In this new read from Terry Brooks we meet Galaphile an orphaned teenager who has no friends and who seems to be stuck in the Human world. He is studying under a master mage named Cogline. With each new chapter we learn about his life and who and what shaped it. All he has ever wanted is to help bring a semblance of order to a never ending chaotic world. His first step is to build a citadel which is aided by the King of the Silver River. Along the way he soon learns that there is an evil out there that would love to rule the Four Lands. Follow along to see how this evil touches Galaphile and if he is able to accomplish the good deeds he has set out to do.

Ever since I was a kid and first started reading fantasy and science fiction, Terry Brooks has been one of my favorite authors. I haven't read his books for several years, but reading Galaphile reminded me why I always loved reading anything and everything Terry Brooks' writes.

Brooks grabs the reader's attention from page one. He introduces us to a mysterious stranger. The man asks Galaphile, an orphan boy, for his help finding a man named Ratcher. Galaphile bristles at the name, warning the stranger that Ratcher is a dangerous man.

But the stranger seems undeterred. He fights as though by magic and invites Ratcher and Galaphile to his camp.

In his latest piece, Terry Brooks pens an epic tale, weaving magic and justice and beautifully drawn characters, finally revealing the incredible origin story of the druid world he's built over decades.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC. Opinions my own.

Fans of The Sword of Shannara world, here is your origin story. Terry Brooks finally fleshes out the pivotal character of Galaphile, creator of Paranor and the Druid order. Galaphile's history, motivations, emotional journey are set out in a fast moving, well written tale. This is a good addition/introduction to readers of Shannara.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I also just realized that there are a lot of other books I should have probably read before this one. Either way, I had a good time and have a lot of others to add to my tbr

Another great tale of Shannara! I loved this prequel to the beloved series. Epic high fantasy, closed door love interest.

I really enjoyed this story about how the druids of Shannara came to be. Galaphile is an orphaned elf living in human lands. One day a human man comes to the tiny town that he is living in and changes the trajectory of his life. I hope that there will be another book as I could not put this one down.

Several years ago I read and enjoyed the story of the last druid of Shannara. It ended what I believed to be the last book in a series that I have love since I got hooked by reading THE SWORD OF SHANNARA. That was the book where I first hear the name of the old druid who began the company of druids that Allanon, the hero of the first novel represented. That was 1977.

Now nearly a half century later we read of the beginnings and the role a young elf named Galaphile played in the saga. It was a surprise that after the conclusion of THE FALL OF SHANNARA series a new series, THE FIRST DRUIDS OF SHANNARA begins. And what a wonderful story it is! Terry Brooks has lost none of his tale spinning genius!

I was captured by this story from the moment that the young lad Galaphile Joss met up with an older adventurer named Starns. I enjoyed watching Galaphile learn, grow, and fall in love. Then when everyone he had held dear was taken away and slaughtered, Galaphile moved on to learn more from Cogline. When he had soaked up everything Cogline had to offer, the real story began. Galaphile went off toward his ultimate goal: bring peace to all people of The Four Lands.

This was a wonderful addition to the Shannara series and the books that follow will reward all of us who have enjoyed our journey through The Four Lands over the decades. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book with the promise of a free and unbiased review.

Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara by Terry Brooks

I was very excited to read this Prequel for the Shannara Series. Gallophile: The First Druids of Shannara by Terry Brooks, we get to learn about the early life of Gallophile and those who influenced his development.

The world building is amazing and character development is top notch, proving once again that Brooks is one of the masters in the realm of Epic High Fantasy, along the vein of Tolkien. I cannot wait for the next installment of this series.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 Stars
Print Pub Date: Mar 11 2025

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⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Galaphile is the next book released in the world of Shannara. It follows the story of Galaphile from a young boy trying to achieve his goal of bringing order to the chaotic world.

I used to love the books written by Terry Brooks when I was younger and read most of his early works. I was excited to see where Galaphile would go.

