The Word and the Void series is a trilogy of novels, set in the USA in the late 20th, early 21st centuries. The series is the very start to what will eventually become the world that the Shannara series of books are set in, with the events in the Word and the Void, and later in the Genesis of Shannara series showing how the world changes and providing a bridge between this world and the Shannara world.

The series focuses on Nest Freemark and John Ross, both protectors of the Word and protectors against the demonic forces of the void.