The Warlock Lord

The Sword of Shannara - Split Edition #1

by Terry Brooks

Living in the remote hamlet of Shady Vale, the young half-elf Shea Ohmsford knows little of the outside world. And yet, in the desolate, ruined lands of the far north, a dark-hearted sorcerer is plotting his death.

The ancient warlock has dispatched a band of deadly Skull Bearers to track Shea down and murder him. For Shea is the last descendant of an ancient Elvin king, and the only person living who can wield the fabled Sword of Shannara - a weapon with the power to thwart the Warlock Lord's terrifying plans.

Only the druid Allanon knows where the sword is hidden and even now he rides to Shady Vale to offer his aid. But the Skull Bearers are swift and ruthless, and Shea Ohmsford's destiny may be over before it has begun!

And so begins the incredible legend of The Sword of Shannara - a classic story of magic, adventure and epic conflict, from one of the world's greatest living storytellers.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Epic, Magic, Science Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.

Reviews

[Jana Miller]

I got about half way through and lost interest. Too much hyperbole, too much deus ex machina, not enough character development, too much journeying for my taste. I guess I'm just not an "epic" fantasy kind of person.

[Neko Tal · Rating 1 out of 5]

A friend told me this was her favourite book and loaned me a copy.
I was excited. Then I was disappointed.
It's a cheap copy of lord of the rings.
An innocent peasant leaves their happy village, there's a ranger and a druid, they have to take a sword to a mountain, they get chased by evil cloaked wraiths, there's a disembodied evil entity that wants to stop them.
Hell, there's even a giant spider. The only difference is this appears to be post apocalyptic earth.
So I guess that means LotR exists in that reality and maybe the villain read the books, liked the idea and ran with it?

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of the driest and most unfeeling writing I've read. It took me months to choke this down, and only then I did it simply because I'd bought it. Will never buy another of the Shannara series.

The TV series is pretty B standard and not very good, yet I can say with confidence that it's better than the reading material. If only barely.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bkn fantastik gibi fantastik!

Seriyi keşfetmem tamamen dizisiyle olmuştu. Birkaç bölüme baktıktan sonra internette gezerken uyarlama olduğunu öğrendim ancak baktığım yerlerde kitabı bulamadım. Geçen de tbr listemde görünce bir de üni’nin kütüphanesine bakayım dedim ve mesut oldum!

[Paddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too much like the fellowship of the ring... Which is obviously a great book, but not when a mediocre similar title like this takes too much from it.

[Ali SAYGIVAR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yüzüklerin Efendisi tarzı. Serinin ilk kitabı çok ince. Okuyunca hemen 2. ve 3. kitabını alıyorsunuz. Onlar da ince bir çırpıda bitiyor. Serinin devami kalin ciltler halinde ama çok hızlı okunuyor ve sizi farklı bir dünyanın içerisine taşıyor. Kolay okunur, heyecanlı, elden birakmasi zor.

[Joshua Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might deserve a better rating than 3 stars. I didn't actually finish it, because I was too distracted by how similar it is to Lord of the Rings.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having given a middling-review to a later book from Terry Brooks’s “Shannara” series, I thought I’d try one of the earlier ones, thinking perhaps I’d like the series better if I had more of the back story. Instead, I lost interest entirely. This book is terrible. I was fully one-fifth of the way in when I realized that absolutely nothing had happened. Well, OK, it rained a lot and someone was scared by a shadow, but apart from that, nothing. Nothing but endless exposition, most of which just seems to be re-capping information from earlier novels that has no bearing on the thin plot of this one. The story structure borrows heavily from Tolkien, but story structure wasn’t Tolkien’s strong point, and Brooks doesn’t have the capacity for lyrical description that Tolkien had, so there’s nothing left. At just shy of 40% of the book, I gave up completely.

[Steen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I am not sure what to think about the story. There were a few things that I hated about the book, mainly, it was pretty wordy and the big blocks of text on each page. Although it did semi pick up around page 150ish for me. I really don't care about any of the characters so far and I don't know if it's just me but I can't stand the main characters name! It bugs me for some reason. I'm going to try and read part two and see how it goes. I'm just not sure this is the fantasy book for me :/ Hopefully the next part gets better?

[Jay Yourstruely · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line and book summary had me intrigued but (not to parrot other reviewers) it was extremely similar to Lord of the rings. However, that is not what earned it the two stars. I'm at page 150 and there is almost no character development. I could not get into any of the characters which made the story hard to follow and the book hard to read. This author needs to take a more "show don't tell" approach. I ended up giving up on this book because I could not get into it.

