by Terry Brooks

Book One of Shannara

1. First King of Shannara
2. Sword of Shannara
3. The Elfstones of Shannara
4. The Wishsong of Shannara

I plucked the First King of Shannara off the bookshelf last night with the intention of skimming through it enough to get the base points and write a review. Sadly, once I had opened the book, I realized that I had to reread the entire thing again.

The First King of Shannara, although being a prequel, was the fourth book of the series to be published. The story follows the druid Bremen and his companions as they go on a three-fold quest to protect the land from the rebel druid Brona and his troll armies.

Bremen, along with his friend Kinslock the Borderman, and a mysterious girl from Paranor (the home of the druids) must go on a quest to find a man who can forge the blade which can destroy Brona. The blade must then be delivered to the only man who can wield it. A man whose face is not known to Bremen.

Tay Trefenwyd must go to Arborlon, City of the Elves, and persuade the king to send forces to the dwarves who are holding back the advance of the enemy. Then he is charged with gathering a delegation to search out a hidden weapon; one that Brona must not gain control of.

This weapon, the Black Elfstone, is hidden in a place where none can find it. No one save an eccentric locat who can read minds and see things the bearer has forgotten.

The quests are assigned. The dangers are eminent. The risk is suicidal.

But what of the girl Mareth? Possessing powers far beyond what even she knew, what is her hidden agenda? Who is the dark young boy that Bremen found hiding in the ashes of a town? And who will become the successor of Bremen, and the last living Druid?

Find out all this and more in the book. But once you start, you will want to read every book in the Shannara Trilogy.

Personal Rating: 9
I first discovered these books on the shelves of the public library three years ago. Since then, I gathered the series for myself, and they now sit on my bookshelf where I can easily access them. First King of Shannara, however, is one of my favorites of the series, in part because of the girl Mareth, who I can identify with, and partly because it gives the history and background to one of the best epics I have ever read.

Content Rating: T
You must have some maturity and intelligence to read these books and realize their worth. There are several adult themes, and random sparks of violence coupled with graphic details that would not be ideal for a young child. There is none of the ‘language’ of this world, however, the Shannara series, like many other fantasy worlds, has created their own list of expletives which are readily discernible to the attentive reader.