The Elfstones of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Book 2

Terry Brooks is often accused of plagiarising J.R.R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I would encourage people not to think of these books as plagiarism but as a further exploration of a world that we didn't get to see enough of before Mr.Tolkien's death. After I finished the Lord of the Rings I really wanted more. There were so many corners of Middle Earth that were left unexplored, so much more to see. I think that's what authors like Terry Brooks offer us. His world is not Middle Earth, as that's a copyrighted name, but it's clearly based off of it. None of the ideas here are unique. They are taken from better series like the Lord of the Rings and put into a post-apocalyptic world just like Stephen King's Dark Tower series but if you want more of the same, which I did, these books will deliver. I wouldn't recommend them as your first fantasy novels, I'd recommend LoTR, Dark Tower, The Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time series first, but when you're done with those and want more, as many fans do, the Shanarra books are a good read. They have all your favorite monsters and creatures revisted. There are better books out there but I feel the Shannara stories are good extensions of those tales for people who don't feel like they've had enough yet.

After reading the first book in the series, which was complete Tolkien plagiarism, I was very hesitant to listen to anything else in the Shannara series. However, after about an hour into the "Elfstones", I found myself captivated by the story. There were some similarities to Tolkien, but, for the most part, this book showed a clear divergence from LOTR. Not to leave the review on that backhanded compliment, I will write that if you are a fan of the genre, this is a worthwhile listen.

Scott Brick is NOT a good fantasy narrator, but once you get over his annoying and seemingly constant (Brooks writes in extremes) "ANYTHING" inflections, the story keeps you interested enough to continue.

Carrying on two generations later from "Sword of Shannara", you taken on another fantastic journey. Though this story is filled with great action, it lacks any occasional humor to help endear the reader to the characters, leaving the story a little dry. Also the continous waves of action seem repetivite when the story hits on large scale events, but does not take away from the enjoyment. Just don't try to listen to the battle events at 1AM. I can't wait till the next book.

I remember enjoying this book when I first read it, many years ago, so I was pretty excited to get the unabridged audiobook... Then I started listening. Scott Brick's voice is clear and rich, pleasant to listen to, but his narration style makes me want to stab myself in the ear with a sharp object. EVERYTHING is dramatic- extremely dramatic- whether or not anything important is happening in the story. This style might work for reading Poe or Shakespearean drama but it doesn't work here. It completely destroys the flow and pacing of the story by trying to add artificial tension. The overall effect is 23 hours of torture. My advice is to read the books and spend your Audible credits elsewhere.

Very well read entertaining book. Terry Brooks is a very good writer and I would recommend all of his work. Scott Brick is awesome in his ability to tell the story and makes it very entertaining.

I have never read a Terry Brooks book I didn't like and they are particularly well suited to audio. Scott Brick is one of my favorite readers and he does a great job in all the Brooks books he reads. Listen to them all!

I thought that this was a great book. I liked it much more than sword of shannara. The plot was better and I thought the characters were developed better. I think that Brooks is a great author and look forward to finishing this series.

The story. While it did drag in a few spots I really appreciate the example of self sacrifice that many of the characters make for the greater good.

Lord of the Rings trilogy for sure. The influence is obvious in many parts but still an enjoyable book.

He was kind of whiny in some parts when speaking dialog.

Only to find certain details as reading further on in the series

When Shea first tried using the Elfstones and had to dig deep within himself to get them to work.

He creates such vivid characters just with his voice. It truly brings to life the different characters fleshing them out to where you can visualize them by their voices.

It really kept my interest

excellent storyline with a good pace and identifiable characters plus some mystery and irony.

Alanon, he is mysterious and misunderstood and he carries his guilt quietly. His magic is also formidable.

yes, he is a competent storyteller although not as exciting as some narrators.

no.

it was a good listen and i am glad i heard it.