Goodreads’ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How do you end a series that has been going strong for over 40 years? The Fall of Shannara: The Last Druid by Terry Brooks does just that and to the utmost perfection.
I will start with the end. To put it simply, I loved the ending. It stayed true to the entire series, and I could write this whole review about it. But that would be the most prominent spoiler of all, so I won’t, but out of all the different ways it could have ended, the path chosen was just sublime.
I loved that the series started and ended with Shea Ohmsford. Two different Shea’s, but still, there is a sense of coming full circle that is satisfying. There are also more characters related to the originals. The group that leads this concluding story contains two Ohmsfords, one Leah, one prince (Ellesedil), and a druid. They bring back fond memories of their predecessors and are a joy to read about in their own right. They are all intricately layered and have excellent heroic qualities that will cause you to love them all equally.
There are three interrelated storylines in this book, and each is full of action, peril, and magic that keeps the pages rapidly turning as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Each story could easily be a book on its own but to have them in one book is just that much more impactful.
Lastly, the world-building in the whole Shannara series is detailed, surprising, and pulls you right into the page. With its mass of truly horrid creatures and delightful characters, revolutionary machines, magic, and DRAGONS, it’s this fantasy-lovers dream.
There is a bittersweetness to having a beloved series end, especially one that has been around for so long, but if it’s got to end, this story is the best way to do it.
About the Book
Hope blooms anew for the Four Lands in this riveting conclusion, not only to the Fall of Shannara series but to the entire Shannara saga—a truly landmark event over forty years in the making!
Since he first began the Shannara saga in 1977, Terry Brooks has had a clear idea of how the series should end, and now that moment is at hand.
As the Four Lands reels under the Skaar invasion—spearheaded by a warlike people determined to make this land their own—our heroes must decide what they will risk to save the integrity of their home. Even as one group remains to defend the Four Lands, another is undertaking a perilous journey across the sea to the Skaar homeland, carrying with them a new piece of technology that could change the face of the world forever. And yet a third is trapped in a deadly realm from which there may be no escape.
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.
Tessa Talks Books 
I enjoyed the television series based on the books enough to want to read them, but when I discovered how many there are (and compared that to how many unread books are already on my Kindle) I decided not to start the series. I’m glad you are happy with the series resolution. (I wasn’t happy with the way the TV series ended.)
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I read the original trilogy then some other books hit and miss and I picked them up because of the tv series too! Needless to say, the books were much better and things were explained more thoroughly. The tv series ending didn’t make sense at all.
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I’ve heard so much about this series, but haven’t read it. I saw Terry Brooks a few years ago on a panel at a local bookfest. One of the other authors on the panel was fangirling so hard over him she could barely speak, lol.
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Lol. That’s too funny. I could understand that. There are a few authors that I might be that way with. 😊. Like Staci, I saw the tv series, thought hmmm… Then I picked up the book. And then the next and the next. It’s a very interesting group of trilogies.
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Wow, just reading your review and the characters who populate bring back memories of the original. I’ve read a few of these books, but it’s been so long. Would I be completely lost if I picked up the conclusion?
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You know, I wasn’t. I was worried about that when they actually granted my wish (didn’t expect it at all). But this book actually brought it all back for me. I haven’t even read the other books in this particular grouping, though I do have book 1 in it. His books are set up as a series of trilogies as I understand and that’s basically what I’ve seen.
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Good to know. I may have to add this one to my mammoth TBR!
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It’s good for sort tying up the story so I would say put it on there so you don’t forget about it, then read it one day when you’re in the mood and have time 😊
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I am now reading the entire series again for the fourth time, so will definitely be getting the final book.
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You are going to love it!
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I enjoyed the first book, Tessa, and then (I can’t remember why) just didn’t get into the second. (That was probably 35 years ago). And the television versions didn’t change my mind at all. I’m tempted to give the books a try again except that there are so many new books that I want to read! Hmmm. 🙂
Happy Halloween.
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Lol. I can’t even imagine picking up the series again. There ate so many books in it total. And we won’t even talk about my TBR. Happy Halloween 🎃
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That’s my thought too. I have an expanding list of books that you’ve recommended!
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