Terry Brooks is back! Going back to before the Sword of Shannara was perfect. The training and the alliances were so good. The fight scene though… oh.my.God, it could not be beat! The build up of what’s to come could not be better. Galaphile was definitely deserving of the title. This is a cliffhanger, no surprise there, and I can’t wait for more. There are so many possibilities, and it just makes me crave more. This author has to be the best at writing fantasy. Get blasted into a world of continuing wonder.

This is a book that I have been waiting several years for as a fan of the author’s Shannara series. This is the first in a new series that takes us back to the beginning of the Druids of Shannara and how they developed into the familiar characters in the continuing Shannara series. A familiar figure is present (the King of the Silver River) along with a host of new ones. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Man, it's good to read a new Shannara novel again. I wasn't sure if Brooks would return to the Four Lands after the "Fall of Shannara" series, but I'm so glad he has.

"Galaphile" resolves some mysteries and introduces others. When Brooks allows himself to write straightforward dialogue or action sequences, the novel ranks with his best. But oddly, much of "Galaphile" is languidly paced, slipping into lengthy stretches of expository prose that—while interesting—don't quite build the tension one might expect (and that, indeed, featured in the similar "First King of Shannara").

That being said, the last word of this book radically reframed everything I'd previously read. I can't wait for the sequel.

It had a slow start where Galaphile was learning his skills but it picked up speed when he started to build his citadel. That's when the skirmishes and the war began.

The characters were well developed. I was able to picture the main characters perfectly in my minds eye, right down to the way the skin looked.

The different lands that Galaphile went to were fascinating. From lush islands to arid deserts, each one was explained well enough that I could see the plants or rivers and lakes. Or, for the deserts, the sun and sun beating down on the tops of the heads.

I would like to read more in this series, as I think the series will continue to get better. So, please bring the next one.

Having never read The Sword of Shannara, but hearing great things about it, I was hoping for a lot more. I thought Galaphile was relatively boring; there was no development of characters, it seemed like certain facts needed to occur and the reader was just told about them. There was little detail or exposition about any of the going-ons; the reader was told what this meant to the characters, there was no work to be done on the reader's side. Was the story good though? Yes. I wanted to like this book a lot more and hope that future volumes are better, because it has the potential for great storytelling.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

Terry Brooks returns triumphantly to the world of Shannara, offering readers a captivating exploration of the origin story behind the legendary Druid Order and its enigmatic founder, Galaphile Joss. For both longtime fans of the Shannara series and newcomers, Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara provides a fresh look into the mythos of the Four Lands.

The narrative takes us on a journey with Galaphile, from his humble beginnings as a friendless orphan in the Human world to his emergence as a master mage and visionary leader. Brooks does an admirable job detailing Galaphile’s transformation, highlighting the pivotal relationships, losses, and challenges that shaped his ideals and goals. The introduction of Cogline as Galaphile's reclusive mentor and the King of the Silver River as an ally adds depth to the story, providing a blend of familiar elements and new insights.

However, what truly sets this novel apart is its exploration of the duality between creation and destruction. As Galaphile works tirelessly to establish Paranor as a beacon of hope and knowledge, the emergence of a malevolent adversary corrupted by an ancient evil adds tension and stakes to the narrative. This conflict not only impacts Galaphile’s personal journey but also sets the stage for the darker legacies that ripple throughout the Shannara series.

For readers familiar with Brooks’ other works, the tone and style will feel comfortably familiar, though the pacing can be a challenge at times. The early sections, in particular, may feel dense, as Brooks delivers a wealth of historical and magical context. While this depth enriches the lore of the Four Lands, it can come across as “dry” to some, requiring patience to fully appreciate.
That said, the richness of the storytelling and the fascinating portrayal of Galaphile make it a worthwhile read. It bridges the gap between the accessible standalone appeal of Brooks’ pre-Shannara works, such as Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word, and the expansive mythology of the Shannara saga.

Overall, Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara is a compelling origin story that will resonate with longtime fans while providing an inviting entry point for newcomers. If you’re willing to navigate its slower moments, the book rewards with a richly imagined tale of heroism, legacy, and the enduring struggle between light and dark in the Four Lands.

