The Last Druid

The Fall of Shannara #4

by Terry Brooks

The riveting conclusion not only to the Fall of Shannara but to the entire Shannara series--a truly landmark event, twenty-nine books and forty-three years in the making.Bringing a conclusion to an epic that has spanned centuries is a vast undertaking, but Terry Brooks is entirely equal to the challenge. As the Four Lands reels under a brutal invasion from across the sea, spearheaded by a nation determined to make this land their own, our heroes must decide what they will risk to save the integrity of their home. For as one group remains to defend their homeland, another undertakes a perilous journey across the sea to the homeland of the invaders, carrying with them a new piece of technology that could change the face of the world forever.For both groups, the stakes could not be higher. For those who remain, one of their key allies has been banished to the a demon-filled prison from which there is no escape. And the one who sent him there now stalks the land with a fearsome demon at her side, determined to seize what power she can. While across the sea, a small band of heroes has been shipwrecked far from the land they seek. Can a young girl free her mentor in time to stop an invasion? And can a strange new science reach a foreign shore in time to alter the fate of two nations...providing the device even works?Filled with twists and turns and epic feats of derring-do--not untouched by tragedy--this is vintage Terry Brooks, and a fitting end to a saga that has gathered generations of readers into its fold.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Adventure, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

431 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2020

About the author

Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The Last Druid is an incredible fantasy epic that was a joy to read. It is a conclusion to the 29-book Shannara series that Terry Brooks has nurtured for four decades. For those who have been on the bus for the whole journey, it is a landmark event. For those of us who just hitched a ride in the previous book (The Steihl Assassin), it was a fantastic little sprint through an amazing fantasy universe. Even without the vast background of the other books, this book was great. Brooks is an incredible writer and here he gives us wild adventures, magical battles, flying airships, and a journey into the Forbidding, a twisted corner of hell populated by demons beyond imagining from which there may be no escape.

There are a lot of pieces in play and the action shifts from one theater to another. Each story within the story is filled with excitement, adventure, fascination, and magic. It's hard to decide which story is the best. Indeed, putting aside the fact that there have been almost too many Shannara novels to count in various trilogies and quartets, this book could have been further divided into more books, each endlessly fascinating.

Tarsha is left struggling for her life, wondering how many lives she has left, struggling to find her mentor, Drisker, who has been banished to the Forbidding. And a great battle is coming. Has she learned enough from her mentor. Is her magic strong enough? How long can a mere apprentice like her stand against the most powerful witch imaginable, one who runs with a fell demon at her side, a hungry, vicious monstrosity of a demon? This story told from Tarsha's point of view is a whole story onto itself with her desperation portrayed so well as she uses her intuition and her magic to accomplish what she could barely imagine.

Drisker, Tarsha's mentor, an extraordinary druid in his own right, has his own tale told through his point of view. He finds himself as the book opens s in a landscape far more foreboding than anything he has ever imagined. The descriptions of this world are amazing in detail. Brooks let his imagination run wild in creating the most incredible beasts and demons, each one creepier and more repellent than the last. This story takes the form of a quest and the fell company that sets off into the netherworld of caved and tunnels is like the worst nightmare one could ever have. The Forbidding is like a different universe that itself could hold numerous tales.

Meanwhile, the Federation and Skaar armies are ready to face off. The machinations of these two warring camps are intriguing as are the endless betrayals and surprises.

And an airship is a world away with a secret plan to change Skaarland. This is like something out of Burroughs' imagination. Yes, you have elves and princesses. But you also get scientific inventions and secret incursions and curious natives in hot pursuit.

The pace is terrific. The story is everything you could want in a great fantasy. What a wonderful conclusion to a series.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This is it. The final book of a series that I have read for over thirty years. It is also the fourth book of an arc and must be read in order. In this one, all our heroes are off on their separate quests as we continue the action.

As I said I have read this series for a long time and has been such an important part of my love for reading. Could it live up to my expectations? Unfortunately it did not meet them all. That is probably on me as I believe my expectations were too high. As for the story we pick up exactly where the third book ended. We continue follow the exploits of our heroes even though they are separated over the different lands with their different adventures. This is quintessential Brooks storytelling. You will spend one of two chapters with a character and something is about to happen and we switch to a different character. This kind of storytelling by Brooks has always hooked me and it worked once again in this novel. I was interested in this book throughout and I could not wait to see how everything tied in with each other. Why didn't I enjoy this book more then? The conclusion to each plot for me was anticlimactic. I was hoping for that epic moment especially since this is the final book. It never really materialized and the final pages were a bit of a let down.

I liked this book and my attention never waned. I think I wanted too much for this book. If I never knew this book was the final Shannara book I believe I would have given this a higher rating. I wanted too much as I wanted a balls to the wall conclusion. We have all seen or read a series finale that doesn't stick the landing. That is how I feel about this book. That being said I absolutely love this whole series and I will always cherish my time in this universe.

[Albert Riehle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been along for the whole ride. The Elfstones of Shannara is and always will be one of my favorite books. And the original trilogy as a whole hold a very special place with me. The characters in those books are old friends now, I re-read them often, whenever I want to visit.

From there Brooks began writing in 3-4 book sets with a continuous story. Some of those stories were really good. Some were good but not quite to the level of magic I found in his self-contained stories. Still, I always looked forward to his annual release and I always tore through it voraciously. I took many a "sick day" on book release days so I could spend my whole day reading it.

For a while now it hasn't been great. Brooks has been re-telling his stories. He gives the characters new names, tweaks the circumstances just a bit, but essentially re-tells a story he's already told. Nothing fresh. I suspect he felt trapped by his own creation because he tried to leave it often enough. The Four Lands couldn't contain him, so he took his stories to new places. From the start he's always struck to the theme of science versus magic. And for a while now he's seemingly been building to a choice between them. And honestly, he's taken a few false starts at that choice. Perhaps that's why it seems like such a old record in this series.

I thought the first book in this series was disjointed. There were some characters I liked very much and there was certainly a new element but I didn't have a lot of confidence in where it would lead. I liked the second book but hated the third. In fact, I couldn't even bring myself to re-read the third book in this series before reading this finale. So, I went into it relying on what I remembered from the previous 4 years of reading. Finally, after The Stiehl Assassin, I'd lost faith and was actually anxious about reading this book. I didn't want it to end poorly, but I strongly suspected it would.

