At first, I was sad and thought that is this what EQ is becoming?
This? I'd like to cry.
But I read more. This is a good one, though I don't like the drawings. But this comic really made me laugh. And this had a tale in it, a good one. Some EQs don't have very much happening and story inside them, but this one has.
Go on, read this one. EQ will never be what it was in original quest (comics 1-4), but it's still alive.

I think that this book, though I like the whole series, is one of the most intriging. The authors reveal secrets about the charachters, like the info on Nightfall and Redlance. I thought the fact that they managed to work so many of the older characters, like Picknose, Oddbit and "Grammama". Other characters were new, like Trinket and Ekuar. (They have mentioned Ekuar before but not really.) This is one of my favorite books.

Like just about every other book in the series, I absolutely loved this volume. The Pinis have created a truly unique and wondrous story that captivates the imagination and tears at the heart, and this installment is no exception. A must read for anyone who loves a good story.

This book suffers from huge ordering errors (which no one seems to be in any great hurry to correct...) The story, while enjoyable, is near impossible to decode without asking another fan or using the original comics as a guide. Even if you can decode the confusing order, it's impossible to immerse yourself in a world when you're hunting for the next page ^^;

Elfquest is the best. However, I just want to post some info about the correct order to read this printing.
Here's the page sequence if you get this edition. This series was 4, 28-page issues. This book has no page numberers.
This Volume Orig.Comic,Orig. page#
Pages 1-24 - Seige #1---->1-24
Pages 25-49 - Seige #3---->1-28
Pages 50-53 - Seige #4---->1-3
Pages 54-57 - Seige #1---->25-28
Pages 58-86 - Seige #2---->1-28
Pages 87-End- Seige #4---->4-28
The idea is that you want to read it following the sequence of the "original comic" column. I put sticky notes all over mine and found it possible to read this. Hope that helps.

I love this book! It shows just how manipulative Winnowill can be.

This book is great! Without giving away the story suffice it to say that two people diferent as daylight and moonlight fall in love. Vincent is a charming charecter and his underground is well thought out. The artistry in the book is wonderful and facinating. A good read even if you never saw the CBS show!

I can't believe that Wendi and Richard sell their story like it was some cheap....@#$!*&^!!! They receive my ultimate praise for the first four compilations (the original #1-#20)which are the best fantasy epic that I have ever read but anything after that I do not bother reading. The quality of the artwork has gone way down and it is as if some giant tornado has come along and swept up all the characters I knew and replaced them with the X-men! Please Richard and Wendi save the characters we all know and love and bring them back to us!

The present book, "Ascent", covers the first part of the story of the Wolfriders' attempt to win the Palace of the High Ones back from their old enemy Winnowill - and a new one, the dictator Grohmul Djun.

First, it must be said that this is the darkest EQ tale yet. Given that the story deals with two would-be Stalins (take a guess, fans), this is inevitable - but fair warning, the opening scene (the first three pages) is NOT for children! That said, this is a dramatic, well-paced story, much more unified than that in the companion volume "Legacy". Too, the artwork is far more consistent, it having been entrusted to only one team of artists. (The use of several teams for "Legacy" is that book's weakness; art and story are very diffuse in that volume.)

It is a measure of the quality and "4-D-ness" of the story that grim, even frightening events share the stage with moments of lightheartedness, each appropriate to the story. Try, for instance, "Wood" (issue 2 of the series),the sequence depicting the Wolfriders and the trolls.

In short, despite the often-depressing story line (which will become even more so in "Reunion", the upcoming sequel), this book is a story well told with artwork well drawn - and a very affecting ending.

Since I read this book in it's original form (comic books) I don't know what the black and white version is like, but I loved this story. It's the most intense Elfquest story yet (and there is some gore - probably not suitable for children)! But if you get this book, you should also read it's sequel to find out what happens. The ending is great!

