Shannara
#4193.99 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 32 books Status Complete 1977–2020 Reading commitment High Terry Brooks Last reviewed 2026-08-06
Overview
Terry Brooks' Shannara is a single continuous authored saga, published between 1977 and 2020, spanning from a contemporary prequel trilogy, Word & Void, through the post-apocalyptic Four Lands' entire multi-thousand-year history to its concluding tetralogy, The Fall of Shannara. The saga opens in publication order with The Sword of Shannara (1977), often credited with helping prove a commercial market for post-Tolkien epic fantasy, and eventually grew to thirty-two core novels across ten linked subseries, including The Heritage of Shannara and the Genesis of Shannara books that connect the contemporary-set Word & Void trilogy to the Four Lands' magical future. Publication order diverges sharply from the documented internal chronology, the saga's largest such divergence in this database to date, since Brooks frequently returned to earlier points in the Four Lands' history for new trilogies rather than continuing strictly forward. A television adaptation, The Shannara Chronicles, ran for two seasons beginning in 2016.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (32 works) counts toward ranking
Word & Void Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Running with the Demon | 1997 | 1 | core | 3.99 (29,857 ratings) |
 | A Knight of the Word | 1998 | 2 | core | 4.07 (16,301 ratings) |
 | Angel Fire East | 1999 | 3 | core | 4.12 (14,053 ratings) |
Contemporary-set (1990s Illinois) prequel trilogy; the ultimate origin of the saga's magic and antagonists. Treated as Core per Brooks' own unified reading order, despite the non-Four-Lands setting.
Genesis of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Armageddon's Children | 2006 | 4 | core | 4.12 (17,791 ratings) |
 | The Elves of Cintra | 2007 | 5 | core | 4.13 (16,147 ratings) |
 | The Gypsy Morph | 2008 | 6 | core | 4.17 (14,637 ratings) |
Bridges Word & Void into Legends of Shannara; covers the Great Wars.
Legends of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bearers of the Black Staff | 2010 | 7 | core | 4.07 (11,238 ratings) |
 | The Measure of the Magic | 2011 | 8 | core | 4.07 (9,319 ratings) |
Set 500 years after the Great Wars; bridges Genesis of Shannara into Shannara-proper.
The Original Shannara Trilogy Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Sword of Shannara | 1977 | 10 | core | 3.77 (103,219 ratings) |
 | The Elfstones of Shannara | 1982 | 11 | core | 3.99 (74,835 ratings) |
 | The Wishsong of Shannara | 1985 | 12 | core | 3.99 (56,218 ratings) |
The Sword of Shannara (1977) was the first new novel published by Del Rey Books.
The Heritage of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Scions of Shannara | 1990 | 13 | core | 4.01 (34,803 ratings) |
 | The Druid of Shannara | 1991 | 14 | core | 4.04 (34,396 ratings) |
 | The Elf Queen of Shannara | 1992 | 15 | core | 4.06 (33,242 ratings) |
 | The Talismans of Shannara | 1993 | 16 | core | 4.04 (41,347 ratings) |
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ilse Witch | 2000 | 17 | core | 3.99 (19,472 ratings) |
 | Antrax | 2001 | 18 | core | 3.98 (17,550 ratings) |
 | Morgawr | 2002 | 19 | core | 3.99 (17,146 ratings) |
High Druid of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Jarka Ruus | 2003 | 20 | core | 3.98 (15,021 ratings) |
 | Tanequil | 2004 | 21 | core | 4.00 (13,397 ratings) |
 | Straken; UK edition ISBN (published approximately one month before the US edition). | 2005 | 22 | core | 4.06 (13,002 ratings) |
Not to be confused with the differently-scoped 'Defenders of Shannara' series' The High Druid's Blade (2014).
The Dark Legacy of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Wards of Faerie | 2012 | 23 | core | 4.05 (8,760 ratings) |
 | Bloodfire Quest | 2013 | 24 | core | 4.05 (7,039 ratings) |
 | Witch Wraith | 2013 | 25 | core | 4.08 (6,549 ratings) |
Defenders of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The High Druid's Blade | 2014 | 26 | core | 3.94 (6,474 ratings) |
 | The Darkling Child | 2015 | 27 | core | 3.95 (4,815 ratings) |
 | The Sorcerer's Daughter | 2016 | 28 | core | 3.89 (3,900 ratings) |
The Fall of Shannara Terry Brooks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Black Elfstone | 2017 | 29 | core | 4.16 (5,503 ratings) |
 | The Skaar Invasion | 2018 | 30 | core | 4.16 (3,984 ratings) |
 | The Stiehl Assassin | 2019 | 31 | core | 4.13 (3,263 ratings) |
 | The Last Druid | 2020 | 32 | core | 4.23 (3,203 ratings) |
Final Shannara-proper series; chronological end of the overall saga's story arc.
First King of Shannara (1996) core · 3.99 (31,797 ratings); Standalone prequel to the Original Trilogy; depicts the Druid Order's origin and Allanon's ancestor Bremen.
