Terry Brooks Popular Books

Terry Brooks Biography & Facts

Terence Dean Brooks (born January 8, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two film novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has sold over 25 million copies of his books in print. He is one of the most successful living fantasy writers. Early life Brooks was born in the rural Midwestern town of Sterling, Illinois, and spent a large part of his life living there. He is an alumnus of Hamilton College, earning his B.A. in English literature in 1966. He later obtained a J.D. degree from Washington and Lee University. He was a practising attorney before becoming a full-time author. Career Brooks had been a writer since high school, writing mainly in the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction. One day, in his early college life, he was given a copy of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, which inspired him to write in one genre. While Tolkien inspired the genre, Brooks stated during his TEDxRainier talk "Why I Write about Elves", as well as at the Charlotte Literary Festival that he credits the inspiration of his style of writing to William Faulkner's works. With this inspiration, he then made his debut in 1977 with The Sword of Shannara. After finishing two sequels to The Sword of Shannara, Brooks moved on to the series which would become known as the Landover novels. Brooks then wrote a four-book series titled The Heritage of Shannara. For the next fourteen years, he wrote more Landover books, then went on to write The Word and Void trilogy. Continuing the Shannara series, Brooks wrote the prequel to The Sword of Shannara, titled First King of Shannara. He then wrote two series, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara and High Druid of Shannara and finished a third, Genesis of Shannara, a trilogy bridging his Word and Void and Shannara series. The sixth book in the Landover series, A Princess of Landover, was released in August 2009. Returning to Shannara, a duology, Legends of Shannara, taking place after the events of Genesis of Shannara, was written next. The first book, entitled Bearers of the Black Staff, was released in August 2010 and the second, The Measure of the Magic, was released in August 2011. He next completed a trilogy entitled The Dark Legacy of Shannara. The three books are; Wards of Faerie (Feb 2013), Bloodfire Quest (June 2013), and Witch Wraith (Dec 2013). He followed this with the trilogy Defenders of Shannara, which include The High Druid's Blade (July 2014), The Darkling Child (June 2015), and The Sorcerer's Daughter (May 24, 2016). According to his website, he is currently working on the final and concluding tetralogy of the Shannara series known as The Fall of Shannara. The first book in the tetralogy is The Black Elfstone and was released on June 13, 2017. The second book in the series is The Skaar Invasion released on June 19, 2018. The third book in the series is The Stiehl Assassin published on May 28, 2019. The fourth and final book in the tetralogy is The Last Druid, published on October 20, 2020. A television series based on the Shannara works, entitled The Shannara Chronicles, began showing on MTV in January 2016. The show starts with the second book of the original series, Elfstones, as there are strong female roles which did not appear in the first book. The second season aired in 2017 on Spike TV. On January 16, 2018, it was announced that the series had been cancelled after two seasons. Producers later announced that the series is being shopped to other networks. Brooks has written a number of other books, based on movies, science fiction and his own life. Novels include Hook, based on the movie of the same name, first published November 24, 1991, and republished in 1998. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was published April 21, 1999, with four differing dust jacket covers. His own writing life is reflected in two stories, Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, published February 3, 2004, and Why I Write About Elves published in 2005. A science fiction book, Street Freaks, was released on October 2, 2018. Brooks has written a number of e-book short stories which are published in a book titled Small Magic with his other short stories. Personal life Brooks resides in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Judine. Novels versus short stories After writing "Indomitable", a short story constituting an epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara, Terry Brooks declared: I find it much harder to write short stories than long fiction. I feel cramped by the lack of space and the dictates of the form. There is considerable difference in long and short fiction disciplines, and I am not good with the latter. I hope not to have to do many more of them, but you never know. I must have written "Indomitable" anywhere from four to five times, each effort different. Give me a five hundred page sprawl as an assignment any day. Bibliography A bibliography of Terry Brooks's works broken into the different series and listed chronologically can be found at the article Terry Brooks bibliography. See also Shannara Magic Kingdom of Landover References External links Official website Terry Brooks at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Reddit AMA . Discover the Terry Brooks popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Terry Brooks books.

Best Seller Terry Brooks Books of 2024

  • The Elf Queen of Shannara synopsis, comments

    The Elf Queen of Shannara

    Terry Brooks

    “Find the Elves and return them to the world of Men!” the shade of the Druid Allanon had ordered Wren. It was clearly an impossible task. The Elves had been gone from the ...

