Line #190 Literature/Shannara


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/19329.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The one that started it all...]]
3
4	One of the first second-generation fantasy series, and among [[LongRunners the longest running]], Creator/TerryBrooks' ''Shannara'' series began in 1977 with a {{doorstopper}} called ''The Sword of Shannara'' but is now a nineteen-volume series which includes a trilogy of urban fantasies. It should be noted that ''The Sword of Shannara'' was the first high fantasy novel to become a mainstream bestseller, demonstrating to the publishing industry that there was a market for fantasy; the genre, at least as we know it, might not exist otherwise. The series was later adapted for television by MTV as ''Series/TheShannaraChronicles'', based on the second book of the series and premiering in the United States on January 5, 2016.
5
6	The setting is [[StandardFantasySetting fairly standard for a fantasy series]], but the {{backstory}} is different from most HighFantasy. Rather than being set in the distant past, it is set in the far future, long [[AfterTheEnd after a nuclear war]] destroyed modern civilization. Gnomes, Dwarves, and Trolls are all mutated humans, Elves make an appearance and there are still insane killer robots in remote places.
7
8	Long before the first book, an order of druids was established to rediscover the lost secrets of science, but instead discovered the even longer lost secrets of magic, from before the history we know. Corrupted by dark magic, one of the druids became the [[BigBad Warlock Lord]], and spent the next thousand years trying to TakeOverTheWorld from his lair in Skull Mountain, in the center of the [[{{Mordor}} Skull Kingdom]]. This brings us to...
9
10	!!!The [[Literature/TheSwordOfShannaraTrilogy original trilogy]].
11	* ''The Sword of Shannara''
12	* ''The Elfstones of Shannara''
13	* ''The Wishsong of Shannara''
14
15	These three loosely connected books deal with the Druid Allanon and his relationship with three generations of the Ohmsford family, the Heirs to the House of Shannara.
16
17	By the time ''Sword of Shannara'' kicks off, Allanon is the only surviving good Druid. He arrived in a small village and told the hero, Shea Ohmsford, that he was actually the [[ChangelingFantasy last of the bloodline of the famous Elf King, Jerle Shannara]], and the only person able to use the titular McGuffin to kill the Warlock Lord. He [[YouWillKnowWhatToDo refused to explain how to use it, though.]] After a long journey, many mishaps, a lot of CharacterDevelopment, and one hell of a surprise ending, Shea manages to put the Warlock Lord back in his grave.
18
19	A few decades later, in ''The Elfstones of Shannara'', Allanon returns, having spent the intervening years in magical sleep, and conscripts Shea's grandson Wil and Elven princess Amberle to save the world. It seems that long before human history, the Elves (revealed to be the real thing, not mutant humans) and other good faeries locked all the evil faeries, known as Demons, [[SealedEvilInACan inside the Forbidding]], using a magic tree called the Ellcrys. Now the Ellcrys is dying, and the Demons are beginning to escape. Amberle, as the last of the Ellcrys Chosen, must make the journey to the Bloodfire, to fertilise one of the tree's seeds. Since Allanon will be busy helping the Elves defend their homes from the Demons, he convinces Wil, who has inherited the anti-dark magic Elfstones that the Druid gave to Shea, that he must protect Amberle on her dangerous trek.
20
21	A generation later, in ''The Wishsong of Shannara'', we discover that Wil's use of the Elfstones gave his children Brin and Jair the inherent magic of the [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] wishsong. Unable to penetrate the GardenOfEvil known as the Maelmord to destroy the Ildatch, the TomeOfEldritchLore that corrupted the Warlock Lord, Allanon recruits Brin, believing that she may be able to succeed where he has failed. Easily the darkest of the three, it explores the idea of the inherent unpredictability of magic and the addiction to it in far greater detail than ''Sword'' or ''Elfstones''.
22
23	!!!Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara
24	* ''The Scions of Shannara ''
25	* ''The Druid of Shannara ''
26	* ''The Elf Queen of Shannara ''
27	* ''The Talismans of Shannara ''
28
29	This was a single story in four volumes, taking place three hundred years after the first trilogy, when the Elves have vanished, and an authoritarian Federation rules both Men and Dwarves. It begins with the ghost of Allanon summoning the Ohmsfords' descendants. He tells them about [[BigBad the Shadowen]] infesting the Four Lands, and gives them three missions: restore the lost Druids, return the vanished Elves, recover the Sword of Shannara.
30
31	In ''Druid'', [[DungeonMaster the King of the Silver River]] sends Walker on a quest to stop independent BigBad the Stone King and retrieve the Black Elfstone, a magical object that he needs to fulfill his mission.
32
33	In ''Elf Queen'', Wren goes looking for the missing Elves, discovering along the way that she's really the heir to their throne. She also learns the origin of the Shadowen.