Before I begin my tirade on this disappointing addition to the Elfquest series, I would like to aquatint the reader with my past experience with Elfquest. I first discovered Elfquest when I was eight and from that encounter I learned to read well and not only that, to love reading. Ten years later I'm again interested in the series. I reread the first four books and was happily surprised that the sentimental power of Elfquest had not faded; collectively, these books are unequalled in their ability to attach the reader to the characters. However, the quality of the artwork has declined sharply since Quest's End and the narrative has suffered a similar depreciation. Don't get me wrong, I thought all the books up to Reunion were pretty good, if not at Elfquest's peak. Unfortunately, Reunion is trash. The drama begins with an interesting plot (the palace is destroyed, Rayek's duel with Cutter, etc.) but is rapidly reduced to embarrassingly trite and unoriginal characterization and story line. For example, the human girl Joan of Arc character is utterly ridiculous not to mention terribly contrived....right, this girl organizes a revolt, saves the Elves, and becomes a warrior within the course of two nights. To make it worse, the cliché of the evil warlord is repeated yet again: Evil Warlord's repressive policies incite revolt giving the heroes the time to sneak into the enemy compound and save the day. Trash. I can't understand how the gifted artist who produced Quest's End could stand to let this be printed.

If you want to read this book despite these glaring flaws, plop down in a bookstore and read it there (like I did) and save your money. With this, much of the very rich tradition of Elfquest is squandered.

"Reunion", volume 12a in the Reader's Collection and the sequel to "Ascent", features the heartrending conclusion to the story of the elves' quest to reclaim the Palace of the High Ones from Winnowill and her partner, the warlord Grohmul Djun.

The story in these episodes is the most sobering and poignant yet seen in the Elfquest series - and, ultimately, the most uplifting. Surprisingly, the suspense does not come from wondering whether the elves will survive their attack on the Djun's fortress. Rather, the story revolves around how the heroes react to the deaths of two of their own (just in the first three chapters!), and whether their quest is worth so much suffering. The sobering death-scenes early in the story serve only to heighten the effect of the climax, to make it much more meaningful. Many, indeed most, Elfquest stories have been as memorable, but none have been as moving as this one.

Although this book is not in color, a note on the production is in order. The artwork, which had been rendered in color originally, reverted to black-and-white beginning with the fourth chapter of this book; for budget reasons WaRP Graphics gave up color production in September 1995, the year the American comic-book market tanked. Understandably, some of the BW chapters look sketchy, since these were to have been colored-in originally. The last chapter, though, was drawn entirely by Wendy Pini, and is a visual treat, nothing new for her! (It also served as a preview for the artistic style she would show in the "Dreamtime" series, now published as Book 8a in the Reader's Collection.)

Despite the production troubles I have mentioned, this is a most memorable tale and a fitting capstone on this series. (Moreover, the Pinis are currently working on the _sequel_ to this story - stay tuned!)

I'm a big fan of all the original Elfquest graphic novels, and while this one is far from being one of the best, it's still an excellent read. Reprinted from the second half of the "Shards" series, with excellent writing from Wendy and Richard Pini, this follows the wolfriders final ascent to restore the palace and stop Winnowill once and for all. The art, while not even close to Wendy Pini's abilities, is done particularly well by Brandon McKinney. Most notable though is the art done by Wendy who returns for the last 3 chapters of this book. The most interesting aspect is the final chapter of the book which is done in a storybook form instead of the regular comic form. The only real downside is this is one of the tortured victims of the xeroxed in black and white from the orginal color comic books (with the exception of the last few chapters which were originally published in black and while), which is unfortunate cause it deserves much better.

I am a major Elfquets fan and I thought this book was amazing. I just got this book so I was quite exicited to read it so I finished it in one day. The first half of this book was great telling the story of the time after Ember and her tribe join up with her father Cutter and his tribe. After the breif family reunion both tribes split up again Ember's tribe with a few new occupants and some lost from the last book are off in search of what's left of Winnowills bad magic and to destroy it. In this story there are a few new elf chrildren one of Tyleets and another from Krim. This story also has a love qurrel between Tier( of whom joins the Wolfrider tribe in this book), Ember, and Mender. This is help settled at the end by Yun daughter of Skywise. Though the first half of this story is a thirler the second becomes a major downer. Not only did the artwork sink down to a all time low but its just disappointing how the elves get easily tricked by the human girl Gifa daughter of the Djun and of whom gets killed in the end by her own...brother. So I would recomend this book but you should be prepared for a small disapointment at the end.

