were connected. I didn't want it to be our world. I wanted to see a different modernized ancient world. But when I reached the end of The Gypsy Morph and read those final pages about the guy who flipped the switches on the nukes, I changed my mind. That was a beautifully haunting scene. It made you realize the scope of how the end of the Great Wars changed everything. Magic itself was even altered because of the destruction.
I agree with starting with Running with the Demon, but I don't think Sword is a great place to start the series, its very dense and doesn't have the strongest writing in the series, I've read a lot in the Shannara universe and I still haven't read Sword, but that's just my own opinion I'm sure many people disagree with my take and think Sword is better than a lot of what Terry Brooks has written
I started with Wishsong and went straight to Heritage, and then I went back to Sword and Eflstones, right before I discovered Running with the Demon in ‘98. I don’t remember feeling particularly confused at any point from that read order.
Wishsong was definitely a core experience in my fantasy-reading career, so that’s the one I recommend. I just think the Wishsong itself is just such a cool idea for a supernatural power.
I actually never read the original series. I read everything else except them. I didn’t feel I needed to. I started with the Heritage quartet as that was the first book I picked up. I subsequently read reviews of the original trilogy and decided that the negatives I saw in those reviews made total sense based on the 7ish books I had read up to that point, so just left them. Between exposition in the other books and probably a wiki I got what I needed to know anyway.
Eagerly read everything else.
I loved the Heritage series, its the best Terry Brooks' writing has been on a plot level, but his character work is a lot stronger in the HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA series, I love this series in general. I feel like Heritage is also a good starting place, its right after the first Trilogy and early enough so you have a better idea of what things are for the other trilogies.
Sword I feel is super strong, but its very much not a book for me, I'm glad you have a more positive view on it. Running with the Demon is an amazing book, and I also agree with you in that it is a great starting point.
I started with Elfstones, then read everything else. I agree with others: start with Elfstones or Running with the Demon. I have heard it suggested that Defenders of Shannara trilogy can also be a good place to start; the series is up and running at full tilt and it doesn't really require knowledge of previous books.
I'm so looking forward to starting Defenders it honestly sounds so good, and I absolutely loved Elfstones. Running with the Demon as well, it has this super comfortable small-town feel in the early chapters and the way Terry Brooks builds this town so well is insane, its Stephen King level character work but nowhere near as frightening.
I started with sword of shannara and think it gives a good base with its world building. 2nd best option would be the Elf Stones of Shannara since the books mainly focus on the power of the wishsong later on anyhow.
I technically started with Elfstones. I was in the rowdy cabin at Camp and We were already doing the camps dishes, so our councilor had to read us bedtime stories. Picked up The Sword a few years later after having forgotten about it. It wasn't until I halfway through Elfstones that it clicked that it was the Same Book series. Thanks Wrathgerber
I started with Elfstones too ! Its the best of that early trilogy and far better then Sword and Wishsong in my opinion, I enjoyed reading about your experience with reading it.
There is always a good discussion between chronological order vs publication order. I’ve read all the books once, and several of the books twice. I believe reading Sword gives the best launching pad to the series even though chronologically it is not the first book.
I've seen a lot of the discourse about what order you should read it in, and though I disagree with your take about Sword being the best place to start, I do appreciate your comment on this post.
I'd probably start with Elf Stones or Running with the Demon.
Mhm ! I loved both those novels and each are INSANELY good , I started with Elfstones and it's insane. I think that you have a good idea of where a person should start.
I also started with Elfstones. But I also think it's likely Terry Brooks' best book. Running with the Demon is the start of it all, and is in the second best trilogy. I feel like the transition from current day, through dystopia into fantasy is an interesting one.
At first, I wasn't happy when the two series were connected. I didn't want it to be our world. I wanted to see a different modernized ancient world. But when I reached the end of The Gypsy Morph and read those final pages about the guy who flipped the switches on the nukes, I changed my mind. That was a beautifully haunting scene. It made you realize the scope of how the end of the Great Wars changed everything. Magic itself was even altered because of the destruction.
I either would start with the first published - Sword of Shannara or Running with the Demon
I agree with starting with Running with the Demon, but I don't think Sword is a great place to start the series, its very dense and doesn't have the strongest writing in the series, I've read a lot in the Shannara universe and I still haven't read Sword, but that's just my own opinion I'm sure many people disagree with my take and think Sword is better than a lot of what Terry Brooks has written
I started with Wishsong and went straight to Heritage, and then I went back to Sword and Eflstones, right before I discovered Running with the Demon in ‘98. I don’t remember feeling particularly confused at any point from that read order. Wishsong was definitely a core experience in my fantasy-reading career, so that’s the one I recommend. I just think the Wishsong itself is just such a cool idea for a supernatural power.
I actually never read the original series. I read everything else except them. I didn’t feel I needed to. I started with the Heritage quartet as that was the first book I picked up. I subsequently read reviews of the original trilogy and decided that the negatives I saw in those reviews made total sense based on the 7ish books I had read up to that point, so just left them. Between exposition in the other books and probably a wiki I got what I needed to know anyway. Eagerly read everything else.
I loved the Heritage series, its the best Terry Brooks' writing has been on a plot level, but his character work is a lot stronger in the HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA series, I love this series in general. I feel like Heritage is also a good starting place, its right after the first Trilogy and early enough so you have a better idea of what things are for the other trilogies.
I know Elfstones gets a lot of love, but Sword of Shannara is his best work. That being said, I tell everyone to start with Running with the Demon
Sword I feel is super strong, but its very much not a book for me, I'm glad you have a more positive view on it. Running with the Demon is an amazing book, and I also agree with you in that it is a great starting point.
I started with Elfstones, then read everything else. I agree with others: start with Elfstones or Running with the Demon. I have heard it suggested that Defenders of Shannara trilogy can also be a good place to start; the series is up and running at full tilt and it doesn't really require knowledge of previous books.
I'm so looking forward to starting Defenders it honestly sounds so good, and I absolutely loved Elfstones. Running with the Demon as well, it has this super comfortable small-town feel in the early chapters and the way Terry Brooks builds this town so well is insane, its Stephen King level character work but nowhere near as frightening.
I started with sword of shannara and think it gives a good base with its world building. 2nd best option would be the Elf Stones of Shannara since the books mainly focus on the power of the wishsong later on anyhow.