Fool's Fate vs The Sword of Shannara: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Quests, Magic, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Fiction
Fool's Fate
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A heralded writer of epic fantasy, Robin Hobb has given readers worlds within worlds in her heroic Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogies. Now she takes the final step in the breathtaking trilogy of the Tawny Man, as…
The Sword of Shannara
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A young man and his brother set out on a journey to find the magical "Sword of Shannara". Only the mystical sword can defeat the evil overlord and his minions.
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Fool's Fate highest: Fool's Fate 4.5 · The Sword of Shannara 3.8.
- The Sword of Shannara has the widest readership — 103067 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Fool's Fate | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.5 (95440) | 3.8 (103067) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (443) | 3.4 (353) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (5) | 4.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (424) | 4.5 (247) |
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Reception
| Fool's Fate | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 95440 | 103067 |
| Editions | 14 | 39 |
| Citations | — | 9 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 33925 | 76713 |
| Reading it now | 1970 | 5934 |
| Written reviews | 4943 | 5362 |
| Wikipedia attention | 957 | 6501 |
| Pages | 805 | 726 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Fool's Fate or The Sword of Shannara?
Fool's Fate has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Fool's Fate 4.5/5, The Sword of Shannara 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Fool's Fate or The Sword of Shannara?
The Sword of Shannara is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Sword of Shannara (726 pages, ≈ 13 h 27 m); Fool's Fate (805 pages, ≈ 14 h 54 m).
Which is harder to read: Fool's Fate or The Sword of Shannara?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Fool's Fate: Moderate; The Sword of Shannara: Moderate.