The High King vs The Sword of Shannara: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Swords, Good and evil, Magic, Fantasy, Fiction
The High King
“Under a chill, gray sky, two riders jogged across the turf.”
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In this final part of the chronicle of Prydain the forces of good and evil meet in an ultimate confrontation, which determines the fate of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wanted to be a hero.
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 High King highest: The High King 4.3 · The Sword of Shannara 3.8.
- The High King is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 13 for The Sword of Shannara.
- The Sword of Shannara has the widest readership — 103067 ratings behind its score.
- The High King reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 24 times.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The High King | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (56939) | 3.8 (103067) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (113) | 3.4 (353) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 5.0 (55) | 4.5 (247) |
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Reception
| The High King | The Sword of Shannara | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 56939 | 103067 |
| Editions | 46 | 39 |
| Citations | 24 | 9 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 17958 | 76713 |
| Reading it now | 357 | 5934 |
| Written reviews | 1798 | 5362 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1310 | 6501 |
| Pages | 269 | 726 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The High King or The Sword of Shannara?
The High King has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The High King 4.3/5, The Sword of Shannara 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The High King or The Sword of Shannara?
The High King is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The High King (269 pages, ≈ 4 h 59 m); The Sword of Shannara (726 pages, ≈ 13 h 27 m).
Which is harder to read: The High King or The Sword of Shannara?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The High King: Moderate; The Sword of Shannara: Moderate.