Book 11b in the Elfquest Reader's Collection reprints the first part of the "Wild Hunt" series (with the conclusion to the present story set to appear in Book 11c, "Shadowstalker"); the story revolves around the adventures of Wolfrider chieftess Ember and her tribe, as they contend with the evils plaguing their home in the New Land - monsters created by their late enemy Winnowill, and the vengefulness of the defeated dictator Grohmul Djun. (The WH episodes in this book first appeared between 1996 and 1998.)

The early episodes concentrate - seemingly - on the elves' battle against a vicious sea-creature named "The Redeemer". When the series first appeared, some readers were disappointed at what they considered an unoriginal, man-versus-monster plot. Gradually, though, it became obvious that the true theme of this tale was the superstitiousness of the humans, and their continuing fear of the "point-eared demons" - and when Ember's folk finally confront the Redeemer, they must also confront the hostility and credulity of the five-fingers: a much tougher enemy, indeed, than any monster, as the conclusion makes clear.

Fine as this early part of the story is, the series hits its full stride only as the plot moves to the next turn of events: the vanquished Djun's scheme to overthrow - through his children - the elves who cost him his empire. The result of his conspiracy stretches the elves' ability to deal with humans - and, in Book 11c - their very existence - near the breaking-point; the travails of Tyleet, the elf most sympathetic to the human race, are especially heart-rending.

The first eight episodes of WH featured artwork by Steve Blevins, who also pencilled most of the episodes in "Legacy" (Book 11) and "Huntress" (Book 11a), the two preludes to this story. Of the various artists who have drawn EQ episodes, Blevins has come closest to replicating Wendy Pini's unique style; and indeed the last two episodes by his hand, though uninked and therefore on the light side, are surprisingly nuanced and detailed for the black-and-white medium. The remaining episodes in Book 11b - and all those in Book 11c - are the work of Lorraine Reyes, and represent a complete shift in style: sharp, angular, and undeniably inspired my Japanese "manga" comics. Hers is not Pini-esque drawing and is not intended to be; at the same time, it is wonderfully lucid, and some of the best pencil work yet seen in an EQ story (though many of the Reyes-drawn episodes were very indifferently printed, especially the first one in this book).

As the showcase of the Elfquest canon for the past four years, "The Wild Hunt" has added newfound depth to the two-decade-old series; most importantly, without slavishly copying Wendy Pini's early work, WH has come closest to the essential spirit of the best-known EQ stories, and deserves to be considered their rightful heir. Recommended - even though the sequel will be more moving still!

The pictures are ugly, but a few of the stories are all right...there are attempts at humor...but I would not recommend this book at all.

As long as you realize that this book just doesn't follow anywhere about the famous Elfquest adventures of the World of Two Moons (which has by now been named "Abode"), you will still enjoy all those stories, serious or wacky. Some are quite artful and some are pretty dreadful and not too accurate to the history of Elfquest. And you just won't believe the Warner Bros.-style cartoon featuring Cutter, Leetah and Skywise with all its ridculous visual gags and taunting references to the adventures of the Elfquest! And also, here's a very interesting tale where Dewshine safely drops her cub right after falling several feet right out of a very tall tree! A very amusing recreation for all the bored Elfquest fans!

Dispite the die-hard Elfquest fan that I am, I didn't greatly enjoy this book when I borrowed it from the library. There are many enjoyable stories (including a hilarious one featuring the characters of Elfquest drawn "Tiny Toons" style) but I found some uninteresting (a story by Barry Blair in which Suntop meets a human boy. It was more about humans than elves and just seemed to drag on and on). The art isn't up to par with Wendy Pini's, but I didn't mind that terribly, as these stories aren't canon to the Elfquest saga. Also, you should only read this book if you are familiar with the Elfquest series!

I am afraid I no longer care at all for EQ and this book is one of the poorer examples of the series. Honestly, the early work was good, but the later work should be avoided. It simply isn't quality work.

I am a big fan of Elfquest and I have read a lot of it and I would have to say that storywise this is probably one my favorite stories in all of Elfquest. The reason is because it has something that I have been wanting to see for a long time. A human that is on the same level as the elves are. He is a hunter who goes by the name of Lehrigan that knows the way of the elves and has been ordered to capture a healer from them. Besides him, Ember is the main character of this one and she will have to deal with many problems as Lehrigan tries to capture Mender the healer. In my opinion, Lehrigan is probably one of the coolest characters that has ever appeared in Elfquest.
My only real complaint about this book is the fact that most of the artwork is horrible. So horrible, that it almost kept me from reading this book until I got into it. The human characters look decent and Lehrigan does actually look pretty cool. But the elves look just awful. Sometimes I would be confused at what character was what. If it wasn't for the bad artwork this probably would've gotten 5 stars instead of 3.
I am fortunate enough that I happen to have a library around my house that gets in a lot of elfquest books so I don't have to spend money on them. If you are doubtful about reading this one from the previous reviews, then I suggest that you try to find out if your local library has Elfquest books so if you don't like it you wont feel that you were gipped.

