The Dark Legacy of Shannara: Wards of Faerie

Terry Brooks fans are in for a treat this year!

Wards of Faerie, Book I in The Dark Legacy of Shannara series, will be published on August, 21 2012! It is the story set 100 years after the events of the High Druid of Shannara trilogy, where the people of the Four Lands have become largely distrusting of magic after the failed Third Council of Druids. But when a Druid stumbles upon information that might lead to the re-discovery of the lost Elfstones of Faerie, Ard Rhys of Paranor Khyber Elessedil must decide to undertake the most dangerous of missions to acquire them—at all costs.

Here is the dust jacket copy:

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 legendary epic fantasy series that has spellbound readers for more than three decades.

When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled—and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart.

Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The dwindling Druid order and its teachings are threatened with extinction. A sinister politician has used treachery and murder to rise as prime minister of the mighty Federation. Meanwhile, poring through a long-forgotten diary, the young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil has stumbled upon the secret account of an Elven girl’s heartbreak and the shocking truth about the vanished Elfstones. But never has a little knowledge been so very dangerous—as Aphenglow quickly learns when she’s set upon by assassins.

Yet there can be no turning back from the road to which fate has steered her. For whoever captures the Elfstones and their untold powers will surely hold the advantage in the devastating clash to come. But Aphenglow and her allies—Druids, Elves, and humans alike—remember the monstrous history of the Demon War, and they know that the Four Lands will never survive another reign of darkness. But whether they themselves can survive the attempt to stem that tide is another question entirely.

To celebrate this year’s release of Wards of Faerie, Terry and Del Rey Books are doing something really special for one reason: Terry has gotten ahead of his publishing schedule. He has been finished with The Wards of Faerie and its sequel for almost a year, and he is finishing the last book in the set and plans to have it finished by June 2012. That means he is two full years ahead of schedule with his writing. As a way to celebrate the 35th publication anniversary of The Sword of Shannara and to give his fans a huge thank you for reading him all of those years, Terry and Del Rey Books have agreed to publish the three books in The Dark Legacy of Shannara series in six month increments beginning August 2012!

That means fans will be able to read the entirety of The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy in the span of a year—August 2012 (Wards of Faerie), March 2013 (Book II), and August 2013 (Book III) respectively!

But that’s not all. Del Rey Books has agreed to make Wards of Faerie a very special publication in its own right. Here are the highlights:

  • Interior color for the first time since publication of The Sword of Shannara, supplied by the fantastic Todd Lockwood
  • A new two-page map of the Four Lands by Russ Charpentier
  • Detailed schematics of Paranor by David Cherry

Book I in The Dark Legacy of Shannara is titled Wards of Faerie! It will be published on August 21, 2012 and be the beginning of something truly special!

And as a treat, here is Terry explaining about the new book and reading an excerpt from Wards of Faerie!

More when it happens! Stay tuned!


110 responses to “The Dark Legacy of Shannara: Wards of Faerie”

    • Never quit writing on the shannara series Mr.Brooks i grew up reading this series you are my fav author its a shame your books havnt made it to the movies

  1. “Pretty great, right?” All I can say is heck ya that is great!! And I LOVE that the upcoming book will include the artwork, I always wondered why/how that got phased out. Part of why World of Shannara was such an awesome addition to Terry’s works. Happy camper, am I!!! Thanks, Terry… and thanks Web Druid for always being so on top of things!

  2. Is it possible to suggest artists for consideration? If yes i’d like to suggest Lar: LFGcomic.com & O Abnormal: commissionedcomic.com. They have unique art styles and both do fantasy based webcomics.

  3. This is great News! And I am especially excited about the 2 page map of The Four Lands.. and Beyond.. the Beyond part is the best news..:).. is the map going to be done in Color?

  4. BAD ASS. And I’m glad we’re getting back to “present day” Four Lands, as well. Double celebration for me! 🙂

  5. Yes!!!! Artwork coming back, new book coming out, what more could you ask for!!! Cannot wait to read this!!!! So excited!!!

