Rating: 
Summary: Just a good series period.
Review: I have to agree there are too many people trying to compare these books to LOTR, but on the other hand they ARE somewhat similiar and you can almost say this character is THIS character in LOTR.Overall I have to say I love this series. I have read them three times now over the course of 7 years. I remember how much i LOVED them and couldnt read enough the first time, now that I'm older and reading through them yet AGAIN I realize some flaws and the writing wasnt as good as I remember, but still a good story. As for a previous reader review, I think the defense of Tyrsis was there because it becomes important in later book(s) so its nice to kind of have a bit of history about Tyrsis later down the road, I found myself remember certain places and thinking oh yeah, that was in the other book, its changed a little now. I did find myself frustrated with Shea's personality. I too wish he was a little less of a pansy. My favorite characters in these books is the Druids though and the Ohmsfords with the magic of the elfstones. But I wont give the rest away...
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: This book is utterly outstanding. I thought I would never like to read works of Fantasy untill I read this book. The characters are Marvelous, the battels and fighting descriptions will really keep you reading. Also the setting of this novel after the initial fall of our humanity is very original. The only flaw is in that Brooks sometimes goes into a little too much detail in describing scenes or even characters. Overall a great book, I spent three days straight reading it untill I finally reached the end and A very exciting climax !!! Also recommended: First King of Shannara, Terry Brooks and The Price of Immortality by C.M. Whitlock......!
Rating: 
Summary: Derivative plot, flat characters, and inept writing.
Review: The plot rips off Tolkein's LOTR at almost every turn, in the blatant similarity of the main characters, the stages of the quest for the Sword, and specific encounters. Even worse, these characters are all flat, their actions easily predictable, with barely any depth or development to them. Their feelings and opinions change capriciously, as though Brooks either doesn't know his own characters deeper than cardboard cutouts, or as though he just changes them to fit whatever situation they are in. Worse still, the writing is amateurishly bad. Brooks's constant use of indirect dialog, telling the reader the gist of the conversation instead of actually showing the dialog, keeps the reader from being involved in the story and eclipses a great chance to show characterization. The repeated and varied character epithets ("the tall highlander," "the Valeman", etc.) bog down the narrative while the reader tries to figure out who Brooks is talking about. Brooks's foreshadowing screams out his upcoming plot decisions, combining with his utter lack of originality to make the plot completely transparent - anyone who has read any fantasy can easily guess what is around the next corner. Brooks also hasn't met an adverb he doesn't adore, excessively overusing adverbs and heavily dragging his narrative down. This horribly heinously ruins his dialog attributions (he screamed loudly). It's difficult to see how this book was ever considered a fantasy "classic," or ever even published at all. It's bad by 1977 standards, and just awful by modern ones. If you're looking for late 70s - early 80s fantasy that is well written and original, read some early Raymond E. Feist instead. If you want LOTR, read Tolkein again - you'll find more in it the second, third, or even fourth time through than there is in reading "The Sword of Shannara" even once.
Rating:
Summary: The Next Lord of the Rings
Review: I found the Shannara series off an "If you liked Lord of the Rings" booklist because I was eager to find a book much like my beloved Lord of the Rings. I found Terry Brooks and his Shannara series and at once went to the library to pick it up. Within four days I had read the 700 page book, and within a week I had finished the Shannara trilogy and the First King. I highly recommend these books to anyone who liked Tolkien because of their similarities to Lord of the Ring, and they almost continue the story for all like me who just though it was too short. The Shannara books are for anyone who loves fantasy, adventure, and mystery, and you haven't read fantasy until you've read Terry Brooks.
Rating:
Summary: A great Read to Awaken the Imagination
Review: I hear or read too many people make comparisons of this book to Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." While Tolkien is no doubt the grandfather of Fantasy fiction and is perhaps the greatest (at least in my opinion) fantasy writer this century, Brooks' "Sword of Shannara" carries its own weight fairly well. A comparison between the two authors or works would certainly be unwarranted and out of place. Having said that, Brooks' work is a great read. So don't let wrongful comparisons sway you from reading this work. Brooks keeps his audience's attention well. He develops well those characters who need to be focused on to make the story work, and his imagination and writing style are quite skilled. The story itself is very creative with just enough mystery, suspense, detail, and depth needed to present a nice fantasy world. In parts, Brooks is quite detailed to bring his audience into the story to a greater degree so as to emphasize a point or provide a hint or clue of what is to come. In other parts, he is not as detailed allowing the reader's imagination to take hold of the story and develop the scene to its fullest imaginable sense. Without giving too much away regarding the story line, the book centers on two characters - Shea and Allanon. Allanon, who is a powerful Druid must protect Shea, who is the last heir of Shannara and the only one who can use the infamous Sword of Shannara to destroy the evil Warlock Lord. The story describes their (with several other characters collected along the way) journey to several different destinations in an attempt to regain the stolen sword, and put an end to an evil that has festered and developed for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Enough detail is left out as the story unfold to build up to a suspenseful climax. Moreover, Brooks develops, for his reader, a nice little history behind the events which have led up to this story thus making the overall book that much more interesting. In the end, several things are revealed about both men that make the reader realize just how weak, but yet strong their ultimate quest was. The story makes for a very entertaining read and has several surprising twists at the end. This book is a great read to awaken the imagination. I first read this book back in 1982 (when I was in high school), and just recently finished it for the second time. It was a very good read both times. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: i simple story told with style
Review: Sure, the story is simple. A boy is whisked in over his head on a quest to find a sword that will vanquish an evil lord. That's the basic story right there. It's the characters that really get me to reccommend this book to all fantasy readers out there.. they just truly are what drive the story on. They are told on so many levels and have such realistic reactions that I actually found myself silently cheering them on through the whole book.