I believe the sort of books I love right now have shifted from when I was younger, and it made the book fall a bit flat for me in the end. The journey and adventure were definitely there, but I just missed that something to get me fully hooked and emerged into this story.

The plot is very straightforward as we follow Galaphile’s journey. The beginning few chapters go through all his younger years and it did feel like most of what I read in those chapters didn’t really matter. This was a feeling I kept having throughout, feeling as if a lot that I read wasn’t necessarily important to the plot progression and made it feel like filler.

Galaphile was a likable enough character, and I did enjoy seeing his growth, but all other characters came and went quickly enough for me to forget most and not really make any connections.

The ending was well done with the action hitting and the writing not feelings as disjointed anymore! Still, it wasn’t enough for me to truly love this book. I would’ve liked the entire book to have felt as those last few chapters did.

Overall, Galaphile is an ok read, but not really standing out in any regard for me.

I read the first Shannara series when I was in middle school. It’s now more than 40 years later (not to mention more than 30 books) and Terry Brooks delivers yet another entry into this legendary series: Galaphile, the first book in a new cycle, book 1 of The First Druids of Shannara. This can definitely be read without knowledge of there previous books, but of course as a lifelong fan I can’t help but recommend them all. Galaphile takes us back to the start of the druid order. Despite covering quite a bit of time, the story is fast paced. Fascinating characters, great world building, and an engaging story make this a worthy addition. There is a reason the Shannara books are so beloved and enduring. Wether you start here or with the original, The Sword of Shannara, you’ll likely fall in love this series the way I did so many years ago. It’s impossible for my not to be a bit bias, and perhaps it’s a little bit due to nostalgia here but I’m giving this one 5 stars. And I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Galaphile.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R20N60LUBSN958/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Galaphile, The First Druids of Shannara by Terry Brooks goes back to the beginning of the Four Lands druids. The reader meets Galaphile as a youth, taking him into adulthood. This character is noble and his plans unselfish. As usual Brooks transports us to the world he has created. The story focuses less on a group of characters and more on one, Galaphile. Other supporting come and go in this origins story.

Like the first book I read by this author many years ago, I found it unpredictable, original and compelling. Reminding us that living in a flawed world means that others can affect our lives in both positive and negative ways. Still, it is our actions and decisions that decide our character and life. How wonderful it is to return to Shannara. Hardcore fans like me will want to grab this captivating story but new fans of high fantasy will want to do the same too.

If you are reasonably familiar with (and like) Brooks’ body of work, specifically his Shannara series, you will enjoy his latest addition. I’ve read a lot of the Shannara books, and as a matter of course, I’ve heard the name “Galaphile” a time or two. It’s super interesting to find out the backstory of one of the most legendary figures of this world.

You do not have to have read any of the Shannara books before this, but it helps quite a bit. The ending, especially, will not deliver the same gut punch to you as it will to big fans of the series. I’m not kidding—my jaw dropped. It’s shocking.

And I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an early copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.75⭐️

I have not read many books by Terry Brooks, but have always wanted to read his Shannara Chronicles. There are so many of those books that it was intimidating to consider reading it. This book however is the first book of a new prequel series in the Shannara universe. When I saw that I knew this was going to be a great place to jump in.

Galaphile is the name of the main character of the novel. It follows him from his very young life to him establishing himself in the world. There are many more things to come for him I am sure, but this set the groundwork for how the series will continue. I feel like I got to see snapshots of his informative years growing up and that was unnerving at first, because in the course of just a couple of paragraphs he could have aged years. But once you get to the 40% mark of the book there are less time jumps and I started to enjoy the story itself much more.

I am very excited to see what happens next in this epic fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book.

A wonderful fantastical read and reminded me of how much I love the universe this delves in and the author.

Terry Brooks takes us back to the beginning with this wonderful background story. Galaphile is an elf who was orphaned at a young age; the first few chapters follow his early years in the human world. I really enjoyed Galaphile’s time with Cogline, where he learned how to learn more about how to use his magic. From there he lands in a town where he meets Narianne, who will be a major influence in his life. His journey just keeps adding towards his goal of making the world better for those just trying to survive.

