Sword of Shannara and the Elfstones of Shannara

Sword of Shannara has a well-deserved reputation for being a near-total imitation of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, with only the serial numbers filed off to aid the deception. It's not even told particularly well. Readers are advised to skip it.

Elfstones of Shannara is, in my opinion, the best of the Shannara books. Terry Brooks has exorcised the need to imitation Tolkein, and is now free to explore a somewhat different -- and more original -- story. While he does not succeed in creating a classic that will ring down through the ages, he does manage a reasonably enjoyable fantasy novel.