I realize a lot of people are griping about the art, and it *would* look 1000 times better in full color.

However, the art's better, and truer to the Pini style, than I have seen in almost any othe Elfquest sequel, and I could figure out what was going on in the story despite having not read many of the intervening books. If you're feeling Elfquest-deprived but don't feel like purchasing a lot of inferior art and lame plotlines in order to understand what's going on, this is the book for you.

I know that for die-hard Elfquest fans, the turn to other artists is difficult. Shards is a prime example of the shift to more comic book-like writing and art. It will never compare to the original Series 1-8. However, I had prepared myself for this when, after 5 years of not picking up an Elfquest, I decided to start back up with the series. Expecting the unfamiliar style of art, as from Worldpool, I was pleasantly surprised at the art in Shards. The characters were recognizable and often strikingly like Pini's work. Her art was mixed in and it made for an adaquate and enjoyable read. Although we would all love for Wendy to be doing it all, I think this will do. But I really hope the movie is worth all this!!

Sadly, you must be forwarned. First, the stories are in black and white: not pen and ink, but half-toned copies of color originals. Secondly, this is not the entire tale of the broken palace's saga. The book ends in the tell-tale "To be continued in Shards #1"... So, you'll have to follow the battle for the palace in Collection books #11b - Ascent and #12b - Reunion. And, Ember's tribe's story in #11a - Legacy and #11b - Huntress.

That being said, the artwork is exceptional, concidering the varying artists compiled. Good form, WaRP! Pleasingly Pini-esque! And, the story does indeed flow with characteristic Pini style: quick, crisp and can't put it down! If you're unfamiliar with the Quest, recommend reading Kings of the Broken Wheel, at least, to get a better feel for the story line. And, of course, Collection books 1 - 4 (the original Quest) to get a good handle on who's who.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shards. As an Elfquest fan since 1985, I had been reluctant, in recent years, to read stories that weren't strictly written and drawn by the Pinis. But this book has rekindled my interest in the series. Although the artwork does vary from section to section, it is pretty faithful to Wendy Pini's original style. The storylines were intriguing, and I can't wait to find out how they are played out in further installments of Elfquest. I would, however, SERIOUSLY suggest reading Elfquest graphic novels 1 through 8 and The Hidden Years before reading Shards, in order for the plot to make complete sense and to understand the long character histories.

I just finished Dreamtime and was looking forward to continuing on with Cutter and his Tribe. Unfortunately, that was not to be. I started Rogue's Curse and cannot finish it. It feels completely out of sequence, which it is and gives away things in Reunion, which I haven't read yet.

If you buy this book, read it at the end of Reunion or not at all. I'll keep my copy rather than return it just to have a complete set of books, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I, too was confused by the way this book jumps out of continuity with the others. It takes place after the Battle for the Palace Shards. And that is a stroy not told for a least a few more books after Rogue's Curse. I don't know why they decided to do that, it doesn't make any sense. However, it is a very compelling story, and it shed a new light on the often misunderstood character of Rayek. I did miss the other elves while reading it, though. I look forward to getting back to their story in future volumes. I recomend getting it, but not until it's chronlogicaly nesescary by story, not by number. Don't make the mistake I did by reading it too soon, it will give future plotlines away!

For the numerous years I've been reading Elfquest, Rayek has been one of my least favorite characters. But being the EQ fanatic I am I had to get it. When they first brought it out in this graphic novel version I thought that it was the same as the hardback Rogue's Challenge that was released a few years back due to the same cover. To my happiness it wasn't. It was a totally different novel and compilations of stories. By the time I finished reading this I had a totally different view on Rayek and not only LIKED his character but felt sorry for him in a lot of ways. A definate need to read if the Elfquest characters have made it into your life.