34
35	In the final volume, ''The Talismans of Shannara'', the heirs manage to reunite (despite the Shadowen's best efforts to kill or subvert them) and barely manage to avert the BigBad's plan to pull a GrandTheftMe on TheHero and gain unlimited power, but eventually triumph.
36
37	!!! ''Literature/FirstKingOfShannara''
38
39	A prequel, describing how the Sword was forged, with cameos from the ancestors of all the first book's main characters, including King Jerle Shannara of course.
40
41	!!!Literature/TheWordAndTheVoid
42
43	This trilogy, set in the modern day, [[CanonWelding was only later retconned into the series]]. The Knights of the Word [[WalkingTheEarth walk the earth]] performing missions for [[DungeonMaster the Lady]], and each night they dream of what will happen if they fail. They are locked in a secret conflict with the Demons of the Void, once-human {{shape shifter}}s dedicated to the destruction of all things, distinct from the Demons locked behind the Forbidding. The trilogy tells the story of a Knight named John Ross and a girl named Nest Freemark with special powers, who is important to the coming apocalypse.
44
45	!!! Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara:
46	* ''Ilse Witch''
47	* ''Antrax''
48	* ''Morgawr''
49
50	The Elves send a recently invented airship, named after the Ohmsfords' illustrious ancestor, in pursuit of an ancient library from our near future. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones looking for it; the psychotic Ilse Witch is after the same treasure. Upon finally reaching the site indicated on the map, they have to get through the library's guardian.
51
52	!!!Literature/HighDruidOfShannara:
53	* ''Jarka Ruus''
54	* ''Tanequil''
55	* ''Straken''
56
57	Grianne Ohmsford has become the High Druid, but one of her subordinates stages a coup by [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapping her in the Forbidding]] with all the Faerie Demons, releasing a single shapeshifter in exchange. The coup was actually [[TheManBehindTheMan instigated by a Demon-lord]] in the Forbidding, as part of a plot to release all the Demons. Grianne's nephew Pen manages to rescues her, but his girlfriend is turning into a spirit. Grianne volunteers to take her place, which frees her from all guilt due to the LossOfIdentity.
58
59	!!!Literature/TheGenesisOfShannara:
60	* ''Armageddon's Children''
61	* ''The Elves of Cintra''
62	* ''The Gypsy Morph''
63
64	This trilogy links 'The Word and The Void' with the main series. Sometime in the near future, the once-human Demons are winning their war. Civilization is collapsing, with scattered havens of order surrounded by wastelands full of dangerous mutants, paranoid survivors and lawless scoundrels, but there are a handful of heroes standing against the tide. Only two Knights of the Word remain: Logan Tom and Angel Perez. While Logan searches for Nest Freemark's son Hawk to help him fulfill his destined savior role, Angel's quest is to find the last remaining Elves and ensure their survival into the new world.
65
66	!!!Literature/LegendsOfShannara:
67	* ''Bearers of the Black Staff''
68	* ''The Measure of the Magic''
69
70	A duology that starts 500 years after Hawk led humans, Elves and mutants to safety. The cocoon of magic that has protected their valley is coming undone. One Knight of the Word is left and must find a successor.
71
72	!!!Literature/TheDarkLegacyOfShannara:
73	* ''Wards of Faerie'' (August 2012)
74	* ''The Bloodfire Quest'' (March 2013)
75	* ''Witch Wraith'' (August 2013)
76
77	100 years after ''High Druid'', new information leads Khyber Elessedil, the new High Druid, to launch a dangerous search for the lost Elfstones of Faerie.
78
79	!!!Literature/TheDefendersOfShannara
80	* ''High Druid's Blade'' (July 2014)
81	* ''The Darkling Child'' (July 2015)
82	* ''The Sorcerer's Daughter'' (July 2016)
83
84	100 years after ''Dark Legacy'', the Druid Order struggles to finally become an accepted part of the Four Lands, while EvilSorcerer Arcannen schemes to bring them down.
85
86	!!!Literature/TheFallOfShannara
87	* ''The Black Elfstone'' (June 2017)
88	* ''The Skaar Invasion'' (June 2018)
89	* ''The Stiehl Assassin'' (June 2019)
90	* ''The Last Druid'' (October 2020)
91
92	A series of four books and GrandFinale to Shannara.
93	----
94	!The franchise as a whole provides examples of:
95
96
97	* ActionGirl: Angel Perez, Simralin Belloruus, Wren Ohmsford, Matty Roh, Rue Meridian, Tamis, Leofur Rai. Brooks likes this one. Taken up a notch in the "Dark Legacy" books with Seersha; a battle-hardened Dwarf warrior woman who had extensive Druid training prior to the books' outset. She had an eye patch and several tattoos to boot.
