The Elfstones of Shannara

As I mentioned in my review of The Sword of Shannara, I decided to try some of these Terry Brooks books after seeing the MTV series. I was pleased to visit again with Allanon, Eventine and even old Flick. I actually finished this books weeks ago but was reading another that was a real slog to get through. I\’m back in my sci-fi fantasy world now and happy to be back. I liked this book much more than The Sword. The characters of Wil Ohmsford and Amberle are much easier to connect to than the ones in The Sword. Throughout The Sword of Shannara, I was distracted by the obvious connection to The Lord of The Rings. This story, although in the same Shannara universe, is much different. The impending loss of the Ellcrys, the journey to Safehold in search of th e Bloodfire, is very compelling, even more so than the TV series. The character of the Dagda Mor is much more scary than on the series but the confrontation between him and Allanon was a bit disappointing in this book. That being said, the interaction between Will and Amberle and Eretria was very interesting. Not to be a spoiler but Cephelo died much too easily in this book. The interaction between Ander and Arion and Eventine was much more involved in this book and I liked that that Ander became the better of the two. It is the characters in books that do it for me. We all want to read a book with a series of characters we can identify with accompanied by a great story. The Elfstones of Shannara does this well. You love the hero and you hate and fear the opposing characters. You have the ever present mystery figure of Allanon and the Terry Brooks constant Ohmsford family person in this series. I really liked this book and I am not a big fan of these fantasies that revolve around swords, elves, demons and wizards. Mr Brooks has done a good job here…worth a look.

I went in reading this book after watching the television show. Omg how different this is as compared to that! I enjoyed myself so much the relationship between all of the characters is so interwoven, so much more than the tv show would ever be able to display. The battles, the Rocs the demons. I am really looking forward to what comes next.

I read Tolkien in college. Some might say the Sword of Shannara was an updated or modernized version of LOTR, and they would not be completely wrong. In Elfstones, however Brooks takes things in a new and exciting direction. A more menacing and universal threat, new and frightening villains, and an endless sense of despair that your favorite characters just aren\’t going to make it really had me turning the pages to the wee hours. The ending was climactic and a bit disturbing but in a good way. I\’m onto his next book already and don\’t see me slowing down anytime soon. Love the series.

I have been a reader of Terry Brooks\’ books since the mid \’80s. I have read all the Shannara books and with the series now coming to MTV I wanted to refresh my memory on Elfstones so decided to reread this one. I rarely reread books. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the second time and actually have a greater appreciation for Mr. Brooks\’ writing style having attempted to read other authors\’ initial fantasy books and put them down within a few chapters due to rushed character introductions, plot advancement, and poor description of environment. This was the author\’s second published book and I have to say I love it probably more than I did the first time I read it. The book is for readers of all ages and I most likely approached the plot differently now that I am nearly 25 years older. I think I focused more on the druid and elf prince plot more so than the young adventurers and have to say all characters were finely developed. With casting announcements for the television series and descriptions of the characters – expect slightly different portrayels than the book due to the target demographics. I would recommend reading this book prior to watching the series. Not totally necessary to read book one – Sword of Shannara first but may make sense – they have an anniversary audio version on that one unabridged which is great to listen to on commute to work.

In Elfstones of Shannara Mr. Brooks comes into his own as a fantasy writer. The story is highly engaging and sucks you in immediately. It has a good blend of fantasy adventure themes and military conflict. In a nice flip the trolls former protagonists in Sword of Shannara become elven allies in Elfstones. One could never imagine the elves and orcs ever joining forces in Tolkiens Middle Earth. There were still echoes of Tolkiens world present in Elfstones the seven gates of Arborlon remind one of the seven gates of Gondors Minus Tirith. It is a coming of age story for three of the main characters as they are forced to grow up quickly in the face of the demon threat and face their greatest fears in the process. An engaging read. I plan on picking up the next book in the trilogy and once again immersing myself in Mr. Brooks universe.

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