Essentially a retelling of Lord of the Rings boiled down to an adventure story with all the mythological references and elevated language removed. Every character and every scene parallels a character or scene in LOTR. If that idea appeals to you then you will enjoy the novel. I loved the book when it came out 30 years ago, when I was an adolescent and Tolkien imitation had not yet become a publishing category. Brooks has written dozens of sequels in the Shannara series, many of them much better than Sword. It is unfortunate that the structure sits on a rather shaky foundation.