This book is truly magnificent, and is a must-read for anyone interested in fantasy literature. This book will be here for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: If you are looking at this review, you have probably already seen accusations that this book is a ripoff of The Lord of the Rings. They are completely true. Even if they were not, however, this book would still be a waste of time. Brooks' writing has been called easy to read, but I found this book arduous enough to slog through that I never actually finished it. You already know what is going to happen, and the setting and characters would not be interesting enough to hold up a 100-page novella, let alone something like this. It reads just like The Lord of the Rings, except that all the magic and originality has been removed. Seeing what happens when an untalented writer tries to write a book like this makes me appreciate all the more what a gifted man Tolkien was. If you want to read fantasy, read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If you have already read them, or were unable to finish them (I don't dispute that they aren't for everyone!) then try Ursula K. LeGuin, Fritz Leiber, Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, George R. R. Martin, China Mieville, Tad Williams, Roger Zelazny, or even Robert Jordan. Just stay far, far away from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Based on its reputation, I was excited to read The Sword of Shannara, but I was very disappointed. The characters are barely developed and come across as flat and uninteresting. Even in those rare times when they are explored, their motives and personalities are one dimensional and unchanging. The text is heavily narrative and is missing all the dialouge necessary to help the reader develop a bond with the characters. As a result, we don't really care what happens to them. Brooks spends a lot of time describing minute details of the geography, but he never tells us any of those things that make characters delightfully human...they hardly ever eat, sleep, or wash; they are wounded but we are never told how they heal, etc. There is also a marked lack of humor or lighter moments to break up the action. It's always the same, always the end of the world, always a big monster to fight, always supreme danger...there's no where to go after a while and the climax ends up being quite anticlimatic. Also, I know this book was written in the 70s, but there is only one woman in the entire 700+ pages AND, her entire purpose is to be the stereotypical "damsel in distress" for the men to rescue. Ridiculous! There are better stories out there (may I suggest The Belgariad by David Eddings).
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Book Ever
Review: From first reading this book I was struck by its similarities to Tolkien's LOTR. The Warlock Lord is very similar to Sauron and many of the locations are similar. However, do not let that fool you into thinking that this book is not worth reading. It has very likeable characters, especially the unpredictable Pannamon Creel and it is fast paced and exciting. (Unlike the Lord of the Rings where large sections of the book were slow, boring and repetetive and the characters are largely uninteresting).
The story is basically that the naive half-elf Shea Ohmsford is told by the mysterious druid Allanon that only he can wield the Sword of Shannara and destroy the evil Warlock Lord. He therefore sets out to find the sword and save the world.
An interesting point about this book is that it is set in post apolyptic Earth. All of the various races (apart from elves) are genetic mutations of humans which I thought was a highly original idea.
In short this is an amazing book, far superior to any other fantasy books that I have read. The only thing missing is acomic character but you cannot have it all.
Rating:
Summary: I'm amazed this book was published...
Review: To be fair, this book was written in 1977, and it was probably pretty neat back then, when Tolkein was still just a cult hero. Yes, this book lifts very liberally from The Lord of the Rings, almost point for point. But what amazes me is that some editor didn't go through and attempt to freshen up Brooks' stilted prose. I spent the entire novel stumbling over the way it was written, from the unnecessarily minute description of each new environment, to the flashbacks recounting the entire story on every fourth page. The narrative style is a very juvenile, inexperienced one. Certainly not something that deserves a 700 page novel. A third of it could have been culled with no effect on the story. We certainly don't need every character's thoughts on every occurance in the story, every time. Who edited this thing? The problems encountered are not complex or very interesting, and the monsters faced are not very inventive. This is good story for young readers, but anyone reading above a jr. high school level will probably be bored to tears. I know I was. Case in point: Each of the main characters is at various points described as either tiny or hulking, with evidently no rhyme or reason involved. I don't get it. Menion Leah is always described as the highlander, except for one page where he is suddenly the Southlander. Huh? Did anyone edit this thing? I normally read through a little of a book before I buy it, to make sure it can hold my attention. I bought this book based on reputation, and after reading the excerpt inside the front cover. Lo and behold, after reading the passage from which it was lifted, about a third of the way in, I discovered that the excerpt was much more interesting. I feel cheated.
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