98	* AerithAndBob
99	* AfterTheEnd: The whole series takes place thousands of years in our future, after humankind was devastated by nuclear war and plague, mutated into several new races, and rediscovered magic as well as the remnants of TheFairFolk. The "Genesis" trilogy takes place in the late 2100s, about half a century after the Great Wars, with civilization in its last moments.
100	* AllDeathsFinal: You can be brought back from the brink of death. You can be healed from gaping chest wounds, lethal poisons, you name it. But once you're dead in the Shannara universe, once you're all the way gone? You stay gone. Your shade can come back and talk to people, but the real physical you? That's all, folks.
101	* AllTrollsAreDifferent: These ones are big, strong creatures descended from mutant humans, with no hair and tough hide, and a warrior culture.
102	* AlwaysABiggerFish: A recurring theme. No matter how big and scary the official villains are (say, a pursuing Shadowen monster), there's ''always'' something bigger and scarier than they are, but that sticks to its own territory (the hidden, tentacled horrors said Shadowen wanders too close to). Every so often (notably in ''Druid'' and ''Talismans''), [[SummonBiggerFish the protagonists take advantage of this]].
103	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Demons (of both kinds) are evil by nature, and no good Mwellrets ever appear in the stories. Averted with the Gnomes (who are mostly evil but have at least one good-aligned settlement) and Trolls (who are actually very noble).
104	** Even most Gnomes in general aren't evil, coming closer to a very primitive ChaoticNeutral, they just tend to serve the evil side becuase they are extremely superstitious and will follow anyone with enough magical power to make them do so. And the Stors (the above mentioned "good" settlement) is closer to LawfulNeutral, as they are a community of healers that will treat any injured person that comes to them, no matter what, and refuse to take sides in any conflict.
105	* AntiHero: There have been a few, with [[Literature/TheSwordOfShannaraTrilogy Allanon]], [[Literature/TheWishsongOfShannara Garet Jax]], and [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara Truls Rohk]] all being different flavours of this trope.
106	* AnyoneCanDie: Driven home in ''Wishsong'' with [[spoiler: the death of Allanon]]. Even if you survive your original series, chances are you won't make it through the sequel.
107	** Essentially, the longer Brooks writes, the more this trope grows in prevalence, with a more-or-less steady slope of this from the original "Sword" where only one of the protagonist's party ended up dying, to the latest completed set, "Dark Legacy", where named characters drop like flies, often in very cruel ways and without warning.
108	* ArtifactTitle: Many of the books' titles are only "of Shannara" because one or more of Jerle Shannara's Ohmsford descendants is involved, and in prequels set before he lived that's not even the case. The constant use of "of Shannara" is the main reason for people mistakenly thinking that Shannara is the name of the world.
109	* BadassFamily: The Ohmsfords, the Leahs, and the Elessedils have saved the world how many times now?
110	* BigBad: One in each of the first three books and then one for each main series - the Warlock Lord in ''Sword'', Dagda Mor in ''Elfstones'', [[TomeOfEldritchLore The Ildatch]] in ''Wishsong''; [[TheHeartless the Shadowen]] led by Rimmer Dall in the Heritage series; [[EvilSorcerer the Morgawr]] in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Tael Riverine]] in the High Druid trilogy and the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy, and [[HeroKiller Findo Gask]] in the Genesis trilogy. The ''Legends'' duology instead opts for a BigBadEnsemble, with the two biggest players being [[EvilOverlord Taureq Siq]] and [[DemonicPossession the Ragpicker]].
111	* BigCreepyCrawlies: The Creepers and the unnamed monster from early in Sword. [[HollywoodCyborg Half machine]], half giant insect, all problem. The Wisteron in ''Elf Queen'' combines this with monkeys and TheHeartless. Brooks is fond of this one.
112	* BigGood: Allanon in the classic series has many aspects of this.
113	* CallingARabbitASmeerp: Old World relics that have fallen out of public consciousness in the time since the Great Wars occasionally turn up, but characters tend to cobble together phrases they do understand to make sense of them. Operational light bulbs are referred to as, "smokeless torches," the meglamaniocal supercomputer Antrax is refers to as a spirit, laser beams are referred to as "fire ropes," or later, "fire launchers," the list goes on.
114	* CaptainErsatz: A lot of the characters from the first book bear some resemblance to those from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Brooks gets much better about not doing that in subsequent volumes, however.
115	* ChangelingFantasy: At least three times, although Shea and Bek are both on good terms with their adoptive families and Shea actually keeps the Ohmsford (adoptive) family name, which is passed on to his descendants. Contrariwise, his multigreat-grandson Bek changes his name from Roh to Ohmsford when he learns the truth of his adoption.
