| Shea Ohmsford is just an ordinary tavern-keepers apprentice who is visited by a mysterious druid. The druid tells him he's got to leave in order to evade pursuit from a skull bearer, who he says is a servant of an evil warlock. He and his half-brother Flick do what he says after actually encountering the creature mentioned. They are joined by Menion Leah, a good-for-nothing prince.
Later they meet up with the druid Allanon, who tells them they've got to go to Paranor to recover the Sword of Shannara, a special blade that belonged to Shea's father, who died a long time ago, and that the sword is the only way of slaying the Warlock Lord. They are joined by an some elves and a dwarf and a prince in their attempt to recover it, and pretty soon they get seperated and are each involved in seperate tasks. Shea and Flick are captured by a troll and a one-handed bandit, which temporarily halts their progress in their quest, after which bandit and troll in question release them from bondage and they find a sword on the body of a dead gnome that just happens to be the Sword of Shannara. With the help of this sword, they pass through a deadly fog and Shea kills the Warlock Lord, and meanwhile, the rest of the group winds up trying to stop the evil Druid Stemnin, a servant of the Warlock Lord. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - sensitive (sigh....) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - great warrior Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes Stealing/recovering/destroying Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Descript. of chases or violence - 30 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Main Adversary Identity: - magical being Age: - long-lived adults Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells Eccentric: Yes How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Terrain Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society - inhabited by friendly aliens - unfriendly aliens - primitive aliens Takes place on Earth? Yes Planet outside solar system? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog |
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