Elfstones of Shannara (1982)

Better than the first book of the series... ( )

In The Elfstones of Shannara, author Terry Brooks continues his storyline of a future earth where magic and creatures of myth have re-emerged to inhabit and impact the world once again. While I personally preferred the first book, The Sword of Shannara, to this one, there is a reason why this novel is remembered as the one that cemented Brooks' place as a heavyweight in the pantheon of American fantasy writers.

The story begins approximately fifty years after the conclusion of Sword, with the grandson of Shea Ohmsford, Wil Ohmsford, being recruited by the Druid, Allanon, to prevent Demons from crossing over from the dimensional prison where they have been imprisoned for thousands of years by the actions of the ancient ancestors of the Elven race.

Allanon is able to do this due to a mix of magic and science that was hinted at in Sword, and confirmed in this book. That is the use of enchanted sleep, a type of magically-produced hibernation, that extends the lifespan of the hibernator and increases their strength, stamina, and prowess between periods of prolonged rest.

He has been rumored to have awakened and walked the lands many times in the decades in between the stories, but this is his first appearance to any who knew him in the first book. He is roused out of his enchanted sleep when he senses incredible displays of dark magic, and investigates. He quickly becomes aware that the Ellcrys, the tree that is the conduit for the magic upholding the dimensional wall to the “Forbidding” where the Demon hordes were trapped, is dying. Unless the seed of the Ellcrys can be imbued with the magic that first established her, and planted in her place, all will be lost. She must be “reborn”, or the world will perish.

Allanon finds the young Elven girl who is the only one who can cause the rebirth, and entrusts her care to young Wil Ohmsford, as Ohmsford is the only one who can use the titular Elfstones that were given to him by his (still-living) grandfather, Shea, when Wil came of age. Allanon must protect the tree and the Elves while Wil and Amberle (the Elven girl) go in search of the source of the magic that the seed needs to be imbued with in order to cause the Ellcrys' rebirth. The Elfstones are the only power strong enough in Allanon's absence to battle the Demons that will hunt Amberle, thus his role as her protector.

The best part of the book was the increased details of the history of the future world here, as opposed to the relatively sparse details in Sword. The enchanted, ancient times of the “age of the faerie”, the age of Man, the Great Wars, the thousands of years since then, are all given greater focus and detail. The world that was hinted at, and thus made clear to those who are paying attention that this is not merely a “copy of Middle-Earth”, is here fleshed out.

The other area of great interest was the better-written military fiction. The first book was superb in describing the tactics, as is this one, but not so good at describing the actual horror and seriousness of warfare. This book remedied that. It could easily compete with Tolkien or Robert Jordan in the fantasy realm, and actual military fiction in any genre, in this regard.

Overall, the above improvements have made Elfstones far more beloved and critically-acclaimed than Sword. I would argue that Sword is, nonetheless, as good as, or better than, Elfstones, for what is in the former that is missing from the latter. This element is the key to any good story, especially that of epic fantasy.

That element is a sense of community and love among the protagonists. The sense of community and camaraderie of Sword was absent here. Oh, the characters did, indeed, care for each other. That much is clear, but the stakes don't seem as high as in the first book here, not on the interpersonal level. This book is really the story of the end of a generation of heroes, and there are the expected breaks and differences in affection between those of two generations fighting together, and those of the same generation fighting together.

On the positive side again, are two final plot points. First of all is the idea that some necessary choices and actions can cause pain and hurt the one who has no choice but to commit to that course of action. In this case, it is magic that is the area that the necessary use of can have detrimental effects on the user, even for good. Often in novels of any genre, the hero is not at all adversely affected by the choices he or she must make, other than a bit of over-wrought angst. Here, the forces that the heroes must harness, and the choices and actions they must take, have an impact on them. Often, not a good one in the long-term. They must choose to do what is necessary, though it will harm them.

The other great plot point is the romance that occurs in the novel. It is more realistic than that of Menion Leah and Shirl Ravenlock in the first novel, as there is a more “human” quality to it, if you will. Things are not so neat and tidy. Yes, the two people end up together, but there is much denial, spurning, jealousy, protectiveness, pain, possessiveness, and uncertainty. It is not as “neat”, if you will, so that when things did work out, that was a really great ending.

Overall, a superb fantasy novel and a great read. Though I still liked Sword better, Elfstones was well-worth the time to read, as well. I can't wait to begin the final book of The Original Shannara Trilogy, The Wishsong of Shannara, very soon.

Highly Recommended. ( )

SHANNARA

I loved this book, it was sad and wonderful at the same time. The characters were great, as always and easy to connect to. ( )

Great addition to a great series. ( )