116	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: The Sword of Shannara was not originally made to be used only by Jerle Shannara and his bloodline, but the people didn't know that and now it only works for them because nobody else believes it could work for a non-Shannara. The sword being powered by the collective will and belief of the people seems to make this mandatory, though grabbing someone who was orphaned as a baby (of which there should be no shortage, [[MedievalStasis due to the setting]]) and telling everyone they're a Shannara never seems to occur to anyone.
117	** Probably because it's a supernatural sword of ''truth''. Such a ruse would dissolve in contact with the sword.
118	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The Elfstones. The Seeking-stones are a brilliant blue, and the [[spoiler: Black Elfstone]] negates all other forms of magic. In Witch Wraith, however, [[spoiler: we are introduced to the crimson, emerald, saffron, and white Elfstones.]] Due to the events of the book, we only learn what the [[spoiler: crimson Elfstones]] can do.
119	* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong: Panther in "Genesis".
120	* CoolSword: Several, which recur again and again throughout the series. All of the below have been in at least two. They are:
121	** The Sword of Shannara - [[spoiler: which reveals the truth about anything it touches when used by one of the House of Shannara. This actually makes it rather useful.]]
122	** The Sword of Leah - Can cut and parry magic.
123	** The Stiehl - A [[CoolSword Cool Knife]] which [[AbsurdlySharpBlade cuts through]] ''[[AbsurdlySharpBlade anything]]'', even magic, as if it were paper. Frequently wielded by an assassin character.
124	* CouncilOfAngels: Unique, benevolent Faerie creatures such as the King of the Silver River come close.
125	* CrapsackWorld: The apocalyptic ''Genesis of Shannara'' era.
126	* CreatorProvincialism: Most of the series, except for two of the books in the "Word/Void" trilogy, take place mostly in Brooks's home of the Pacific Northwest, and the locale of the two aforementioned books of ''Literature/TheWordAndTheVoid'' trilogy are modeled after Brooks's hometown of Sterling, Illinois.
127	* DarkIsEvil: Constantly used, and {{Justified\|Trope}}, as overuse of the dark magic can and does warp a person's mind and physique in equal measures.
128	* DarkIsNotEvil: Allanon, Walker, and Truls Rohk noticeably.
129	* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Findo Gask in the ''Genesis'' trilogy, the Dagda Mor in ''Elfstones''', Tael Riverine in the ''High Druid'' trilogy. Some powerful, ancient, and malevolent Faerie creatures that weren't sealed in the Forbidding, such as Uhl Belk (the Stone King) and the Grimpond, edge on this trope.
130	** The closest thing to a {{Satan}} behind them seems to be the Void, introduced in the "Word/Void" books but only personified once, when it manifests to Gask at the beginning of ''Angel Fire East''.
131	* DerivativeDifferentiation: It series started off as fairly derivative of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', with the largest distinction being the AfterTheEnd setting. It even took its general plot structure straight from ''The Lord Of The Rings''. As the series went on, however, the books developed more original plots, including an urban fantasy trilogy.
132	* TheDragon: Several. PsychoForHire Pe Ell is probably the most archetypical, working as Rimmer Dall's favourite killer in the ''Heritage'' series.
133	** CoDragons: The [[TheJuggernaut Reaper]] and The [[ShapeShifter Changeling]] to The [[DemonLordsAndArchDevils Dagda Mor]]
134	** DragonInChief: Brona, the [[EvilOverlord Warlock Lord]] to the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Ildatch]]. The main cast aren't even aware of the latter's existence in ''Sword of Shannara'', and [[BigGood Allanon]] is more than willing to settle for Brona's defeat.
135	** TheStarscream: The Maw Grint to Uhl Belk in ''Druid of Shannara''.
136	* DungeonMaster: The Lady in the "Word/Void" and "Genesis" eras; the the King of the Silver River in the "Four Lands" era.
137	* ElvesVsDwarves: Averted, the Elves and Dwarves are traditional allies.
138	* EndOfAnAge: The ''Genesis'' books take place at the very tail end of civilization as we know it. The ''Dark Legacy'' trilogy and ''Defenders'' books meanwhile take place more or less at the end of another era of history, as the status quo of Shannara unravels and more of the old sciences are reintroduced into the world.
139	* EternalEnglish: Averted, although it's implied that many of the languages in the later Shannara stories are descended from English.
140	* EvilSmellsBad: Most of the villains in the main Shannara series leave a foul reek or some other unnatural miasma in places they have lived, passed through, or corrupted. The fortress of the Chew Magna, the Skull Mountain in the Northland, the lake where Valg lived beneath the Hall of Kings, the cellars and rooms of Graymark, the poisoned grotto of Heaven's Well, the Maelmord, the home of the woodswoman Shadowen, the Pit (and the cellars of the Buckhannah Palace), the lair of the Wisteron, the bowels of Southwatch (and most of the rest of it too), and the Morgawr itself all have this property.
