Terry Brooks
Encyclopedia
Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks (born January 8, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...

, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...

 during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print. He is one of the biggest-selling living fantasy writers.

Biography

Brooks was born in the rural midwestern town of Sterling, Illinois
Sterling, Illinois
Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,370 at the 2010 census, down from 15,451 at the 2000 census. Formerly nicknamed "The Hardware Capital of the World", Sterling has long been associated with manufacturing and the steel...

, 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.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...

. He was a practicing attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 before becoming a full-time author and now resides in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, with his wife, Judine. Brooks' thorough familiarity with and love for the city of Seattle are clearly expressed in "A Knight of the Word
A Knight of the Word
A Knight of the Word is the second novel in the Word & Void series by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1998 by Ballantine's Del Rey division . The setting is primarily Seattle, Washington around Halloween in 2002, five years after the events of...

" whose plot is set in that city.

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
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

 by J. R. R. Tolkien, which inspired him to write in one genre. While Tolkien inspired the genre, Brooks stated at the Charlotte Literary Festival that he credits the inspiration of his style of writing to William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...

's works. With this inspiration, he then made his debut in 1977 with his first novel The Sword of Shannara. This novel became the first fantasy book ever to appear on the New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for five months.

After finishing two sequels to The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...

, 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
Shannara
Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...

 series, Brooks wrote the prequel to The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...

, titled First King of Shannara
First King of Shannara
The First King of Shannara is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is a prequel to Brooks' The Sword of Shannara and is set during the Second War of the Races...

. He then wrote two series, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is a trilogy by Terry Brooks set 130 years after the Heritage of Shannara. Similar to its predecessor, this is one cohesive story following the happenings of Bek Rowe, Walker Boh, and Grianne Ohmsford, among other characters.-Characters:*Ahren Elessedil*Antrax*Ard...

 and High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara is a trilogy of fantasy novels in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Set 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the series chronicles the adventures of Pen Ohmsford as he seeks to rescue his aunt, the High Druid Grianne Ohmsford.-Jarka Ruus:The...

 and recently finished a third, Genesis of Shannara, a trilogy bridging his Word and Void and Shannara series. His latest project, A Princess of Landover, was released in August 2009.
Legends of Shannara
Legends of Shannara
Legends of Shannara is the title of a series of novels written by Terry Brooks. The first book, Bearers of the Black Staff, was released by Del Rey Books on August 24, 2010 in the United States. These novels bridge the Genesis of Shannara series with the Shannara series, two other series by Brooks'...

, a duology taking place after the events of Genesis of Shannara, was recently completed. The first installment, entitled Bearers of the Black Staff
Bearers of the Black Staff
Bearers of the Black Staff is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks released on August 24, 2010 as the first of a two-part series called the Legends of Shannara. In the series' timeline, it falls between the Genesis of Shannara trilogy and the First King of Shannara. It takes place 500 years after...

, was released in August 2010. The second installment, The Measure of the Magic
The Measure of the Magic
The Measure of the Magic is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks released on August 23, 2011 as the Second of the two part Legends of Shannara series...

, was released in August 2011.

Novels versus short stories

After writing "Indomitable", a short story constituting an epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks, is the third and final novel in the Original Shannara Trilogy, with the other two being The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara. The story revolves around Jair and Brin Ohmsford, the children of the main characters from...

, Terry Brooks declared:

The Original Shannara Trilogy
Original Shannara Trilogy
The Original Shannara Trilogy consists of the first three Shannara novels by Terry Brooks...

  1. The Sword of Shannara
    The Sword of Shannara
    The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...

     (1977)
  2. The Elfstones of Shannara
    The Elfstones of Shannara
    The Elfstones of Shannara is an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is the first sequel to The Sword of Shannara and the second book in The Original Shannara Trilogy...

     (1982)
  3. The Wishsong of Shannara
    The Wishsong of Shannara
    The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks, is the third and final novel in the Original Shannara Trilogy, with the other two being The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara. The story revolves around Jair and Brin Ohmsford, the children of the main characters from...

     (1985)
  4. Indomitable (2003) (epilogue to Wishsong)
  5. Dark Wraith of Shannara
    Dark Wraith of Shannara
    The Dark Wraith of Shannara is a graphic novel produced by Terry Brooks in his Shannara series. The story is set several years after the events of The Wishsong of Shannara and Indomitable.-Background:The novel was released on March 25, 2008...

     (2008) (Graphic Novel, epilogue to Wishsong)

The Heritage of Shannara
Heritage of Shannara
The Heritage of Shannara is a series of four fantasy novels by Terry Brooks, set hundreds of years after the original Shannara trilogy. Unlike the original trilogy, however, this series is all one, cohesive story, in contrast to the three isolated stories of the originals...

 tetralogy

  1. The Scions of Shannara
    The Scions of Shannara
    The Scions of Shannara is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is the first book in the Heritage of Shannara series, which takes place three hundred years after the end of the previous Shannara trilogy. The first version was published in 1990...