More to the point, I've wondered if it was really Terry Brooks still writing these books or if he'd turned duties over to his pet sycophant? I've wondered if after cashing in on The Shannara Chronicles and promising his loyal fans it would be in good hands at MTV when it was certainly anything but that, perhaps he was just cashing paychecks and phoning it in, no longer actually invested.

That's the baggage I brought into this book and I bring further into this review. I no longer trust my hero.

So? Was this a good book? Was it a fitting and worthy conclusion to decades of fandom, countless hours of reading and re-reading?

I'm not sure what to say. It didn't fail and flop to a point that my anxiety over it proved justified. It didn't wow me though. It was okay. It was yet another re-telling of a story. And as for it being the end of the saga? Sure. If Brooks decides not to write another book in the series that comes after this one, then it's the end. But the conclusion of this book/series is also one we've seen before. There is absolutely nothing that would stop Brooks from releasing a new book, in a new series that comes after this one, using many of the same characters and calling it The Rise of Shannara. Nothing is concluded here. In fact, many characters and plot points are brought to an end with the reader not knowing what choice Brooks made for them and letting the reader choose.

Writers have to make choices. Brooks chose not to do so. Maybe he thought letting everyone choose in their own mind what happens next is a way to make everyone happy instead of facing criticism? I don't know. But this book ends with things in the same state they typically are in between his series. And it seems like a lazy way to end things. This was never supposed to be a choose your own adventure series.

There was a lot of sloppiness in this book too. At one point, Brooks calls a group of plant-eating creatures "vegetarians," as if it was a lifestyle choice. In another scene he refers to Darcon Leah as a Borderman, even though the Leah's are from the Highlands and have been since the very first book in the series. In another scene, Brooks actually has two characters exchange the iconic Star Wars dialogue: "I love you." "I know." Seriously? I'd love to think it was an homage but it was so blatant and awkward and it took me right out of the story.

So, why the 3-stars then? I'm not sure I can justify them to be honest. I know it's not anywhere near as bad as the previous book in the series. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't Brooks. The pace was good, the characters--though often retreads of former characters--were compelling. The story was slightly different in places, just enough to not be unique. I gave it three stars because it was okay. Not good, not great. Not terrible, not bad. Overall, I'd give the series a 2.5 star mark.

Mostly, I think I'm just relieved that it's over. I'm glad it's come to an end before it truly became terrible beyond repair. I'm glad it's over and I won't have to watch Brooks struggle to tell a new, compelling, interesting story and failing and giving into re-telling an old one.

If you've come this far with Brooks, you don't need my review. You're going to read this one and get your own closure or lack of it. If you're new to Terry Brook, I recommend you read his early stuff and stop reading when his books start including flying boats, laser crystals and weather machines. In retrospect, that's where I wish I had stopped reading. I was always chasing the promise of a masterpiece that eclipsed Elfstones. It never arrived. I've weaned myself off the drug now because Brooks made it less and less potent over time. I read on to see the end and now I've seen it. It's time to turn the page.

Thank you, Mr. Brooks, for the times when the magic did, indeed, work. Thank you for one of my favorite books and for one of my favorite trilogies. Thank you for a world I can and do still escape to when it's needed. This book and this series wasn't the ending I had wanted or hoped for, but it is right and good that it's come to an end.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn’t been planning to read this. I found the Shannara books early on after I found Tolkien, and devoured all of them, and kept on reading them as new ones came out - but that stopped a while back, and I’ve missed two or three series that Brooks has since published. I was maturing as a reader, and coming to recognize just how samey they were (though Brooks’ reputation as writing Tolkien clones is actually extremely off base, but that’s a subject for a different post). But I was aware that Brooks had said The Fall of Shannara would be the conclusion of the Shannara world, not just the next series, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to actually read it. Revisit something from childhood, as it were.

I didn’t approach it without trepidation. I have a sort of tradition where every few years I will feel compelled to get a Hostess or Little Debbie cake, remembering how much I used to like them as a kid, and find that they mostly taste like corn syrup and disappointment. This felt like that sort of thing. But, as with my every-couple-years tradition of eating a bite or two off of a Hostess cupcake, I nevertheless felt compelled to give this a go.

Thanks to the Del Ray folks for the ARC of the final book in the quadrilogy.

I’ll be reviewing this series on two levels. First, as a series on its own merits, then as a conclusion to the Shannara saga.

As a series on its own, this is OK. It’s better than most of the more recent Shannara books I’ve read, but not as good as Elfstones or Wishsong. I’d rank it somewhere below the Scions quadrilogy, more or less on par with the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. (my personal ranking is Elfstones/Wishsong > Scions > Voyage > several series that all kind of blur together > Sword > First King) Brooks has always been able to write a page turner, and he doesn’t disappoint here - I burned through all four books in a little over a week. In some ways this was very familiar. You have a Leah swordsman, an Elessedil prince, an Ohmsford descendant or two. You have a Druid order that’s gradually devolved into petty power politics and is neglecting its duties, and as such is vulnerable to being wiped out except for one last survivor left to continue the order and fight the evil of the day. You don't have the Sword of Shannara itself, or a McGuffin, or the Vastly Outnumbered Good Guy Army fighting a Desperate Holding Action at Strategic Choke Point.

As to how things developed - it went in some directions I expected, and a lot I didn't. Not going to say much more than that. Characters were a mixed bag. Some I liked a great deal, others just fell flat. Brooks has always been kind of weak at creating believable bad guys who don't just go "Yay Evil!" and the bad guys here aren't anything to write home about. It all adds up to a series that, on its own, is a decent but ultimately forgettable popcorn read.

But it doesn't stand on its own, so now let's talk about it as a conclusion to what I'm pretty sure is the longest running of fantasy sagas.

Here, I have to say, it works very well. One of the reasons we don't have McGuffins is that Brooks has always been the Lord of McGuffins, and he leans into all the assorted talismans he's created over the years rather than invent new ones in a way that feels very organic. All the history of the Ohmsfords and Druids and the rest of the Four Lands is built on to get things where they are today. (Though I do think Brooks was being a little cheeky to name a character Shea Ohmsford, even if he did hang a lampshade on it) ("Shea Ohmsford? Really? Are you having me on?" "No, that's just my name.")

