Customer Reviews

The Elf Queen of Shannara (Book Three of the Shannara Series)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first read this book about three years ago only because I had to read a book for my class or get a failing grade. I hated to read, mainly because I never really had. When I was in the school library I wasn't even sure how the place worked. I just walked in and picked a wall of books not knowing it was the fiction part of the place. I can still see it sitting there, it was a hardcover copy and the only reason I got it was because I loved the picture on the cover. It was amazing...it was like being transported into a whole new world. I laughed, and cried throughout the whole thing. When a character died, I felt like a part of myself died as well. After reading it I begged my mother to buy me all of the Shannara books and I read them all in a few weeks. Terry Brooks is the reason I now love to read and I will never forget the first book I ever read...The Elf Queen of Shannara.

This is one of my favorite Shannara novels. Anyone who complains about LOTR-esque fantasy not giving women major roles and/or good characterizations should read this. The major character is Wren Ohmsford (although that is not her real name) and it is her charge to bring the Elves back to the Four Lands. Terry spends a great deal of time developing her and her past. We are also introduced to Stresa, the splinterscat (a cross between a cat and a porcupine), one of the most creative creatures to appear in Shannara. Although his hisses and growls are vaguely Gollum-like, he proves to be a reliable guide for Wren as she seeks the other elves and as she leads them back to the shoreline. Another interesting note concerns Garth, Wren's friend/teacher/bodyguard. He is both deaf and mute, a first for LOTR-style fantasy, and shows little if any arrogance that one might expect from one of his strength and stature.
All in all, an excellent masterpiece by Terry Brooks.

The Elf Queen of Shannara continues the story started in The Scions of Shannara and continuing in The Druid of Shannara. Even though the book tells the stories of all the scions, the main story is about Wren Ohmsford and her search for the missing Elves. Though, there is an underlining story of Coll and the Sword of Shannara, which is very interesting. But the main story begins with Wren getting a clue to make a fire on the western shores of the Four Lands. She is answered by a member of the flying elves and he takes her to Morrowindl, where it is rumored that the Elves have taken up refuge. After a perilous journey through forests crawling with demons, Wren finally makes it to Arborlon. There it is revealed that she is not an Ohmsford but an Elessedil, a member of the royal family. She also finds out the "painted" rocks she has are none other than the famed Elfstones. After the truth about the demons comes to light, Wren must carry the city and its people back to the Four Lands in an ancient staff, that can only be used once. Also in this book, Walker reanimates Paranor and also comes face-to-face with the Four Horsemen.

This is by far the best in this sequence even though it is all one big story.

The story in elf queen moves along quickly and with almost non-stop action. The author also shows alot of creative with his monsterous creations that dwells on the dangerous island which this story takes place upon. Wren begins in search of the lost elves, a task given by the druid shade Allanon's request. She soon finds them on a cursed monster filled island.

I'm really impressed with Terry's imagination and ability to keep coming up with new areas and characters in his Shannara world. There are many memorable scenes through out and some emotional events that will leave you near tears. The perail and dangers Wren and Garth face will have you reading on the edge of your seat and unable to stop. I higly recomnd this book.

The third volume of "The Heritage of Shannara" quartet, and also the most insular. Although there are brief mentions of what fellow-heroes are up to, "Elf Queen" almost exclusively focuses on Wren, quite different from the other three books that tell the over-arching story from various points of view.

The deceased Druid Allanon has given three scions separate quests that must be fulfilled if they are to defeat the mysterious and sinister Shadowen and the totalitarian Federation that is slowly encroaching upon the freedom of the Four Lands. Par Ohmsford was to find the Sword of Shannara and Walker Boh to return the Druid Keep Paranor to the corporeal world. But Rover-girl Wren was instructed to find the Elves, who had gone missing from the lands years ago. With her travelling companion Garth, she sought information from the sage-like Addershag who advised her to burn a signal fire for three nights on the shores of the Blue Divide (the sea). The story begins as Wren and Garth set out for the coastline, trailed by some unshakeable opponent, and ends when Wren returns to the Four Lands - her mission complete, but at great personal cost.

Making up the bulk of the book are Wren's journeys on the island of Morrowindl, where she suspects the missing Elves have been hiding. As the island is infested with monsters, this is no easy task and the second half of the book reads like a standard fantasy-horror, with a large group of characters gradually getting killed off in various gruesome ways. Though it is quicker-paced and debatably more interesting than the first two volumes, it does not have the same re-readable quality since much of the suspense of the second half is based on the premise: who will survive the return journey? Once you know, there's no point in treading the path a second time.

Except that Brooks has made Wren a compelling and sympathetic heroine, with an intriguing story-arc. Unlike typical `hero-journeys' when the protagonist ends up discovering and solidifying their true identities; Wren's growth goes in the opposite direction, from a content and carefree Rover-girl to a confused and lonely scion with a massive weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Though not the most interesting or unique, she is certainly the most three-dimensional character of the series and Brooks takes great pains to explore her psyche and motivations throughout the course of the book. Also worthy of note is her companion, protector and trainer Garth, whom Wren speaks with in sign language. He is a stalwart figure throughout the adventure, though less present in the second half than in the first and his relationship with Wren is palatable. (Though Brooks sometimes forgets that he's supposed to be deaf, as a couple of times he reacts to noises in the jungle).