     (1990)
  2. The Druid of Shannara
    The Druid of Shannara
    The Druid of Shannara is the second book of the tetralogy The Heritage of Shannara written by Terry Brooks. It was first published in 1991.-Plot summary:...

     (1991)
  3. The Elf Queen of Shannara
    The Elf Queen of Shannara
    The Elf Queen of Shannara is the third book of the tetralogy The Heritage of Shannara written by Terry Brooks. It was first published in 1992.- Plot summary :...

     (1992)
  4. The Talismans of Shannara
    The Talismans of Shannara
    The Talismans of Shannara is the fourth book of the tetralogy The Heritage of Shannara written by Terry Brooks.- Plot summary :The Elves and Paranor are both now back in the Four Lands, and the former Walker Boh has inherited Allanon's powers. Moreover, the Sword of Shannara has been found...

     (1993)

Word & Void series

The Word & Void series precedes the action in Genesis of Shannara trilogy and serves as the very start of the Shannara saga.
  1. Running with the Demon
    Running with the Demon
    Running with the Demon is the first book in the Word & Void fantasy series, written by Terry Brooks as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1997 by Ballantine's Del Rey division. The story takes place in a fictional town named Hopewell, Illinois, but is actually based on...

     (1997)
  2. A Knight of the Word
    A Knight of the Word
    A Knight of the Word is the second novel in the Word & Void series by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1998 by Ballantine's Del Rey division . The setting is primarily Seattle, Washington around Halloween in 2002, five years after the events of...

     (1998)
  3. Angel Fire East
    Angel Fire East
    Angel Fire East is the third and final novel in the Word & Void series by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1999 by Ballantine's Del Rey division. The novel takes place around Christmas in 2012, ten years after the events of A Knight of the Word...

     (1999)

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara is a trilogy by Terry Brooks set 130 years after the Heritage of Shannara. Similar to its predecessor, this is one cohesive story following the happenings of Bek Rowe, Walker Boh, and Grianne Ohmsford, among other characters.-Characters:*Ahren Elessedil*Antrax*Ard...

 trilogy

  1. Ilse Witch
    Ilse Witch
    Ilse Witch is the first book in Terry Brooks' The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara fantasy trilogy. It was first published in 2000.-Plot summary:...

     (2000)
  2. Antrax
    Antrax
    Antrax is the second book in Terry Brooks' The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara fantasy trilogy. It was first published in 2001.-Plot:The voyage to find the lost magic takes the companions to the continent of Parkasia...

     (2001)
  3. Morgawr
    Morgawr
    * For the fictional character see Morgawr * For the Cornish sea monster, see Morgawr Morgawr is the third book in the The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara fantasy trilogy by Terry Brooks. It was first published in 2002....

     (2002)

High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara is a trilogy of fantasy novels in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Set 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the series chronicles the adventures of Pen Ohmsford as he seeks to rescue his aunt, the High Druid Grianne Ohmsford.-Jarka Ruus:The...

 trilogy

  1. Jarka Ruus
    Jarka Ruus
    Jarka Ruus is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is the first book in the High Druid of Shannara trilogy in Brooks' Shannara series, and takes place 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara...

     (2003)
  2. Tanequil
    Tanequil
    Tanequil is a fantasy novel in the High Druid of Shannara trilogy of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. First published in 2004, the book takes place immediately after the events of Jarka Ruus and is followed by the novel Straken....

     (2004)
  3. Straken
    Straken
    Straken is the third book in the High Druid of Shannara trilogy of Terry Brooks' Shannara series. First published in 2005, it takes place immediately after the events of Tanequil...

     (2005)

Genesis of Shannara trilogy

  1. Armageddon's Children
    Armageddon's Children
    Armageddon's Children is the first novel in Terry Brooks' fantasy trilogy The Genesis of Shannara, which bridges the events of Brooks' Word/Void trilogy with his Shannara series...

     (August, 2006)
  2. The Elves of Cintra
    The Elves of Cintra
    The Elves of Cintra is the second novel in Terry Brooks's epic fantasy trilogy The Genesis of Shannara. The series bridges the events of Brooks' Word & Void series with his acclaimed novel The Sword of Shannara and the subsequent trilogy. It takes place in an apocalyptic world around the year 2100...

     (August 28, 2007)
  3. The Gypsy Morph
    The Gypsy Morph
    The Gypsy Morph is the third novel in Terry Brooks' fantasy trilogy entitled The Genesis of Shannara, which bridges the events of Brooks' Word & Void series with his Shannara series. It takes place in an apocalyptic world around the year 2100 and immediately follows the novel The Elves of Cintra...

     (August 26, 2008)

Legends of Shannara
Legends of Shannara
Legends of Shannara is the title of a series of novels written by Terry Brooks. The first book, Bearers of the Black Staff, was released by Del Rey Books on August 24, 2010 in the United States. These novels bridge the Genesis of Shannara series with the Shannara series, two other series by Brooks'...

 duology

  1. Bearers of the Black Staff
    Bearers of the Black Staff
    Bearers of the Black Staff is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks released on August 24, 2010 as the first of a two-part series called the Legends of Shannara. In the series' timeline, it falls between the Genesis of Shannara trilogy and the First King of Shannara. It takes place 500 years after...