A theme going all the way back to Sword of Shannara has been the conflict between magic and science as to which was the "better" source of power. Science is more reliable than magic, but does have the rather significant mark against it of having destroyed the old world. Brooks' world has never been stuck in pseudo-Medieval stasis, and science has been advancing somewhat steadily for the thousands of years covered, while magic has ebbed and flowed. The conflict (or synergy) between the two is a central theme to this book, and it felt like a good wrap up to that debate.

The ending is ambiguous in the best way possible. It gave me the same kind of feeling as the last moment of Star Trek: The Next Generation, when Picard finally joins the poker game and the series ends with him saying "five card stud, nothing wild, and the sky's the limit." The last scene felt absolutely perfect.

So well done, Terry, and thank you for years is entertainment and providing loads of fuel for a young reader's imagination.

I commented earlier about the whole Tolkien clone thing being unfair. I think for my next audiobook relisten I'll do the original Shannara trilogy, so keep an eye out for my thoughts on that in a few months.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to a literary fantasy saga, forty years in the making!

Forty years hence, thousands of pages later, and, for that matter, some forty books beyond its breathtaking debut to grateful readers of the fantasy genre looking for something to equal Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, Terry Brooks appears to have chosen to return Shannara’s Sword to its well-worn sheath and to bring the epic to a close. Peace returns to the Four Lands as its war with the Skaar invaders is brought to an end and a satisfactory peace. Magic’s position as its foil to the science, now burgeoning in the hands of the world’s population is at least tentatively assured as Tarsha Kaynin takes Drisker Arc’s place as the last Druid and the keeper of Paranor’s druid histories.

THE LAST DRUID is most assuredly NOT a stand-alone fantasy novel. If you haven’t read the preceding novels in THE FALL OF SHANNARA series, #1 THE BLACK ELFSTONE, #2 THE SKAAR INVASION, and #3 THE STIEHL ASSASSIN, then the plot of this novel will make absolutely no sense to you at all. Come to that, if you haven’t been a fan of the Shannara series since its inception and if you haven’t read a significant portion of the other novel’s in the Shannara canon such as WITCH WRAITH or TANEQUIL, many of the historical plot references in THE LAST DRUID will become meaningless and fly right over your head. Without an understanding of those references to past events in the Shannara universe, I suspect much of THIS novel’s plot will become meaningless.

It is with some degree of melancholy reluctance that I express the opinion that THE LAST DRUID, satisfying, workmanlike, complete, and entertaining, is definitely not compelling or breathtaking. I expect most fans of the series, having turned the final page, will simply sigh with a small measure of disappointment while, at the same time, mentally expressing their gratitude for forty years of enjoyment drawn from a magnificent fantasy series.

Paul Weiss

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final part of the Shannara books, a series of 29 books. I've read them all, enjoyed most of them, and I feel sad that these books are ending. But it's a wise decision, as its hard to come up with new things in this world after so many writing on it.

I loved the conclusion of the series, this was a great end to the Fall of Shannara series. I loved what happened with Grianne Ohmsford & Tarsha Kaynin. I was a little annoyed by the fact that in almost every chapter Grianne was described and named differently, Straken Queen, Ilse Witch, High Druid, just Queen, and there were more. It can be a bit confusing. (Same for Darcon Leah and him being called the Blade)

Also the end left a sort of opening on what happened and at first I was like no! What will she do? But later I thought about it and it was a nice way to end the story. I will miss Shannara!

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is out of my wheelhouse for sure but very enjoyable. I would recommend it to all.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, I can hardly talk about all of the things about this book without discussing spoilers.

I will say that I enjoyed all of the plotlines, particularly the Skaar/Federation plotline and the Dar/Ajin plotline, and I was surprised that I enjoyed the Forbidding plotline as well.

The ending of this book is something special, pure Terry Brooks. It hit me right in the feels. Oof!

I know this is a WAY shorter review than normal, but that's because I don't want to spoil stuff. If you've read his works you should definitely read this book.

My youtube review is 20 minutes and will be out eventually.

9.5/10!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

"All good things must come to an end" - Geoffrey Chaucer

Most readers can point to a book (or series of books) that first made them fall in love with books and made them a lifelong reader. The Sword of Shannara is that book for me. I first read it when I was 12 years old in 6th grade, and I'll never forget how enthralling and engrossing the story was for me. My age group and generation was the target audience for the series and I was immediately hooked. That story was so exciting and mysterious with the druid, Allanon, making his way into Shady Vale to meet with Shea Ohmsford and the subsequent adventure that ensued is wondrous and unforgettable. I couldn't put the book down and here I am after 32 years as a fan and 34 books in the series, (see the chronological list below), reminiscing. The fictional world of the Four Lands that Terry Brooks created became almost like a 2nd home for me. It has been a great, fantastical voyage for me as a reader. This series will always be my favorite.

_________________________________________________

The publishing of the final installment last year of The Last Druid was bittersweet for me as a fan, but it was also welcome. Here was an epic coming to an end. As for the book itself, 3 stars. It was a satisfactory ending (by that I mean it fulfilled my expectations). The plot definitely had some epic and very touching moments that were a good wrap up for the series and characters who I have grown to love over the years. I'm not ashamed to say I'm also glad it's over because it is time for me to move forward as a reader.

_________________________________________________

The Shannara series has been with me for 32 years which is nearly 3/4 of my life! As a fan, in order to give the series the "send off" I thought it deserved, I decided (as a revisting reader) to re-read the entire series in plot chronological order. QUICK NOTE: For readers of this that are unfamiliar with the series, Terry Brooks wrote this series in generational trilogies and went back (kind of like the Star Wars movies) and wrote prequel trilogies after some of the later plotted books were published.

I've gotten to meet Terry Brooks twice over the years , first during his Morgawr tour, and second time at a book festival at the home town I grew up in (and in which I started reading Shannara). He and his wife, Judine, were both so gracious and kind, and I have a solid collection of personalized and signed Shannara books. I just hope my children don't throw them away when I'm gone because I cherish them! : )


I started my series re-read in 2020 and it took me right at a year and a half from Jan 2020 to June 2021 to complete.