  • The Iberian Flame synopsis, comments

    The Iberian Flame

    Julian Stockwin

    'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' Guardian1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember ...

  • Tangle Box synopsis, comments

    Tangle Box

    Terry Brooks

    Oh, what a tangled web . . . Everything should have been quiet and pleasant for Ben Holiday, the former Chicago lawyer who became sovereign of the Magic Kingdom of Landover. B...

  • The Gypsy Morph synopsis, comments

    The Gypsy Morph

    Terry Brooks

    BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.Terry Brooks won instant acclaim with his phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Sword ...

  • Wards of Faerie synopsis, comments

    Wards of Faerie

    Terry Brooks

    Seven years after the conclusion of the High Druid of Shannara trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks at last revisits one of the most popular eras in the legenda...

  • Die Erben von Midkemia 1 - Der Silberfalke synopsis, comments

    Die Erben von Midkemia 1 - Der Silberfalke

    Raymond Feist

    Der Klassiker der heroischen Fantasy in überarbeiteter Neuausgabe!Der junge Talon steht kurz davor, als Mann in die Gemeinschaft seines Stammes aufgenommen zu werden. Dafür muss er...

  • The Measure of the Magic synopsis, comments

    The Measure of the Magic

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   For five hundred years, the survivors of the Great Wars lived peacefully in a valley sanctuary shielded by powerful magic from the dangerous outs...

  • The Stiehl Assassin synopsis, comments

    The Stiehl Assassin

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER After The Black Elfstone and The Skaar Invasion comes the penultimate volume in the Fall of Shannara, a saga more than four decades in the making. T...

  • Sister of Starlit Seas synopsis, comments

    Sister of Starlit Seas

    Terry Brooks

    A rebellious young heroine begins a voyage of selfdiscovery in the third novel of an epic fantasy series set in the world of Viridian Deep, from the legendary author of the Shannar...

  • Sometimes the Magic Works synopsis, comments

    Sometimes the Magic Works

    Terry Brooks

    “Terry Brooks is adamant about dedicating oneself to the craft, while showing awe and humility for the creative process. . . . Every serious writer should refer to this book regula...

  • The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1 synopsis, comments

    The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1

    Terry Brooks

    Capture the fantasy, thrills, and farflung adventure of the first three novels in Terry Brooks’s enchanting Magic Kingdom of Landover seriesnow for the first time in one gripping...

  • Olympic Pride, American Prejudice synopsis, comments

    Olympic Pride, American Prejudice

    Deborah Riley Draper, Blair Underwood & Travis Thrasher

    In this “mustread for anyone concerned with race, sports, and politics in America” (William C. Rhoden, New York Times bestselling author), the inspirational and largely unknown tru...

  • To the Eastern Seas synopsis, comments

    To the Eastern Seas

    Julian Stockwin

    'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' GuardianWith Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Bri...

  • Witch Wraith synopsis, comments

    Witch Wraith

    Terry Brooks

    From bestselling author Terry Brooks comes the final thrilling novel in a brandnew trilogyThe Dark Legacy of Shannara!  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFor centuries the Four Lands e...

  • The Scions of Shannara synopsis, comments

    The Scions of Shannara

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERSince the death of the Druid Allanon, the Four Lands have changed profoundly, with magic strictly forbidden in the Southland, now under totalitarian r...

  • Child of Light synopsis, comments

    Child of Light

    Terry Brooks

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER The electrifying first novel of an allnew fantasy series from the legendary author behind the Shannara saga, about a human girl struggling to find her place in...

  • The Elves of Cintra synopsis, comments

    The Elves of Cintra

    Terry Brooks

    With his groundbreaking New York Times bestseller The Sword of Shannara and its acclaimed sequels, Terry Brooks brought a new audience to epic fantasy. Now that story of clashing ...

  • Legends II synopsis, comments

    Legends II

    Robert Silverberg, Terry Brooks, Diana Gabaldon, Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, Raymond E. Feist & Elizabeth Haydon

    Fantasy fans, rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, his acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the g...

  • The Skaar Invasion synopsis, comments

    The Skaar Invasion

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Following The Black Elfstone, The Skaar Invasion is the second book of the epic fourpart conclusion to the Shannara series from one of the acknowled...

  • Wizard at Large synopsis, comments

    Wizard at Large

    Terry Brooks

    Book Three of the Magic Kingdom of Landover SeriesIt all began when the halfable wizard Questor Thews announced that finally he could restore the Court Scribe Abernathy to human fo...