     (August 2010)
  2. The Measure of the Magic
    The Measure of the Magic
    The Measure of the Magic is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks released on August 23, 2011 as the Second of the two part Legends of Shannara series...

     (August 2011)

Legacy of Shannara
Legacy of Shannara
Legacy of Shannara is the title of a series of novels written by Terry Brooks. The first book, The Wards of Faerie, will released by Del Rey Books in August 2012...

 trilogy

These books will take place 100 years after the events in the High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara is a trilogy of fantasy novels in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Set 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the series chronicles the adventures of Pen Ohmsford as he seeks to rescue his aunt, the High Druid Grianne Ohmsford.-Jarka Ruus:The...

 trilogy.
  1. The Wards of Faerie
    The Wards of Faerie
    The Wards of Faerie is a fantasy novel by Terry Brooks set to be released in August 2012 as the first part of the Legacy of Shannara trilogy. Set a century after Straken, it chronicles the attempts of Ard Rhys of Paranor Khyber Elessedil as he tries to recover the lost Elfstones.-Website...

     (August 2012)
  2. Book 2 (March 2013)
  3. Book 3 (August 2013)

Shannara related works

  • Shannara computer game (1995) by Lori Ann Cole
    Lori Ann Cole
    Lori Ann Cole is a game designer, often in cooperation with her husband, professional game programmer Corey Cole. Their team was later named Transolar Games. Lori also maintains a photography and Web design studio known as FAR Studio....

     and Corey Cole
  • The World of Shannara
    The World of Shannara
    The World of Shannara written by Terry Brooks and Teresa Patterson is the companion book to the bestselling Shannara books by Terry Brooks. The first version contained information about subjects in the books up until at least The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara...

     (2001) (companion book) with Teresa Patterson
  • The World of Shannara (2nd edition) (Fall 2009) (companion book) with Teresa Patterson
  • Indomitable (2003) (short story published in anthology Legends II)
  • Dark Wraith of Shannara
    Dark Wraith of Shannara
    The Dark Wraith of Shannara is a graphic novel produced by Terry Brooks in his Shannara series. The story is set several years after the events of The Wishsong of Shannara and Indomitable.-Background:The novel was released on March 25, 2008...

     (2008) (graphic novel)

Magic Kingdom of Landover series

Note: This is not part of the Shannara series.
  1. Magic Kingdom For Sale -- SOLD!
    Magic Kingdom For Sale -- SOLD!
    Magic Kingdom for Sale — SOLD! is the first of Terry Brooks's Magic Kingdom of Landover novels. Written in 1986, it tells the story of how Ben Holiday, a talented but depressed Chicago trial lawyer, comes to be king of Landover, an otherworldly magical kingdom...

     (1986)
  2. The Black Unicorn
    The Black Unicorn
    The Black Unicorn is the second novel in the Magic Kingdom of Landover series by Terry Brooks, and the follow-up to Magic Kingdom for Sale -- SOLD!...

     (1987)
  3. Wizard at Large
    Wizard at Large
    Wizard At Large by Terry Brooks is the third novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series, following The Black Unicorn. Written in 1988, the plot has Abernathy accidentally transported to Earth by one of Questor's ill-conceived spells, while a demonic imp is unleashed upon the kingdom of Landover...

     (1988)
  4. The Tangle Box
    The Tangle Box
    The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks is the fourth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. This book was first published on April 12, 1994. The plot has an inept old wizard, Horris Kew, accidentally releasing an evil creature called the Gorse. The creature soon imprisons Ben, the dragon Strabo,...

     (1994)
  5. Witches' Brew
    Witches' Brew (novel)
    Witches' Brew by Terry Brooks is the fifth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. The plot has an usurper who claims to be from another world calling for Ben's abdication from the throne. Upon Ben's refusal, he soon begins to send several evil, magic creatures against him...

     (1995)
  6. A Princess of Landover
    A Princess of Landover
    A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks is the sixth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series.-Publication:*A Princess of Landover was published in hardcover in the United States on August 18, 2009...

     (August 18, 2009)

Novelizations

  • Hook
    Hook (film)
    Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...

     (1991)
  • Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
    Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (novel)
    The Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization was written by Terry Brooks and published on 21 April 1999 by Del Rey. It is based on the script of the film of the same name and released with multiple covers, including Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Queen Amidala.-...

     (1999)

Other

  • The Guide to Shannara (1986),
  • Imaginary Friends (1991) (short story published in anthology Once Upon a Time: A Treasury of Modern Fairy Tales)
  • Indomitable (2003) (short story published in anthology Legends II)
  • Why I Write About Elves (2005) (short story published as an Amazon short)
  • The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic (Writer's Digest
    Writer's Digest
    Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....

     Books, 2000), with Michael J. Varhola
    Michael J. Varhola
    Michael J. Varhola is an author, publisher, and lecturer. He has written numerous books, games, and articles, and founded game development company and manufacturer Skirmisher Publishing LLC...

  • Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life (2003)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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