The Scions of Shannara (The Heritage of Shannara) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "The old man sat alone in the shadow of the Dragon's Teeth and watched the coming darkness chase the daylight west..." (more)
Key Phrases: outlaw chief, moor cat, forest cloak, Walker Boh, Padishar Creel, Sword of Shannara (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Generations after the events in the The Wishsong of Shannara , the most recent volume in Brooks's bestselling series, grave danger once again threatens the Four Lands. The Federation has conquered Callahorn, the other free men and the Dwarves, forbidding the practice of magic. The Druids and Elves have disappeared, and Shadowenspelling OK? Yes sss , wraiths who suck out the lives and substance of other living things and take their forms, cast their dark influence everywhere. The ghost of the Druid Allanon summons three Ohmsfords, descendants of the protagonists of the earlier series, and gives each a quest to save their land. Par Ohmsford, who has inherited his family's gift of the wishsong, is told to find the long-lost Sword of Shannara. His uncle, recluse Walker Boh, is charged to find Paranor, the lost keeper?? of the Druids, and to restore the ancient order. Par's cousin, half-Rover Wren Ohmsford, is sent to bring back the Elves. In this first volume of a new series, the scions of Shannara--Par, his brother Collboth and friend Morgan Leah, the leader of the Dwarfish underground, Steff; and the leader of the human Movement, Padishar Creel--encounter danger and death in their quest for for the? the Sword. ( Mar.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

In the long-awaited continuation of the Shannara fantasy trilogy (Ballantine), Brooks takes readers 300 years beyond the death of Allanon. The Four Lands have sadly changed. The Federation rules with an iron fist, and the land is plagued by horrible creatures known as Shadowen. Par Ohmsford, descendent of the fabled Shea and possessor of the magic of the wishsong, along with two other Scions, is challenged to save the Four Lands. Brooks weaves an action-packed tale set against a richly detailed fantasy world, and readers will be quickly drawn into this survival adventure. The main characters are well developed, and the tale is sprinkled with many interest-generating elements: romance, suspense, magic, and evil vs. good. Readers unfamiliar with the first trilogy will not have any difficulty with this volume, for Brooks clearly sets the stage and gives plenty of historical background. The book ends with a cliffhanger; teens will be clamoring for the sequel. A well-written fantasy epic. --Barbara A. Lynn, National Library Consultant, Econo-Clad Books, Topeka, KS
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st THUS edition (February 13, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345370740
• ISBN-13: 978-0345370747
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,934 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #18 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Series > Shannara
  #31 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Brooks, Terry

• This is item 1 in The Heritage of Shannara Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Time Changes Things, October 26, 2003

By A Customer

When I read this set in 1994, the year after the quartet was completed, I found it, well, *very* 1990's. It struck me as being soapy and melodramatic with strains of the unecessary and unsuccessful 'darkness' obligatory to all 90's fantasy epics. I missed the high rolling adventure of Shannara as I remembered it.

Rereading the first book today I was struck by how fresh, fun and expertly handled this novel is. Tight pacing, concise descriptions, solid characters, a sense of urgency and a ton of rip-roaring swashbuckling action - it's all here. What sets Brooks apart from the loads of dreadful/dreckful S&S authors flooding the bookshelves is his style - lifted directly from the world of Cooper, Smollett, Scott, Stevenson & Dumas. These are engaging and memorable adventure yarns plain and simple, with plenty of heart and some well thought out back history to boot. There's also a serious element of US fantasy, recalling Baum, Kirby & Lucas @ their best. And one can't help but conjure images from Pyle, Wyeth and Parrish as Brooks weaves his magic.

I was happily surprised to discover how wrong I'd been. Guess I just had the zeitgeist-blues.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overshadows the original trilogy, December 26, 2002

By	"mheile1" (Wing Hove) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scions of Shannara: (#1) (The Heritage of Shannara) (Hardcover)

In this book, Terry Brooks sets the stage for a wonderful epic. I won't attempt to detail it here. Read it for yourself. I will say that several characters are introduced that play almost no part in this book. You may wonder where they are and what happened to them. This book also concludes with many loose ends still dangling. So you should approach is as merely a component of the entire epic story. Don't even bother trying to read this one apart from the others in the heritage of shanara line.

While still remaining true to the world he created, Terry Brooks has spun a tale that surpasses his first works. I guess we as readers should not be surprised that Mr. Brooks has become a better storyteller over time. I felt that this book had all the excitement and fun of the original Shanara trilogy, with none of the slow moving plodding painful ebbs in the storyline.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very amazing story!, October 10, 2000

By	"homerman215" (Stafford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

I think that "The Scions of Shannara" was one of the best books that I have read. It was very exciting, had a good plot, and always attracted me to read on. I think this was a great book to start off the Heritage of Shannara series.

"The Scions of Shannara" is about 3 Scions of Shannara: Par Ohmsford, Wren, and Walker Boh. They are the 3 main characters, but there are other important characters like Coll (Par's brother), Morgan Leah (Par and Coll's good friend), Steff and Teel (two Dwarves that help Par and his friends), Padishar Creel (the leader of the Resistance agains the Federation), Damson Rhee (a very important woman who helps the Resistance, and has a surprise at the end), Cogline (the "failed Druid" that tells all the Scions of Shannara to meet at the Hadeshorn), and Allanon (the dead Druid whose spirit came back and explained to the Scions what they must accomplish in order to rid the world of Shadowen, the evil, magic creatures). Once the Scions meet at the Hadeshorn Allanon reveals a terrible future and tells Par to recover the long-lost Sword of Shannara, Wren to discover the vanished Elves, and Walker Boh to bring back the Druids and thier ancient Paranor that has disappeared. All of these tasks are near to impossible.

I think that "The Scions of Shannara" is an excellent book, and I would recommend it to people of all ages. The Shannara series is a great series, and I'm already reading the next book in the series. I would like to congradulate Terry Brooks for an outstanding book.