Elfstones of Shannara

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: The ELfstones Of Shannara is the first book by Terry Brooks that I have read and I must say that it is superb. The magic is cool and superbly written. The battle scenes are riveting, detailed and adrenaline pumping to say the least. The pace is fast, the characters are well developed , especially Ander Elessedil, Wil Ohmsford , Amberle and Eretria. One sympathises with Ander. Undoubtedly , the best part of the story is its heartrendingly superb climax.

The only flaw of the story is the repetitiveness which is sometimes irritating. All in All a great book!!!

Rating:
Summary: Well . . . It's better than the Sword of Shannara
Review: Brooks is not an epic writer, at least not that I can see so far. The Sword of Shannara copied dozens of elements from the Lord of the Rings series. But, he doesn't have the way with words that Tolkien did, he rambles, his characters are naive and then all-knowing from page to page, it's jumbled. I mean, in this book, Allanon hasn't given these people any reason not to trust him but still, after all that he and Flick went through in Sword, Flick still doesn't like him! When Allanon dove into the furnace with the Skull Bearer in Sword, Flick was sure the quest was over and the Four Lands would be destroyed, and he trusts him again when he went under cover in the Gnome army. But in this book, it's like all the progress that they made in friendship never happened!
And as for the stolen elements, Allanon never ages (just like Gandalf). Allanon falls into fire with a Skull Bearer, just like Gandalf is taken down into the mines by the fiery Balrog. There is a white tree that protects the Elves, just like the White tree in Minas Tirith protected the city! Allanon takes a horse from Eventine's stables (Artaq) that is wild and unwieldy but behaves perfectly for Allanon: Just like Shadowfax was a wild and unwieldy horse from Rohan that Gandalf borrowed from Theodin and was able to ride without a saddle or bridle. Also, there are people who want nothing to do with the war in this book, thinking it will leave them alone while the main characters try to convince them that evil stops for no one. This same element is in the Lord of the Rings books, which were written 20-some years before the Shannara books! Heck, these even have maps of the countries (which are similar in geography to Middle Earth) in the front! COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!

But what is really annoying is how disconnected the characters are, Allanon is not really liked by anyone, Flick hasn't changed in 50 years, his grand-nephew Wil can't seem to keep his mind straight. In the Lord of the Rings, at least the characters are likeable and are good, trusting friends to each other! We see alliances between factions long separated. But in this case, everyone seems mistrustful of each other! And Amberle is totally unbelievable. She is small, scared, childish and doubtful one second, then outspoken, very adult and bossy in the blink of an eye. Just like Allanon's tempers. The characters are unbelievable and inconsistent.

I maintain my opinion in my review of the Sword of Shannara, read the Lord of the Rings books (which I have read and adore!) and leave these alone. I have read two of the three Shannara books and they are a bad immitation! Also, the Wheel of Time series and the Sword of Truth series sound like copies of each other and the Terry Brooks' books. This type of fantasy has become an overused genre, nothing is original anymore! And, the reading is tedious. The characters are unbelievable, naive, stereotyped and the battles and character reactions have been done so many times by so many people that they are simply boring! It's ALWAYS an epic battle against a dark force and certain people have to go on a hopeless quest to save all life and must learn to use or conquer an object of power. I'm SICK and TIRED of unoriginal, tired, tedious, dragging, poorly-written fantasy! Tolkien did it first, he did it right and others such as Robin McKinley have done a great job using other types of fantasy. So please, fantasy authors, QUIT DOING THE SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN!

However, I will continue to read Terry Brooks books in the hopes that there is something better (and since I already bought some). I will give him a break since the Sword of Shannara was his first book, I have heard that the Heritage of Shannara series is a lot better, probably because he was further into his writing career. First and second novels don't need to sound so inexperienced though! Did Brooks learn nothing from the books he read???

Rating:
Summary: Brooks' best work.
Review: First of all, people who continually feel that Brooks is recycling Tolkein obviously haven't really read it. The are just looking at the Elves, Dwarves, and Trolls. But there is one distinct difference between Tolkein and Brooks, his Middle Earth is just that, Middle Earth. But Brooks' land is an entire world rebuilt from the ashes of our own. If you really read the books, there are always reminders that this new world of elves, dwarves, and men, is built upon the ruins of old sewer systems, old subway systems, and the hollowed out ruins of an ancient Earth, which is of our time.

Now look at Elfstones of Shannara. Likeable characters, true horror, especially during the final battle before Amberle's change, and sweeps of geography, as you actually travel with these young searchers in the quest to help the Ellcrys. Also, while it is evident that Terry Brooks does not take the usual dodge of throwing characters into simple love situations, or overtly sexual ones, he does convey the very realistic development of love under duress. You actually see the characters developing feelings that are sincere, encompassing, and like love itself, worth sacrifices. When I read 'Elfstones', at Amberle's change, I wept.

In a world where you have far too many regurgitated themes and stories that lack the originality to make you feel, Brooks delivers emotion, just like his Science Fiction and Fantasy equal, Stephen R. Donaldson.

If it is not your cup of tea, then open another tea bag and drink something else. But I will continue to indulge in these treats, and gratefully so.

