The Elfstones of Shannara

Compared to The Sword of Shannara, this one is little deeper and had some really nice magical moments. I was very entranced with the story and was excited to pick it up again each night. If you like the fantasy genre, this is another nice add to your collection. There are some interesting characters in this book. Some heartache, loss and sadness. A good amount of magic, intrigue, mystery make this a fun read. Plus, there are dwarves. What story isn't instantly made better with dwarves? It did end a bit abruptly, but I still enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Sword of Shannara trilogy.

Really 2.5. Generic, predictable, and cliche. The highs and lows aren't very dramatic. Biggest problem is the huge plot holes that really kill the story. The writing is really good so that helped keep me engaged enough to finish. I doubt I'll be reading the next one though.

What to say? I have read so many different fantasy novels that it would be difficult to list them. The Elfstones of Shannara takes the cake. I loved it, both the the first time that I read it and every time after. TES is one of only two books to which I have given a five star rating. The other is Assassin's Quest, a newer book by Robin Hobb. The reason for the very high rating has to do with the beauty of the story. I won't go into hyperbole and say that the book was perfect; there are things that it lacks. For example, the world and its history are not nearly as vivid as what Tolkien created for The Lord of the Rings. However, what it lacks does not take away from the vibrant and carefully drawn out plot, the calm sadness of the romance, and the disheartening trials that the characters have to face. Through it all, Terry Brooks keeps the characters alive, realistic, and human; when you finish the book you want to read it again this book is worthy of a five star rating, and whatever you might expect from it, you will get something different and better. END

The Elfstones of Shannara is a timeless book of evil, good, love, war, magic and betrayal. It is the second book in the Shannara series and deserves respect for surpassing its original, The Sword of Shannara. The book features dozens of twists and unpredictable turns and events that keep it interesting at all times. Its deep, dark, and mystical feel gives it a genuine and thrillingly spooky feel. The main character, Wil Ohmsford is the quarter-elven descendent of the original hero and user of the elfstones, Shea Ohmsford. Wil must take the last elven "Chosen" girl to a place where a magical seed can be revived to be planted and take the place of the dying Ecrys tree, which protects the Elven race from millions of demons trapped in an eternal darkness. Such begins the enthralling epic of the land of Shannara.

This book is much better than The Sword Of Shannara in my opinion. It feels as if Terry Brooks has grown as an author and is more comfortable with his medium.
In this novel, the Ellcrys, the holder back of all evil, is in danger and is in fact dying. The demon hoardes are scrambling to get out of their prison as their prison guard, the Ellcrys, weakens. Allanon comes to the see Wil Ohmsford, grandson of Shea, and recruits him to help in the quest to save mankind. Allanon and Wil go to gather up an elven girl named Amberle who seems to be the only thing that can save the day.
Allanon knows about an arcane fact which can save the Ellcrys, and with it, mankind. This novel is the epic quest of these three individuals to save the Ellcrys against unbelievable odds.
This is a good one.

I personally love Brooks and his writing style. I have read every single one of his Shannara series and I have greatly enjoyed most of them. Although all were good, some stood out more than others. This is one of them. I read this book a long time ago but it still stands out at the best fantasy book I've read thus far. I'm not one to brazenly praise just any book I've read so this is a heartfelt review. I logged onto the store.com, wrote a scathing review for a recent, non-Brooks, fantasy book....thought for a moment on what I thought was the best fantasy book I've ever read...and made my way over here so i could counteract the review I made just 10 minutes earlier. Enjoy! You will not regret this action packed story :-)

"The Elfstones of Shannara" functions better than "Swords" in terms of showcasing Brooks personality and strengthening the differences between him and Tolkien. While this chapter in his fantasy saga does not pull Terry Brooks out of his predecessor's shadow, it does take a step in the right direction. It seems strange, almost, reading a book decades after it's published, and then reviewing it almost a year after. But the fact that I still recall most of the characters and most of the stepping stones that form its plot speak to my fondness for this story. Published in 1982, "Elfstones" expands the Shannara universe. While the first novel journeyed north, this one explores west, just as the next sequel, "Wishsong," goes east.

