The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Genre: Fantasy / Magic / Romance

This is the second book of a trilogy written by Terry Brooks.  The Ellcrys is a magical tree created to help protect the elves.  The Ellcrys is dying and the Forbidden is weakening.  As she weakens, she’s allowing demons to roam free.  These demons seek to kill all life.

Back Cover:

The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars the demons from enacting vengeance upon the land.  Now Wil Ohmsford must guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one of the Ellcrys’ seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened into a powerful new force.  But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

First of all, if you haven't yet, go read my review of The Sword of Shannara. I thought this was a pretty good concept.  I liked the idea of the Ellcrys and the Chosen.  The story lost me a few times in the way that some of the wording wasn’t very visual.  I liked the idea of Allanon in this one, even though he seems like such a small part in this book.  Some of the characters of this book were flat in the way that they just didn’t have much to offer.  I liked Amberle.  I didn’t however like Wil that much, though I guess I didn’t hate him either.  Also, the Reaper seems pathetic in the way that he dies, seeing as he’s the main bad guy in this story.  Other than that it was a pretty good read.  I enjoyed it a smidgen more than the first one.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.