The Annotated Sword of Shannara: 35th Anniversary Edition

A Sword of Shannara Novel

By: Terry Brooks

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The phenomenal epic of good and evil like it's never been experienced before

Thirty-five years ago, Terry Brooks brought to life a dazzling world in The Sword of Shannara. Nineteen more Shannara volumes would follow, making the series one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time. Now comes a fully annotated collector's edition of the novel that started it all - featuring never-before-shared insights into the classic tale and an all-new introduction by the New York Times best-selling author.

Long ago, wars ravaged the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon reveals that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of a mighty evil, flies into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save his home, Shea must flee, drawing the Skull Bearer after him in menacing pursuit.

Thus begins the enthralling Shannara epic, a spellbinding tale of adventure, magic, and myth.

©2012 Terry Brooks (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

" The Sword of Shannara is an unforgettable and wildly entertaining epic, animated by Terry Brooks's cosmically generative imagination and storytelling joy. This was one of my favorite fictional worlds growing up, and I look forward to many return trips." (Karen Russell, New York Times best-selling author of Swamplandia!)

"Terry Brooks has been my constant companion over a lifetime of exploring my beloved fantasy genre. I say with all honesty I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara. If Tolkien is the grandfather of modern fantasy, Terry Brooks is its favorite uncle." (Peter V. Brett, New York Times best-selling author of The Desert Spear)

"I can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and reread) over the years. From Shannara to Landover, his work was a huge part of my childhood." (Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times best-selling author of The Name of the Wind)

Not shabby for a first book

Would you try another book from Terry Brooks and/or Scott Brick?

I found it to be a good story, but very much a dumbed down version of Lord of the Rings. I read this book when it came out and enjoyed it a lot back then, never having been a Tolkien reader, but now that I have, its very obvious.

Would you be willing to try another book from Terry Brooks? Why or why not?

I look forward to the elfstones book.

Was The Annotated Sword of Shannara: 35th Anniversary Edition worth the listening time?

No, I wont buy another annotated book

Wonderful Book, Loved the Annotations

Fantastic tale, super creative. Fun to re-read it and remember why I enjoyed it in the 80s.

Shannara Shines

This Annotated version was a delight! Terry Brooks' debut offering is an exceptional epic fantasy overflowing with danger, inner turmoil, mystery and magic!

A

The annotations are distracting and take away from the flow of the story. The reader is excellent.

I enjoyed listening to Terry Brooks annotations -

I really enjoyed Terry Brooks injections most of the time & especially near the end. I missed it in the others. loved the book & am a huge Terry Brooks fan!! Love his writing!

Burn the annotations!

I've loved Terry Brook's books since....forever. I was hoping that this version would be as good as the written books. It's not.
Don't get me wrong, the story is still great. The Narrator does a great job of reading the book.
But the annotations KILL it. They are worse than worthless. They're stuffed into awkward places in the story, they're irrelevant to the part of the story that they're stuffed into and more often than not do nothing more than interrupt the flow of what is a great story!

If it weren't for the annotations --- I'd have given it a hardy FIVE STARS!!!

best series ever

I couldn't get enough of it. my favorite Parts was the action and romance scenes. the narration the people that read it was perfect for the part.

Great storyline. What an adventure!

I read complaints about the annotation, but I liked it. I was able to learn about the authors thought process.

Annotations don't work in an Audiobook

Any additional comments?

Both the story itself and the performance are great. But the annotations simply don't work in an audiobook format. While such features might be a footnote on a written page, such that you could read them when convenient, here they are inserted right into the text in a way that totally breaks the flow the narration. It really interferes with the listening experience.

Listening is a close second to reading!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this audio book to anyone who is looking for a good story and doesn't have the time to feel the pages and read the words. It is well read and with the short clips from The Author gives you an insiders look at the story. (If you prefer not to have the author quips order the one that is not annotated as some find them annoying)

What did you like best about this story?

I am a fan of this particular genre of story telling and I find it a wonderful read/ listen because it has such a wonderful mix of worlds and characters. It is written well so that you can picture the story in your minds eye, almost as if watching a movie. It awakens your imagination.

Which scene was your favorite?

It is difficult to pick a favorite scene because the different directions that involve multiple characters keep you so engaged that you become vested into each sub-story line.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is really hard for me to put down any well written book and I am almost as bad when it comes to listening to a good story teller. This one kept me wanting to hang on and pushing that pause button was definitely a challenge at times!

Any additional comments?

Over all, I'd have to say, if you enjoy a good story you can not go wrong with a Terry Brooks creation.