[Johnny Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, but not the writing so much. However I am willing to give the next installment a chance. Hopefully we will see some improvement in the writing and hopefully the story continues along as well as it has so far.

[Jen Jenson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it. I know that it's very popular and everyone loves it. I couldn't continue with the self-inflicted torture. I read over half, hoping that it would improve. It didn't.

Full review still needs to be written.

Finished 18 September 2013

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was tough for me. It came highly recommended by a friend, but I just didn't like it. By the time I got to the end I had no memory of anything I had just read. Not something I'll come back to.

[Quill · Rating 3 out of 5]

there are only dudes in this book.

[Aygul Tunç · Rating 3 out of 5]

Önce dizisini izledim ve beğendim. Kitabı da okumaya karar verdim. Kitap çok kalın olmasına rağmen çabuk ilerlemiyor. Ama hikaye sizi Yüzüklerin Dünyasına götürüyor ama sanki gelecekte bir yere. Tasvirler güzel. Çoğu karakterler Tolkien'in yarattığı karakterleriyle eşleşmiş ama yine de hikayenin kurgusunu beğendim. Fantastik sevenlere tavsiye ederim.



Sauron – Brona

Gandalf – Allanon (gizemli büyücü)

Frodo – Shea (yetim kahraman)

Sam – Flick (kuşkucu arkadaş)

Merry+Pippin – Menion (Dışardan katılan arkadaş/lar)

Aragorn – Menion

Boromir – Balinor (gezgin prens)

Gimli – Hendel

Legolas – Durin ve Dayel

Gollum – Orl Fane

Tom Bombadil – Gümüş Nehrin Kralı (çok yaşlı, başlangıcı belli olmayan gizemli güçlere sahip ve kahramanlara yardım eden kişi)

Yüzük Tayfları – Kafatası Taşıyıcıları (Kötü kahramanın baş yardımcıları)

Rivendell – Culhaven (kahramanların peşlerindeki düşmanlardan kurtulmak için aceleyle kaçtıkları güvenli mekan)

Lothlorien – Storlock

Shire – Gölgeli Vadi (sessiz, güvenli köy)

Rivendell Konseyi – Konsey (Bir sürü ırkla bir plân yapılıyor)

Yaşlı Orman – Kara Meşeler (Yolculuk başında geçilen tehlikeli orman)


Grima Solucandil – Stenmin (Kralı yoldan çıkarıcı, pis danışman)



Sevgilerle,@kitapdiari

[Senem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tolkien'in yüzüklerin efendisi ilk olarak 1955 de yayınlanmış bu kitabın ilk basım yılı 1977. Akıcı gitse de bir süre sonra bu kadar kopya yetmedi mi acaba diye düşündüm. Fantastik sevmeme rağmen ne olacağı nereye gideceği o kadar belli ve o kadar Tolkien kopyası ki bir süre sonra ilgimi tamamen kaybettim.
Evlerinde sessiz sakin yaşayan vadililer köye bir gün öylece çıkıp geliveren iri yarı çok güçlü tarihçi... Gariban vadilileri peşleyen yaratığımsı siyah korkunç düşman güçleri. Minik minik alternatifler yaratılmaya çalışılmış. Ana karakter bu sefer elf kırması peşine takılip onunla yolculuk eden diğer güçsüz varlık üvey kardeşi. Yüzük yok kılıç var. Yüzüklerin efendisini çok severek okumuş biri olarak anısına saygı duyup bu seriyi tamamlamayı asla düşünmüyorum.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Stephanie Ridiculous · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun & thrilling alternative to Tolkien. Well paced, and enjoyable, even when a bit predictable.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es hat Parallelen zu tLotR. Und ist sehr langatmig. Der erste Teil (mit 189 Seiten) hätte schon um einiges kürzer sein können.

[betty russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his books. Besides Tolkien Brooks is the best.

[Brittany (Hundman) Ricketts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful story telling but the audiobook made it feel a little plodding.

[S.C. Monson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic tale, great characters, unique premise/twist, and high stakes. Reminds me of The Lord of the Rings.

[Mathew Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy book to delve into. The characters are believable, the world-building delightful, and the plot engaging.

