Product Description

Ancient, ultimate evil threatened the Elves and the Races of Man. For the Ellcrys, the tree of long-lost Elven magic, was dying, loosing the spell of Forbidding that locked the hordes of Demons away from Earth. Already the fearsome Reaper was free. Only one source had the power to stop it: the Elfstones of Shannara. And the valiant companions must ride again in an impossible quest to find them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242345 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Astonishing - Suspense filled fantasy at it's best
I've been into fantasy books for about a year now and in my spare time I have read a wide range of excellent novels.
None of them compare to this.
The Shannara series is a ground-breaking piece of modern fantasy and "The Elfstones of Shannara" is arguably the finest book.
The story is set about 30 years after the events of the first book and is focused on a magical tree, known as The Elcrys. The tree that belongs to the Elves is dying and the force that holds demons in their evil prison is weakening...
As well as proving that he can write gripping fantasy, Terry Brooks also reveals that he is an excellent horror writer. Some of the scenes from this book, in which the heroes are stalked by dark creatures, are terrifyingly intense. Terry Brooks effortlessly creates a real sense of suffocating horror and suspense.
There is also a twist near the end of the story, but instead of springing up suddenly, little hints warn you subconciously and knaw at your brain. It makes you want to read further.

Shannara Rules
"The Druid of Shannara" was my first introduction to Shannara and Terry Brooks, and I have been hooked ever since. Not since Tolkein and his Middle Earth has any writer bought an otherworld to life so skilfully and so colourfully. His heroes are "humane" though not always human, the crisis intricate and intriguing, and the outcomes neither predictable nor forgettable! Overall, a masterly thread is woven throughout the entire series that when you turn the page you become lost in another world!
Though "The Elfstones of Shannara" is probably the best in the series, my only advice is that start at the beginning to enjoy the true experience that is Shannara.

Another book from Brooks on the future fate of the world
As with the other books about the world of tomorrow after cataclysmic catastrophes, this too presents an array of people who are alike and yet not the people of today.

Wil Ohmsford belongs to that long line of family who get chosen by the Druids to save their world - time and time again. In many ways the books in this series are somewhat similar. All of the heroes are insecure and afraid, yet end up doing what is "right". Along with them are supporters who make their job possible.

This should become trite in the end. In some books in this loooong series (sure beats Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series in length) I have been bored and have had to put down the book I've been reading. This was not the case with The Elfstones of Shannara. It's certainly not a masterpiece but a highly enjoyable read.

The changes in Amberle are not especially surprising. The ending was about as expected and I guess I like that in books. I want to be able to believe in the closure the author has brought to a book. If it deviates too much from what has gone before I feel cheated.

Anyways, I would recommend the series to any fantasy fan and hope that you will enjoy this book at least as much as I have (having read it twice).