The First King of Shannara (Prequel to the Shannara Series)

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.Horrified by the misuse of magic they had witnessed during the First War of the Races, the Druids at Paranor devoted themselves to the study of the old sciences, from the period before the collapse of civilization a thousand years before. Only the Bremen and a few trusted associates still studied the arcane arts. And for his persistence, Bremen found himself outcast, avoided by all but the few free-thinkers among the Druids. But his removal from Paranor was not altogether a terrible thing, for Bremen learned that dark forces were on the move from the Northlands. That seemingly invincible armies of trolls were fast conquering all that lay to their south. That the scouts for the army--and its principal assassins--were Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who had fallen prey to the seductions of the magic arts. And that at the heart of the evil tide was an archmage and former Druid named Brona! Using the special skills he had acquired through his own study of Magic, Bremen was able to penetrate the huge camp of the Troll army and learn many of its secrets. And he immediately understood that if the peoples of the Four Lands were to escape eternal subjugation they would need to unite. But, even united, they would need a weapon, something so powerful that the evil magic of Brona, the Warlock Lord, would fail before its might...

Horrified by the misuse of magic they had witnessed during the First War of the Races, the Druids at Paranor devoted themselves to the study of the old sciences, from the period before the collapse of civilization a thousand years before. Only the Bremen and a few trusted associates still studied the arcane arts. And for his persistence, Bremen found himself outcast, avoided by all but the few free-thinkers among the Druids.

But his removal from Paranor was not altogether a terrible thing, for Bremen learned that dark forces were on the move from the Northlands. That seemingly invincible armies of trolls were fast conquering all that lay to their south. That the scouts for the army—and its principal assassins—were Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who had fallen prey to the seductions of the magic arts. And that at the heart of the evil tide was an archmage and former Druid named Brona!

Using the special skills he had acquired through his own study of Magic, Bremen was able to penetrate the huge camp of the Troll army and learn many of its secrets. And he immediately understood that if the peoples of the Four Lands were to escape eternal subjugation they would need to unite. But, even united, they would need a weapon, something so powerful that the evil magic of Brona, the Warlock Lord, would fail before its might...

This major new novel in the popular Shannara saga holds the answers to some of the thousands of questions Shannara fans have been asking for years. Hundreds of years after the First War of the Races, an army of Trolls destroys the Druids of Paranor. The only force that can prevent their subjugation of the people of the Four Lands is a small band led by Bremen, the last of the Druids.

Dark forces are on the move from the Northlands, and Bremen, an outcast Druid, learns of the huge Troll armies on the march and the Skull Bearers who act as their spies. To save the Druids, Bremen must convince the people of the Four Lands that their only hope lies in uniting -- and in using the magic they fear above all else Banished from Paranor because of his study of forbidden arcane arts, the Druid Bremen discovers that Brona, the evil Warlock Lord, and his dark forces are once again on the move, destroying everything in their path, and only a powerful weapon wielded by a united Four Lands can stop them Bremen, cast out by the Druids because of his study of magic, discovers a plot by evil archmage Brona to conquer the Four Lands, but he must work fast to unite the people of the lands and find a weapon that will stop Brona's power. Prequel to Sword of Shannara. In the fantasy country of Four Lands, good battles evil amid gnomes, warlocks, trolls, dwarfs and elves. The hero is a Druid magician who must find a magic jewel so the elves can defeat the warlocks