The Elfstones of Shannara vs The Sword of Shannara: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Elves, Good and evil, Magic, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Fiction
The Elfstones of Shannara
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Ancient, ultimate evil threaterned the Elves and the Races of Man. For the Ellcrys, the tree created by long-lost elven magic, was dying, losing the spell of Forbidding that locked the hordes of ravening Demons away…
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 The Elfstones of Shannara highest: The Elfstones of Shannara 4.1 · 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
| The Elfstones of Shannara | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (9) | 3.8 (103067) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (208) | 3.4 (353) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (181) | 4.5 (247) |
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Reception
| The Elfstones of Shannara | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 208 | 103067 |
| Editions | 23 | 39 |
| Citations | — | 9 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 76713 |
| Reading it now | — | 5934 |
| Written reviews | — | 5362 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1794 | 6501 |
| Pages | 619 | 726 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Elfstones of Shannara or The Sword of Shannara?
The Elfstones of Shannara has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Elfstones of Shannara 4.1/5, The Sword of Shannara 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Elfstones of Shannara or The Sword of Shannara?
The Elfstones of Shannara is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Elfstones of Shannara (619 pages, ≈ 11 h 28 m); The Sword of Shannara (726 pages, ≈ 13 h 27 m).
Which is harder to read: The Elfstones of Shannara or The Sword of Shannara?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Elfstones of Shannara: Moderate; The Sword of Shannara: Moderate.