141	* EvilSorcerer: The demon Findo Gask; the Warlock Lord, Brona; the Morgawr and his sisters; most of the Mwellrets; and arguably the Shadowen. Even the Dagda Mor had shades of this. Given that one of the main themes of the series is the responsible use of magic, and the dire results of abusing it, it's understandable why Brooks likes this one so much.
142	* TheFairFolk: In the far past, way before humanity gained civilization, there existed all kinds of fae creatures. Elves and fairies to witches and trolls. However as humanity grew, these fae creatures started to eventually be outcompeted by humans, unable to adapt to new environments with many going extinct over the millennia that followed. Then the great wars happened and killed whatever was left. Only the elves survived with them integrating themselves alongside the new peoples into the reshaped world.
143	* FantasticFirearms: By the later books of the series long timeline, firearms have been reinvented in the form of flash rips. Like much of Shannara's later-series technology, they run on diapson crystals and are thus solar powered, and their output is closer to energy blasts than bullets.
144	* FantasyGunControl: By the time the ''Legends of Shannara'' books take place, this had long come into effect due to people in general having long forgotten the ''existence'' of firearms, let alone how to make them or produce ammunition. Though it's also mentioned that the few functioning ones that ''do'' remain, such as flechettes are highly prized weapons. Further down the line, however, guns become completely absent.
145	** And then averted in the ''Defenders'' series, with the introduction of hand-held "flash rips".
146	* TheFederation: Subverted. The organisation called TheFederation is in fact TheEmpire.
147	** Although initially played straight as the Federation WAS originally TheFederation, with a group of large city-states coming together for mutual defense, it's only later they decided the best way to stay safe, was make sure all Humans were part of them, and all non-humans enslaved or eradicated.
148	* FunctionalMagic: Notably averted. The books go out of their way to point out how magic resists being treated scientifically, and how it evolves in unpredictable ways.
149	* FullContactMagic: Most Druids and other magic users are also physical fighters. Allanon and Walker Boh are the standouts.
150	* GardenOfEvil: The ruins in ''First King'', most of the island in ''Elf Queen'', the Melmord from Wishsong, and one of the islands in ''Voyage of the Jerle Shannara''.
151	* GenerationXerox: The Ohmsfords, Leahs, and Creels.
152	* GeniusLoci: The ancient city of Castledown is controlled by a sentient artificial intelligence, Antrax. And then there's the ghost in the castle at Mephitic, and the living island of Shatterstone, the evil garden of the Maelmord, and the one protecting the Black Elfstone in ''First King''. Finally, Southwatch is a living building used by the Shadowen to siphon off and store the earth's magic.
153	* GoodIsNotNice: Allanon. Pretty much everyone is ''terrified'' of the man.
154	* GrailInTheGarbage: [[spoiler: The titular Sword of Shannara, contrary to the legends regarding its location.]]
155	* GreatBigBookOfEverything: Though not a single book, the Druid Histories tend to serve this function.
156	* TheGreatOffscreenWar: Some books mention the First War of the Races, especially in ''First King'' and ''Sword''. It's only mentioned briefly as being a huge war where the rebel Druids and the race of Man fought the Druids and the other races (Elf, Dwarf, Gnome and Troll). Men were defeated, but the war had far-reaching consequences. First, the race of Men retreated into the Southlands and would not become a major power again until the Federation. Second, it caused the Druids to become more reclusive and not very active in the sociopolitics of the Four Lands, which sets up their destruction later on. However, none of the books at present actually tell the story of the war itself such as what caused it, the major battles and so on.
157	* GrimUpNorth: The Northland is originally the home of the evil Warlock Lord. Even after his defeat, the Northland may no longer radiate evil, but it's still exceptionally dangerous. With only the Trolls, outlawed Men, and a few Gnome tribes (as well as the half-Troll, half-Gnome Urdas) making their home there, it's not a place you'd like to live.
158	* HalfHumanHybrid: Very common. Most of the Races are descended from humans, or are otherwise indistinguishable from them, so it's not atypical for intermarriage to occur. The Ohmsfords are all Men with some Elf in them, there's an entire tribe (the Urdas) of Gnome/Troll halfbreeds, and other combinations are often mentioned, without there seeming to be any real taboo about it. It's only when you get into things like [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara Truls Rohk]] (half-Man, half-ShapeShifter) that you run into trouble.
159	* TheHeartless: Feeders in the "Genesis" era; the Shadowen in "Heritage".
160	* HereThereWereDragons: The first age of magic ended in apocalypse, with only the Elves surviving.
161	** Actually the age of Faerie just kind of, faded out, there was no big apocalypse, sure there was that big war between the Good and Evil aligned Faerie creatures, but that was long before the age ended. The age just slowly faded as man emerged and started supplementing all the others as the dominant race.
