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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC of Galaphile!
2 / 5 ⭐

I’d previously only read the first Shannara book and it was years ago; I jumped into this one without any problems, and I would say people could read this without being familiar with Terry Brooks’ other works if they wanted to. This book is also set before our other books in the world, so there shouldn’t be spoilers for later books.

There were some very questionable choices with the way women were handled by the narrative; almost every named woman suffered as a plot point for the male main character and autonomy is taken from the love interest repeatedly. She was 16 (and was described as looking 12!) when she first met Galaphile, and through magical nonsense, he meets her again when she is 5 years older but he hasn’t aged. The elven queen asks Galaphile’s permission to provide medical care to his wife, who was awake and in the same room at the time. The way that Nirianne became a plot point instead of a character and was refused autonomy at all turns was so uncomfortable that I can’t say I would recommend the book.

Fans of Terry Brooks' Shannara stories are in for a treat when Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara gets released in 2025.This long awaited tale of the origins of the Druids, and of their fortress Paranor, provides readers with the details of the early life of Galaphile Joss and the events that led him to commit his life to establishing peace in the Four Lands and to create a place where the races could work together to preserve knowledge.

Longtime readers have often wondered how the Druid order came about, and how magic became such a potent force in the Four Lands. Galaphile provides a fantastic start to filling in the gaps between the end of the Great Wars and the time of the Druid Bremen and the first King of Shannara.

As usual for a Terry Brooks' tale, this book is well written and well paced. There is more than enough danger, excitement, quests and battles, not to mention references to familiar beings, creatures and places to satisfy the Shannara faithful,. The story is complete enough to draw new readers into the Shannara universe, although these readers would be better served by starting with the original Sword of Shannara and reading the entire backlog in publication order.

Great story, takes you back to the beginning and tells a great story of an early character that you barely know, while filling in some blanks and further develop one of the greatest series.

I have been reading Terry Brooks since I discovered him at age 20. That was almost 50 years ago. Galaphile is another masterpiece and it really is essential to understanding the history of the entire world of Shanarra. Brooks again is at his very best in drawing one in to this wonderful magical world. After finishing, I’m committed to rereading the entirety of my Shanarra collection. Thank you for the privilege of being one of the first to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Incorrect Proof of this wonderful book.

IMO Mr Brooks has started writing the trilogy that Shannara fans have been asking for for years! Galaphile is not only the origin story for Galaphile Joss, but also the origin story for Paranor. The story starts in a place after the Great Wars and the races are more focused on survival and not engaging with each other. We meet Galaphile as a young kid and all of the experiences he goes through growing up. After suffering the loss of his fiancé and friends, he goes in search of a better way of helping the races.

While going thru his journey Galaphile meets some familiar characters (Cogline, King of the Silver River, the Ildatch, and Moor cats) and some new ones as well (Nirianne, Ratcher, and the Spectre Telle,). Landmark places are visited as well including Skull Mountain and Arborlon. The journey itself has all the makings of a major quest, and the ups and downs that come with it. Galaphile has big plans and gets a lot of help in making those dreams started, but by the end of this book it is clear that there is still a lot more to do before he achieve his goals.

As a long time reader of Mr. Brooks I feel that this is some of his best writing. The pace of the book was good; the character development was great, and it was a hard book to put down. Even though long time readers already know how the trilogy is going to end, it's still worth the read to enjoy the journey. Also for long time Shannara fans that last sentence is going to shock people!

A very interesting read. I really like how Terry grew Galaphile from a young man to the first druid. I liked the character-building Terry instituted and how the none of his character were perfect, but they went through trials and ordeals like real human beings making them tangible. Overall, I would give this book a four out of five stars. Terry's way of writing is superb he really knows how to get the juices going for a reader that keep them interacting with the characters the setting and setting things up for Broma in the First King of Shannara.

First of all. Ive been reading Terry Brooks since the late 1970s. im very glad to see him return to Shannara. This book is a beginning. It is a story of Galaphile, the First druid in Shannara lore. this is his origin story. Of his childhood and how he started on the path to become the first Ard Rhys of the four lands. many characters from Shannara lore are present. Cogline and the King of the silver river. the story shows how Galaphile began to study the magic that would let him become a powerful druid. also, the beginning relationship between moor cats and druids is shown. all of the races that Mr. Brooks has written of, are all here. Dwarves Trolls Gnomes and Elves all are intertwined within the story. of course there is a villian and a dark magic artifact. Mr. Brooks style is quite evident and readers familiar with the Shannara books will find this story a great read

Netgalley Advanced Reader Copy

I’ve read every Shannara book so was THRILLED to have early access to “Galaphile.” I enjoyed learning more about the first Druid and creation of Paranor. It was fun to see a couple familiar characters again (Shannara fans can probably guess who!). Plus, I loved all the cats.

There were a few times the story dragged for me, mostly in the absence of dialogue. Other reviewers cited Nirianne’s struggle as a slower section. However, that part is where I was most engrossed! Just goes to show we all have our personal preferences :).

I LOVED the ending and am 100% hooked for the rest of the series.

Terry Brooks has done it again!! Galaphile is another fantasy for the ages!! We follow Galaphile from a child surviving on his own to him being High Lord of a peace keeping force. Galaphile has begun fulfilling his destiny in uniting the four lands and stabilizing areas that are in post apocalyptic turmoil.
Must read for all fantasy readers!!

I have been reading the Shannara books since I was a child so I was more than excited when I heard about this one. I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly and always look forward to reading more of Terry Brooks. This book is Galaphile’s story, starting as a child and following him through events in his life. If you have committed to reading this series, make sure to add this one to your TBR.