Shannara Series Is it set in this wourld

[garreth Jacks]

After reading the Sword of Shannara, Elfstones and Wishsong I have come to the conclusion that it is set in the future and also it is set on this world does anybody else agree with me.

 

[rune]

Interesting question I'd always considered it set in another world.

 

[Allanon]

the way i always thought was that it is set in this world but like yourself i think it is far in the future.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It's been a long time since I read Sword of Shannara (whatever year it first came out), so I don't remember exactly where and how he said so, but I thought Brooks made it pretty clear that it was our world after some future apocalypse.

Wasn't there some line to the effect that the elves and dwarves had always been here, but we never noticed them? Or am I remembering that wrong?

 

[Allanon]

thats correct kelpie, not exact words but damn close

 

[GOLLUM]

It's been a long time since I read Sword of Shannara (whatever year it first came out), so I don't remember exactly where and how he said so, but I thought Brooks made it pretty clear that it was our world after some future apocalypse.

100% correct Kelpie.

For those who may not be aware, Terry confirmed this is the case in more recent interviews, altough it had always been a source of speculation by fans in the past. The next 9 or more books after Straken will deal with this pre-Shannara history beginning with the demise of our world (re: Apocalypse) and the original foundation of the Druid Council, reappearance of the older races etc...

Could be interesting to see how he handles things.

 

[rune]

I didnt realise that the series was set in our world. Must be honest though, I'd find it difficult to believe it was as most of the species are based on myth and I sometimes find it difficult to envisage them being real in regards to our world.

 

[GOLLUM]

True but don't forget it is fantasy we're talking about here, so I suppose anything goes within reason.

 

[Balinor]

I first came to the conclusion that it was our world in the future when they took the Jerle Shannara over the sea to ffind the books of knowledge (or something like that) and in the end Walker found small metal discs that contained all the knowledge (CDs?)

 

[Rosemary]

Although a Fantasy story, I have always thought it was set in our world. There seemed to me, a number of 'hints' that guided me to this conclusion. As Kelpie and Balinor has pointed out, the elves, dwarves and the CDs were for me definate indications.

Only one thought kept me a little puzzled. Could there be an áncient future'?

The further into the series I read, the more the sense of ántiquity' seemed to become apparent.

This however vies with the thought that the future will be more like science fiction, with space travel, pills for food and hooked up to machines that allows the contents of a book to be absorbed by the brain and read. It seems hard to equate the Shannara world with this thought.

 

[Allanon]

i think the shannara world is a result of what you just described rosey

 

[hedgeknight]

Yep, it's our world after an apocalyptic event. My friends and I have discussed this for years, but I really didn't buy it until The Druid of Shannara. And was even more convinced after the events in the Jerle Shannara series.
-g-

 

[ChasenFate]

Yep, it's our world after an apocalyptic event. My friends and I have discussed this for years, but I really didn't buy it until The Druid of Shannara. And was even more convinced after the events in the Jerle Shannara series.
-g-

Well, When I first started reading the series back in the 90's I thought it was some Medevial world. After reading The Druid of Shannara I changed my mind to the future after some very bad war (apocalyptic). Some races have discovered the old knowledge(what we know today).

 

[Parsimony]

Well, When I first started reading the series back in the 90's I thought it was some Medevial world. After reading The Druid of Shannara I changed my mind to the future after some very bad war (apocalyptic). Some races have discovered the old knowledge(what we know today).

Same here - toward the end of Heritage and beginning of Voyage was when I think I began to see how Shannara may be set in our own world. This theory has spawned several more theories on what composes "magic" in Brooks' world.

 

[hashpond420]

Hey in case you guys didn't know the dwarves are NOT as old as elves, they are in fact another mutation of humans i.e. gnomes and trolls.
Also i've only read the sword trilogy and the heritage series, at the age of 15(long time ago) and i don't how you guys didn't get the post apocolyptic our world thing, or why it took like 10 books of shannara to make you realize this.
I mean come on do you not remember the science of old, or the description of the great wars and how people fled from terrible (radiation) sickness and eventually bacame the races of the books, or maybe Coglines gunpowder, or how about the huge city Walker went to to find the black elfstone, you know how it had subways complete with tracks and, oh yeah, the giant skyscrapers.
You guys should READ what your reading and come up with theories that are not told to you, straight up, as shannara cannon.
SWED.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Got to be said, Brook's has some of the most charismatic fans in the genre.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I might actually read Brooks again.... I was not aware that there was any intrigue in his books. I always assumed that they were diluted hacks of LOTR. Perhaps I missed something.

 

[devilsgrin]

they are...But... they're still great books.

 

[Swady]

I don't think that you can say they are all diluted Hacks of LOTR's. At the start I can see where you are coming from but the later books I think that he has created his own path and don't see a correlation to LOTR's.
As for the Idea that they are set in this world, does it have to be this world? Can it not be a different world that had an advanced civilisation that fell into the way he describes it. That might account for the elves and magic. I never knoticed any direct links to earth within it.

 

[Phobos]

Terry Brooks has admitted that he was inspired by the LOTR and you can see the connections between them, however Brooks has created a completely seperate story and is bridging two of his most popular series, the work is completely original.


I always found it fairly obvious that it was set in our "future world" and this is explored in his new book Armageddon's Children.