 "Book Rating" | 2009-09-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2XNQA6WRX0MMA |
| I gave this book a 5 star rating becouse I felt it was one of the best fantasy books I ever read. A great story and will appeal to readers of all ages. |
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 "A Piece of Shannara's History With New and Old Favorites" | 2009-06-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWBP7MOTQ7C4C |
(Book 2 of the Shannara Series)
I have long since been a fan of classic fantasy, (Drizzt, Dragonlance, Magic the Gathering, Warhammer, etc...), and I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's last in this series, the Sword of Shannara. I undoubtedly wanted to read this one next.
NOTE: This is continued from my prior review, "The Sword of Shannara," and I recommend reading that review/novel before this one for a better flow of the stories.
Synopsis: In the Western elven city of Arborlon, the Ellcrys, sacred tree holding barrier over the demon forces of evil through the spell known as the Forbidding, is mysteriously dying. The Chosen, the specifically chosen group of elves who tend the tree, are the only ones who can commune with the tree and save it; however, 6 of the 7 Chosen are found butchered. This leaves Amberle, Eventine Elessedil's granddaughter, a very important role in things to come.
-Eventine discovers through endless hours of scrying tombs, the Ellcrys will bestow its treasured seed to one of its Chosen. This seed must be taken to the fountain of life, known as the Bloodfire. This fountain lies within the maze known as the Safehold, but not one person knows the location of said maze because it has not been sought after since the old ages. It becomes obvious the fountain must be reached with the seed before it is too late.
-Ander, Eventine's youngest, and Arion, Eventine's oldest sons are called upon for help. Arion is dispatched to handle matters Sarandanon, therefore, Ander steps up to duty. Old druidic friend of Eventine, Allanon, appears about the same time of the slaughter of the Chosen and gives the king council telling him his only hope lies with Amberle; however, she has an ill-favored reputation with the elven nation due to her mysterious abandonment of her duties as a Chosen.
-With the weakening of the Ellcrys, the demons within the Forbidding spell make a debut. The most feared, powerful demon steps forth: Dagda Mor. Darkly clad bearing a Staff of Power, he heralds two other powerful beings to his aid: the sneaky Changeling, and the insidious Reaper. The three demons declare a personal vengeance on the nations of the living for banishing them in the abyss and decide they must annihilate any attempts at reviving the wilting Ellcrys.
- Allanon makes haste from Arborlon to the druidic keep at Paranor to confirm some suspicions about the Ellcrys; after his research he has a near death encounter with the Dagda Mor while barely escaping with his life. He departs to the Gnome village of Storlock to meet with Shea Ohmsford's grandson: Wil Ohmsford. Wil discovers he is the one to help Amberle in her quest because Shea has bestowed the precious elfstones unto Wil and only these can repel the demons that have returned. The druid and half-elf make for the quaint town of Havenstead and attempt to convince Amberle to fulfill self-discarded role of the only Chosen left and restore the Ellcrys tree to repel the demons. The only variable is she does not know if she is still held as a Chosen by the Ellcrys and can only find out through direct contact with the tree.
-Amberle is convinced to come through a quick decision to leave her village to lead a band of pursuing demons away from her protected village. Wil and Amberle get separated from Allanon during the chase and happen upon the King of the Silver River. The King transports them to Rainbow Lake where they make a camp across from a band of Rovers: traveling band of wagons of road travelers that live and thrive from the roadside. With their horse disappearing, Wil decides to confront the Rovers regarding the steed's disappearance. He meets the leader, Cephelo, a man of intelligence and wit. Wil barters passage with the band of Rovers as they travel west until encountering a towering demon with which he defeats with his Elfstones. Cephelo decides to cut the duo loose with their horse as they flee a horde of demon wolves as they make for the Valley of Renn and ultimately join Allanon in Aborlorn. An unwelcome council is held and Amberle is given permission to interact with Ellcrys.
-Once Amberle is bestowed with the seed, she and Wil make for the southwest lands towards the elven outpost of Dreywood. They are escorted by an elven elite unit led by the noble elf, Crispin. They stumble upon Dreywood littered with elven corpses and have a deadly encounter, leaving some dead, with the pursuing Reaper. They flee through the marshland of the Matted Brakes, and arrive at the twin Pykon towers spanning the western Mermidon River. Wil and Amberle are the sole survivors of a desperate flight from the towers to the surrounding lands beyond. The weary duo makes it to the edge of the Rock Spur Mountains where they meet a curious elven boy, Perk, and his winged bird steed, Genewen. Perk is training to be a Wing Rider, a rank necessary to fly the winged beasts (Rocs), hailing from the Wing Hove in the south. He flies Wil and Amberle to the edge of the Wilderun but is forbidden to follow beyond. He bestows on Wil a silver whistle he may blow that can summon Genewen in the event of needing an aerial exit.
