

The author is constantly telling us things about characters and situations that he just as easily could have been "showing" us instead. Not only is it a wholesale derivative of the Lord of the Rings, it's not even written well. One thing it didn't lead me to do was continue the series, not sure why. " Great book, took a little bit to build up the characters but thoroughly enjoyed the read. Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.I would highly recommend this series to anyone.and this time listening to the annotated version was so cool because it gave new insight to areas I had not thought of before. I know there are prequels, but I wanted to start where I started many moons ago.

"I have been wanting to go through the Shannara series again from start to finish.

Thus begins the enthralling Shannara epic, a spellbinding tale of adventure, magic, and myth. To save his home, Shea must flee, drawing the Skull Bearer after him in menacing pursuit. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of a mighty evil, flies into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon, reveals that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake.

In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. Now comes a fully annotated collector's edition of the novel that started it all-featuring never-before-shared insights into the classic tale, an all-new introduction by the New York Times bestselling author, and replicas of the original sketches for some of the long-lost, black-and-white paintings by the Brothers Hildebrandt that decorated the original edition, and a replica of the original Hildebrandt central color plate on the back of the jacket. Nineteen more Shannara volumes would follow, making the series one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time. Thirty-five years ago, Terry Brooks brought to life a dazzling world in The Sword of Shannara.