The young Omsford hero is Wil, the grandson of Shea, whose journey to master the unpredictable, untamable, and immeasurable power of the Elfstones and escort Amberle Elessedil to the Ellcrys form the pivotal arc of the novel. Yet I would argue that the two Elessedils' personal struggles are more worthy of attention. Over the course of the story, Amberle learns of the terrible sacrifice she has to make and through her, Brooks studies the age old balance between personal freedom and a far-reaching destiny. It is the choice all heroes have to make and of course Amberle emerges true, but the cost is dire and when Wil feels gut-wrenching despair at what is lost, so do we feel it; not because Brooks tells us to (I'm telling you to, dammit), but because we've all lost someone close to our hearts, or at least, we can imagine what that would be like.

In hindsight, I doubt Wil and Amberle ever entertained romantic feelings for one another. But their chemistry for one another and the intricacy of love that emerges from taking another being's life and swearing to protect it with your own transcends romance. They were bound in life and I think Brooks nailed it honestly and perfectly.

The other significant hero in this narrative is Ander Elessedil. He is the younger, underwhelming Prince of the Elves. He has a strained relationship with his brother Arion, a close one with his niece Amberle, and an unfulfilled one with his father Eventine. The Elves serve as wardens of the Ellcrys, a magical seal over a prison dimension containing demons from the Age of Faerie. As the Ellcrys weakens and demons pour out, the Elves muster their armies for war. The battle is narrated fluently, as I've come to expect of Brooks. When Arion is killed in battle, Ander is thrust into a leadership position, and he forces himself to act as his brother would. Fake it till you make it, it would seem. Against the desperate mood of the war in the backdrop as slowly, but surely, their Elven forces lose ground and numbers, Arion becomes a capable military leader and a beacon of hope for his people. He develops a friendship with the formidable but kind Stee Jans, the leader of the Legion Free Corps, one of his fewest confidants.

The story is gripping, the characters memorable, the tone somber. Wil and Amberle's harrowing flight is fraught with death and sorrow from beginning to end while Ander's warfront captures the dark mood and desperate perspective of real-world combat. This is easily one of Terry Brooks' darker novels and one of his finest additions to an epic universe in the multiverse of fantasy.

An excellent book. I've read all of Terry Brooks work, and he has got better and better as an author through the years. (Though I must mention I love his first book Sword of Shannara). This book contains an excellent thrilling tale, keeping you gripped to your seat the whole time. It is one of my favourites. It is highly recommended, a real fight between good and evil, containing one of the greatest chases ever. (Our heros hunted by the Reaper).

I think most people will say that while the Shannara books aren't the "best" in the genre, there is something about them that I've always loved, and I still recommend them to anyone interested in the genre. Decently written and engaging, these books have been among my favorites in the fantasy genre since my early years of discovering them!

Some books are scary -- they've got unpredictable plots that twist and turn, throwing you curve ball after curve ball and forever adding new story elements to keep you off guard. Understandably, a lot of folks shy away from such unstable literary techniques -- when they sit down to read a book, they want the expected! They want a formulaic plot! They want a happy ending, by damn! Fortunately for these timid souls, Terry Brooks has hit another by-the-numbers grand slam with Elfstones of Shannara.
J.R.R. Tolkien essentially defined the rules of today's fantasy genre with his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Throughout thousands of fantasy novels, elves are Tolkien's elves, dwarves are Tolkien's dwarves, and so on. The Lord of the Rings series also provides a wonderful recyclable plot.
Terry Brooks is no fool: He stays cleanly within the boundaries of this time-honored tradition. During your first read, you probably won't notice how precisely Elfstones echoes Lord of the Rings. For example, the wizened old magician who charges the protaganist(s) with his epic task is named Allanon, not Gandalf. The reluctant hero(es) is of elven decent, not hobbit. In Elfstones, an arduous journey full of many dangers and encounters must be made to throw a seed in a fiery pit. In Lord of the Rings, an arduous journey full of many dangers and encounters must be made to throw a ring into a fiery pit.
After several dozen reads of Elfstones, you may begin to perceive such similarities. You may also begin to perceive a sameness between Elfstones and Brooks' many other Shannara novels: Standoffish wizard approaches unwitting hero, hero grudgingly embarks on perilous quest to a faraway land, accompanied by many smart-alecky sidekicks en route, eventually reaching the final destination and destroying an evil foe/recovering powerful artifact, thereby preventing the armies of darkness from conquering the world. Yes, every book in Brooks' Shannara series features an identical plot! In this manner, Brooks has established himself as a master of literary conventionality and restraint.
If you're anywhere near normal, you've read the Lord of the Rings trilogy at least 50-60 times. Next time you begin it, why not read a version with different names? One of my personal favorites is to mix-and-match, for example, you can read the first two books of the Rings trilogy, then finish with the last third of one of the Shannara books -- it all flows together seamlessly, as if one were a direct plagarism of the other! Or, you can read the first third of any random Shannara book, continue with the second installment of the Rings series, and end it all with the last several chapters of a different Shannara novel! The possibilities are virtually limitless!
Although it's true that Brooks hints at some new tricks with Elfstones (there are TWO reluctant heroes), in the end he doesn't disappoint, and you get exactly what you expected when you first laid eyes on the cover. An extremely satisfactory romp through comfortingly familiar territory!