162	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Amberle]] in ''Elfstones'', [[spoiler: Quickening]] in ''Druid'', [[spoiler: Cogline]] in ''Talismans'', [[spoiler: Walker]] in ''Antrax''. Many throughout the "Dark Legacy" series, with [[spoiler: Cymrian's]] in ''Witch Wraith'' perhaps the most devastating.
163	* HiddenElfVillage: Arborlon, literally, in "Genesis of Shannara".
164	* HiveMind: Heavily implied with the communal, bodiless {{Shapeshifter}}s.
165	* HollywoodCyborg: The Creepers are what happen when this trope and [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant insect]] get together and have children. Antrax builds several out of people in ''Voyage''.
166	* HumansAreWhite: Everyone in the Four Lands era is either white or AmbiguouslyBrown. Given that it was only America that (barely) survived the apocalypse, it sort of makes sense that after millenia of interbreeding there would be no one very dark. In the pre-''Shannara'' books, the ethnic demographics are what you'd expect (i.e. majority Caucasian, recognizable African-American and Latino minorities).
167	* InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn: At first played straight--Shea is left facing the Warlock Lord completely alone, with all of his friends and heroes left elsewhere, Allanon unable to reach him in time, and Panamon and Keltset paralyzed, while Wil must fight the Reaper with the Elfstones as Amberle remains in the Bloodfire and Eretria ineffectually tries to help. In ''Wishsong'' there is an early subversion--it ''seems'' like all the other members of Jair's company have died or vanished, leaving him imprisoned at Dun Fee Aran with only himself to rely on to escape. But then, thanks to the King of the Silver River's bequest of strength to his friends, they all show up alive to rescue him. It is then played straight when each of them gives up their lives to get Jair to Heaven's Well and he has to go to Brin entirely alone. ''Heritage'' averts it completely, with the FinalBattle taking place in Southwatch with all the Shannara heirs (save Wren) and their allies fighting Rimmer Dall and the Shadowen. And even Wren isn't on her own, since the Free-born show up to help the Elves.
168	* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: And how. Not so much in the first book, but from the second onwards being a Ohmsford, or otherwise having a mission to fulfill, means going through a lot of misery.
169	* LaResistance: The Freeborn to the Federation.
170	* LamarckWasRight: Using magic created by another race, when you've only got maybe one-quarter blood of the creator race in the first place, can cause some problems. Wil Ohmsford was actually damaged by use of the Elfstones, along with passing on some of the magic to his children in the form of the Wishsong.
171	* LeftJustifiedFantasyMap: Justified--it's actually the Pacific Northwest AfterTheEnd.
172	* LegendaryWeapon: The Sword of Shannara is the legendary sword which the Elven King Jerle Shannara used to defeat the Warlock Lord and end the Second War of the Races. Five hundred years later, the entire plot of Literature/TheSwordOfShannara is a quest for said sword.
173	* LightningBruiser: Generally speaking, if something in one of Brooks' books is described as large it's also going to be very fast.
174	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: The Druids have a tendency towards doing this, including Walker Boh, who initially ''despised'' the Druids for it.
175	* LonersAreFreaks: [[AntiHero Truls Rohk]], [[PsychoForHire Pe Ell]], Walker Boh, and many other characters deal with this trope. Some are straight examples (with Pe Ell diving right into being a psychotic loner), others, like Walker are only percieved as freaks by those around them.
176	* LongRunningBookSeries: By this point it's arguably a franchise.
177	* MagicMusic: The Wishsong.
178	* McGuffin: Loads of 'em. Expect each book/series to have a couple.
179	* MedievalStasis: From ''Legends of Shannara'' onwards, civilization is presented as for the most part having the trappings of a MedievalEuropeanFantasy. On the other hand, stories set chronologically later show MagiTek as well as attempts to rediscover Old World technology.
180	** By the ''Dark Legacy'' trilogy, there are increasing signs that this is breaking down, with [[TheMagicVersusTechnologyWar science threatening the magical order of things]].
181	** By the time the first in the ''Defenders'' series comes around, industrialization and the return of Old World technology has reach the point wherein firearms are coming back.
182	* TheMole: Several, mostly shapeshifters posing as harmless servants. Notably the Changeling in ''Elfstones'', Teel and Pe Ell in ''Heritage''.
183	* {{Mordor}}: The Skull Kingdom, Eldwist in ''Druid of Shannara''. The Shadowen tried to turn the entire Four Lands into this.
184	* {{Mutants}}: Ubiquitous in "Genesis of Shannara", though technically they'd be "mutates"--we learn that the first "Freaks" were born human but mutated into their new forms due to [[NuclearMutant exposure to radiation]], their changes getting passed on to their offspring. By the time of the "Four Lands" era, the Freaks have developed into the races of Dwarves, Gnomes, and Trolls.
185	** The Elves encourage the belief that they are another race of these, but are in fact the last faerie people.