I’ve heard good things about the Shannara books, but up until this point I hadn’t read any. Galaphile is my first. I really enjoyed learning about this new fantasy world and seeing how the magic works. The book itself didn’t seem to have a particular plot; rather, it follows Galaphile as he grows up and as he travels.
The writing itself felt lacking to me and the characters were rather flat. But there were also some very exciting and intriguing moments throughout as well. Overall, I enjoyed it and thought it was an entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Terry Brooks returns to the Four Lands with Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara, a sweeping prequel that’s part character study, part origin story, and all the epic fantasy we’ve come to love from this world. For fans of Shannara, this book is a treasure trove of lore, shedding light on one of the series’ most enigmatic figures while weaving a tale that’s rich with magic, danger, and heartbreak.

The story of Galaphile Joss is equal parts inspiring and tragic, a journey from humble, lonely beginnings to legendary greatness. As a teenage orphan navigating a world that doesn’t seem to want him, Galaphile’s resilience and determination make him instantly sympathetic. His apprenticeship under the eccentric and brilliant Cogline is both a fascinating mentorship dynamic and a highlight of the book, filled with magical experimentation, hard-learned lessons, and more than a few moments of humor.

Galaphile’s vision of a world where knowledge and magic can bring order to chaos feels noble yet fragile. Watching him begin to construct Paranor—a place that will one day stand as a beacon of wisdom—offers a mix of hope and bittersweet inevitability, knowing what lies in its future. The King of the Silver River’s involvement in this grand endeavor adds a mythical touch, and the descriptions of their collaboration are lush and evocative, capturing the wonder and weight of creating something meant to endure for ages.

But every great hero needs a great adversary, and Brooks delivers with an antagonist corrupted by an ancient evil. The tension between Galaphile’s virtuous goals and his foe’s sinister ambitions escalates beautifully, creating high stakes not just for Galaphile’s world but also for his personal relationships. The cost of his dream becomes painfully clear as the ancient evil strikes close to home, shattering his inner circle in ways that are gut-wrenching yet pivotal to his development.

Favorite moments? The climactic battle where Galaphile’s ideals are tested against the harsh realities of power and sacrifice had me on the edge of my seat. And the quieter moments, like his exchanges with the King of the Silver River or his reflections on the weight of leadership, added depth and gravitas. The contrast between his youthful idealism and the seasoned wisdom he gains by the book’s end is one of Brooks’ most compelling character arcs.

While this book excels as a character-driven epic, it’s not without its challenges. At times, the pacing can feel uneven, with some sections delving a bit too deeply into world-building at the expense of forward momentum. That said, for fans of the series, these details are a feature, not a bug—they add richness to a world that already feels vast and alive.

Themes of legacy, sacrifice, and the delicate balance between power and morality resonate throughout, making Galaphile more than just an origin story—it’s a poignant meditation on what it means to lead and the costs of striving for a better world.

Final verdict? Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara is a must-read for Shannara fans and a rewarding dive for anyone who loves character-driven fantasy steeped in history and myth. Terry Brooks delivers a tale that’s both epic and intimate, cementing Galaphile’s place as one of the most intriguing figures in the Four Lands’ storied history.

Want to start with thanking NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to read for my honest review.

I’ll start with saying I’m a big Terry Brooks fan. Read the original trilogy decades ago and have since decided to read the series from start to finish. I just happened to finish Legends of Magic series when I saw he was coming out with this series.

As for this book, it’s a ok read. Most the book is forgettable with the few things happening to advance the story. If you are a Brooks/shannara fan it’s worth the read to Prince stuff together. But aside from that, it’s no where near his greatest work.

I’ve been reading Terry Brooks for 25 years, since I was a teenager and found a first edition paperback of The Sword of Shannara at a used bookstore. I have been waiting for the story of Galaphile and how the Druids came to be for at least 15 of those 25 years…

And I’m disappointed. Galaphile felt so rushed and almost disjointed at points. It didn’t create the emotion I have to come to expect when I read a Terry Brooks novel. I hope the subsequent books in this series improve upon it, considering this is a story most Brooks fans have been waiting for a long time.

Thank you for Del Rey, Terry Brooks, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, am I a Terry Brooks fan! First things first-thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for an advanced e-copy of the book. This book follows the journey of the first druid, Galaphile. This isn't a spoiler for anyone who has read the Shannaraverse, and has seen hm referenced as a sort of legendary figure. He is written as a real person, with weaknesses and strengths here, which is great because Brooks excels at humanizing characters, even though Galaphile is an elf. He puts the characters in real peril, and, as always, the action scenes are incredible, but the thing that I think invests Brooks fans in his work is the internal dialogue and insecurities, which Brooks has gotten even better with as he has written more. This is not even close to his darkest work, which is good, and, even if you didn't know who Galaphile was because you never picked up a Brooks book before, you would like this novel, which is the first in a series. There is a twist that occurs, which I won't say more about but it does set up future novels well. This is not first-person but I think Hobb fans would like this, and Mark Lawrence fans should check it out. And yes, I'd be remiss if I didn't include the legion of Sanderson readers here. Brooks has been around for a while but is still at the top of his game. Well done!.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Galaphile is the latest prequel to the Shannara Chronicles universe, and hardly departs from the genre-defining, post-apocalyptic high fantasy setting that earned his original series such high praise. As any fan of the original series will know, Galaphile constructed Paranor: the citadel of the Druid Order, but only now has Brooks given fans his full story.