I owned the hardback versions of Brooks' work for years, but when I moved from a large house into a small apartment, I had to get rid of my extensive library. Kindle to the rescue! The wonderful thing about the Shannara series is that 30 years later, I can sit and enjoy them all over again and be swept away into a world of fantasy with rich descriptions and vibrant characters....it just does not get any better!

Terry Brooks is a true master of Fantasy. He captures the readers attention with an Iron Hand and keeps you spellbound till the very end. Just read his work!! He has everything in his books (altough I have only read 2) He has Trolls, Gnomes, Elves, Dragons, Demons(of all kinds),Dwarfs and my personal favorite, Allanon the Druid. I thought nothing could top Sword of Shannara. How wrong I was. The Elfstones of Shannara was sensational. I skipped a day of School just to read it. Altough I find Allanon an interesting character, I thought that the Reaper stole the show. He expressed such terror that I found him fasinating. The battle scenes between the demons and the Elves were one wild addrenilin rush after another. Do yourself a favour and read Terry Brooks's books, they'll change your life.

This book bears the distinction for being the first and last of Brooks` works in which he turns his hand to character development ... a pity, because in this case at least, the results were magical. This book a masterpiece of fantasy with all the necessary ingredients: great characters, a complex plot and sorcerous battles weave an elaborate tapestry that puts other author`s good vs. evil conflicts in the shade. Psychological terror and wonder form a truly disturbing blend, and the entire book is it`s own, self-contained world. No previous introduction to Four Lands is necessary to enjoy this book - it was the first Shannara book I read. Guaranteed to spellbind, chill, and enchant

This book got so suspensful at some points that I had to get up and pace.Here is the plot :The Ellcrys tree is dying ,loosening the spell that bars the Demons from entering the world again ,therefore almost immediatlely allowing Demons to return .The only way that the Ellcrys may be saved is if her seed is brought to the magical Bloodfire .The only one that may do this is the Elf -maiden Amberle,but Amberle is almost helpless .She needs protection ,so Allanon the Druid chooses Wil Ohmsford to protect her .All he has to protect her are the magical Elfstones .

A very good book. It being my first fantasy novel I read, (age 9) I'm now 13 and I've read all his Shannara and Landover series'. And much more. I recently read it a 2nd time because of i'ts quality and I was starting to forget about it(What Horror!)
I hope Terry writes more Shannara and Landover. After reading the series, I have a sizeable belief that Shannara takes place in the future, with the stone city and the old-sciences. I like the Leah's because of their strong will and I'm a highlander myself.

Keep it up Terry!

I enjoyed this book. However, I disagree that this is one of his best. I definitely recommend reading if you are a Brooks fan. Next book (The Wishsong...) is way better. Hopefully this review is helpful.

Much improved over his first work. Better characters. And actually a couple of notable female protagonists. The only drawback is that it is still a LOTR clone almost beat for beat. A recipe I hope he veers away from in the next book.

Another Masterpiece from Terry Brooks. I have fallen in love with all the characters in the Shannara series. I had a late start in reading these books . I am looking forward to reading every book in this series.

It was a fun read, but the characters were monotonically written. And reality was rashly ignored. For instant, the hero and heroine were on a raft in a cabin for 4 days where they were not allowed to leave the cabin. What about the daily needs of people? And horses could run for all day. It just felt like the story had no basic reality and how can you care for people who are not real.

This is a very well writen fantasy book. The characters are all well shapped and the battles are described very vividly. This is one of my favortite fantasy books.

p.s. I'm not really a "kid" but don't feel like posting the email adress.

An absolutly wonderful book! Ecspecially after the "Sword of Shannara"!! I couldn't put it down, if your looking for a fantastic read, read this book. I give Terry Brooks a standing ovation for the "Elfstones of Shannara"!!