Library / Expanded (2 works)
The Dark Wraith of Shannara (2008) ; Graphic novel; chronologically placed between The Wishsong of Shannara and The Scions of Shannara per the official reading order.
Small Magic: Short Fiction, 1977-2020 (2021) ; Collects Brooks' Shannara short fiction spanning the whole saga's timeline: "Imaginary Friends" (1991), "Indomitable" (2003, novella, first in the anthology Legends II, NOT Star Wars-related, corrects a common conflation with Brooks' separate Episode I novelization), "Allanon's Quest" (2012), "The Weapons Master's Choice" (2013), "The Black Irix" (2013), "Warrior" (2018), "Aftermath" (2021), "The Last Ride" (2021).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Shannara? Shannara's Core Canon is 32 books, plus 2 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Shannara? Publication order, starting with Running with the Demon. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Shannara finished? Complete (1977–2020).
- How much reading does Shannara take? High reading commitment (estimated from 32 Core Canon books).
- How is Shannara ranked? #419 in this site's official ranking, based on 688,278 reader ratings across 32 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #419?
Ranked #419 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.99 across 32 core books.
- Backed by 688k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.77 to 4.23.
- Less than 0.01 behind #418, The Last Dragonslayer (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 32 books · Complete · 688k ratings · Ranks #419 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (32 Core Canon books)
- The Sword of Shannara (1977)
- The Elfstones of Shannara (1982)
- The Wishsong of Shannara (1985)
- The Scions of Shannara (1990)
- The Druid of Shannara (1991)
- The Elf Queen of Shannara (1992)
- The Talismans of Shannara (1993)
- First King of Shannara (1996)
- Running with the Demon (1997)
- A Knight of the Word (1998)
- Angel Fire East (1999)
- Ilse Witch (2000)
- Antrax (2001)
- Morgawr (2002)
- Jarka Ruus (2003)
- Tanequil (2004)
- Straken (2005)
- Armageddon's Children (2006)
- The Elves of Cintra (2007)
- The Gypsy Morph (2008)
- Bearers of the Black Staff (2010)
- The Measure of the Magic (2011)
- Wards of Faerie (2012)
- Bloodfire Quest (2013)
- Witch Wraith (2013)
- The High Druid's Blade (2014)
- The Darkling Child (2015)
- The Sorcerer's Daughter (2016)
- The Black Elfstone (2017)
- The Skaar Invasion (2018)
- The Stiehl Assassin (2019)
- The Last Druid (2020)
Documented internal/story order
- Running with the Demon (1997)
- A Knight of the Word (1998)
- Angel Fire East (1999)
- Armageddon's Children (2006)
- The Elves of Cintra (2007)
- The Gypsy Morph (2008)
- Bearers of the Black Staff (2010)
- The Measure of the Magic (2011)
- First King of Shannara (1996)
- The Sword of Shannara (1977)
- The Elfstones of Shannara (1982)
- The Wishsong of Shannara (1985)
- The Scions of Shannara (1990)
- The Druid of Shannara (1991)
- The Elf Queen of Shannara (1992)
- The Talismans of Shannara (1993)
- Ilse Witch (2000)
- Antrax (2001)
- Morgawr (2002)
- Jarka Ruus (2003)
- Tanequil (2004)
- Straken (2005)
- Wards of Faerie (2012)
- Bloodfire Quest (2013)
- Witch Wraith (2013)
- The High Druid's Blade (2014)
- The Darkling Child (2015)
- The Sorcerer's Daughter (2016)
- The Black Elfstone (2017)
- The Skaar Invasion (2018)
- The Stiehl Assassin (2019)
- The Last Druid (2020)
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1978: finalist: The Sword of Shannara; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 5th.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1983: finalist: The Elfstones of Shannara; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 12th.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1986: finalist: The Wishsong of Shannara; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 16th.
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Suggestions computed from what Shannara and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Valdemar Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.13
- Nightrunner / The Tamír Triad Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · High commitment · 4.13
- Dragonriders of Pern Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.13
- Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn / Osten Ard Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.10
Official resources
- Terry Brooks official site: Official author site; Shannara reading-order pages.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannara
- https://www.sfadb.com/Terry_Brooks
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.99 across 688,278 ratings on 32 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Shannara Core Canon accepted 2026-08-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Terry Brooks official site Tier 1
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannara
- https://www.sfadb.com/Terry_Brooks
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: Core = the 32-novel continuous authored saga, treated as one unified narrative per Terry Brooks' own official chronological reading order: Word & Void (3) -> Genesis of Shannara (3) -> Legends of Shannara (2) -> First King of Shannara (1) -> The Original Shannara Trilogy (3) -> The Heritage of Shannara (4) -> The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara (3) -> High Druid of Shannara (3) -> The Dark Legacy of Shannara (3) -> Defenders of Shannara (3) -> The Fall of Shannara (4).