Running with the Demon is the first book in the Word/Void fantasy series, written by Terry Brooks as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1997 by Ballantine's Del Rey division. The story takes place in the fictional town of Hopewell, Illinois, around the Fourth of July in 1997. It concerns two magic-users, Nest Freemark and John Ross as they try to stop a Demon that has come to town. It is followed by the novel A Knight of the Word.