In defense of Elves
by morgan on Jun.08, 2009, under Brandon Sanderson
Before we kill all the elves, let’s reflect. Here are 9 great stories featuring them. If you had to add a 10th story to this Top 10 list, what would you add?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare
The King of Elfland’s Daughter, by Lord Dunsany
The Drizzt Do’Urden novels, by R. A. Salvatore
Elfstones of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
The Harry Potter novels, by J. K. Rowling
Lords and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett
Keeping It Real, by Justina Robson
Elvenbane, by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey
Hellboy II: The Golden Army, by Guillermo Del Toro
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June 8th, 2009 on 11:57 pm
The Summer Tree, by Guy Gavriel Kay
June 9th, 2009 on 3:36 am
Well, Tolkein, obviously.
Or did you mean lately? Shakespeare is pretty classic, although elves are only barely in Midsummer’s Night except as a synonym for fairies.
June 9th, 2009 on 5:17 am
I second Jeff’s motion for The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (The Summer Tree being book 1).
I have to dispute your inclusion of the Elfstones of Shannara. While that series is mild entertaining at times, at its best it’s still a derivative of Tolkien. At its worst it’s really poorly written. I will never understand its popularity.
June 9th, 2009 on 6:26 am
“Fire and Hemlock” by Diana Wynne Jones
June 9th, 2009 on 9:25 am
I would add Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest.
And Tolkien, of course.
June 9th, 2009 on 10:53 am
I second Tolkein. Dragonlance had a nice Elven trilogy…
June 9th, 2009 on 12:30 pm
Have to agree with Tolkien and Dragonlance.
And while I do not like his writing much anymore (and agree the Sword of Shannara is a pretty blatant rip-off of Tolkien), I grew up with Terry Brooks and loved his writing. It brought me into fantasy, even if I grew out of his writing style.
June 9th, 2009 on 1:07 pm
First Chronicle of Malus Darkblade by Dan Abnett. There’s an elf that will stand the Tolkien elf on their ears… whew… the puns.
June 9th, 2009 on 1:37 pm
True, Midsummer Night’s Dream was amazing. I read it this year in college yet again. My theatre professor actually played Puck in one of runs of it for The Shakespeare Festival in Michigan.
June 9th, 2009 on 1:53 pm
I would replace Elfstones with the four Heritage of Shannara books. There’s more of a mystery in where the elves disappeared to.
June 9th, 2009 on 3:42 pm
I completely agree that Tolkien has to be up there, has to be. How could you include any of the others and not include Tolkien? But yes the traditional races are a little overdone, and yes I would like some books written that don’t include them, but I think that it is vital that there are still SOME books that include them.
June 9th, 2009 on 3:56 pm
Off topic, but not really.
Wasn’t too keen on the house elves in HP.
I’m looking for edgier elves. Can anyone offer up any suggestions?
June 9th, 2009 on 4:59 pm
Thanks for listing GDT’s Hellboy 2.
I really enjoyed Guillermo del Toro’s take on elves in his Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I would have loved to have seen more of their world and culture.
GDT, we need a comic or another movie for just the elves!!
And Dane, GDT’s elves are definitely edgier.
June 9th, 2009 on 5:47 pm
As Devin mentioned earlier: Elfquest!
Still a favourite after all these years (okay, it’s merely fifteen years or so, but still…). The comics are posted on the official website for anyone who wants to take a look.
June 9th, 2009 on 10:43 pm
I think Drew Hayes’ comic book series Poison Elves/I, Lusiphur had the greatest take on elves ever. His elves were cigar chomping, gun toting, tattoo having assassins and thieves instead of the stereotypical nature loving, spiritual advising, wisdom having wusses from the Lord of the Rings. I love the Lord of the Rings but his take on elves has been copied by so many other fantasy novels that it has become hackneyed, passe, and dull.
June 9th, 2009 on 10:48 pm
Sure, Tolkien could easily have made the list and probably should have been #1. His elves are transcendent, and they stick with you. Legolas gets all the attention since the movies, but I’ve always been more attracted to the characterization of Elrond and Galadriel in the books.
June 9th, 2009 on 11:02 pm
I grew up with Brooks, too and always have a pleasant nostalgia feeling when reading his work. His Shannara books, Piers Anthony’s Xanth, David Eddings’ Belgariad and C. S. Lewis’ Narnia books drew me into the fantasy genre. I took a break from reading his Shannara books for while, but he brought me back with Armageddon’s Children. That was good.
June 10th, 2009 on 2:25 am
Tad Williams has elves in many of his stories. In Memory Sorrow and Thorn the elves are called Sithi. War of the Flowers doesn’t have elves, per se, but several of the fairies are man-sized and the rich ones don’t have wings. Southmarch has elves called Qar).
I like Williams’ ability to present each elf culture as fully developed, timeless, and alien (he does the same with his dwarf cultures). And I don’t recall archery being a big part of the stories.
And, yes, I really like the Dragonlance elves.
June 10th, 2009 on 1:23 pm
A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE - Chris Evans (the Iron Elves series), his elves are at war and use (gasp) gun powder. Quite original.
GOBLIN QUEST - Jim Hines (not the central figure, but there nonetheless)
THE DEATHGATE CYCLE - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (of which my favourite was FIRE SEA - which didn’t have much about elves, though the series itself did)
June 10th, 2009 on 1:27 pm
Dave Duncan did a wonderfull job adapting elves, dwarves, goblins, mermaids, pixies, faries, imps, djin, and fauns into two wonderfull stories spread over two series: A Man of His Word, and A handfull of Men.
June 10th, 2009 on 2:51 pm
I do agree with the Drizzt Do’Urden being on the list, however in hind sight, this character now reminds me of Horatio Caine.
June 15th, 2009 on 7:03 pm
Steven Brust’s Taltos books and Dragaeran books.
March 20th, 2010 on 4:32 am
My son is actually nuts about lego together with star wars lego - thank you for the insight!
March 2nd, 2011 on 2:51 pm
Very cool! I always feel goofy when I find this kind of stuff interesting.
November 21st, 2011 on 3:32 am
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