Via the Official Terry Brooks Page, Shawn Speakman, webmaster for Terry Brooks, announced that Brooks has started work on a new, standalone Shannara novel, likely set after the conclusion of the current trilogy, Dark Legacy of Shannara.

Terry has finished the first two chapters of a post-WITCH WRAITH stand alone Shannara novel. The “stand alone” will make many of you happy. The book will be about the same size as he has been writing the last 15 years. More information next year and as he progresses!

Astute Brooks fans might remember that the author had hinted that he was working on an entirely new novel/series, unrelated to any of his previous work. One such fan, remembering this news, asked Speakman about that project. Speakman replied,

When Terry finished WITCH WRAITH he knew exactly what story came afterward and just had to write it. Oddly enough, that led to two more stories that he’ll likely write after the first stand alone — and they will be stand alones as well, apparently. The new project not tied to anything he has written before will just have to wait.

Though I was excited to see Brooks venturing into new territory for the first time in 15 years, since the release of Running with the Demon, I also feel that his standalone Shannara novels, The Elfstones of Shannara and The First King of Shannara, are some of his strongest works, so that’s good news. I’ll bring more news about the standalone novel, and the two others that Brooks plans to write, as I come across it.