The Heritage of Shannara

I lost it, had the four separate novels but I now have them in one volume. As good as it is, without the Sword, it would not exist!

The Heritage of Shannara series collected into a single volume is a great peice for a collection as well as a shelf space saver. This series outshines the Sword of Shannara series, as it tells a single epic story in four separate books, allowing for greater character and plot development. This series follows the children of Shannara (Par, Coll, Wren, and Walker Boh) in their efforts to complete tasks set before each by the shade of Allanon and their quest to defeat a new evil that has taken root in the Four Lands. Grand adventure and impossible odds face the heroes at every turn and lots of supporting characters really bring the story to life. The first three books all primarily focus on one aspect of the overall story and then are tied together for a magnificent ending int the final volume, The Talismans of Shannara (which is my favorite Brooks book I've ever read). A sweeping fantasy tale that I'd recomend to anyone.

After reading the Sword of Shannara, I had my strong doubts about Brooks' writing. Since I have a nasty habit of buying multiple books of the same author at once, I was wandering if the purchase would be worth it. Reading the Elfstones and the Wishsong soothed my doubts a bit. The books were getting constantly better and I certainly wasn't down for a big disappointment. But nothing could have prepared me for the Heritage of Shannara series. Compared to the (overall really good) books from the Sword of Shannara series, these are absolute masterworks. This time, it isn't four separate stories, but one story in four separate parts. And it is absolutely breathtaking. I must admit, the saga actually merits the adjective "epic" in all possible meanings. Brooks meticulously describes his world, giving it a feel unlike any fantasy world I have ever encountered save Middle-Earth. From the Sword of Shannara, which was an almost exact copy of Lord of the Rings, it seemed that Brooks was chasing Tolkien's ghost. Now, with this series, I might make the heretical statement that he might have caught up. I'm not saying this tetralogy compares to LoTR - Tolkien's masterpiece is uncomparable with anything else in the fantasy genre. But it is a wonderful work indeed. Brooks develops his characters extremely well. The descriptions, as usually for him, are very convincing and give us a very good feel of his world. And his ability to intertwine plotlines between the various characters, something that many authors (take Jordan, for example) had been unable to successfully do, is absolutely magnificent. He leads three main, independent plotlines, with side events all over, without ever making me feel there's any lack of coherence or casuality. What is even more important probably is that he managed to transcend the traditional genre cliche and the plot concepts are actually quite innovative. You won't be seeing the typical "hero moves against bad guy and wins against overwhelming odds" cliche very much around here, unlike in the Sword series. This time, the matters which the characters are set to handle run much deeper, the conclusions much less simple and the ways to them less clear. The development of characters is also something you'll surely enjoy here. You're still having doubts? Don't. This series is absolutely magnificent. You won't regret reading this one bit, I can't really think of a fantasy reader category that would outright dislike this book. If you're wondering what fantasy book to buy and the alternative isn't LoTR, then hesitate no more.

While most of Brooks novels up to this point have been self-stories such as the First King of Shannara, The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara, this one is a 4 book long story. For the reader out there who loves a book that you can sink into and just relax and love the world -- this is it. High quality writing through the entire story, with great plot twists and a healthy atmosphere. You barely have time to dream about one plot line when you are met with another, and as the boy in everyone used to read books without being to put them down, this happens here as well.A+++ without hesitation. My personal favorite is the wonderful detail of the city life that Terry Brooks brings to bear in Callahorn. Also the four horsemen battling with our one armed druid is awesome.

The Heritage of Shannara series is, by far, the best of Brooks' Shannara series. The Sword of Shannara is good, but you can see where the author has developed into a better writer with this set of books. The characters are much more three dimensional, the magic is new and unusual, and the plotting is exceptional. Brooks is sometimes accused of being the Stephen Spielberg/George Lucas of the fantasy world, and he's certainly no Robert Jordan or Tolkien, but the books are good on their own merits. I feel like Brooks reached the pinnacle of the Shannara series with this set. The books that follow - The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara - don't come close to being this good. This set of four books in one hardbound edition is definitely worth the price.

After reading the original 'Sword of Shannara' back in oh, I think it was '78 I have been a HUGE supporter of Terry Brooks as one of THE most talented authors working today, and easily one of the most creative. When I first spotted 'Scions' I nearly fell over with excitement. Even though I admit I had absolutely NO idea what the word 'Scions' meant, I didn't really care! It said, 'Shannara' on the front and that was all I needed. I also admit as I reached the conclusion to this first novel I had NO idea it was book 1 of a series. I recall thinking with around 100 pages left to go, how in the WORLD could he wrap all of this up so quickly? My answer came at the last page when I saw the notice that the story would continue in 'The Druid of Shannara'.This did two things simultaneously: INFURIATED ME for forcing me to wait an additional year to read what happens next & it made me thrilled to know that I wouldn't have to wait 4-5 years before another Shannra novel came out.I felt that 'Scions' was THE PERFECT way to start off this series. True to the history of the rich tales of the 4 Lands, the Shade of Allanon calls together the 'Scions' of the house of Shannara and charges each of them a task which on the surface seems not just difficult, but downright impossible. Par & his brother Coll are instructed to locate the lost Sword of Shannara. The Dark Uncle, Walker Boh is given the task of returning Paranor to the world and in so doing become a Druid himself -- which he despises, and finally Wren is charged with bringing back the Elves. Elves, WHAT elves? The entire Elven city of Arborlon disappeared -- literally -- years before and nobody has a clue as to what happened to them, and of course Allanon is vague at best in helping them to achieve these goals.'The Druid of Shannara' has been my least favorite of all the Shannara novels and to this day I can't exactly put my finger on why that is. Maybe it was the pace of the story of Walker traveling to Eldwist to discover the Black Elfstone in order to restore Paranor. I was originally excited to see what would happen to him after his ill-fated trip which cost him his arm, but for some reason, the story just didn't move for me. Maybe I need to read this one again.'The Elf Queen' is one of my favorite of ALL the Shannara stories. The voyage to the island, the travel through the jungle of demons and finally reaching the fabled destination of Arborlon was a journey well worth taking. Truly the high point of this 4 book series.'The Talismans' has probably the best opening of ANY Shannara novel to date. Absolutely stunning the way Brooks takes us to the newly restored Druid's Keep and uses the Four Horsemen to trap Walker from leaving. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start off this final novel in the Heritage series. Unfortunately I've felt that with about 60 or so pages left it seemed as though the loose ends were all tied together a bit too quickly for my personal tastes, almo