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Title: THE SWORD OF SHANNARA |  |
The calm and predictable life of Flick and his half-brother Shea is about to change radically. Their life turns upside down when the stranger Allanon enters their life and tells of Shea's elfin heritage. His tales of times past sound like fairy tales until the creatures of legend start to hunt Shea.
Shea and Flick then set out on quest to find the fabled Sword of Shannara, the only hope they have of halting the rise of the creatures. Leaving their father and their life in the Vale, they need assistance if they are going to survive. Allanon has left, but told them where to meet, and the creatures make travelling a deadly prospect. Flick is not happy with their first choice of companion, the cocky and unreliable Menion Leah, but he does know the area of the Black Oaks and that may be their only hope of getting to their destination alive.
THE SWORD OF SHANNARA was first published in 1977 and has been rarely out of print since, a testament to the longevity and popularity of the work. Terry Brooks has obviously been strongly influenced by Tolkien, however nearly 30 years after The Lord of the Rings, THE SWORD OF SHANNARA was the first fantasy novel ever to hit the New York Times bestseller list.
A classic high fantasy work, THE SWORD OF SHANNARA is must reading for devotees of the genre, if only to gain an appreciation of its position in history.