This is a tale of good and evil: the two forces that war for the soul of anyone with exceptional power enduring the trials of a trailblazer. What are these trials? Our favorite thematic twins: Love and Loss. Galaphile begins his story as a teen in a war band—one of many loose-moral men—and later forges the Druid Order from the dregs of conviction left behind after terrible heartbreak. While an excellent prequel to any of Brooks’ works set in the Four Lands, the story lacked ideal pacing.

Towards the end of the story, we meet Narianne who later becomes Galaphile’s love interest. To ward off spoilers, I’ll omit plot points and simply say that her relationship to the plot detracted rather than added to the narrative. She exists as a layer in Galaphile’s traumatic timeline—a character introduced only to bolster the story of another and then discard. This strategy seemed to cheapen not only the story, but Galaphile’s character as well. Because I felt like I never truly knew Narianne, I did not mourn her loss and could not feel how it impacted Galaphile. Thus, her section of the story produced a dull lag in the timeline that disrupted the pacing to little positive effect.

That said, Galaphile reads much like a biography. His story is that of a [fictional] ‘real’ man, and tragedy sometimes occurs when we don’t want to see it. This does not change that every fictional death should be strategized, and this loss of love felt rather artless. Nevertheless, Brooks delivered a backstory for a Shannara character that had—until now—remained a creature of legend. While it was not the smashing success that I had hoped it would be, I found my return to the Four Lands both thrilling and rewarding.

This was my first book by Terry Brooks. I liked the main character but there were other characters that I wanted to know more about. The world building was great. At times, the inner thoughts ran on a bit. I wanted a little more action. Loved the cats.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC.

This is coming from a life long terry brooks fan disclaimer made....
I was a little apprehensive about him going back to the beginning. I was also vibrating with anticipation. Galaphile begins as most brooks books do... young man in the woods. Yet it quickly picks up pace through the years and tribulations. Galaphile and the character growth is exponential. Seeing the history of the whole world begin to grow and fill the gaps of time is satisfying as well as like reading about an old friend you have known for 40 years. Terry has out done hims self with the landscape growth and building the lore that is druid order as well as the unmistakable evil growing as quickly. This is book one of the history us die hards have yearned for for years.

I really wanted to like this book but I don't remember Terry Brooks being this difficult to read. Did he always just tell us what happened and what everyone was thinking instead of showing us and letting us make up our own minds?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
A neat addition for fans of Shannara! Terry Brooks continues excellent worldbuilding and gives us more insight into this fantastical world with intriguing conflict and magic.

I thought this was a well written book explained a lot for past books would not mind reading a sequel terry brooks has always been a good story teller there was a couple chapters that did drag but made since as u moved along

I at first was wondering how much more of this world could possibly be explored but of course Terry Brooks is the master here. I enjoyed this immensely.

Galaphile was an interesting and enjoyable story; and Galaphile Joss, the titular character, was an intriguing character. Although the book is identified as the first in a series about the first druids of Shannara, there is little in the story, until near the end, that would suggest that Galaphile and his colleagues are or will become druids. I was impressed by the world building and the complexity of the story. It will be interesting to see what Brooks has in store for the next book.

Terry Brooks explodes back into the world of Shannara with Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara. We visit the early days of the Druid order in a fast-paced novel that brings colorful worlds, deep character development, and a fast ride in which you are holding onto your seat. Lucky for you, that seat is in the comfort of your own home, far away from the unsettled Four Lands. From the first chapter, this story of many races, many familiar names, and a familiar landscape does not let up and you will struggle to set the book down. Any fan of Terry Brooks will incessantly smile and gasp throughout the pages as previously unvisited tales develop before your eyes. Of course, as Terry Brooks is able to do, this tale also allows any first time Shannara reader to immerse themselves into Terry’s work without missing a beat; and they will be hungry for more.
As a long time fan of Terry’s Shannara series, I would rate this novel very high and I am very excited to see where he takes us in this continuing journey.