  6. I can’t wait, so looking forward to 2012. Thank you Terry & Del Rey.

    P.s

    Anyone got a time machine so i can jump forward a year 🙂

  7. This has got to be the best news I’ve heard in quite some time. As the King of the Silver River is my favorite character, I hope we learn a lot more about Faerie in these books, maybe some more of his story… But even if not I am thrilled anyway. I am continually impressed by Brooks’s dedication to his craft. As much writing as I do, I couldn’t imagine working at Mr. Brooks’s pace while also producing prose of his caliber. He is a gift to readers of fantasy literature.

    But still… August is so far away! It’s going to be hard to wait, knowing those books are pretty much finished!

    • Hey Anthony. Just think about it. As quickly as a year seems to pass, it will August 2012 before you know it. Just wait and see.

      • You’re totally right, and to be honest I am so busy at this point of my life that it’ll seem like no time at all. And it’s a great time for the book to come out actually, since it’s slotted to come out in a slight lull where I’ll actually be able to read it and enjoy it. Still… When it comes to Brooks I sometimes feel a mite impatient! Which admittedly unfair, given how diligently he works.

  8. I’m glad the information we get on the Shannara world is increasing!!! Detailed maps, schematics on locations, side stories on sub-characters…. all these things help build the scope of the world Terry has created. Terry’s writing is great, but the true genius lies in the realization of all the potential. Combining his two series (Knight of the Word, Shannara) into something even bigger was a great idea!!! By continuing to build upon that in different directions the story is reinforced. I’m excited to find out where this yarn will end!!…. In the past and the future of the Four Lands!! Thanks Terry!

  9. •Interior color artwork for the first time since publication of The Sword of Shannara
    •A new two-page map of the Four Lands and beyond by Russ Charpentier
    •Detailed schematics of Paranor

    Are these going to be in every copy or just special editions? I see G.R.R. Martin has something like this coming out for his Dances book but it will cost you $400 if you can get one of the limited ones.

  10. Absolutely fantastic! I have to admit since the first hint of “other elfstones” surfaced a long time ago I’ve been looking forward to these, and a faster publishing schedule is awesome!

  11. This is *fabulous*!!! First of all – a whole trilogy – released in a year! I am so excited. I’ve always wanted more information on just what happened to the other elfstones. To add the artwork and the schematic of Paranor (which I am particularly interested in) just makes it that much better. Thank you so much, Terry and Del Ray!

  12. This is INCREDIBLE NEWS! Definitely a pleasant surprise. Thank you Terry and Del Rey, this is quite a treat to the fans old and new, it will be a lot of fun to have some new visual imaginings of Terry’s great storytelling!

  13. WOW!!!
    I don’t know what I’m more happy for!!!
    There are so many reasons:

    1) the book itself, very intriguing!

    2) the one-year time span for the entire trilogy

    3) last but not least: “Interior color artwork for the first time since publication of The Sword of Shannara / A new two-page map of the Four Lands and beyond by Russ Charpentier / Detailed schematics of Paranor”… WOOOOOOOOW!!!

    Thank you very much, dear Terry! Thank you, Del-Rey!

    Lookin’ forward to read it!

  14. “Terry and Del Rey are currently in discussions about the artist”

    DAVID T. WENZEL! DAVID T. WENZEL! DAVID T. WENZEL!!!
    He would be the perfect, ideal ‘heir’ to the Hildebrandts’ artworks!

  15. I am ssoooooooooooo excited. I love the Shannara books the 4 lands, the druids, and paranor. More with Khyber Elessedil is great. I wonder if any of the Olmsfords blood line of magic will be a part of this. To read more about the faeries is fantistic. I love the mystery of the king of the Silver River he always shows up when needed. I am reading The Word and The Void books now, I am in the 2nd one. They are very good but I love the mystic feel of the time of the elfs, the druids, and magic stones, the magic swords, the Olmsfords, and the land. What I really love is how Terry weaves the history of the land and characters to connect through time. Through blood lines, like the Olmsfords the Leahs and the Elessedils and others. The maps are always great to have in the books. Looking forward to see the schematics of Paranor. Now for the artwork I always love how Terry weaves a picture of a character in my mind not the pictures in a book. The artwork is good but it is not what I see. But I know I will still love the books. Thank you Terry for bringing us more, taking us on a new adventure.