  • The Princess Casamassima synopsis, comments

    The Princess Casamassima

    Henry James & Derek Brewer

    The illegitimate and impoverished son of a dressmaker and a nobleman, Hyacinth Robinson has grown up with a strong sense of beauty that heightens his acute sympathy for the inequal...

  • Persephone synopsis, comments

    Persephone

    Julian Stockwin

    'PERSEPHONE is another shining milepost for Captain Thomas Kydd and his creator, Julian Stockwin' QuarterdeckNovember 1807. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd must sail to Lisbon to aid the ...

  • An Ember in the Ashes synopsis, comments

    An Ember in the Ashes

    Sabaa Tahir

    BOOK ONE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIESOne of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All TimeOne of Time Magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time Instant New York Time...

  • The Elfstones of Shannara synopsis, comments

    The Elfstones of Shannara

    Terry Brooks

    In the far future, unbeknown to humankind, an apocalyptic war is brewing. Fearsome, vengeful Demons rage at the boundaries of the world, held at bay by a spell called the Forbiddin...

  • Black Unicorn synopsis, comments

    Black Unicorn

    Terry Brooks

    A year had passed since Ben Holiday bought the Magic Kingdom from the wizard Meeks, who had set a series of pitfalls against him. Ben survived, by the aid of three loyal friends: Q...

  • The Druid of Shannara synopsis, comments

    The Druid of Shannara

    Terry Brooks

    BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.In the three hundred years since the death of the Druid Allanon, the evil Shadowen have ...

  • A Princess of Landover synopsis, comments

    A Princess of Landover

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Sweet, charming and skillful . . . an enjoyable journey, a helluva ride.”January magazine Ben Holiday, mere mortal turned monarch of the ...

  • A Torch Against the Night synopsis, comments

    A Torch Against the Night

    Sabaa Tahir

    THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROne of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Book two in the New York Times bestselling seriesA USA Today bestselle...

  • The Last Druid synopsis, comments

    The Last Druid

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Hope blooms anew for the Four Lands in this riveting conclusion, not only to the Fall of Shannara series but to the entire Shannara sagaa truly landmark ...

  • Bearers of the Black Staff synopsis, comments

    Bearers of the Black Staff

    Terry Brooks

    BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFive hundred years have passed since the devastating demonled war...

  • Small Magic synopsis, comments

    Small Magic

    Terry Brooks

    Escape to worlds full of adventure and magic in the firstever Terry Brooks shortstory collection, featuring both new and fanfavorite stories from all three of his major literary wo...

  • The Talismans of Shannara synopsis, comments

    The Talismans of Shannara

    Terry Brooks

    The fourth volume of The Heritage of Shannara, which continues one of the most popular fantasy series of all time.The Shadowen still swarm over the Four Lands, poisoning everything...

  • The Sword of Shannara Trilogy synopsis, comments

    The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

    Terry Brooks

    For the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks, here are the first three novels o...

  • Running with the Demon synopsis, comments

    Running with the Demon

    Terry Brooks

    In Running with the Demon, Terry Brooks does nothing less than revitalize fantasy fiction, inventing the complex and powerful new mythos of the Word and the Void, good versus evil ...

  • A Sea of Gold synopsis, comments

    A Sea of Gold

    Julian Stockwin

    'Tension surges through A Sea of Gold . . . In this rousing yarn, Stockwin again raises naval fiction to a new level' Quarterdeck'Stockwin has surpassed himself with A Sea of Gold...

  • Die Legende von Yranisar - Thronraub synopsis, comments

    Die Legende von Yranisar - Thronraub

    Hendrik M. Bekker

    Tureks Welt zerbricht: Sein Vater, der beliebte König Hokor von Hertharas, wird ermordet, sein Thron geraubt! Als Kronprinz schwebt auch Turek in Lebensgefahr und muss fliehen. Nur...

  • Bloodfire Quest synopsis, comments

    Bloodfire Quest

    Terry Brooks

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe adventure that started in Wards of Faerie takes a thrilling new turn, in the second novel of Terry Brooks’s brandnew trilogyThe Dark Legacy of Sha...

  • Daughter of Darkness synopsis, comments

    Daughter of Darkness

    Terry Brooks

    The thrilling second novel of an allnew fantasy series from the legendary author behind the Shannara saga, about a human girl adapting to her place in a magical world she’s only re...