-Wil and Amberle reach Grimpen Ward within the Wilderun and run into some trouble after Wil decides to heal an inn owner in exchange for shelter. They are saved unexpectedly by Eretria, Cephalo's "daughter." Cephalo agrees to escort the two near Safehold while uncovering much needed information from a source he knows. Cephalo's old-time companion, Hebel, reveals Safehold lies within the dismal Hollows, protected by two warring witches. He claims Safehold lies within the central Spire's Reach: a central rock spire lying between the witches' land, Morag owning the east, and Mallenroh the west. He urges Wil to abandon his plan to no avail. Wil and Amberle part ways with Cephalo's band, only to find miles down the road the elfstones are gone. Wil leaves Amberle in some shrubbery and heads back.
-In Arborlorn, times become uneasy as Allanon emphasizes a possible spy within the royal household, due to the demons' constant "one-step-ahead" preparation. Eventine and Allanon make plans for the pending demon invasion, due to the Forbidding's gradual weakening. The elven nations all have gathered in the west, while emissaries have been sent out to the surrounding nations to call for aid; however, only the Legion Free Corps, (an army of brigands, thieves, and cutthroats granted vindication for their willingness to serve), led by Stee Jans, answer the immediate call. Allanon deduces from the Ellcrys, the demon invasion will transpire amongst the Hoare Flats. Right before the armies leave Arborlorn, Ellcrys bestows upon Allanon one of her branches to be brandished as a staff of power to use in the oncoming battle against the demon masses.
-The armies amass at the Breakline Mountains, and split to cover the two passes where the Demons will likely pass: Halys Cut and Worl Run. They witness the final breath of the Forbidding, and they begin the first battle against the first demon hordes passing into the realm. The demons' relentless numbers push the elves back, while a demon dragon threatens their resolve. Allanon cleverly disposes of said dragon while buying the companions time. Eventine is knocked unconscious during the armies' retreat into the Baen Draw, while Arion and Commander Pindanon lose their lives, thus leaving Ander in charge of the retreat into Arborlorn. In Arborlorn, Ander musters all of the available forces willing to help: dwarves led by Browork, several Wing Riders led by Dayn, and later, a band of Rock Trolls led by Amantar. Eventine awakes as preparations are made to the ill news of his son and commander's deaths and of the last-step retreat back into Arborlorn. A pitched, desperate battle ensues with the Demon hordes' hungry masses, while the Ellcrys wilts behind their defenses. They develop an inclined set of defenses along the Elfitch, which contain protected gates at varied intervals. A gigantic lizard demon nearly decimates several of the gates, however, Stee Jan's valor escorts the demon to its demise. Behind Arborlorn's defenses in the King's bedchambers, the "traitor" within the ranks becomes apparent. Eventine awakes to find his guards slaughtered and the insidious form of the Changeling staring at him. An intense battle ensues, and King barely disposes of the Changeling in time, yet he receives mortal wounds.
-Wil meets Eretria on his way back to the Rovers, and he agrees to let her accompany him and Amberle in exchange for getting the Elfstones back for him. They stumble upon the ruined carnage of the Rover's band, including Cephalo's dead, twisted body. Wil retrieves the Elfstones from Cephalo's corpse and makes way back to Amberle's hiding spot. Meanwhile, Amberle is captured and carried to an unknown keep deep within the Hollows by an unknown captor. Wil and Eretria meet Hebel and his dog, Drifter, and they set out to find Amberle's supposed captor, Mallenroh. The trio follows a squad of "stick-men" into her keep, where Hebel and his dog fall victim to her twisted magic. While in a cell, the three captives convince Wisp, the witche's obedient servant to help them escape after Eretria picks the lock on the cell. They reach the foyer and watch a full-scale battle between Mallenroh and Morag that ends with both witches destroying each other. The battle leaves Mallenroh's keep a conflagration, and her magic dissipates as well as her stick-men; Hebel and Drifter are released from her terrible binding spell. Eretria coaxes Wisp to lead them to the Bloodfire, "behind the glass door that will not break." Amberle discovers the fountain of the Bloodfire and steps inside of it. Wil meanwhile defends her against the Reaper in a violent battle in which the Elfstones eventually smote the Reaper along the cavern walls. Afterwards the 5 companions make a dash for the tip of the Spires Reach and summon Perk with the silent whistle to escort them to Arborlorn.