    • With you on everything you said, and agree about the artwork. NBD though, as our minds will still paint the storytelling the way we see it. Thankful for the opportunity to immerse myself in the goings-on of the Four Lands every chance Terry gives me;-)

  16. This is the greatest news ever! It is going to be AWESOME getting a book from Terry again with artwork. I had a feeling that Khyber would show up again. This is more than I expected. Come quickly August 2012!!

  17. The book itself sounds like a smashing edition. And the story, well magic always has a price. One wonders how costly recovering the lost elfstones will be.

  18. I’m hoping that we can buy frameable copies of the map of the Four Lands…I would love to have a detailed, color version of that framed in my office. I started reading Terry when i was 13, and almost 30 years later, I still get goosebumps reading the same stories over and over again. My Tolkein-obsessed friends wonder why I like Terry more than JRR and simply point to the sheer volume of work Terry has produced. There seems to be no end to the world of Shannara—just how we like it. Thanks, Terry, for the journeys and may there be more to come!

  19. wow! i can’t wait, i discovered sword of shannara in my senior year of high school, and was hooked, if i may suggest, darrel k. sweet for the artwork, many thanks for so many years of adventure

  20. Wow, I can’t believe this! I just yesterday ordered The Sword of Shannara trilogy for a reread. It’s been awhlle since I read those first three novels that started this whole great adventure, and now to find out there’s so much more to look forward to absolutely has made my day!!!

  21. This is what you get when a great author takes time out to listen to his fans – a fabulous package awaits! Well done and many thanks for thinking of us, Terry and Del Rey.

  22. Cool! I am so excited that Mr. Brooks is still writing such great stuff. I’ve been reading his books since I was 8. 30+ yers later I still get stoked for new stuff!

  23. OMG! This is absolutely amazing… August 2012 cannot get here soon enough. I know the story and artwork will be off the hook. Thanks Terry and Del Rey Books! You Rock!

  24. Oh my god. Oh my god! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOH MYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    (nerdgasm)

  25. And here I thought that with the bearer of the black staff it was at it’s end….goodies…..is it September 2012 yet?

  26. Um, ya, goosebumps here too! I had to stop it half way and play it back again when I thought I heard him mention a name I gave to my daughter – Aaliyah (spelling may be different…?)

    Awesome! Stoked! W00T!!!

  27. Thank you soooooooo much for the taste of “The Wards of Faeire”. I am now even more impatient in waiting for next August. And I am a usually a very somber person. Bring it on Terry!!!! Way to go Del Rey!!! I knew that Khyber was coming back. And I especially lover the fact that they have flying ships. Being a retired Navy man, this is one of my favorite subjects. By the way. Where did the use of flying ships first come into play and who first invented them in the world of Shannara?

    • If I’m not mistaken, Mark, I think the invention of the ships was discussed in the Ilse Witch trilogy? I’d have to go back and check to be sure. But I seem to remember it being addressed in a sort of an aside.

  28. Why not The Brothers Hildebrandt (I think that I spelled this wrong)? Are they still in the picture? I looovvvveee the artwork they did for “The Sword of Shannara.

  29. So the Shade of Allanon makes an appearance. Shouldn’t it be the Shade of Walker? or hasn’t the proper ceremony been performed on him for him to become a Shade?

    • This is for arachwalker.

      I believe it has to do with the fact that Allanon is the senior Druid since the Shade of Bremen was released from the Hadeshorn shortly after Allanon’s demise in “The Wishsong of Shannara”. Of course, I could very well be wrong. That would be my understanding.

    • That’s what I was wondering! I figured each Druid would be released once its pupil or successor dies and takes his or her place.

  30. thats great having it in a year but why not just release it now and then release the second book when its finished in october ??

