Shannara
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Shannara is an epic fantasy[1] series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through The Measure of the Magic which was released in August of 2011, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara. The series blends magic and primitive technology and the books are set in the Four Lands which in some books is identified as Earth long after civilization as we know it was destroyed in a chemical and nuclear holocaust called the Great Wars. By the time of the prequel First King of Shannara, the world has now reverted to a medieval state and magic has re-emerged to supplement science as humans and other races live in a place known as the Four Lands, which is a future North America. Further into the novels science starts to become more advanced.
Shannara is the name of an Elven noble family. Many of the protagonists in the series are descended from this family, beginning with Jerle Shannara.
The Shannara Family
Involved in nearly every key moment throughout the history of the Four Lands is some member of the Shannara family. Their mixed heritage of man and Elf left them both blessed and cursed, as this feature was part of the reason that they could wield magic.[citation needed]
Chronological list of novels
The Word & Void trilogy
The Word & Void trilogy consists of Running with the Demon, A Knight of the Word, and Angel Fire East and is predominantly set in present-day Illinois. It follows Nest Freemark, a girl with magical abilities who has no known relationship to any Shannara character. Before the publication of Armageddon's Children it was unclear whether this trilogy existed within the Shannara universe. It has since been revealed as the "ultimate prequel" to the Shannara novels.[2][3]
The Genesis of Shannara trilogy
The Genesis of Shannara series consists of Armageddon's Children, The Elves of Cintra and The Gypsy Morph and connects the Word/Void series with the Shannara novels.[citation needed]
Legends of Shannara duology
The Legends of Shannara series consists of Bearers of the Black Staff and The Measure of the Magic and continues to connect the Old World with the world of the Four Lands.[citation needed]
This is the prequel to the Original Shannara Trilogy.[citation needed]
Also published as The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Del Ray Books, these were the first three published Shannara novels (The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara)[4]
The Heritage of Shannara Tetralogy
The next four books consist of The Scions of Shannara, The Druid of Shannara, The Elf Queen of Shannara and The Talismans of Shannara. These books are known as The Heritage of Shannara, are set 300 years after The Original Shannara Trilogy.[citation needed]
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy consists of the books Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr.[citation needed] [5]
High Druid of Shannara trilogy
The High Druid of Shannara trilogy includes the novels Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken.[citation needed]
The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy
Terry Brooks has planned another trilogy to take place 100 to 120 years after the events in Straken. The first two of the three scheduled books, Wards of Faerie & Bloodfire Quest, were published on August 21st 2012 & March 12, 2013 respectively, with the last book, Witch Wraith scheduled for July 16, 2013.[6]
Planned film adaptation
The rights to a movie adaptation for all of the Shannara novels were sold to Warner Bros until August 2010.[7][dead link][citation needed]
References
- ^ Speakman, Shawn (2008). "Terry Brooks' official website". Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-05-02.[dead link]
- ^ Shawn Speakman. "The Great Wars". Archived from the original on 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2006-09-17.[dead link]
- ^ Shawn Speakman. "A Letter to the Fans". Retrieved 2008-08-07. [dead link]
- ^ "Novels". The Official Terry Brooks Website. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ http://www.terrybrooks.net/novels/
- ^ http://www.terrybrooks.net/novels/
- ^ The Wondrous Worlds of Terry Brooks - Shannara & Landover Movies[dead link]