-In Arborlorn's last struggle, Eventine lies in bedridden from wounds received in the battle, and Ander leads the last defenses in the Gardens of Life. Allanon flies atop Dancer and challenges the Dagda Mor openly, and the demon answers astride his black, bat monster. Allanon eventually uses the demon's powerful staff against him and destroys him with his ancient druidic magic. Perk arrives just in time for Amberle to climb the slopes of the Garden and stand before the Ellcrys to restore the tree, however, she gives her life in the process to fulfill her duties. The demons are thus banished back to the darkness.
-The combined army thus disbands to their homelands shortly after Ander takes the throne of Arborlorn. Wil decides he will keep the Elfstones safe in Storlock under the gnomes' tutelage with an enthusiastic Eretria at his side.
Opinion: Like Terry Brook's first Shannara novel, this story harbors many facets of a unique fantasy novel (even more so than the first). The band of characters is much smaller, yet they are easy to follow and give the reader some surprises with how they develop and gain courage. The history of the Ellcrys is very creative and clever in its inception and maintenance.
-The demon hordes, as well as the three main ones, are very descriptive and fearsome beasts. They were walking contagion where only death remained after their passage. Their fierceness and raw power were given in creepy detail and gave the reader a sense of anticipation towards the inevitable battle at the end.
-My only regret with this novel was the lack of surprises during the main battle between demons and elves in Arborlorn at the end of the novel. The chapters gave the same descriptions of the battle with just different words each time. The twists and turns were not as plentiful as in the first novel. It became stale until Allanon's battle with the Dagda Mor. Otherwise, a commendable novel that has certainly convinced me to finish this exciting, creative series!
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| "Very Entertaining" | 2009-05-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A5ITGX9DMBU95 |
| Personally, I wanted a different ending, but the book was a good read. I didn't read the others in the series but I am curious now about what they are like. The story ended with some of the plots left open, since they want you to buy the next in the series, but it doesn't detract from the story. Everything was well explained, as far as cultures and past happenings, and the characters were well written and easily identified. I thought it was great. |
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| "The book that got me into fantasy" | 2008-07-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2OT7AEHVZ0AZ0 |
I read Elftones over 25 years ago at the age of eleven. I can honestly say that this is the book that made reading and writing a major part of my life. I even remember walking into the local newstand with my mom and seeing the original cover. Something about Wil holding those elfstones intrigued me and I begged my mom for next week's allowance. For an eleven year old, it was a tough read:) But I have since then developed my reading skills thanks to Terry. I've even recently re-read the entire Shannara/Word&Void series.
I have read other fantasy books, but none has compared for me personally to Brooks' writing style and story line. Elfstones, as with all the Shannara books, keeps you excited, thrilled and on the edge of your seat. If you are a fan of other writers such as Tolkien and haven't read any Brooks, you are really missing out.
Although Elfstones actually plays out as an individual storyline by itself, you might want to jump back and start either with Sword or First King of Shannara to get a little feel for the history.
Love all of Brooks' books and cannot wait for the release of Gypsy Morph. |
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| "Brooks Finds His Emotional Center with 'Elfstones'" | 2008-06-25 |
| - Reviewed By mcmillins |
The Elfstones of Shannara is Terry Brooks' second major novel, and his first major step at becoming a talented author. In this novel, Brooks blends his ability to develop emotionally conflicting situations, while keeping the reader in the dark, and his ability to develop insignificant characters into heroes over the course of a quest. This to me is his strength, and this particular novel puts this talent on center stage, mesmerizing the reader with his potency. It is a stunning read.
The Holistic aspect of this novel, which makes it a bit different than the Sword of Shannara, is the fact that the Elfstones draw their strength from the body, mind and spirit of the user, and the protagonist must find his own strength to power them. This continues Brooks' tradition of characters who develop through a greater understanding of who they are, as a person.
The rights to this particular novel have been bought by a major studio (which they passed on the Sword of Shannara) and it is easy to see why when you read this book. This book contains a number of "scenes" that could very easily be visualized in movie form. The action is dramatic, and would be a wonderful challenge for the CGI guys. Sometimes the novel switches gears from 3rd gear to first and staying there a while, offering a bit too much emotional depth for some, but the overall pacing seems to glide along quite smoothly. People who have a tendency to skim the touchy feely stuff can easily get by these parts.
