2012 marks the 35th anniversary of The Sword of Shannara, the book that changed Terry’s life forever and proved to the publishing industry that epic fantasy had a place outside of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Thirty-five years is a long time to be writing, but Terry has made the most of it. He has written almost three dozen novels and short stories, and his work has been read by millions of people over the world. That said, it never hurts to return to his wondrous worlds or help others discover the magic that Terry offers!
To celebrate the anniversary, Del Rey Books has gathered together four of Terry’s novels—The Sword of Shannara, Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold!, Running with the Demon, and Armageddon’s Children—and placed them all in a singular ebook. It is called a Starter Pack and it is just that—a means to either reread some of Terry’s best books or help others begin their Terry Brooks journey!
Here is a bit more about the Starter Pack:
A must for fans of epic fantasy fiction—this exclusive eBook package includes the inaugural novels of four monumental series by bestselling author Terry Brooks!
THE SWORD OF SHANNARA
The original breakout bestseller that began the classic Shannara series! Long ago, wars of the ancient evil ruined the world. Now the dreaded Warlock Lord is returning to destroy all he sees. And half-elfin Shea Ohmsford, the last of his bloodline, must stand against the power of darkness—with the only weapon that can stop it.MAGIC KINGDOM FOR SALE—SOLD!
Mere mortal Ben Holiday gets far more than expected when he buys a genuine kingdom and topples into an enchanted world of wizards, demons, dragons, and palace intrigue. Now he must prove his mettle against mishaps and monsters alike in order to claim his place as king. The first novel in the beloved, bestselling Kingdom of Landover series.RUNNING WITH THE DEMON
In book one of the Word and the Void series, a teenage girl with untold powers and a wandering man with an uncanny destiny must join together to save an American town—and all the world—from a force of evil bent upon a reign of damnation.ARMAGEDDON’S CHILDREN
The stunning Genesis of Shannara series debuts with this novel set in the ruins of the once modern world, laid to waste by a demon apocalypse. Battling to survive against a host of horrors, humanity’s remnants rally behind a lone agent of good and his powerful talisman—to stand or die against a hellish enemy.Includes excerpts of the second book in each series, as well as a special preview of Terry Brooks’s new novel, Wards of Faerie!
As you can see, that is a great 4-book bundle ebook on its own merit. The fact that people can get four books at about $6.00 a piece is pretty remarkable. Add in the two-chapter excerpt from Wards of Faerie, the upcoming first book in The Dark Legacy of Shannara series, and it becomes an interesting purchase not only for new readers but readers who have been following Terry for some time.
The ebook will be available March 19, 2012 and is already featured on Amazon and B&N! More news when I have it!
7 responses to “The Terry Brooks Starter Pack”
Good marketing idea… give everybody Book 1 of all the series…. then they go out and have to buy the rest!! I woulda preferred a full series instead of 4 “book ones” but …. thankfully I own them all already!
Do I remember reading something about releasing a new hardcover edition of Sword of Shannara? Was that my imagination or is this the culmination of that? If this is it, then honestly Im pretty dissapointed. Not that I dont think its a great idea to get more people hooked into the worlds we already know and love, its just that a anniversary edition of Sword would just be so incredible for all of us kiddos that werent buying a whole lot of books in 1977 (because we werent born yet).
No, the STARTER PACK is not The Annotated Sword of Shannara. The STARTER PACK comes out this next week; The Annotated Sword of Shannara comes out in October 2012. Terry and I just saw the cover for it and it’s stunning. Stay tuned for more info!
Haha!! I should have waited another day to ask. The new edition looks fantastic!! cant wait! ThanksShawn.
I think this is a great idea, from a fan’s view as well as a good marketing move. However, I must admit that I’m a little leery about including Armageddon’s Children in a “starter pack,” since it was such an immense surprise to the series (albeit not an altogether unanticipated one).
I know that, especially in this day and age, it would be very difficult to start a person with The Sword of Shannara and expect them to live in a bubble until they’ve read all the volumes in the preferred reading order. With all the access to information, one is bound to discover certain plot secrets somehow. But I think that an effort should be made, if one is embarking on the journey that is the Shannara series, to read the books more or less in the order they were written.
But that’s just my initial reaction, of course. The series is now known as existing in a post-Genesis world, so it makes sense to introduce it as such to new readers. But that being said, nothing will ever be the same as the shock (delightful) and surprise (delicious) when I realized that my long-standing suspicions were being confirmed right before my eyes. 🙂
*Ignore most of the italics in the last paragraph. Typos. 🙂
Think it’s a fantastic idea. Will it be available in the UK? If yes, when as I’d love to get it..