The story opens with two simple wood elves "camping" on a starry night and quickly transforms into a murder mystery!The characters are incredibly well-formed, they are complicated and intricately portrayed. Marks truly employs character development as a method of introducing you the characters in the book rather than simply describing them. She brings you along as silent participant in the quest to find and kill the hideous creature that is brutally murdering her elven brethren.As the story progresses the duo quickly turns into a foursome adding a subtle dynamic of romance. I did not feel as though this story was at all bogged down by emotional romantic sentiment, but instead the progression of how each of the characters genuinely cared about one another. It was nice not being caught up in yet another story of co-dependency where the theme was "I can't live without you". The interactions between the company were of heartfelt emotions rather than lust driven needs.The battle scenes were amazing, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Marks is not afraid to take risks in letting important characters die. Some of the losses were shocking. Usually I can tell who is "wearing the red shirt" in a book but this story kept me on edge because you never knew who was going to be next.It is always a bit of nail-biter when going up against a seemingly invincible foe. In the first real confrontation with Gorgon Efhunter the company met with utter disaster. I was left with a bit of hopelessness, wondering what it would take defeat Gorgon.Gorgon is a tortured hateful soul - his is a pretty classic "mommy didn't give him enough hugs" character. He oozes with hatred for all living things and will suffer none in his path to live. His hatred has driven him to self mutilation over his many years to the point of his origins being nearly impossible to trace.I would recommend this book for any reader that enjoys fantasy. If you have a 10 year old that is a good reader this book is appropriate for the age group. And yes if you liked the Lord of the Rings you will love this story. The story movement is superb, the character development feels natural and there are many surprises throughout the story.This is the second book I've read by Marks, it's safe to say at this point I am in fact now a fan of her work and I can't wait for the next installment in the Elfhunter trilogy. For as long as I remember, I loved stories with elves, dwarves, men and campaigns. When I was told about this series, I put it on my list of books to check out and I wasn't disappointed. It was a bit slow at first as the author began to build the foundations of both the story and the world of Alterra itself. In my opinion, it needed to be slow because everything within Alterra played a part in the story. The characters, the land, the animals - they all played a role in the events which came to pass.Right away the reader was shown why Gorgon was given his nickname. From the first strike of the sword, he set into motion a series of events that spanned the world of Alterra and came back upon him. The author did a great job in conveying how devastating the deaths were for all those affected by them. Gaelen and Nelwyn reacted realistically to the knowledge of the deaths of childhood friends. Thus, they began on their journey to find the party responsible and bring him/her to justice.Of course, they encountered several obstacles and setbacks along the way. I was relieved that the two She-elves weren't left to go through all of them alone. Along the way they began to pick up companions whose destinies became entwined with Gaelen and Nelwyn's. Each one of the characters stood out in their own way. Rogond was stalwart and loyal to a fault. Galador's past blurred his perception of the present almost to the point of turning away the very thing he wanted. There were a number of other characters which impacted the story though they weren't among the main characters.In the depths of darker times, there were moments of comic relief which provided a welcomed contrast to the battle and death scenes. Not only between the members of the Company but from the horses themselves. Rogond's horse reminded me so much of people in my own life that I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. I loved the descriptions of the horses and the insight of how their minds worked. The descriptions of the land and various realms painted vivid pictures in such a way that I could very easily envision them for myself as I continued reading.Once the foundation was set, the pacing of the story picked up and continued on a steady path until it reached a fevered pitch. I was caught up in the world of Alterra by the first third of the book. By the end, I was scrambling for the next book in the series. Overall, I enjoyed spending time in their world and look forward to the sequel. Familiar to other adventure or fantasy stories, the author did a wonderful job of including enough differences and unique quirks to create a world and exciting saga all her own. If you're a lover of adventure and fantasy or merely attracted to Elves and Dwarves, this is the series for you. Be sure to pick up a copy of this book and its sequel!
Do You like book Elfhunter (2012)?
almost done had to stop,very busy,but is a very great book.more detail later
—sushi777
Quite an entertaining read but a bit too derivative for me
—Sam
