There are few fantasy authors as well known as Terry Brooks. It’s almost impossible for a fan of fantasy books not to know Terry Brooks or his Shannara series. but that’s not to say we’ve all read them, and there are so many. where do you start? well this list of 30+ shannara books in order is here to help.
all in all, i haven’t read all of shannara’s books by terry brooks. In fact, I’ve only read four, as I recently dared to delve into the overwhelming list of backgrounds for Mr. streams.
You are reading: How many books are in the shannara chronicles
but a follower of my blog contacted me on facebook after reading my review of the last druid and asked for a reading list similar to the one I made for the 30+ books of legend of drizzt in order.
so without further ado, here are three ways to read shannara’s books in order.
shannara’s books in publication order
I always start these list posts with the most basic and most obvious reading order. the order in which shannara’s books were published.
This is the order fans read Shannara’s books and bought each book as it came out. this isn’t necessarily the best way to read them, and it’s definitely not in chronological order.
but that’s how millions of fans read it, and if it was good enough for them, it’s worth considering you.
and here it is. all 30+ books by shannara de terry brooks in publication order:
the original shannara trilogy1. Shannara’s Sword (1977) 2. the elven stones of shannara (1982)3. Shannara’s Wish Song (1985)
inheritance of the shannara series4. the scions of shannara (1990)5. the druid of shannara (1991)6. the elven queen of shannara (1992)7. the talismans of shannara (1993)
prequel to the original trilogy8. first king of shannara (1996)
word string and empty9. running with the devil (1997)10. a gentleman of the word (1998)11. angel fire east (1999)
the journey of the jerle shannara series12. ilse witch (2000)13. anthrax (2001)14. morgawr (2002)
great druid from the shannara series15. jarka ruus (2003)
original story of the trilogy16. indomitable (2003)
high druid of shannara cont.17. tanequil (2004)18. straken (2005)
genesis of the shannara series19. the sons of armageddon (2006)20. the goblins of cintra (2007)
original graphic novel trilogy21. dark specter of shannara (2008)
genesis of shannara cont.22. the gypsy morph (2008)
the legends of shannara series23. bearers of the black cane (2010)24. the measure of magic (2011)
word and invalidity cont.25. imaginary friends (2011)
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the paladins of shannara tales series26. allanon’s search (2012)
the dark legacy of the shannara series27. fairy halls (2012)28. blood fire quest (2012)
the paladins of shannara stories cont.29. The Weapons Master’s Choice (2013)30. the black irix (2013)
Shannara’s Dark Legacy continued31. witch specter (2013)
the defenders of shannara series32. the sword of the great druid (2014)33. the dark child (2015)34. the sorcerer’s daughter (2016)
the fall of the shannara series35. the black elfstone (2017)36. the skaar invasion (2018)37. the stiehl killer (2019)38. the last druid (2020)
shannara books in chronological order
The second most requested type of reading order is the chronological order. For those who want to read the entire Shannara series from the earliest date in the world, this is the reading order for you.
This reading order is also not necessarily the best choice as you may be spoiled for a later series as brooks wrote some of the earlier books in the timeline after writing many of the others.
meaning you could inadvertently share something you assume all readers know because they’ve already read your previously written books.
The chronological order is perfect for fans of the series looking for a reread.
the more than 30 books of shannara de terry brooks in chronological order:
1. imaginary friends (prequel, sold out)
2. running with the demon (series word and empty)3. a gentleman of the word4. east fire angel
5. the sons of armageddon (genesis of shannara series)6. the elves of cintra7. the gypsy morph
8. Bearers of the Black Staff (Legends of Shannara series)9. the measure of magic
10. first king of shannara (prequel)11. the search for allanon (short story)12. the sword of shannara (originalbook 1)13. the black irix (tale)14. the elfstones of shannara (originalbook 2)15. the choice of the master of arms (tale)16. Shannara’s Wishing Song (Original Book 3)17. indomitable (short story original)18. dark specter of shannara (original graphic novel)
19. the scions of shannara (inheritance of the shannara series)20. the druid of shannara21. the elven queen by shannara22. the taslismans of shannara
23. ilse witch (the journey of jerle shannara series)24. anthrax25. morgawr
26. jarka ruus (great druid of the shannara series)27. tanequil28. wounded
29. halls of fairies (the dark legacy of shannara series)30. blood fire quest31. witch ghost
32. the sword of the high druid (the defenders of the shannara series)33. the dark boy 34. the sorcerer’s daughter
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35. The Black Elfstone (The Fall of Shannara series)36. the skaar invasion37. the killer stiehl38. the last druid
books by shannara in order of preference
The third and final way to read Shannara’s books in order is to read them according to Terry Brook’s recommended reading path.
this is the best way to read shannara’s books for a newcomer. As an author, ideas for prequels and spin-offs come to us after years of working on a series.
Brooks wrote these books as they came to him, but they don’t necessarily fit neatly in publication order, and due to potential spoilers, it’s not always recommended to read them in chronological order.
so terry brooks came up with his own recommended reading path.
the 30+ books by shannara de terry brooks in order of preference:
the original shannara trilogy1. Shannara’s Sword (1977) 2. the elven stones of shannara (1982)3. Shannara’s Wish Song (1985)
original story of the trilogy4. indomitable (2003)
original graphic novel trilogy5. dark specter of shannara (2008)
inheritance of the shannara series6. Shannara’s Kindred (1990)7. the druid of shannara (1991)8. the elven queen of shannara (1992)9. the taslismans of shannara (1993)
prequel to the original trilogy10. first king of shannara (1996)
word string and empty11. imaginary friends (prequel, out of print)12. running with the devil (1997)13. a gentleman of the word (1998)14. angel fire east (1999)
the journey of the jerle shannara series15. ilse witch (2000)16. anthrax (2001)17. morgawr (2002)
great druid from the shannara series18. Jarka Ruus (2003)19. tanequil (2004)20. straken (2005)
genesis of the shannara series21. the sons of armageddon (2006)22. the goblins of cintra (2007)23. the gypsy morph (2008)
the legends of shannara series24. bearers of the black cane (2010)25. the measure of magic (2011)
the dark legacy of the shannara series26. fairy halls (2012)27. blood fire quest (2012) 28. witch specter (2013)
the paladins of shannara stories 29. the search for allanon (2012)30. The Weapons Master’s Choice (2013)31. the black irix (2013)
the defenders of shannara series32. the sword of the great druid (2014)33. the dark child (2015)34. the sorcerer’s daughter (2016)
the fall of the shannara series35. the black elfstone (2017)36. the skaar invasion (2018)37. the stiehl killer (2019)38. the last druid (2020)
Looking for more great books to read?
if you love terry brooks books, you might also like my book, soul render.
Looking for more book orders? Check out Throne of Glass In Order.
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