186	* NonActionGuy: Kirisin Belloruus in "Genesis of Shannara".
187	* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Two main groups of them. Those locked in the Forbidding (the capital D Demons) are evil [[TheFairFolk fairies]]; those in the present day (the little d demons) are humans corrupted by the dark side. Both are implied to have been created or corrupted by the embodiment of pure evil, the Void. There's also the "demons" on Morrowindl, which are revealed to be another form of Shadowen.
188	** The Demons it should be noted come in a wide variety of types as well, encompassing [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]], Imps, Furies, {{O\|urOgresAreHungrier}}gres and [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]], as well as more generic Demons, and apparent singularities like The Dagda Mor, The Changeling, The Reaper, Tael Riverine, and The Moric.
189	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Well, there's Valg, the giant, firebreathing, venemous serpent waiting under the pool in the Hall of the Kings. And then there's the Demonic Dragons, which are a type of evil fairy with six-legs, one eye, no wings, and no fire.
190	* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Brooks distinguishes his Dwarves from those of other fantasy series by having them deeply unsettled by underground spaces (because their ancestors were forced there by the Great Wars). They're also largely predisposed to woodsmanship, and their most famous landmark is the Meade Gardens. Outwardly, though, they look mostly like other Dwarves, beards and all.
191	* OurElvesAreDifferent: The Elves are a relic species from the time of TheFairFolk who are a lot more mortal than they used to be. In fact, the only thing that sets Elves apart from humans is their appearance and a natural propensity toward magic. And as ''Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara'' establishes, they are every bit as capable of monumentally screwing up as Men are.
192	* OurGnomesAreWeirder: They actually fill the same role as [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblins]] and [[OurOrcsAreDifferent orcs]]--primitive tribesfolk who often serve the forces of darkness. They're not AlwaysChaoticEvil, though, as at least one heroic Gnome (Slanter) has appeared, and a tribe of them help one of the heroes in ''Armageddon's Children''. There's also the Stors, a society of LawfulNeutral healers who mostly keep to themselves, but occasionally aid the good guys.
193	** The Gnomes are basically a very primitive ChaoticNeutral who due to intense superstition tend to blindly follow anything that seems at all magical.
194	* PlayingWithFire: The [[spoiler: Crimson Elfstones]] tend to engulf their targets in a terrible, flaming pillar of energy which absorbs their life and turns them to ash.
195	* PraetorianGuard: The Elven Home Guard are a heroic example. Notable members include [[Literature/TheSwordOfShannaraTrilogy Crispin]], [[Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara Triss]] and [[Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara Ard Patrinell]].
196	* ProphecyTwist: Lots of them.
197	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Pretty much all Trolls.
198	* RealityWarper: What the magic of the Wishsong basically is. "Wish for it. Sing for it. And you shall have it." There are two version's: Jair's, which is the weaker one and only able to create incredibly detailed and realistic illusions; and Brin's which is the more powerful and able to alter and control anything she wants. Jair's is passed on to his descendants in full force, although skipping generations every now and then. While none of Brin's ever get the full ability until ''Voyage'' (probably just as well).
199	** To an extent anyway, she can't completely alter reality to her whim, as physical laws can only be bent so far, but not broken by it I.E. while trying to make a very twisted tree trunk straighten itself, the stress of trying to straighten vs it's inflexibility causes it to explode.
200	** [[BecomingTheMask Jair's version can do something a bit different when he uses it on himself.]] Although he's the only one who ever seems to have discovered this use of the Wishsong, and even then he did so by accident.
201	* RedOniBlueOni: Redden's blue to Railing's red in ''Dark Legacy'', though they can swap roles at times.
202	* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Many of the monsters, demons, and other beasts in series are described as "scaled" or "reptillian."
203	** ReptilianConspiracy: the Mwellrets or "lizards" a shapechanging Troll species that has yet to have a single "good" representative, and their master, the utterly vile [[EvilSorceror Morgawr]].
204	* RuinsOfTheModernAge: They pop up every now and then, along with the occasional killer robot. Tiderace in ''The Druid of Shannara'' and Castledown in ''The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara'' are the most conspicuous examples.
205	* ScienceFantasy: Even the first book had a giant cyborg insect and the later books add more sci-fi tropes, with ''Voyage'' in particular standing on the line, as our heroes use magic to battle robotic attack drones, undead cyborgs, and a homicidal supercomputer.
206	* SealedEvilInACan: The elder Demons are sealed in a parallel dimension called the Forbidding by the Elcrys tree. The weakening and subsequent recreation of the seal forms the plot of ''Elfstones''. ''High Druid'' revolves around an attempt by one of them to break out.
207	* SingleLineOfDescent: The Ohmsford family. Sure, we've seen it branch out a few times, but you'd think it would happen a lot more. Also the Leahs, the Elessedils, the Creels... Brooks likes this trope.