Some reading stats from my series re-read:
394 days logged reading
11,922 pages (avg page length 351)
My GR star ratings over the entire series averaged exactly 4 stars. (Some ups and downs, but the fact that it still came out as average of 4 stars tells me that my enjoyment of the books held up)



2020 - 2021 series re-read:
1 Armageddon's Children 1/1/2020 to 1/18/2020 3 stars 371 pgs
2 The Elves of Cintra 1/18/2020 to 2/9/2020 4 stars 379 pgs
3 The Gypsy Morph 2/9/2020 to 2/26/2020 4 stars 402 pgs
4 Bearers of the Black Staff 2/27/2020 to 3/22/2020 3.5 stars 353 pgs
5 The Measure of the Magic 3/22/2020 to 4/15/2020 3.5 stars 383 pgs
6 First King of Shannara 4/15/2020 to 4/28/2020 5 stars 489 pgs
7 Allanon's Quest 4/28/2020 to 4/28/2020 3 stars 34 pgs
8 The Sword of Shannara 4/28/2020 to 5/16/2020 5 stars 523 pgs
9 The Black Irix 5/16/2020 to 5/16/2020 3 stars 44 pgs
10 The Elfstones of Shannara 5/16/2020 to 5/31/2020 5 stars 564 pgs
11 The Weapons Master's Choice 5/31/2020 to 5/31/2020 3 stars 39 pgs
12 The Wishsong of Shannara 5/31/2020 to 6/20/2020 5 stars 481 pgs
13 Indomitable 6/20/2020 to 6/21/2020 4 stars 96 pgs
14 Dark Wraith of Shannara 6/21/2020 to 6/21/2020 3 stars 208 pgs
15 The Scions of Shannara 6/21/2020 to 7/10/2020 4 stars 419 pgs
16 The Druid of Shannara 7/10/2020 to 7/23/2020 5 stars 370 pgs
17 The Elf Queen of Shannara 7/23/2020 to 8/26/2020 5 stars 359 pgs
18 The Talismans of Shannara 8/26/2020 to 9/13/2020 4 stars 440 pgs
19 Ilse Witch 10/18/2020 to 11/8/2020 4 stars 464 pgs
20 Antrax 11/9/2020 to 12/6/2020 4 stars 375 pgs
21 Morgawr 12/6/2020 to 12/14/2020 5 stars 401 pgs
22 Jarka Ruus 12/17/2020 to 12/21/2020 4.5 stars 416 pgs
23 Tanequil 12/21/2020 to 12/27/2020 3 stars 368 pgs
24 Straken 4/11/2021 to 4/17/2021 4 stars 384 pgs
25 Wards of Faerie 4/17/2021 to 4/29/2021 4 stars 366 pgs
26 Bloodfire Quest 4/29/2021 to 5/3/2021 4 stars 368 pgs
27 Witch Wraith 5/3/2021 to 5/16/2021 5 stars 432 pgs
28 The High Druid's Blade 5/16/2021 to 5/19/2021 5 stars 305 pgs
29 The Darkling Child 5/19/2021 to 5/24/2021 4 stars 300 pgs
30 The Sorcerer's Daughter 5/25/2021 to 5/31/2021 2.5 stars 334 pgs
31 The Black Elfstone 5/31/2021 to 6/4/2021 4.5 stars 318 pgs
32 The Skaar Invasion 6/4/2021 to 6/14/2021 4 stars 371 pgs
33 The Stiehl Assassin 6/14/2021 to 6/19/2021 3.5 stars 337 pgs
34 The Last Druid 6/19/2021 to 6/24/2021 3 stars 429 pgs

Truer words couldn't be spoken- all good things must come to an end! I can't express enough in words how much this series has meant to me.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I was a little disappointed with how it all ended. The story itself was a little better than the last few books, with more original storytelling instead of just recycling plot points from earlier books. But for how much was built up to this being the end of the Shannara saga, the conclusion to this book didn't feel any different from the conclusion of any of the other trilogies/quads in the overall series. Finishing the last page, I was just left unsatisfied with the ending to a series I fell in love with over 20 years ago but have grown more and more disappointed with through the last books.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
The fourth and final book in what should’ve been a trilogy. Most of this book felt like fluff and as I turned the last page I just felt underwhelmed.

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid!

The Shannara series. Wow! I remember reading Sword of Shannara when it came out in 1977. I was giddy with the newness of it all. And down through the years I’ve eagerly tracked the Shanarra stories. Not all appealed to me but when you're a fan you carry on. Now here we are at the last Hurrah! In this fourth episode of the Fall of Shannara we come full circle.
Of course there's magic, intrigue and adventure, old memories, descendants from the original crew encompassing new twists.
A fitting conclusion to Brooks' Magnum Opus, the Shannara sagas. We've come a long way from that first novel.

A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Стартът беше славен, а после... :(

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the very last book in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. The riveting conclusion not only to the Fall of Shannara but to the entire Shannara series, a truly landmark event, twenty-nine books and forty-three years in the making. I have been reading the Shannara series for most of my adult life. I read the Sword of Shannara shortly after it was first published in 1977 and have eagerly looked forward to each new book in the series. I went back and read the Knight of the Word books when I found out they were basically prequels to the Shannara books. It is bittersweet to have finally read this last book in this long-running fantasy series. I will not go into a review of this book because it is newly released and many others will review it much better than I could. I will say that it is a fitting end to a saga that has gathered generations of readers into its fold. Thank you Terry Brooks. I am looking forward to seeing what you decide to write next.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Terry Brooks for years. Although the Shannara series has become somewhat formulaic, I've enjoyed the ride.

[Eva Gavilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Brooks ha dedicato questo ultimo libro del ciclo di Shannara ai suoi lettori: "Ai miei lettori: quelli che hanno iniziato con me, quelli che sono saliti a bordo lungo il percorso, quelli che sono rimasti fino alla fine e soprattutto quelli che compongono la comunità di Shannara. Non ci sono parole in grado di esprimere adegutamente quanto mi avete dato" Che altro dire, se non che non esistono parole per esprimere adeguatamente quanto Terry, le sue stupende storie ed i suoi meravigliosi personaggi mi hanno donato in oltre 30 anni di letture.
***
Terry Brooks dedicated this final book in the Shannara cycle to his readers. I don't know the exact lines in english, but in italian it suonds like this: "To my readers: those who started with me, those who hopped aboard along the way, those who stayed to the end, and above all those who make up the community of Shannara. There are no words that can adequately express how much you have given me". What else to say, except that there are no words to adequately express how much Terry, his wonderful stories and his wonderful characters have given me in over 30 years of readings.