And then there is the evil pushing against Galaphile’s goal of peace. They soon have to face off and test each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This was an enjoyable book, both for those who are family with the Shannara stories, and those who are just now getting introduced to that world.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this advanced read’s copy. This is my honest opinion.

While this is the first of a prequel for the Shannara series, it can be read without having read the prior series. Afterwards the reader my want to see the future with the original series. It's a good start laying out the world building Brooks is known for in fantasy. The characters are well written and the situations are imperative that they are completed tasks. We are left with a bit of a cliff hanger but know it will all be covered in the overall arc of the story, that's what makes a series that keeps drawing us in. I recieved a copy of this book through Net Galley from Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.

I must preface this review with the fact that I have only read one book of Shannara, The Sword of Shannara, and I have seen the series The Shannara Chronicles from 2016 back when it came out. My knowledge of the Druids in the overarching tale of Shannara before starting Galaphile consisted of about 6 Druids: Allanon, Cogline, The Warlock Lord, Mareth, the Dagda Mor, and Bremen. I always love reading prequel series, especially when they explore origin stories for characters and lore, as I always have internal questions about how many of the side characters in books got their starts and how they came to be the people interacted with by the main characters of later stories. Galaphile answered quite a few questions while creating a few more. I go back and forth between rating this one a 3.5 or a 4; I loved reading and getting to know Galaphile, et al., but for me, the pacing did not flow well.

Galaphile’s origins come from humble starts, and I loved that about him. He starts off with a ragtag gang of humans, and very quickly, he rises to master mage. The trouble is, the book only stays in this part in the briefest snapshots for the reader. Galaphile’s youngest years, the years he built the foundation for his morality and skill, really blow by in a blink.. He suddenly finds Cogline and begins training with him, and again, this part of the novel lasts only a few pages. The narrative slows down considerably when he travels and helps folk with their troubles, and then it picks up again. Really, it goes along at fits and starts. More time with Cogline would have been great. More time learning the foundations of the magical lore would have been fantastic as well.

The antagonist shows up in this one briefly, too. We don’t have a name for him, and the magic he totes proves just as mysterious as anything else in the book. I suspect we may learn more about him and corruption that influences him in Galaphile in upcoming installments of the series, though I would have liked some more of a backstory here. Eventually, we arrive to the end of the book and have a boss fight, but the exact details escape me because my eyes glazed over a bit from the sloggish slowdown before the showdown.

In the end, I love the lore enough to continue with this series, but I hope the pacing tightens up significantly.

My thanks to Del Rey via NetGalley for the DRC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

As a longtime Shannara fan, I was excited to learn about Galaphile and the founding of the Druids. The world-building connects nicely to the larger Shannara universe, and seeing the origins of familiar elements like Paranor was satisfying.

However, the book tries covering too much lore without enough depth, and the story feels surprisingly low-stakes considering how pivotal this character is to the entire series. Interesting read for Brooks fans, but it needed more character development and narrative focus to truly shine.

What does it mean to bring peace to a troubled world? What will it take?

In Galaphile, we see both the growth of a great peacemaker (who, yes, may need to kill some people along the way) and the scary parallels between him and his great foe. The world building is excellent, some of the side characters were fleshed out nicely, and the author sets up a solid foundation for future books. One of the things I most enjoyed was that a lot of what Galaphile did and planned to do took time. It made the book more realistic, even though it is still set in a high fantasy world.

I gave this book 4.5 stars, because of a plot point that drove me to distraction. If you enjoyed the other Shannara books, like high fantasy, or enjoy the teen grows up and becomes a power storyline, you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Brooks continues his fantastic world building, and this is the kind of expert fantasy that is indicative of the possibilities of this genre. I would recommend him for readers who want to continue their exploration of his work, as well as those who are interested in a model of this kind of world building.