Overall the basic story was quite good in terms of scope, character involvement, and development but with some rather pointed plot weaknesses, or flaws.
1. The death of the Ellcrys was prolonged enough to allow demon hordes to completely penetrate the world, nearly destroy the Elves, and allow the main quest to be completed, rather than just dying on the spot.
2. The Ellcrys was so unaware of her pending death, (or perhaps so incompetant in her task so as to scare away Amberle and not tell anyone else anything) that she was not able to give sufficient advanced warning to have the seed germinated BEFORE any damage occured to the Forbidding.
3. The demon hordes chose to band together to form an army and attempt a direct frontal assault, instead of their natural chaotic individualism, where the could wreak havoc individually in all parts of the world, unhindered, and destroyed everyone bit by bit. I mention this because I realized that the demons had a better success rate BEFORE the army arrived, when they hid in the woods and slaughtered as they pleased. Sure the demons HATED the Elves, and sure they had a leader in the Dagda Mor, but was he really a strong enough character to motivate and unite all the demons into a direct frontal assault? Surely there were others in the whole Forbidding with leadership qualities that would want to do their own thing?
4. Why is a single main antagonist even necessary, why not just have the threat the demon horde with no real leader, or multiple small groups? I mean, the Dagda Mor is such a weak character, his dialogue is limited to the first few chapters. You never see him verbally leading all the demons, you never really understand the signficance of his staff other than the fact that he seems to have no power of his own to attack with besides the staff. What power does he have other than his scary appearance?
5. The Forbidding was broken BEFORE the Ellcrys died, and there was a great time span AFTER this event in which the Forbidding could be reformed with no additional magic which was required the first time the Ellcrys was formed, but was no longer available.
6. The chief antagonist (the Dagda Mor) rode a giant bat so as to better mirror Allanon riding a Roc. Giant bats never being heard of before or after this event, thank goodness. How do giant bats survive? Giant fruits, or giant insects? Oh, and perhaps this gives us an excuse as to why the Dagda Mor is absent for the majority of the book. Brooks' fails to include Mr. Mor's quest for an evil flying mount with which to sufficiently contrast our hero Allanon (can't come to an epic battle without both sides sufficiently equipped for a one on one equally matched showdown)...and the best he could come up with is a children's Halloween decoration come to life.
7. The Harpies must have gone off to roost, because we just didn't hear that much from the bad guys early arial advantage.
8. While there were upteen jillion different kinds of "demons" they don't use them differntly, (no scouts, no rock chuckers, etc.) they just come in some huge struggling mass. The tactics they used to fight could apply to any infantry army, not specific techniques for fighting specific types of demons, like how they took down the "big" demons, or how they dealt with different types.
9. The Ellcrys should have exploded when the Forbidding collapsed, and demons should have poured from the stump, instead of at Hoare Flats (which also gave our protagonists more time to finish their quest).
Most of these faults are trivial, and don't affect the enjoyment of the read, as far as I am concerned. This book brings up some new types of bad guys, some new types of good guys, and some emotional poignant passages. This book makes heroes out of ordinary guys, and legends out of heroes. It really does shine as one of the jewels in any collection of Terry Brooks works, and is an absolute must have for understanding what Terry Brooks was trying to create when he created this world. You get an understanding of the history, and the depth of this world, and you can really fall in love with it. A great book for any collection. |
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| "Everything you're looking for..." | 2008-05-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1EVDRGLVCYYVP |
Elfstones is where I feel you can really start to sink your teeth into Brooks. Sword of Shannara was an experiment and homage to Tolkien, so the story often lacks, especially in originality.
Not so with Elfstones. This story starts with Wil Ohmsford, the grandson of Shea, who is studying to be a Healer. In what will turn out to be a running theme, Allanon shows up unannounced and whisks Wil and the Elfstones in his power, away on an adventure to accompany a young elf girl, Amberle, on a quest to save the Four Races from an ancient evil.
The book has everything a high-fantasy should have: fast-paced action, lots of traveling and battles, terrifying evil, humorous quirky characters, lots of history, etc. The story is believable and gripping and you genuinely care about the main characters. There are two romances in the novel (won't spoil), one which I found incredibly well-done and the other kind of shoddy. Sometimes I felt the battle scenes went on way too long, but I'm also a chick so maybe they just don't appeal to me the way they would the usual male fantasy-genre audience.
Brooks brings everything to this book that you could want in a high-fantasy novel, and I'd recommend it to any fan of the genre. |
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