[Steve Coombs · Rating 2 out of 5]

It saddens me to have to give 2 stars to the final Shannara book.

I grew up with this series. The original trilogy was on my bookcase before I could even read, and I remember being so intimidated by the dark covers and massive page count. When I finally built of the courage to start, The Sword of Shannara was probably the longest book I'd ever read at the time (I think I was 9 or 10). After that, I read through Scions over the course of a couple of years as each book was delivered separately, months apart (I lived overseas). The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara books were my first experience with eBooks, and I was again captivated, this time by Grianne's story, which got me through the mild letdown I felt upon reading the High Druid trilogy (though it improved a bit on its second readthrough).

But (almost) everything since then has been downhill, and nothing has warranted a re-read.

I don't know entirely know the "cause" of this. Are my tastes just different as an adult? Has Brooks' writing quality declined, or am I just more aware of his flaws now? Are the stories more unoriginal, or have I just been exposed to better fantasy literature now (after all, not everyone can be Brandon Sanderson)?

I could still tell you all the important plot points from each book in the original trilogy (or Scions, or Voyage for that matter), despite having read them about 15 years ago. But I only have a vague memory of Dark Legacy, and that vague memory is "rehashed plotline from Elfstones and all the other classic Shannara elements, weird YA sex inclusion, and a depressing ending". The standalone Leah trilogy was OK, but also not something I've ever felt a remote desire to re-read.

And so we come to the Fall of Shannara. This is the first trilogy I actually read as it was released, rather than all at once, so maybe that also did something to affect the experience. But I found it difficult to care about any of the characters. In fact, most of the time I just found myself frustrated with their characterization and their writing. I don't know if book 4 is the worst offender or if I'm just more sensitive to it now, but man, this felt like Brooks' worst writing ever.

Characters repeat themselves ad nauseum (like, I don't need a reminder of their backstory, motivations, and personality presented in a strangely self-aware manner TWO CHAPTERS after they did the exact same thing). I've never encountered this level of repetitiveness in a novel before. Every character's arch is telegraphed CONSTANTLY - how many times do you think the reader needs to be reminded that Grianne is harsh because of what she's suffered, or that Drisker regrets his isolation, or that Drec is unsure about his relationship with Ajin despite [*proceed to give play-by-play of every stage of their relationship]? It's not that long a book - I don't need reminding of the what happened in chapter 8 in chapter 11! Characters also behave like idiots for the sake of unneeded drama. Brooks insists on adding a bit of totally unnecessary tension at the end by having Drec behave like a spoiled 14 year old, which ends up being infuriatingly pointless anyway.

The only reason I even cared to finish was to see what happened to Grianne, as she's always been one of Shannara's most compelling characters. While there is some resolution there, it feels like a safe, boring, fairly predictable resolution.

In fact, I think "safe, boring, fairly predictable resolution" describes the end of the series quite well. There's nothing "epic" about it either. You'd be forgiven for thinking there could be more books after this one - not because of any cliffhangers, but simply because there's nothing in the story itself that signifies an ending or even a big change in the world. If it wasn't in the title, no one would guess this was the end of a decades-long fantasy series.

I really, really hoped for more. I could have forgiven Brooks' bad writing if he'd done something interesting with the story, but he didn't. And now I'm even worried to go back and revisit the original trilogy or the Voyage books, in case his writing has always been like this and I was just too young to notice. That's probably not the effect you want your series-ending book to have on a reader.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was a good close to the story arc it was a dreadful end to the series.

Shannara has been a long ride, not always good either.

This promised to bring everything to a big end but was more a vaguely similar whimper.

I loved the pre shannara stories but the shannara main series has been very hit and miss and in some ways very formulaic. This is no different. I wanted war, magic and a big event on the scale of the great wars seen in the pre shannara days that could possibly lead to another new world but instead we get to mixed up teenagers deciding if they should keep the druids going or not and not even a decision (though based on the title for this arc im assuming they didnt?!).

Dissappointing end but a good enough small arc.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is final book (maybe) in the Shannara series by the author. I have greatly enjoyed the series and this book does not disappoint, but does leave the ending up in the air making me wonder if it will truly be the last book. The author is starting a new series that I am looking forward to.

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

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had a hard time holding my attention, which makes me sad as the first 10 or so books I had read so many times my copies were falling apart. I made it to the end, was mostly glad to be done reading it. I also didn't realize that this was the last book in the whole series. I hated the ending and how ambiguous it was, hated that the Druids couldn't go out in a blaze of glory, more a whimper of our time is done and that is how it felt for so many of the characters.

[Vader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how to review this.

On one hand I am so thankful that Mr. Brooks will stop killing a favorite world of mine. I just gave Sword of Shannarra to my daughter to read.

Drisker was the worst druid ever... I will not post spoilers, and will leave it that simple.


5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Brett T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note to the reader: Since The Last Druid is Terry Brooks' final Shannara book, this review will contain spoilers not only for it but for some previous books in the series. The Shannara books have sold millions of copies so it is unlikely that there are too many people interested in them who haven't read at least some of them, but in case you are one of those people and you would rather learn plot details and book resolutions the old-fashioned way, you should probably stop now and read the rest of this entry later if you'd care to.

Terry Brooks said he began his first novel, The Sword of Shannara, when he was in law school and wrote it in and around his studies as a way of coping with the stress of law student life. After trying his hand at fiction in several genres, he read J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and found the field in which he thought he could produce material people would want to read. Ballantine Books bought the manuscript and tailored it for the launch of their new Del Rey Books like, recruiting well-known fantasy illustrators Greg and Tim Hildebrandt to provide cover and some interior art. It was a best seller and launched Brooks' career as an author. Although he's produced a couple of other series, the "Magic Kingdom for Sale" books and "Word and Void" stories that he eventually tied in to the Shannara universe, the Shannara series has been his mainstay and the books for which he is best known.