Rating:
Summary: Endless hordes of demons...
Review: Have you ever had to battle against endless hordes of demons and your only hope of surviving belongs to two people over two-hundred miles away who are trying to complete their own task with many, many conflicts? Well, chances are you haven't. But The Elfstones of Shannara, a novel by Terry Brooks, is a novel that will bring to life that same fear, determination, confidence, and war. If you read this book you'll see that Amberle Ellessidil and Wil Ohmsford are the two protagonists that you would depend on to save your homeland. They are destined to save the Four Lands from an evil of another age, while their friends and family try to hold against the endless demon hordes with the help from Dwarves, Rock Trolls, a Druid, and Bordermen at the kingdom of Arborlon. Wil and Amberle must find a forgotten place called Safehold; bearing the seed of the Ellcrys they must give her rebirth by casting it into the Bloodfire to stop the demons. Both protagonists face conflicts together and alone such as: person vs. nature, because of natural harm and healing herbs;and person vs. person, when they encounter other beings. Once they complete their task their views on life and its sacrifices will change dramatically.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel. As I kept reading I noticed I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what happened next. The action sequences pump adrenaline through your body. Its like you are there trying to defend Arborlon; you could smell the stench of rotting Demon flesh, the piercing cries of your men dying, and the fear, worry, and trauma of the events. There are also some parts of the novel you have to remember in order to understand what happens later on. However, I realized that there were a few low-spots throughout the story. I think that this particular part could have been enhanced to make the storyline more interesting. Even though this novel was quite hard to read; meaning hard as in hard to take in all the information the writer is trying to get you to understand; I think that you could read it if you really wanted to and maybe once you got into the story you would just want to read more and more. Through its 564 pages you will discover that you should look within yourself as well as beyond yourself so you might be able to achieve the dreams or duties set before you.

Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK YET!
Review: I am a big Terry brooks fan. I love his style of writing and his character development. many people say that Terry Brooks is a copy of Tolkien. Which I think is absolutly not true. If someone compares like that they obviously have no idea what they are talking about.
Elfstones of Shannara I think Is my favorite book he has written and one of my favorite books of all time. I thought it was absolutly wonderful!
When Amberle does the transformation I cried.I have never cried over a book before but I wept like a baby. I would read this book again and again.
.........and again! ^_^

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of epic fantasy
Review: I first read Sword of Shannara and it took some time and some re-reads to be hooked. This book was different. Both Sword and Elfstones continue a series of themes that can best be explained as, "Use your brain and not your sword," and "The weak can be powerful if they are determined and principled". Brooks' characters are forced to confront themselves BEFORE they can effectively solve their problems. I have always loved this psychological addition to the genre and Brooks does it better than anybody. However, the density of this task often bores people. I don't think Elfstones had this problem.

While Elfstones has the above themes, it also is highly successful as an exciting, page turning (no, page ripping) flight of fear and desperation. Any Brooks fan is likely to tell you this is his finest work. It is a rare book that can give you the depth of character and boiling action to satisfy both branches of our fantasy-fan brethren.

While I hold Tolien on a different plane, Elfstones is perhaps the book that most -approaches- the level of excitement and depth of the Lord of the Rings. And in addition, it is much less derivative than other books (but some derivation is unavoidable).

Here is my advice: Read the Sword of Shannara first. It is the best introduction to this world written and should not be avoided. But while you are reading Sword keep this in mind - all the work will pay off in that a ripping adventure is waiting for the informed in the form of Elfstones.

It is an adventure that will make your heart beat, make your hair raise, and ultimatley make you cry. So deeply did I care for the two main characters that at the end I had trouble accepting it, though I knew there was no other solution within the principles of the actors. Yes, I mourned a bit.

Rating:
Summary: Great story and ending
Review: I had read his first book and thought good but then I read Elfstones. This book was better and I like and was suprised about the ending not exactly expecting what happened. His third book was harder for me to read for it started slow and I could not get into it like the other two.
I recommend at least reading the first two books then you can decide how much you like them before going to the third one.

Rating:
Summary: another page turner
Review: I loved this book as much as the first. Terry once again keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages. The characters are great and the plot is ever growing. I have tried to read other fantasy books but they loose the thrill in the second book. Something that Terry has not done with this continuation to the first.

Rating:
Summary: The book that got me into Shannara
Review: I read Sword and was kinda disappointed. I decided to give its sequel a shot and was pleasantly surprised. While this book still has your forgetable main heros, it redeems itself in that category with two cool characters, Stan Jees and Garet Jax. The plot has more originality and makes the book more interesting. It also shows new evils with the witch sisters, the Dagda, the Reaper, and the demons(very neat). Highly Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE THE BEST EPIC FANTASIES EVER WRITTEN.
Review: I was impressed with Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara, but he was obviously just warming-up in preparation for his true masterpiece, the Elfstones of Shannara. The Ellcrys tree, created millennia ago by long-lost Elven magic, is the strength behind the Spell of Forbidding, a dimension of imprisonment for ancient evil. In quick succession, the Ellcrys begins dying, the Forbidding starts crumbling, and the demons within break free--and that's only the first dozen pages! Allanon meets his match with the sorcerous Dagda Mor, only one of thousands of unstoppable demons who fear but one thing: a rebirth of the Ellcrys. Oh, I haven't even mentioned the cunning Changeling or the fearsome Reaper--there are enough villains and heroes in these pages to fill a shelful of ordinary books. Since 1982 when I first read this novel, I've returned at least ten times. I feel I've come to know and cherish these characters, like visiting old freinds every once in a while. Of the hundreds of fictional works I've read these past three decades, only a half-dozen have been as absorbing or given me as much enjoyment as the Elfstones of Shannara.