First King of Shannara

The Shannara Series, Prequel

By: Terry Brooks

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

In this prequel to The Sword of Shannara, in which many details of the Four Lands' history are revealed, Druids, horrified by the misuse of magic, have eschewed it in favor of science. But Bremen the Druid studies magic, and becomes an outcast on its account. Bremen discovers that an invincible army of trolls are fast conquering all that lay to their south. Before them come the Nazgul-like Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who have fallen prey to the dark arts. And at their head is an evil archmage and former Druid called Brona. Bremen realizes that if the peoples of the Four Lands are to evade slavery, they will have to unite. But to defeat Brona, they will need a mighty weapon: the Sword of Shannara.

©1996 Terry Brooks (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

amazing and well performed. Tl

simply a classic. I haven't read this novel for years and it was a great treat to revisit. I now have the urge to acquire and listen to the entire collection , very addictive

A satisfying prequel to the well-loved classic

Brooks crafts an immersive and interesting beginning to the best known chapters of the Shannara legend. At times it stalls under Brooks' weighty style and penchance for detail, but fans of the original stories will love the richness of the world-building and the deep dive into the forging of the Sword of Shannara. Scott Brick is his ever steady self, offering a wide range of voices and sincere emotional drive. He's a terrific companion through this familiar land, and moves the narrative along, even through its more expository passages.

Worth the read.

Story not as well developed as the original novels, but it is definitely worth the read.

Great setup for the original trilogy

This was a long time in coming, but we'll worth the wait. I am glad I now have the audio version to enjoy.

Great Story and Narrator! A Must, Well, Listen!

This is a fantastic book! The story is gripping and the narration is spot-on! After listening to this book, I am hooked on the Shannara stories! This narrator does a perfect job at portraying the personality of each character as well as the overall tone of any given situation within the story.

Another Good One

Another good book. Would like to listen to the whole series in unabridged format.

Terry Brooks, Literary Genius!

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

The first Terry Brooks novel i read was The Sword Of Shannara and i was forever attached to the four lands. Of course i immediately got my hands on all of the books i could! The First King really takes a good look at the past leading up to the series. Alot of prequels do not link themselves with the future of the series as greatly as First King. Its a wonderful read and an emotionally/intellectually stimulating book/series!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Id have to go with Bremen of course! He's the "dark avenger" style character that everyone looks up to yet hesitates to back at the same time! Always thinking of others over himself even if sometimes it doesnt seem like it.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Consistent with the characters voices, thats a big plus! Also, a good range between them, very distinctive emoting and you could almost feel that he was enjoying reading the book as much as we loved listening!

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

Of course!!

Any additional comments?

Wonderfully written book being wonderfully read! Cant ask for more!

Great prequel to the sword of Shannara.

Answers a lot of questions from the Shannara Series. Great prequel. Finally found out where Allanon came from.

Narrator by far the best.

I've listened to other narrators do some of these. Scott is the best! Great job!

I got sucked in!

I decided to listen to the prequel first and I'm impressed. very imaginative. can't wait to listen to the next one.