"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read" ~Groucho Marx

Search This Blog

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Elfstones of Shannara

Brooks, Terry. The Elfstones of Shannara. New York: Ballantine Books, 1982. 469 pages (Fantasy Series)

The elf tree the Ellcrys is dying and now the barrier holding thousands of demons are breaking out and soon will be unleashed on the world. Already the Reaper, most fearsome of the demons, is out searching for the chosen protectors and caretakers of the Ellcrys. Wil Ohmsford was given the elf stones, very powerful magic that can be call on when needed, given to him by his Grandfather Shea Ohmsford. Wil is now studying with Stors the most talented healers of the Four lands when the druid Allanon seeks him out to protect Amberle, outcast of the elfs and one of the chosen as she travels to Blood Fire to renew the strength of the Ellcrys. Can they make it there and back before all of the Demons are released and destroy all of the elves and the rest of the Four Lands? Read the Elf Stones to find out.

I have to say this is my favorite of the Terry Brook books so far and the second one I read. It was by far the most touching. I was crying by the end, and I don’t cry that easily. You'll love the characters and Terry Brooks really makes you feel their pain and happiness and sorrow. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a pulse. This is one of my favorite books of all time and I’ve read a lot of books.

Haymitch

The Wishsong of Shannara

Brooks, Terry. The Wishsong of Shannara. New York: Ballantine Books, 1985. 467 pages (Fantasy Series)

Brin Ohmsford has the power of the wishsong. When Brin sings, she can control living things around her: flowers bloom and trees change season. Her brother can make illusions. Allanon, the druid and protector of the Four Lands, comes to seek out help as he did with her father and great-grandfather to help protect the Four lands from dark forces. This time Allanon seeks the help of the Ohmsfords because the evil book, The Ildatch, the same book the Warlock Lord used to turn into a wraith and his followers into the dreaded Skull Bearers in the time of the Druid Bremen. The Ildatch has turned meddlers of magic into the fierce Mord Wraiths. With Rone Leah and Allanon's help, Brin seeks out the Ildatch to destroy it. After his sister leaves on her quest, Jair Ohmsford is forced to leave his home by the Mord Wraiths and soon finds out through the legendary King of the Silver River that without his help Brin will die.

I thought this was gallant ending to The Sword of Shannara Series. I thought Terry Brooks did a rather good job with The Wishsongs of Shannara. It was well written and had a lot of very likeable characters that you were scared would die whenever they got into a battle. If you liked Lord of the Rings or Erogon, I would recommend this book.

Haymitch

The Scions of Shannara

Brooks, Terry. The Scions of Shannara. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. 465 pages (Fantasy Series)

It has been 300 years since the last druid Allanon died . The entire race of the elves have disappeared. The dwarfs have been enslaved by the Federation along with all of the South Land and the Federation is hungry for the rest of the Four Lands. There are several people that can stand in the way of the Federation and the evil rumored Shadowen. The first is Par Ohmsford who has been gifted with the use of illusion magic like his ancestor Jair Ohmsford. Par has traveled too Varfleet with his brother Coll to tell the stories of their ancestors and the many times they helped save the Four Lands. The second hero is Wren, a distant cousin of Par, who was raised by the homeless Rovers and taught the skills to survive. The last is Walker Boh, Par’s uncle who lives carefully hidden with his moore cat in the East Land. Can these few heros stand against the dark magic and the Federation?
I thought the characters of the The Scions of Shannara where all very likable and the bad guys really got under your skin. I wouldn’t go as far to say it was Terry Brooks best book, but I still like it. If you have ever read anything by Terry Brooks, then I would  recommend the The Scions of Shannara if you like long fantasy books.

Haymitch

The First King of Shannara


Brooks, Terry. The First King of Shannara. New York: Ballantine Books, 1996. 489 pages (Fantasy Series)

The Druids of Pandora have devoted their lives to the protecting of the Four Lands ever since the creation of the Druid Council after the First War of the Races. They devoted themselves to the practice of old science from the old world . Only the outcast druid Bremen and a few trusted others still use magic. During Bremen's exile, he found that the warlock lord has acquired a fierce army of trolls and is prepared to invade the Four Lands starting with Pandora. The Druids must convince the dwarfs, elves, and humans to help them find a weapon sufficient to kill the Warlock Lord, but can they in time?

If you have read The Sword of Shannara, then you must read this prelude. It answered the majority of the questions I had when I read The Sword of Shannara. It taught you more of Allanon’s background. If you haven’t read the The Sword of Shannara, don’t worry you could read this before that or you could go read The Sword of Shannara and then read The First King of Shannara. If you like fantasy and you have some time to read a 500 page book, then I would recommend this book for you.

Haymitch