The Sword of Shannara Trilogy/YMMV

Seinfeld Is Unfunny: Thirty years ago, when the fantasy genre was in its infancy, The Sword Of Shannara was hailed as a worthy successor to Tolkien's epic. Now the prevalance of the tropes in it can make it seem rather cliche.
Ho Yay: Menion Leah is very obviously head-over-heels in love with Shea Ohmsford. Which, when you think about it, might explain why Shea's older brother Flick dislikes Menion so much.
Genre Gateway Drug: While it doesn't differ much from "The Lord of the Rings", "The Sword of Shannara" is a very good book for people who are new to High Fantasy and aren't bored of cliches.

Growing the Beard: As mentioned on the main page, Elfstones is often seen as the point when the series as a whole grew the beard.
High Octane Nightmare Fuel: While many of Demons could be this, by far the biggest source is The Reaper.
Tear Jerker: Amberle's Heroic Sacrifice.
The Woobie: Wisp, one of Mallenroh's servants.

Tear Jerker: This is the one where Allanon dies. And then there's Jair's companions. Helt's is particularly poignant, as is Garet Jax's. In a nondeath related example, Slanter's goodbye to Jair is also quite touching.