The whole series, with the Word and Void novels worked in as prequels, spans several thousand years of history, of humans as well as non-human races like the Elves. Its prehistory stretches back to when magic was common on the Earth and in the books themselves jumps to the days in which it began to reassert itself after being long forgotten. The hinge of this history is the time of the Great Wars, a combined nuclear and supernatural conflict and ecological disaster that nearly wiped out all life on the planet. The overall arc of the nearly 30 Shannara books covers conflicts between beings who would use either magic or technology to control the world, work evil on it and exert their will over others and beings who would let everyone live in peace with each other and as they wish. Both the Elves and human sorcerers called Druids try to watch over the power of magic to keep it from falling into the hands of the first group. The Druids' order seems susceptible to temptation to this dark side, with Brona the Warlock Lord being just such an ambitious man and later the main villain of the initial novel. Into the mix we have beings of evil called demons -- usually imprisoned in a mirror universe called the Forbidding but who sometimes cross over.

Over the course of the books Brooks has boiled his groups of antagonists and protagonists down to just a few. Human beings in the Southland are almost all a part of an expansionist and somewhat corrupt state called the Federation, while Elves still retain their ancestral home in the West centered on the city of Arborlon. The various magicians and would-be dictators either rise from one of them or try to take control of them through their own machinations or through the Druids at their fortress called the Keep. He added the semi-futuristic feature of flying ships powered by a mix of magic and science, perhaps to let him expand his geography without building in months of travel time for a culture limited to foot and wagon transportation.

That world is the one into which Brooks introduces his final "Fall of Shannara" series of four books. An ecological disaster has forced a distant nation, the Skaar, to invade the four lands to find space for themselves before their land freezes into inhabitability. The Skaar are fierce warriors with the added gift of being able to make themselves invisible. They spy out the situation and through treachery and the cooperation of the ambitious, power-hungry Druid Cilizia Porse, massacre the Druid order and take it off the board. They occupy the sparsely-populated Northland and then turn their eyes southward. When Last Druid begins, Porse has trapped her only Druid foe, Drisker Arc, in the Forbidding and cast the one other person who might oppose her power, Tarsha Kaynin, into an abyss. Druid Blade (a guard captain) Darcon Leah and the disgraced Skaar princess Ajin d'Amphere travel into the freezing north with a plan to reverse the ecological damage and allow the Skaar to return to their homeland. Drisker Arc must travel the Forbidding to locate the long lost Ilse Witch, Grianne Ohmsford, herself trapped after her defeat of the Straken King in 2013's Witch Wraith.

On its own merits, Last Druid is a two-star book at the end of a one-and-a-half-star four-book series. Brooks' writing is more than a little careless and the book feels as padded as any he's produced. A sequence in which Drisker Arc and Grianne Ohmsford travel to and invade an impregnable fortress surrounded by a deadly swamp repeats the same kind of trek we've seen in at least five different novels, with no real payoff. The three novels Tarsha spent worrying over trying to rescue her brother from the emotional and mental breakdown earlier abuse had brought him were a waste, as he has no role in the endgame, either for Tarsha or Cilizia, who killed him. Although Ajin was responsible for the infiltration and sneak attack that caused the deaths of almost all of the druids under his care -- including a woman with whom he was involved -- Darcon Leah falls in love with her. Brooks doesn't ever really show us how that might happen, he just tells us it does. The teased confrontation between the Skaar invasion force and the Federation Army falls apart when a woman who assassinated the man who assassinated the Federation Prime Minister and who turned out to be a Skaar assassin herself, schemes and plots to set the Feds up for a fall -- only to kill the Skaar king because she's tired of lying to people and being his pawn.

Earlier books drew the characters of the captain and crew of the Behemoth, the airship that went to Skaar, but Last Druid just turns them into a crew of redshirts. Young Shea Ohmsford, when he was introduced, was a mysterious youngster who bore the name of the main hero of the first Shannara book. He's important enough for the story's resolution but he could have had any name; there winds up being no significance to that choice. Over and over again Brooks tells us things instead of showing them, dulling their impact. After Clizia is defeated, Grianne asks Tarsha to take her "home," to the Tanequil. The initial sentences of the dialogue disappear in favor of what might as well be meeting notes of their conversation. The whole four-book "Fall of Shannara" series could easily have been two books, and maybe even one.

On the well-known Goodreads scale, three stars doesn't actually mean that a book is better than a two-star or worse than a four-star. It's supposed to be a measure of how much the reader liked the book. But everyone uses it as a quality rating, and based on that Last Druid earns its third star not for any real aspect of its own. Brooks does two things in the book that give it the star it doesn't otherwise earn. The first is to offer Grianne Ohmsford a redemption after Witch Wraith crapped all over her. She had been the Ilse Witch of the book of that name in the "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" series, herself damaged by the machinations and lies of an evil wizard. Redeemed by the end of that book, she was one of the protagonists of the "High Druid of Shannara" series, leading the Druid order until an attempted coup trapped her in the Forbidding. After escaping, she offered her life in trade for the woman her nephew Pen Ohmsford loves and entered a kind of spiritual suspended animation as a servant of the Tanequil tree. The tree returned her to the world in Witch Wraith to defeat the demon lord Tael Riverine, but not as Grianne -- it returned her as the hateful Ilse Witch. Her role in defeating Riverine was narratively tiny and Brooks never offered a good reason either for him as the author or the Tanequil tree as a caretaker for the damaged Grianne to sentence her to a return as the evil Ilse Witch. Though it takes a four-book slog to do it, he does get her out of the Forbidding and back to the Tanequil, where she can find the peace of forgetting.

The second reason this book earns a third star is because Brooks had the courage to put an ending on his series and make it a good one. Drisker Arc dies when he and Grianne return from the Forbidding, and Grianne herself re-enters her peaceful existence with the Tanequil. This leaves Tarsha as the titular "Last Druid," since in an earlier book the ghost of Allanon -- the major Druid figure in the earlier books -- directed she be ordained even without training and study. Drisker's last message to her tells her she can decide if the Druid order will continue and if magic will continue to be a part of the Four Lands. Or she can close Paranor away and let magic fade from the human part of the world as the science represented by airships and the weather control device that saved the Skaar homeland takes control.