ELFSTONES WAS THE FIRST TERRY BROOKS BOOK I READ AND I MUST SAY WOW!!! I'VE READ ELFSTONES THREE TIMES NOW AND IT NEVER GETS BORING. I LOVE WHEN ALLANON IS STANDING UP ON THE WALL FACING THE DEMONS ALONE. THAT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS.

Terry Brooks is an above average writer when it comes to technical standards, but every one of his books is just boring. It's pretty surprising to me, I've never seen this before. I keep thinking I should be enjoying these books yet I'm not. They're putting me to sleep.

I enjoyed most of this book, although I think that it has almost an identical plot outline as that of the Sword of Shannara: Allanon comes, and takes an Ohmsford, he hides his secrets from them, he tells them that only they can save the world, they moan and complain, they do it anyway, the quest, big battle scene, all ends well! But, don't mistake me! I enjoyed the book! If you like his other books you should read this one, for sure! My favorite part in the book is the battlescenes with the demons, and how Allanon uses his nagic to help them. What is great about this book is that it is realitstic, with alot of the 'good-guys' dieing also as well as the 'bad-guys'! I was a bit sad for Par Ohmsford, though, what happended to Amberle at the end! I think he really was in love with her.
Well, that's just my opinion!

Read the book again after 30 years because of the TV series. Book is still fantastic. Do not waste your time on the TV series. MTV has taken every character and changed them into something they aren't. Travesty.

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 Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There were still echoes of Tolkien’s world present in Elfstones the seven gates of Arborlon remind one of the seven gates of Gondor’s 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. Brook’s universe.

Shallow ...... I am a Tolkien-nut ...... I love Tolkien for depth, descriptions, magic, plots, characters. All that is missing here in a clunky, elementary fantasy plot written in grammar school sentences. I guess this is a young adult book .... I guess ..... Wow, 41/2 stars overall ...... very, very, over-rated. I will never buy a Kindle book again without getting a free sample first. Thank goodness this book is easy to skim ..... won't miss anything much from skimming. I chose to read fantasy as an escape from today's current political crisis. Now, I'm more depressed than ever. I'm going to dust off my old Frank Herbet books - at least the battle over evil is satisfyingly real in the Dune books.

In this sequel to the Sword of Shannara, Brooks swings for the fences, and connects in a big way. This grand epic tale picks up some 50 years after the end of the Sword. The Druid Allanon again walks the earth, for evil magic threatens the inhabitants of the Four Lands. He turns again to the Ohmsford faimily to help him defeat this evil, this time in the person of Shea's grandson, Wil. Once again we see elves, gnomes, dwarves, trolls, and mankind joined in a struggle for their very existance, but with a twist: this time they are all fighting together against the evil Demons who threaten to break free of their mystical prison of eons. The story becomes one of two parts: a heroic struggle of the combined armies of Elves, man, dwarves, and trolls against the Demon hoards, and the frantic flight of Wil Ohmsford as he guides the elven girl Amberle to the mystic place where the seed of the Ellcrys can be reborn, once again trapping the demons in their hated prison.

This tale is so much better than the first book that it often is hard to believe that they were written by the same author. But Brooks' brilliant prose, inspired story lines, and wonderful characters - only observed in flashes in the Sword of Shannara - are on full display throughout the Elfstones of Shannara. The reader is drawn into this book almost instantly, and before 50 pages are gone there is no way you can put this book down. Written in flashes of headlong action and peaceful interludes, one can scarcely catch their breath before the action carries them forward again. Once again Brooks presents us some wonderfully real characters: the old king Eventine, seeing his health and his people slip away as the enemy draws near, seemingly unstoppable. The saucy Rover girl who fancies Wil, yet still risks her life several times to save Amberele. The indomitable Stee Jans and his Free Corps, a kind of French Foreign Legion. The Elven Prince Ander, so unsure of himself or his place with his people, rising to become a crafty and trusted leader. The book literally crawls with great characters, making the reading of this such a joy.

The seige of Arborlon ranks right up there with some of the classic seiges in fantasy literature: Minas Tirath in the Return of the King. Revelstone in The Power That Preseves. With this book Terry Brooks serves notice that he is not just another derivitive author hanging onto Tolkein's coattails, but a powerufl and compelling author in his own right. I don't give out many 5-star ratings, but this book richly deserves it.