The Sword of Shannara
- 726
- Pages
- about 13 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Sword of Shannara” is a quest fantasy built so closely on “The Lord of the Rings” that most readers remark on it before anything else. Many find long stretches laborious, and some report that the second half moves more freely and onto ground of its own. At over seven hundred pages, it will best please anyone who wants a traditional adventure and does not mind a familiar route.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks. It is the first book in a titular trilogy.
Reading order · Shannara
Full order & progress →- The Sword of ShannaraThis book
7.17.1 / 10 - The Elfstones of Shannara
7.77.7 / 10 - The Wishsong of Shannara
7.77.7 / 10 - The Scions of Shannara
7.97.9 / 10 - The Druid of Shannara
7.97.9 / 10 - The Elf Queen of Shannara
7.87.8 / 10 - The Talismans of Shannara
7.87.8 / 10 - Running with the Demon
7.87.8 / 10 - A Knight of the Word
7.97.9 / 10 - Angel Fire East
7.97.9 / 10 - Ilse Witch
7.87.8 / 10 - Antrax
7.97.9 / 10 - Morgawr
7.87.8 / 10 - Jarka Ruus
7.97.9 / 10 - Indomitable
–Not ranked yet - Tanequil
–Not ranked yet - Straken
–Not ranked yet - Armageddon's Children
7.97.9 / 10 - The Elves of Cintra
7.97.9 / 10 - The Gypsy Morph
7.97.9 / 10 - Bearers of the Black Staff
–Not ranked yet - The Measure of the Magic
–Not ranked yet - Wards of Faerie
–Not ranked yet - Bloodfire Quest
–Not ranked yet - Witch Wraith
–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 6.8 across 408 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 74% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Fantasy average of 8.0. That is how 7.1 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.1 | 20 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 6.8 | 388 | 95% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Sword of Shannara?
It has 726 pages — longer than 75% of the ranked books in Fantasy.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Fantasy — with scores between 7.1 and 7.2, closest to this book.