This is an important pivot point in the Shannara world. The gradual darkening of the world that led to the Great Wars came because human beings set magic aside for faith in technology. The world was unbalanced and its people unprepared for the assault of demonic forces that almost destroyed it. If Tarsha decides to let magic fade the same thing might happen. On the other hand, the Druid Order has constantly fallen victim to ambitious wizards tempted by power and the ability to use dark magic to get it. Which will she choose?

In what is probably his best stroke of genius since creating the Shannara universe in the 1970s, Brooks leaves Tarsha at peace, contemplating her decision with a true friend at her side who has just expressed his confidence she will choose to do the right thing because she has the wisdom to do so. In other words, he doesn't tell us which way Tarsha picks. The ambiguity provides more than simply a great storyteller's resolution; the kind that brings an end to the current narrative while leaving open the reality that the greater story behind it will go on and on. By leaving Tarsha at peace while she considers he implies that whichever way she chooses will indeed be the right choice: Allowing magic to fade will not lead to another technologically dominant era of terror, and re-founding the order of the Druids will not be plagued by secrecy, manipulation and ambition. Her choice however it is made will be one that brings balance and a promise. Schemes and tyrants and manipulators will still make their plays -- the continuing great story needs antagonists, after all -- but it will take a new direction.

Of course, that ambiguity makes a liar out of the series title: "The Fall of Shannara." Nothing falls, nothing comes to a complete end. But since it's unlikely that kind of ending would have fit this series of books, that's probably for the best. His ability to realize that earns The Last Druid its third star.

The Shannara books speak in a young adult voice. Even when they describe great battles or evil deeds or developing love they do so in a tone that suggests the narrator knows about these things but is somehow still innocent of their direct experience. Where Game of Thrones would suggest -- probably at swordpoint -- spending the night together, Shannara wants to hold your hand. A definitive ending would have foreclosed on a hope-filled vision of things working out right this time and belied the open-ended optimism expected of such a viewpoint.

That voice, in addition to some of his own touches and what is, in many places, some truly wonderful writing, may have been a large part of the series' appeal. For his final sequence, Brooks brings all of those skills to bear and shows the deftness that has only surfaced now and again since the days of the first books in the series. He ends the book -- and the canonical tales of Shannara -- very very well and fittingly.

Brooks is in his mid-70s but may have some more ideas about different interstitial books in the Shannara world. He's described the fall of the old world and the rise of the new one that would eventually grow into the Four Lands. He's given us the initial rise of the Warlock Lord and the creation of the Sword of Shannara. But there may be pieces of the history still in his mind to relate. He's said that they won't move forward from The Last Druid, so this world will have definitive closure -- even if the closure is wisely and paradoxically open-ended. He can still put together a good standalone book: the three grouped as "The Defenders of Shannara" are probably as strong as anything in the series since the first trio. So if he does move on and have another piece of the Shannara mosaic to uncover, we can hope that's how it will be done.

Either way, he has wisely said, "Here endeth the tale." And he has done so in the best way possible -- with hope on the horizon and the invitation to the imagination of the reader to continue it on his or her own.

[T.L. Branson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know the saying “It’s like riding a bike”? Well, The Last Druid by Terry Brooks isn’t that.

It’s more like learning to ice skate.

And while I suppose this could be said of any series after a year since you read the previous book, it seemed more pronounced here.

When Drisker Arc was first mentioned, I couldn’t remember who Drisker Arc was. Never you mind that he’s our hero. I thought he was the antagonist.

But no, that’s Clizia Porse, whom I remembered very little about.

It’s odd that I forget a story so much I disconnect this badly.

After completing the first two chapters, I went and re-read my review of The Stiehl Assassin. That helped a little bit, but I still felt detached from the characters and story.

So much so that I really struggled to get into The Last Druid. What normally would have taken me 3-5 days, lasted a full two weeks.

So while it wasn’t like riding a bike, it felt more like ice skating.

It wasn’t so bad as starting from scratch, but I had to relearn balance and movement, despite having been quite good at it a few decades ago.

The Last Druid Review

The Last Druid begins literally where The Stiehl Assassin ends.

Tarsha Kaynin is hanging by a thread at the bottom of a cliff. Clizia Porse assumes she is dead.

Tarsha uses the wishsong to raise herself back to the top to find her brother dead and Drisker gone, stuck in the Forbidding.

Meanwhile, Darcon Leah and Ajin D’Amphere, the Skaar Princess, are fighting their way to the Skaar Homeland with a whole host of people in tow hoping to end the eternal winter on Skaarsland.

And Belladrin Rish, having just killed the Skaar infiltrator whose name I’ve forgotten already as well as the Federation leader, Ketter Vause.

This is like strapping on the ice skates.

You’re getting familiar to the feel of your foot in the skate again. Feeling the leather or whatever material it’s made out of. You feel the pressure as the laces are tied.

It’s familiar, yet foreign. Something you haven’t done in awhile.

Then the story propels forward.

Getting on the Ice

After you’re all strapped in, you stand up and take a few wobbly steps toward the rink.

These are stilted and awkward, perhaps a little painful. Once you get on the ice, your movements are erratic and slow.

That’s how I felt during the first few chapters of The Last Druid.

I quickly recalled Tarsha and Drisker, and since the first few chapters were about them, I quickly relished them. Becoming comfortable after some initial discomfort.

But as soon as the POV switches, and it switched a lot, I quickly grew frustrated with the story.

Here were all these characters I’d forgotten and had storylines I don’t care about. I just want to follow Tarsha and Drisker.

And, truthfully, even at the end the only other POV I cared about was Dar and Ajin’s. I skimmed every occasion of Shea Ohmsford, and was only mildly interested in Belladrin.

Even Clizia Porse’s few POV scenes I quickly sped through. I simply didn’t care about the old women’s failed attempts to be idiotic.

This lack of interest made the, say, first 40% of the book really drag and I had the hardest time getting into it.

It all starts coming back

After those first few very awkward moments on the ice, you start to get your rhythm.

Of course, it’s slow, and you might fall or run into the wall, but you get back up again and you get moving again.

If you’re by yourself, it’s easy enough to test the frozen waters, but if your skating with a crowd, some apprehension might exist.

Likewise, the story of The Last Druid quickly came back to me, but my care for it did not.

I loved the initial three books and read them all at once since I had been introduced to the series a little late in the game. And I still ended up enjoying The Last Druid.

