{"product_id":"the-elfstones-of-shannara-isbn-9780345285546","title":"The Elfstones of Shannara","description":"\u003cb\u003eONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FANTASY TALES OF ALL TIME. NOW AN EPIC TV SERIES.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Thousands of years after the destruction of the age of man an d science, new races and magic now rule the world, but an imminent danger threatens. A horde of evil Demons is beginning to escape and bring death upon the land. Only Wil Ohmsford, the last of the Shannara bloodline, has the power to guard the Elven Princess Amberle on a perilous quest to the save the world, while the leader of the Demon force aims to stop their mission at any cost.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for Terry Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Shannara was one of my favorite fictional worlds growing up, and I look forward to many return trips.”\u003cb\u003e—Karen Russell, author of \u003ci\u003eSwamplandia!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “If Tolkien is the grandfather of modern fantasy, Terry Brooks is its favorite uncle.”\u003cb\u003e—Peter V. Brett, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Skull Throne\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A great storyteller, Terry Brooks creates rich epics filled with mystery, magic, and memorable characters.”\u003cb\u003e—Christopher Paolini, author of \u003ci\u003eEragon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Terry Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Shannara was one of my favorite fictional worlds growing up, and I look forward to many return trips.”\u003cb\u003e—Karen Russell, author of \u003ci\u003eSwamplandia!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “If Tolkien is the grandfather of modern fantasy, Terry Brooks is its favorite uncle.”\u003cb\u003e—Peter V. Brett, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Skull Throne\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A great storyteller, Terry Brooks creates rich epics filled with mystery, magic, and memorable characters.”\u003cb\u003e—Christopher Paolini, author of \u003ci\u003eEragon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTerry Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.The night sky brightened faintly in the east with the approach of dawn as the Chosen   entered the Gardens of Life. Without, the Elven city of Arborlon lay sleeping, its   people still wrapped in the warmth and solitude of their beds. But for the Chosen,   the day had already begun. Their trailing white robes billowing slightly with a rush   of summer wind, they passed between the sentries of the Black Watch, who stood rigid   and aloof as such sentries had stood for centuries gone before the arched, wrought-iron   gateway inlaid with silver scroll and ivory chips. They passed quickly, and only   their soft voices and the crunch of their sandaled feet on the gravel pathway disturbed   the silence of the new day as they slipped into the pine-shadowed dark beyond.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The   Chosen were the caretakers of the Ellcrys, the strange and wondrous tree that stood   at the center of the Gardens—the tree, as the legends told, that served as protector   against a primordial evil that had very nearly destroyed the Elves centuries ago,   an evil that had been shut away from the earth since before the dawn of the old race   of Men. In all the time that had followed, there had been Chosen to care for the Ellcrys. Theirs was a tradition handed down through generations of Elves, a tradition   of service that the Elves regarded as both a coveted honor and a solemn duty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet   there was little evidence of solemnity in the procession that passed through the   Gardens this morning. Two hundred and thirty days of the year of their service had   gone by, and youthful spirits could no longer be easily subdued. The first sense   of awe at the responsibility given them had long since passed, and the Chosen of   the Elves were now just six young men on their way to perform a task they had performed   each day since the time of their choosing, a task grown old and familiar—the greeting   of the tree at the first touch of sunrise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Only Lauren, youngest of this year's   Chosen, was silent. He lagged a bit behind the others as they walked, taking no part   in their idle chatter. His red head was bent in concentration, and there was a deep frown on his face. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he was not aware when   the noise ahead ceased, nor of the steps that fell back beside him, until a hand   touched his arm. Then his troubled face jerked up abruptly to find Jase regarding   him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"What's the matter, Lauren? Are you sick?\" Jase asked. Because he was a few   months older than the rest, Jase was the accepted leader of the Chosen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren shook   his head, but the frown did not leave his face entirely. \"I'm all right.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Something   is bothering you. You've been brooding all morning. Come to think of it, you were   rather quiet last night, too.\" Jase's hand on his shoulder brought the younger Elf   about to face him. \"Come on, out with it. Nobody expects you to serve if you're   not feeling well.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren hesitated, then sighed and nodded, \"All right. It's the Ellcrys. Yesterday, at sunset, just before we left her, I thought I saw some spotting   on her leaves. It looked like wilt.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Wilt? Are you sure? Nothing like that ever   happens to the Ellcrys—at least that's what wea've always been told,\" Jase said   doubtfully.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I could have been mistaken,\" Lauren admitted. \"It was getting dark.   I told myself then that it was probably just the way the shadows lay on the leaves.   But the more I try to remember how it looked, the more I think it really was wilt.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There was a disconcerted muttering from the others, and one of them spoke. \"This   is Amberle's fault. I said before that something bad would come from having a girl   picked as a Chosen.