  31. # Interior color artwork for the first time since publication of The Sword of Shannara
    # A new two-page map of the Four Lands and beyond by Russ Charpentier

    😀

  32. “But when a Druid stumbles upon information that might lead to the re-discovery of the lost Elfstones of Faerie”

    Hasn’t this been the story of just about every Shannara book?

      • I didnt even remember there were other colored elfstones other than the blue, the black and the loden. Where were they first referenced?

  33. The chapter was good and if that is anything to go by the book should be amazing. Allanon is my favourite druid and it is good to see his return in this book. keep it up terry.

  34. I am glad to hear that the trilogy willbe done early. That way I don’t have to wait as long to start reading them, since I wait until I can read them all without waiting.

  35. I am beyond excited to get my hands on his new novel but August 2012 seems so far away. I have been a huge Brooks fan since my friend lent me his copy of The Sword of Shannara over 20 years ago. Nothing frustrated me more when people said it was a rip-off of Lord of the Rings. Everyone gets their ideas from different sources and he has proven to me, all his fans and many of his skeptics that he is a master is his art and his novels are truly legendary.

  36. I cant wait for these books to be published ,I have been an avid reader of Terry Brooks for a few years since I first discovered The Shannara series . I hope he never tires of writing this series because I will never tire of reading them !

  37. OMG!!! I’m super excited that he’s coming up with the shannara series!!! I practically have all of his Shannara collection!!! he’s the best fantasy author EVER!!!! 🙂

  38. Even though I now own a Nook, I will absolutely buy these books in hardcover. I look forward to seeing the artwork and maps. When I saw Terry speak in Albany this summer, he addressed the ebook issue and I know that he and his team are at least thinking about how to fit the artwork into an ebook. I’ll probably buy both versions, so no worries either way!

  39. I am excited to see the larger map and the artwork that is going to be inside this trilogy.
    I also can’t wait for the 35th anniversary of Sword to be published.
    I love all of the books that he has written. Just finished reading the entire series like I do each year.

  40. Wow!! I cannot wait! and Allanon! OMG…great stuff …way to go Terry!

    PS – come visit Philly or Jersey – pleeeease. 🙂

  41. I’d like to see a map of the world with longitude and latitude lines so locations can be matched up with the old world. According to one source, don’t remember where, the only surviving landmark was the Columbia River but it wasn’t marked on the maps that are currently available.

  42. Thank you for all of the wonderful, exciting, emotive and ‘filling my heart’ characters and moments from all of your beautiful stories! The sadness, laughs and frustration I feel at the end of each novel (story) won’t be as painful with The Darkness Legacy of Shannara series (WOW! 3 books in one year!!!!! woo hoo!!!!)!!!! Thank you thank you Terry! Now you just have to come to Brisbane Australia in your spare time to meet your fans! 🙂

  43. I found Terry Brooks through a tutor I had when I was in 5th grade. I have been an avid fan ever since! I am so excited that Terry is releasing these 3 books this way!!! I can’t wait!!!

  44. I wonder what colors the stones will be? Also what can the stones do, different to what the Blue ones and the Loden and the Black do? Are they going to be stones that work in sets of three like the Blue ones?

  45. Couldn’t be happier. I first found the World of Shannara and the Four Lands when I read “TSOS” at ten years old in 1978. I have read very word, in every series Terry has written since that day and the release of this new series, in this way, gives me a childlike anticipation I haven’t experienced since Christmas in m youth! Can’t wait!

  46. OMFG It’s Allanon!!! Why don’t I have a time machine? Because I would not use it for good. Sad face.

  47. I am thrilled. I love all Terry’s books…and I particularly love how all the trilogies tie in to one another… I am eager to eventually have the “full circle”…I have ready every single one quite a few times and I am so happy not to have to wait a year !!!

  48. I can,t wait terry’s books are brilliant read most of his books, and currently reading bearer of the black staff with the follow up on kindle, mr brooks is an amazing writer.

    keep it up.

    thank you

    Alex. from Scotland

  49. I’ve read ALL of Terry’s books, and I can’t wait for his latest writings to hit the shelves. He is – by far – my favorite author!

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