Dark magic has opened a gateway to the Forbidding and trapped within it Grianne Ohmsford, rightful High Druid of Shannara. Rescuing Grianne will be merely the beginning of the effort to return the Four Lands to some semblance of peace. Only her young nephew, Penderrin, has any hope of returning her to power. But to breach the Forbidding and bring Grianne back to the natural world, Pen must find the fabled Tanequil . . . and the talisman it alone can provide. That means journeying into the Inkrim–a dreaded region thick with shadows and haunted by harrowing legends. And there, Pen will strike a bargain more dire than he could ever imagine.
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"I've always enjoyed visiting Shannara, and this is no exception. This trilogy, The High Druid of Shannara, could be read without reading any of the preceding Shannara books, but Brooks has nicely tied the entire Shannara series together and it's like visiting with old friends while meeting new ones."
— Lawrence (4 out of 5 stars)
" This is the first of the series that I've read. Interesting, but hard to follow out of context. "
— Shirley, 2/19/2014" Brilliant Terry writing is so lyrical and moves quickly and I was unable to put it down read it in 3 days! "
— Mel, 2/18/2014" Good book, often painful to read what happens to the characters! "
— Andrew, 2/13/2014" I enjoyed this book as I do all of Terry Brooks books. "
— Donna, 2/4/2014" I would give this book 3 1/2 stars. Good adventure. Terry Brooks keeps coming up with new material to keep the interest of the reader. The plot is generally the same in each series, but if you like one plot then you like them all. Still can see the similarities to Tolkien in terms of lore and characters but then Tolkien influenced most fantasy writers. I continue to find Brooks's books easy to follow and easy to read. "
— Dave, 1/30/2014" See my review for Jarka Ruus (High Druid of Shannara, Book 1). "
— Collin, 1/26/2014" Clearly the second of a trilogy. I found it no worse or better than the first book. It is really setting the stage for the last book. But taken as a whole I quite enjoyed the series. "
— Bill, 1/7/2014" Great book never a dull moment. Seems your always on edge waiting for the next thing to happen. "
— Dale, 1/5/2014" Fun, but typical Brooks. His later "Shannara" works tend to be very formulaic. "
— Patrick, 12/24/2013" the best book of this particular trilogy. "
— Charlotte, 12/20/2013" Typical middle book in a trilogy. Go read my reviews for the other two books. This one is about the same. "
— Matt, 12/13/2013" the people and the not people in this triology just keep you reading--i love them "
— Mom, 12/7/2013" I love how Brooks has all these little mini-series in his great big Shannara series. I kind of wish I'd read the mini-series right before this High Druid series, because then I'd remember everything about the Ilse Witch, but they can stand apart just fine. "
— Dianna, 12/6/2013" Even thought this is the second book of the trilogy, it is as good as the first one. I can't wait to see how this story ends. "
— Daniel, 11/6/2013" The Tanequil was excellent, of course, and got me all anxious for the next book. Brooks splits his books up like other authors would split up parts of books, so you're always left hanging from the last book, waiting for the next. Great fantasy read! "
— Lori, 5/21/2013" Good twists, kept me guessing how it would end. "
— Gilly, 5/17/2013" Good continuation of the story started in the first book. A bit easy to predict, at least in some parts, but overall quite enjoyable. "
— Chris, 3/28/2013" This second of the High Druid series hit me about the same as the first--nothing too exciting. It is nice light reading that only takes a few hours, which I am enjoying. "
— Shelley, 1/26/2013" It doesn't feel like enough really happens in so many pages. Like so many other books, it feels like it's trying to keep a secret and build up to something so I read on, and by the time it starts to get moving it it's the last page with a cliff hanger... "
— Stacey, 7/4/2012" The second book in the High Druid of Shannara series starts off with Penderrin Ohmsford in the middle of his quest to save his aunt from a terrible banishment. Pen is becoming more confident in himself and shows more maturity as he faces some difficult decisions. "
— JoAnna, 5/15/2012" Very good. Bek next generation with Grianne captured. I love the other world that we see creatures from in The Elfstones of Shannara, and how you actually get to visit it this time, in this series of three books. Good good. "
— Samantha, 4/17/2012" Terry Brooks fluffy goodness: predictable story line, but you know what you're getting. The end comes to a rather quick conclusion. "
— Allen, 2/9/2012" Love the characters and plot "
— Vampiress_demitri, 1/19/2012" I love this trilogy...I think it's quite possibly the best of the whole Shannara series. "
— Kate, 12/20/2011" This book starts out a little slow, but is great by about chapter 10. "
— Jennifer, 12/8/2011" Tanequil: the tree that will save them all.... "
— Jeffrey, 9/6/2011" this series is as good as the armagedion children---i love brooks stories "
— Mom, 5/16/2011" I really enjoyed this book and this series, I prefer much of Terry Brooks new work than his old, i.e. sword, elf stones and wishsong. These are not so long more manageable and well just excellent "
— Keiran, 9/28/2010" I need the sequel. The journey isn't over yet. It isn't badly written though. The writer knows what she's doing. "
— Louella, 5/12/2010" After reading the first few chapters, I got hooked. And after stopping, I realized that I was halfway through. Terry Brooks is able to continue the legacy of the Shannara bloodline, while adding new challenges, new adventures, and wonderful settings. hands down, a classic. "
— Jeffrey, 3/10/2010" This is the first of the Shannara series I've read (dumb I know) and I enjoyed it. I'm not usually a huge fan of fantasy, but this one grabbed me and was easy and fun to read. "
— Chris, 1/13/2010" More of the same ol' Brooks. What's not to like? "
— Brett, 4/22/2009" I felt pretty lukewarm about this one. It took a while to get into the story, but the end picked up a little. As part of my quest to read all of Brooks' Shannara series, I really felt that I was just checking this one off the list. Hopefully the next one will be better. "
— Shelley, 3/19/2009Terry Brooks has thrilled readers for decades with his powers of imagination and storytelling. He is the author of more than thirty books, most of which have been New York Times bestsellers. He is a recipient of the 2017 World Fantasy Association’s Life Achievement Award. His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were chosen by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best fantasy novels of the twentieth century.
Charles Keating has won three AudioFile Earphones awards for his audiobook narrations. His credits include works by P.D. James, Mark Haddon, Charmian Hussey, and Terry Brooks. He is British actor of stage, screen and television in addition to being an audiobook narrator. He has acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, played Rex in ITV’s celebrated Brideshead Revisited miniseries, and had roles in television shows including Sex and the City, Another World, All My Children and As the World Turns. In 2001, he played the role of Carney/Oscar Wilde in the Lincoln Center Theater Performance of A Man of No Importance, and in 2007, he played the role of Clement O’Donnell in the Guthrie Theater production of The Home Place.