208	** On the other hand, most of these family trees get pruned on a regular basis.
209	* SociopathicSoldier: The once-men in the "Genesis" trilogy--humans who have surrendered their souls to the Void and its demons.
210	* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Averted. The Warlock Lord, the series first BigBad, is also the most individually dangerous. Some of the other villains come close to being the same level of threat, but not one of them manages to eclipse him. As late as "High Druid", Grianne calls him the greatest evil the Four Lands had ever known.
211	* SquishyWizard: Thoroughly averted by the Druids, and most villainous magic users, who tend to be ''tougher'' than normal people, with badass, KungFuWizard, {{Determinator}} and (for the villains) LargeAndInCharge being common traits. The Wishsong's users are much closer to the ideal, although before you can hit them you have to go through their magic, which is not an easy proposition.
212	* StrangeSalute: Given the wide range of cultures in the setting, most salutes are far from what are used in reality. The elves salute by putting their right hand over their heart whereas the trolls salute with a distinct kneel.
213	* TangledFamilyTree: The Leah, Ohmsford, Elessedil, Creel and Boh family trees have all crossed and crisscrossed a time or two at this point, creating a situation where, distantly or otherwise, EveryoneIsRelated. Even Allanon is connected to this tangle, as a descendant of his foster sister Mareth married into the Leahs.
214	* TakeUpMySword: Druids are prone to this. Bremen does it to Allanon, Allanon to Brin, and Walker to Grianne.
215	* TheThemeParkVersion: The Four Lands start out as a dumbed-down version of Middle-earth, but the series gets better after the first trilogy. It now has its own mythology, a very different backstory, several places that weren't mentioned in the first series, and generally doesn't resemble Middle-Earth all that much at all.
216	* TimeAbyss: The King of the Silver River is a powerful faerie creature that has existed since the dawn of time, well before any of the other races were even close to being born.
217	* TitleConfusion: Shannara is '''not''' the name of the world the books are set in; it is the name of an Elven royal family whose descendants are central to the plot of many of the books.
218	* {{Tsundere}}: Erisha in "Genesis of Shannara", who may very well have been Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya in a past life.
219	* UnusualEuphemism: "Shades!" seems to be a catch all for "damn", or "hell".
220	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Limited primarily to creatures with the innate ability; usually a villainous power. Jair got this in the short story "Indomitable" and the graphic novel "Dark Wraith of Shannara", but see below.
221	** The Changeling, one of the Demons of the Forbidding, has this as his main power.
222	** The Moric, a Demonic relative of the Changeling, has an even more complete version of this, though he generally has to eat his victim first.
223	** The Mwellrets, a race of reptilian Trolls, can stretch and mold their bodies (if not their faces) to disguise themselves as other races if they keep under wraps. The Morgawr, their master, can fully shapeshift, but he's not really a Mwellret.
224	** Finally, there are a class of spirits simply called shape-shifters which display this ability to RealityWarper levels. Though they have undertones of TheFairFolk, they're generally content to leave others alone and their primary appearance in ''Morgawr'' had them willingly aiding the protagonists.
225	*** Truls Rohk, a half-shapeshifter and a protagonist, has a downgraded version; he can distort his shape but only imperfectly. It has...'''''[[BodyHorror severe]]''''' drawbacks.
226	* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway --> HeartIsAnAwesomePower: The Sword of Shannara itself; lampshaded.
227	** To elaborate: the Sword's power is to force anyone who touches it (including the wielder) to see and accept the complete and total truth about themselves. The BigBad of the first book is undead and in denial about it. Put two and two together. This same power is used in ''Heritage'' and ''Voyage'' to help [[ManipulativeBastard Rimmer Dall]] and the [[EvilMentor Morgawr]]'s victims see through the webs of lies the two have created.
228	** Also used with the main Ohmsford of the High Druid series, his family line contains people that can project completely realistic illusions, and even some (like his father and aunt) with near RealityWarper level, and what does he inherit? He gets to be a second rate Dr. Doolittle that can empathicly feel what other living things are feeling, not communicate directly or control, just trade vague feelings with them. Much angsting ensues.
229	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Most of the enemies were people who used the magic irresponsibly and were overcome and corrupted by it. Protagonists use the magic sparingly for this reason.
230	* WizardsLiveLonger: The Druids are the four lands analogs of traditional wizards and all of them had lengthened lifespans. Of course, most of them were either killed or corrupted before the start of the series and the Warlock Lord Brona seeking to invoke this trope through more nebulous means.
231	%% * YouWillKnowWhatToDo
232	* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: Central in "The Voyage of the ''Jerle Shannara''"; also present in the High Druid trilogy, although substitute rediscovered {{Magitek}} for gasbags.

Context Literature / Shannara