Finally, keep an eye on Wren's newfound relatives, Ellenroh and Gavilan - they are intriguing characters in their own right, made even more so by the complex and often painful relationships they forge with Wren.

"Elf Queen" is concerned with the answering of many mysteries that have lingered throughout the first two books; the disappearance of the Elves, the true nature of the Shadowen, and the parentage of Wren herself. All of these queries are resolved by the end of the book, but some not as satisfactorily as the others (the revelation concerning the Shadowen is not much of a revelation; Brooks recycles from his previous series, which in turn was recycled from Tolkien. Sigh).

But if you've already invested time and energy into the first two installments, then there's no question you'll want to read "Elf Queen". By its end, Brooks has all the pieces in play for the final volume in the series: "The Talismans of Shannara", a fitting end to an above-average fantasy saga.

As I read through the second book (Druid of Shannara) and this, the third book in the Heritage of Shannara storyline, I must admit that I was kind of disappointed that it seemed to be missing the grand scale of the original books. It wasn't long after these thoughts entered my mind that I realized I was being narrow minded. These Heritage books are FOUR books long, detaling ONE storyline! I was missing the big picture that when these four books are put together, THERE is the grand scale.

That out of the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the Elf Queen. Sometimes, I had to force myself to read through some of the endless journeying through wildlands, but it was worth it. If for no other reason, than the character of Wren. She goes through an entire journey of self discovery that is usually more heartbreaking than triumphant. You're there for every revelation and you can almost feel Wren's mixed emotions. She is definitely NOT a cardboard character and Brooks has you caring for her well being throughout the entire book.

Speaking of which, Brooks also makes clear that EVERY character is in danger. The journey is perilous and the creatures frightening.
Brooks has created an entirely uncomfortable sounding world of Morrowindel (I'm pretty sure I botched that spelling), which I'm sure accounts for a lot of my afformentioned sluggishness in reading some of these scenes.

Our main man Terry also has a gift of making the secondary characters shine, so when even a minor character may lose his life, it is disturbing. Especially when you see how it effects the others in the party. There's some dramatic stuff here, to be sure. So far, I would say it's Mr. Brooks' darkest book yet.

Amongst Wren's journey are a couple of chapters dedicated to the other characters in the Heritage saga that will make you want to pick up Book 4 as soon as you are through devouring this one.

Different. That pretty much sums up this book. It is different then all the other Heritage books. Its not some big jorney with a bunch of country bumpkins lead by some mysterious figure wielding incredible magic powers. It is the jorney of Wren and Garth the same the Elves. She finds out that they are on an island. She and Garth get to this island by flying on a Rook. (Giant Birdy thing) She finds out that the whole city Aberlon was moved via a crystal cane. On the island the Elves are fighting demons and the demons make it hard for Wren and Garth to get to the city. The only way to get the Elves back is to put them all and thier city into the cane thing-a-ma-bob and carry them back to the Four Lands. Once at the four lands, they can be brought out of the cane. The jorney off of the island is similar to the rest of the books except for one thing. In this book, Brooks doesn't seem to be as afraid to kill of characters which it similar in this seris only to Elfstones.

I liked this book more then Druid or SCions. Its a lot more interesting. The island the Elves live on is lush and full of goofy little animals that Wren makes friends with. Garth is also cool. He can't speak but he and Wren are still really close. He is her mentuor kinda. This book has a great last 75 pages so if you are feeling let down by the biggining, read on. It gets great at the end.

I have been working my way gradually through all of the Shannara books, and let me say, this book is a vast improvement from "The Sword of Shannara", which was a cliche ridden Tolien rip off. "The Elf Queen of Shannara" is a solid fantasy adventure, which provides cringe-free entertainment, if not any deep insight into the soul. I liked Wren, the heroine, even if her character development seemed a little forced. Her adventure to new lands in search of the elves was interesting. The mystery of the elven city and elven magic kept me curious, and I must have given at least a small gasp of surprise when I learned the truth.

His descriptions of travel in strange lands, if not eloquent, are adequate to stimulate the minds eye and provide a mental vacation to the jungle. Overall, his style is solid (meaning I noticed no obvious flaws, but was not looking for beautiful prose either.)

Brooks has no compunctions about killing off characters, but when he kills off four main characters in two chapters to further the plot, I did get pretty annoyed. His characterizations are generally easy to predict--the good characters are obviously good, and you know from the first who will be a traitor. But I am encouraged by the gradual improvement of his writing, and will continue to read this series.

While most of Brooks' work has several hundred pages of needless, redundant description, he improved significantly as a writer from the time of The Sword of Shannara. Unfortunately, this book is his most bloated work since the original trilogy, and it likely surpasses even that. An earlier reviewer said that this book should have been at most 150 pages, and I think that is a fair remark. While most Shannara books would benefit greatly from losing two hundred pages or so, this one should never have gone over two hundred. There's nothing wrong with the underlying plot; I think it could have been a fairly exciting story. Unfortunately, it's spread way too thin, with too many random encounters in the jungle separating plot points that are actually important. After this book, I developed a system for reading the other Shannara books. If it's dialogue (not counting personal reflection), read it. If it's action, read it. If it's anything else (usually description or personal reflection), read the first sentence of every paragraph. I promise you won't miss a thing.

Another great book by Terry Brooks... a must read for anyone that loves the Shannara Epic.