The Black Elfstone
core novel 2017 Shannara
Record
| First published | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.16 (5,503 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| First-edition ISBN | 978-0-553-39148-0 |
| First-edition date | 2017-06-13 |
| Internal chronology | 29 |
Synopsis
Opening the Fall of Shannara series, the novel begins with a hired assassination attempt on Drisker Arc, the former High Druid, while introducing the siblings Tavo and Tarsha Kaynin, both born with the dangerous wishsong magic once carried by the Ohmsford line. Tavo, increasingly unstable and isolated, grows more violent and vengeful, while his sister Tarsha seeks training under Drisker at Paranor in the hope of one day helping him. As Drisker's ally, the military commander Dar Leah, and the mysterious trainee Kassen Drue navigate the fortress's uncertain politics, the story weaves together three converging threats: Tavo's escalating rampage, a strange, seemingly unstoppable army that vanishes as it advances from the north, and a conspiracy targeting the Druid leadership, all of which draw the characters, including the ambiguous Druid Clizia Porse, toward the doorstep of Paranor itself.
Where it sits
- Universe: Shannara
- Series: The Fall of Shannara core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Terry Brooks
Notes
- From the series record (The Fall of Shannara): Final Shannara-proper series; chronological end of the overall saga's story arc.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Fall of Shannara: position 1 of 4: next The Skaar Invasion (2018)
- Internal chronology, within Shannara: position 29 of 32: previous The Sorcerer's Daughter (2016) · next The Skaar Invasion (2018)
Sources
- Terry Brooks official site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannara
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Elfstone
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