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Series · epic fantasy
Genesis of Shannara
The Genesis of Shannara series by Terry Brooks has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Armageddon's Children (2006).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 2006
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Armageddon's Children (2006) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Armageddon's Children
Armageddon's Children opened the trilogy in 2006 at 404 pages, introducing Hawk -- leader of the orphaned street children called the Ghosts in ruined Seattle around the year 2100 -- and the Knights of the Word sent to find him, Logan Tom and Angel Perez.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Armageddon's Children - Book 2:
The Elves of Cintra
The Elves of Cintra followed in 2007 as the shortest of the three at 351 pages, following the Oregon Elves' search for the Elfstones needed to save their dying Ellcrys tree.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Elves of Cintra - Book 3:
The Gypsy Morph
The Gypsy Morph closed the trilogy in 2008 at 402 pages, bringing Hawk's true nature as a gypsy morph and the Elves' desperate migration to a single conclusion.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Gypsy Morph
About the Genesis of Shannara series
Terry Brooks's Genesis of Shannara trilogy is the direct sequel to Word and Void and the missing link between that contemporary trilogy and the entire Shannara saga, opening around the year 2100 in a world devastated by nuclear war and plague. Armageddon's Children follows Hawk, leader of a group of orphaned street children called the Ghosts hiding out in ruined Seattle, who is secretly a gypsy morph -- a magical being of immense, unrealized power -- and the son of Nest Freemark, the Word and Void trilogy's protagonist, now dead and remembered only as a legend among the surviving Knights of the Word. Two of those Knights, Logan Tom and Angel Perez, are sent to find and protect Hawk while a group of Elves in Oregon, guardians of a mysteriously endangered Ellcrys tree, search for the magical Elfstones that will let them save it. The Elves of Cintra and The Gypsy Morph carry both threads forward as demons, mutant creatures, and the collapsing remains of human civilization close in, building to Hawk fulfilling his true nature and the Elves' desperate migration to a hidden refuge.
The trilogy directly explains how the post-nuclear America of Word and Void becomes the fantastical, magic-suffused Four Lands of the Original Shannara Trilogy, tying Brooks's two separate storylines -- one set in our own world, one in a far-future one -- into a single continuous history.
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Genesis of Shannara trilogy in?
Publication order: Armageddon's Children, The Elves of Cintra, The Gypsy Morph — also the internal chronology.
Do I need to read Word and Void first?
Yes — Genesis of Shannara is its direct sequel, and Hawk's identity as the son of Nest Freemark, the earlier trilogy's protagonist, is central to the story.
How does Genesis of Shannara connect to the Shannara series?
It bridges the nuclear-devastated near-future setting of Word and Void into the far-future Four Lands of the Original Shannara Trilogy, explaining how one world becomes the other.
Who is Hawk?
A gypsy morph — a being of immense, unrealized magical power — who leads a group of orphaned street children in post-apocalyptic Seattle, unaware for most of the trilogy of his true nature or his mother's history.
Where does Genesis of Shannara fit in the Four Lands' overall timeline?
It's chronologically the earliest part of the Shannara saga, set centuries before the events of the Original Shannara Trilogy, even though it was written and published decades later.
How many books are in the Genesis of Shannara series?
3: Armageddon's Children (2006), The Elves of Cintra (2007), and The Gypsy Morph (2008).
If you like the Genesis of Shannara series
Reading order last verified .