A lot more than some of the more recent books I’ve read.

But I’m in no hurry to reread this series, and my interest in picking up The Sword of Shannara after finish The Stiehl Assassin is all but gone.

I may return to Shannara someday, but it is not this day.

Time is up before you know it

Usually when you go ice skating, you’re paying for a certain amount of time. Say an hour or two hours or however long it may be.

The last time I went skating, I was just getting my groove back when my time ended.

That perfectly epitomizes The Last Druid.

About 75% of the way through the story, I hit my stride. I’ve finally redeveloped some interest in the characters and everything starts to come to a head.

Plotlines are resolved, situations come to a head, and where do I go but down. The falling action of the story arc has arrived.

But I was just getting into it!

Time is up, now we’ve got to tie it off so we aren’t left with any disparaging open-ended feelings.

And The Last Druid does a pretty good job of this. It is the final book in the entire Shannara Chronicles of course.

The final words of the book answer every single question but one.

What is to become of the Druids?

Brooks specifically leaves it up to you to decide what our heroes choose to do, raise it up again or let it die.

We’ll never know.

Or Brooks is leaving it open in case he decides this wasn’t the end and he wants to write some more.

I guess only time will tell.

Final Thoughts

I know I didn’t talk about The Last Druid hardly at all, and I’m sorry. If you came here wanting to know what the book was about, you just need to read it for yourself.

I’m giving The Last Druid a solid 4/5 stars.

Brooks is an seasoned writer who knows his stuff, and this book is no exception. You won’t be disappointed in this epic conclusion to a decades old franchise.

More reviews on my blog at https://tlbranson.com/blog

[Marc Chénier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the finale of the series. Oftentimes, authors wrap up things rapidly and kinda spoil the ending. Not so in this novel, and yet you still don't know what the ultimate ending is.

"Together, they watched the stars appear.
Together, they tried to imagine the future."

What is the future for The Four Lands is left to the imagination of the readers. I was a little saddened by the end of the Shannara series, but I know that it's only the chronological end. The only disappointment for me was that the elves and dwarves were not more involved in the story. Apart from that, it's a fantastic story.

Next hardcover: "The Mysterious Affair At Styles" by Agatha Christie (1920)

[Mark Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

So The Last Druid is not only the last book in The Fall of Shannara series but also the final book in the entire Shannara series of books.

I was not the biggest fan of this series, I did not find the characters and story to be that memorable. It was an alright story but there was nothing outstanding about it. It at no time left me just wanting to read more. So this carried through to this book and while I found it to be an improvement over the previous three books in the series it was still stuck with a poor storyline.

One of the things I am still not sure of is how it ends up as an ending to the entire Shannara books. I thought it was a good ending, it was nothing spectacular, just ended it with a good feeling.

[Lloyd Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading various books in the series, I’m glad to say that i can finally put it behind me. I didn’t end up reading these for enjoyment, simply to appease my OCD and complete The Fall of Shannara series.

There is so much blatant foreshadowing that you’ll never be surprised by what is coming next, and the ending was really rushed. At least it is done.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Day One Shannara Fan, literally. I did a book signing with Terry when Magic Kingdom came out at B. Dalton and was delighted to meet Terry and his wife (we were the last stop before he went home to Sterling, Il.) and he was beat, yet very, very nice. That is why I am having a hard time with my rating. I was hoping for something with more BITE yet all I felt was a small nibble. Will read again in the near future and see if I missed something (I hope so). Thanks Terry for MANY years of reading pleasure.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads drawing prior to its publication date.

It's great. If you are a fan of the Shannara books, this is the finale you were looking for. A solid finish to a 29(!) Book series.

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Druid concludes the Fall of Shannara tetralogy as well as the entire Shannara series. While I started the Shannara series at the begining many years ago, the last book that I managed to read was the Isle Witch ... so most of the build up to this story I didn't have, and it was a little difficult to pick up in the beginning (having some background for the much earlier stories helped a lot).

The story opens with the resolution of what appears to have been a cliff hanger from the previous book (I generally dislike books ending with such cliff hangers, so the previous book would have lost a star for that). Most of the world builder has already happend in previous books, so that was minimal here; however, I did manage to pull together a lot of it from the story context and it appears to be rock-solid (like the majority of the Shannara series). The further tilt toward a pseudo-steampunk feel was a welcome trend (and puts into place a question of magic vs technology that was fun to explore). Add an environmental crisis and some political intrigue and you could vaguely make out a commentary of our current times without being too preachy.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of too; along with three or four separate sub-plots that were somewhat jarring for me to switch between (I tend favor a more linear story). The two main lines were Drisker being stuck in the Forbidding where he needed to team up with the Isle Witch (that was cool) to come back and Tasha bouncing back from her disastrous encounter with the evil Druid Clizia. Then we get just a little about the war between the Federation and the Skaar (frankly I found these minor sub-plots to be more interesting). After a slow and somewhat drawn out start, the story accelerates in the second half to actually become enjoyable ... and I can't argue with how it all ends ... pretty much as you would expect this time.

If you are a fan of Shannara, I would definitely recommend it. It would be better if you at least read the first three in this storyline though.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#TheLastDruid #NetGalley

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think sentiment is playing a big part with many readers ratings on this book. It is the end of Shannara. The end of something that was once wonderful, but it is a stinker of a book. It has almost no plot, no direction, poor writing, limited character development and only succeeds in ending the series. I almost gave it two stars, but unlike apparently many others it got one because it was so lack-luster when I know what the author can do.

Lots of fantasy series go out more with a whimper than a bang. Only the truly stellar ones like Lord of the Rings finish on top and even then the family pulled out The Silmarillion and it was a pale imitation to LOR. But, the Shannara franchise went far deeper, much like the dwarves search for mithril and it too discovered a Balrog. They called it The Last Druid.

This was one of the worst, if not the worst, final efforts I've ever read in the fantasy world. Even from the grave The Wheel of Time series ended far better than this, though having help from Brandon Sanderson probably meant the final two books were better than they would have been otherwise.

All this is a long winded way to say read this installment only because it finishes the world of Shannara officially. Not because it is good, compelling, features quality writing or anything else. If you've never read the other Shannara stories then do yourself a favor, read the first series and the Magic Kingdom series then quit and forget most of the others exist.