[Daniel Haines · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most aggregous rip off of Lord of the Rings I’ve ever attempted to read.

[Eduk · Rating 3 out of 5]

O kadar Lotr idi ki, hoşlanamadım, üzgünüm.

[Dilosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Shannara Chronicles' dizisini izleyip fark ettiğim bir seri. Kitabın konusu, diziden daha önceye Wil Ohmsford'un babasının Shea Ohmsford'un maceralarına ışık tutuyor. Serinin çok karışık olmayan, daha basit ve hızlı ilerleyen bir kurgusu var. Böylelikle karakterleri veya konuyu çözmek için çok zaman harcamanıza gerek kalmıyor ve konuya adeta ilk sayfadan girebiliyorsunuz. Çok mu heyecanlı? Ehh pek değil. Çünkü serinin bu kısmı 3 kitaba ayrılmış ve doğal olarak 1.kitabı giriş niyetinde bizlere sunulmuş. Ama okunası bir seri. Maalesef ki baskılarına ulaşmada biraz sıkıntı var, tek olumsuz yanı bu kanımca. Seriyi okumak isteyenler, e-kitap sitelerinden ulaşabilir...
İyi okumalar...

[Pranav G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book Sword of Shannara part 1 Shadow of the Warlock Lord by Terry Brooks. The Sword of Shannara is fantasy because there is magic, mystical creatures, and the story takes place in a different world. The main character Shea and his half- brother Flick encounter a Druid named Allanon. He explains to them that Shea is a descendent of an ancient Elven king and is the only remaining heir to the Sword of Shannara. The Sword of Shannara is the only thing that can defeat the powerful Warlock lord. The trio march to a dwarf kingdom where they meet talented dwarfs that agree to journey with them to get the Sword of Shannara. The internal conflict in this story is character versus self. Shea struggles throughout the story to find it within himself to be a descendent of an Elven king. He also struggles knowing he is the only one who can stop the Warlock lord and if he fails, everyone and everything will die. One external conflicts in this story is man versus supernatural. Shea must defeat the Warlock Lord who has magical abilities. This book entertained me because it was full of adventure and fantasy. I did not like it because it was part of a book that got broken into three parts and it kind of left on a cliffhanger and did not tell me much about what might happen next. I think that any teenager would like this book. Readers would also like this book if they like fantasy. I think it would be appropriate for teenager because it may at a higher reading for little kids and older adults may find to boring.

[Freyja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Solid Start to an Epic Fantasy Series

In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord is a compelling start to The Sword of Shannara series, blending classic fantasy elements with an engaging, action-filled plot. Terry Brooks creates a rich world filled with magic, myth, and memorable characters that draw you in from the very beginning.

The pacing is strong, with plenty of action and tension to keep you engaged. The journey the characters embark on is filled with obstacles, making their growth and development a rewarding experience. While some aspects of the story feel familiar—such as the chosen hero on a quest to save the world—the execution is well done, and the stakes are high enough to keep you invested.

The world-building is immersive, and Brooks does a great job of making you feel like you’re part of this fantastical world. The characters, while occasionally relying on familiar tropes, have enough depth to make them interesting. The moral dilemmas they face and the challenges they overcome add layers to the story.

While it may not break any new ground in the fantasy genre, In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord sets the stage for an epic journey and leaves you eager to continue the series. Fans of classic fantasy will find plenty to enjoy in this well-executed tale.

[Josh Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just the beginning of what is the best series of books with the different races of characters from montain trolls to humans. I can truely compare my life style or what I would like my life style to be. Going on long journies throught mountain areas and grass plans. In the book it brings people that dont really like eachother to frinds that are as close as brothers. Well I think that if you are ready to move on with the every day books of kids having personal problem and girls that hate the world to books where no one but a small hand full people know of and do something about what could be the end of all life then I will suggest that you try one or all of the Shannara books. You wont regrate it.

[Clare S-B · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall I enjoyed this book and want to continue with the series, but I felt as if a lot of it had been stolen from Lord of The Rings. There is a fellowship (though not called such) with people way to similar in character to the fellowship in Lord of the Rings. The greatest difference being that they are on a quest to find a sword instead of loose a ring.

I also fell asleep (almost) while reading the beginning and I felt like the characters were being told stuff for the readers benefit and not their own, which is never good. It is a nice easy read though, which can be refreshing, but the writing is definitely not the best. SO if you have time on your hands read it but if not then you could skip this one.