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"There were other girls among the Chosen, and nothing happened because of it,\" Lauren protested. He had always liked Amberle. She had been easy   to talk to, even if she was King Eventine Elessedila's granddaughter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Not for five   hundred years, Lauren,\" the other said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"All right, that's enough,\" Jase interrupted.   \"We agreed not to talk about Amberle. You know that.\" He stood silently for a moment,   pondering what Lauren had said. Then he shrugged. \"It would be unfortunate if anything   happened to the tree, especially while she was under our care. But after all, nothing   lasts forever.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren was shocked. \"But Jase, when the tree weakens, the Forbidding will end and the Demons within will be freed . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Do you really believe those   old stories, Lauren?\" Jase laughed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren stared at the older Elf. \"How can you   be a Chosen and not believe?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I don't remember being asked what I believed when   I was chosen, Lauren. Were you asked?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren shook his head. Candidates for the   honor of being Chosen were never asked anything. They were simply brought before   the tree—young Elves who had crossed over into manhood and womanhood in the prior   year. At the dawn of the new year, they gathered to pass beneath her limbs, each   pausing momentarily for acceptance. Those the tree touched upon the shoulders became   the new Chosen, to serve until the year was done. Lauren could still remember the   mix of ecstasy and pride he had felt at the moment a slender branch had bent to touch   him and he'd heard her speak his name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And he remembered, too, the astonishment   of all when Amberle had been called . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"It's just a tale to frighten children,\"   Jase was saying. \"The real function of the Ellcrys is to serve as a reminder to the Elven people that they, like her, survive despite all the changes that have taken   place in the history of the Four Lands. She is a symbol of our people's strength,   Lauren—nothing more.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He motioned for them all to resume their walk into the Gardens   and turned away. Lauren lapsed back into thought. The older Elf's casual disregard   for the legend of the tree disturbed him. Of course Jase was from the city, and Lauren   had observed that the people of Arborlon seemed to take the old beliefs less seriously   than did those of the little northern village from which he came. But the story of   the Ellcrys and the Forbidding wasn't just a story—it was the foundation of everything   that was truly Elven, the most important event in the history of his people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It   had all taken place long ago, before the birth of the new world. There had been a   great war between good and evilaO\"a war that the Elves had finally won by creating   the Ellcrys and a Forbidding that had banished the evil Demons into a timeless dark.   And so long as the Ellcrys was kept well, so long would the evil be locked from the   land.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So long as the Ellcrys was kept well . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He shook his head doubtfully.   Maybe the wilt was but a trick of his imagination. Or a trick of the light. And if   not, they would simply have to find a cure. There was always a cure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Moments later,   he stood with the others before the tree. Hesitantly, he looked up, then sighed in   relief. It appeared as if the Ellcrys was unchanged. Perfectly formed, her silver-white   trunk arched skyward in a symmetrically balanced network of tapered limbs clustered   with broad, five-cornered leaves that were blood-red in color. At her base, strips of green moss grew in patchwork runners through the cracks and crevices of the smooth-skinned   bark, like emerald streams flowing down a mountain hillside. There were no splits   to mar the trunk's even lines, no branches cracked or broken. So beautiful, he thought.   He looked again, but could see no signs of the sickness he had feared.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The others   went to gather the tools they would use in the feeding and grooming of the tree and   in the general upkeep of the Gardens. But Jase held Lauren back. \"Would you like   to greet her today, Lauren?\" he asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lauren stammered his surprised thanks. Jase   was giving up his turn for the most special of tasks, obviously in an effort to cheer   him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He stepped forward under the spreading branches to lay his hands upon the smooth-skinned   trunk, the others gathering about a few paces back to recite the morning greeting.   He glanced upward expectantly, searching for the first beam of sunlight that would   fall upon her form.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then abruptly he drew back. The leaves directly above him were   dark with patches of wilt. His heart fell. There was spotting elsewhere as well, scattered throughout the tree. It was not a trick of light and shadow. It was real.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He motioned frantically for Jase, then pointed as the other came forward. As was   their custom at this time, they did not speak, but Jase gasped as he saw the extent   of the damage already done. Slowly the two walked around the tree, discovering spots   everywhere, some barely visible, others already darkening the leaves so badly that   their blood-red color seemed drained away.Now a thrilling new series from MTV","brand":"Del Rey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300580446437,"sku":"NP9780345285546","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345285546.jpg?v=1767739152","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-elfstones-of-shannara-isbn-9780345285546","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}