Rating: 
Summary: Brooks at his best
Review: Several years ago, I was in the local bookstore searching for a new novel to read. I didn't recognize most of the books on the shelf, so I looked at several and one caught my eye: "The Elfstones of Shannara". Upon reading it I was transported into a world from which I hope I will never return. Having not read it's prequel, "The Sword of Shannara", I thought that I might be confused as to what is going on. This could not have been farther from the truth. Brooks fills you in on what happened at every necessary point in the novel, so as to never leave you confused about an event that happened in the previous book. Wil Ohmsford is definitely one of the best characters that I have ever read about. Faced with impossible odds, Wil, with only the power of the legendary, magical Elfstones, must make a perilous journey to save the world from being overrun by demon hordes, while at the same time, protecting the Elven girl, Amberle, who is the key to everything. Wil Ohmsford is continuously developed as the novel progresses, and by the end of the book, you really feel like you know him. The one thing that I find separates and makes Wil better from the main characters in "The Sword of Shannara", Shea and Flick, is that he is a healer, and it makes him more fun to read. To top it all off, this book has one of the best endings ever written. I don't want to say anything more, so as I don't spoil it on you, but after finishing the novel you will definitely have a smile across your face. Great heroes, great villains, great writing. Brooks at his best.
Rating:
Summary: Brooks' best
Review: I read these books some years ago. This is the one of the Shannara books I keep coming back to. Characterisation is perhaps the biggest strength of the novel. Noble Will. The uncertainty yet integrity of Amberle, one of the most affecting characters I've ever read. The dignity and wisdom of Eventine. Eretria is somehow sexy and alluring, yet not at all crass. Allanon the druid is Brooks' masterpiece, brooding, powerful, monk like. The 'evil' characters, particularly the Dagda Mor, Changeling and the witch sisters are worthy opponents. The relationships between Will, Amberle and Eretria are extremely well written and portrayed. The storyline is keeps one's heart beating and may even elicit a tear! A great book.
Rating:
Summary: perfection
Review: a book of perfection. after having read it 3 times, it still captures my imagination. this book could be the best book Brooks has ever written and deserves every compliment!
Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful story!
Review: Wow. these books get better and better! This book is by far the best yet. The demons are truly evil and you can feel the hatred they have of the elves and the hatred the Elves have for them. .... the story is great. I really suggest this book. A Brooks fan would not be let down.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Shannara series
Review: One of my favorite books. Look at some of the positive reviews to get an idea. The third book in the series (Wishsong) wasn't as good.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Fantasy - for young readers
Review: This is a great book to introduce fantasy to young readers, however as a veteran fantasy reader it is a bit to light for my tastes. It is a very straight forward by the book fantasy novel, but it could not hold my interests. Terry Brooks may be a good author to introduce your kids to after Harry Potter, however you'd do them a greater service by sitting them down with "The Hobbit" instead.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic Quest, a Magickal Journey to prevent Hell on Earth
Review: When I read this one, back in High School, I was so completely enthralled that I could not stop reading--despite other responsibilities. The journey of Wil Ohmsford, as he guards the Elven girl Amberle, while being pursued by the ultimate Demon... and trying to prevent a tear in the magickal fortifications that keep the Demon Forces on the OTHER side...is hair-raising adventure! You will pray that they make it through, and accomplish their goals. This one proves certain fanatics wrong--fantasy is not inspired by the dark forces--in fact, it proves that faith is necessary in attempting to over-come Darkness. I deeply respect and admire Terry Brooks, a man who dissed a career in Law to take-up a quill and parchment. His writing is very enticing...his words draw you into the story, and you cannot escape his world. Tolkien got me through Middle school and Terry Brooks helped me survive High School, although I must admit I read Tolkien again and again--however, Terry Brooks is the only author I feel that I can mention beside the name of the master. This novel is not a "Lord of The Rings" nock-off, it is completely original. If you are looking for copy-cat stories, you should look else-where--although, the series does contain some of the same creatures and humanoids (sort-of), they are very original and exciting. I agree with the Future scenario, because of certain buildings and such that are encountered during the journey....our world devastated and rebuilt with Magick. One aspect of Brook's series that I feel very attracted to is the character Allanon, a Druid that sleeps for centuries or decades and awakens when he is needed. I have always felt a strong connection with this character.... Interestingly, this mysterious character guards a secret Storehouse of Knowledge and strives to save humankind from the Demonic Forces that want the world to live in Ignorance and Despair.
Rating:
Summary: a good escape from reality.
Review: When I said that this was a good escape form reality I meant no disrespect to the novel because, as it is, this is one of my favorite books. This tale tells of all that a fantasy book should have. Within its pages you will discover a whole new universe in which there are brave and valiant companions, deadly enemies and internal and external struggles of awesome proportions. Will Ohmsford the son of Shea Ohmsford, is charged with a quest by the druid Allanon to porotect the elven girl, Amberle in her journey to find the necessary items to keep the world from devastation. Get this book!
Rating:
Summary: This book really delivers!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Good read for all
Review: This book was the first of the initial trilogy that I read, and I still think it's the best. It has a near-perfect blend of suspense, intrigue, hierarchal rivalry, and romance. Also, it has one of the most intriguing, exciting, and well written large-scale fantasy war scenes I've ever encountered. This book is NOT a clone of the first book, The Sword of Shannara, as some might be led to believe. True, something goes wrong, then Allanon appears. However, he is not the main character, and with all due respect to him, one large reason he is there is to simply tie in this book with the rest of the series. A note to all people interested in this book but turned off by all references saying it's too much like Tolkien, only worse: people don't realize that the two series are not comparable. The two authors' writing styles are different. Brooks' works tend to focus on the here-and-now, using more dialogue and action. Tolkien tends to focus on the Big Picture, using tons more detail. Neither style is bad. It's the reader's taste. FINAL NOTE: Good literature has no specific demographic. The Elfstones of Shannara is a good read for all. It has plenty of action and intrigue, while maintaining a definite mature atmosphere.
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