Terry Brooks was born in Sterling, Illinois in 1944. During his childhood, Terry realized that while he enjoyed role-playing, he found that his mind was able to carry a vast playground of ideas. He started writing when he was in the fourth grade and became hooked. He continued with his writing interest all through law school. During which time he wrote the draft for what became the blockbuster hit "The Sword of Shannara."
Terry submitted the draft to Ballantine books courtesy of Don Wollheim in 1974. The president of Ballantine, Ron Busch, gave it to Judy-Lynn Del Rey for her review. She gave it to her husband Lester Del Rey who used it to help jump-start the fantasy genre in the post Lord of the Rings era. In 1977, and after much revision, "The Sword of Shannara" was published. The book became a success and launched a whole series that furthers the story of the Ohmsford family struggle with evil.
Not just limiting himself to the Shannara series, Terry wrote two more to date: "The Word and Void" (3 books) and "The Magic Kingdom of Landover" (5 books). He is also the author of the book adaptations to the movies "Hook" and "Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace."
Recently, plans have been undertaken to turn the Magic Kingdom series into a movie. Stephen Sommers, of "The Mummy" and "Van Helsing" fame, has been chosen to direct the movie. The production company "Universal" acquired the rights with Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz adapting the text to screenplay. Exact date of movie release is unknown as of yet.
Today (2005), Terry lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife Judine. He gives tours and book signings with readings from his latest writing project. He is currently working on a six-book project that furthers the Shannara storyline as well as combine it with his "Word and Void" series.
