THE SWORD OF SHANNARA debuted in 1977 and began a 40-plus-year adventure. With the release of THE LAST DRUID, not only does this installment conclude the four-volume Fall of Shannara series, it marks the overall ending to the massive Shannara saga.

THE LAST DRUID picks up where THE STIEHL ASSASSIN left off, with the Druid, Tarsha Kaynin, having been thrown off a cliffside by Clizia Porse. Tarsha is safe on an outcropping of the cliff, though in a precarious position, and uses magic to transport back to safety. Once there, she finds that her brother, Tavo, is dead, a victim of Clizia's menace. Tarsha's mentor, Drisker Arc, is gone, banished to a demon-infested netherworld known as the Forbidding.

"THE LAST DRUID is, hands down, a worthy volume, and anyone who has walked the journey from the days of Allanon, Shea and Flick Ohmsford will absolutely need to open these pages..."

Clizia stalks the Four Lands with the aid of Jachyra, ancient beasts of tremendous evil. One of the oldest and most respected Druids of Paranor, she has been wiping out the other members of the Druid Order so that she can claim power as the self-proclaimed Ard Rhys of a brand new organization.

In the meantime, a group has endeavored to journey to the Skaar homeland in hopes of turning the tide of their invasion and saving their people with a device created by the scientist Tindall.

With all of these threads being pulled at once, THE LAST DRUID serves as a satisfying conclusion to the Fall of Shannara. It also marks a solid finale to the story of Grianne Ohmsford, the witch featured in the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara series. For this, Terry Brooks is certainly to be commended.

However, THE LAST DRUID fails to provide that resounding and uplifting conclusion to the overall epic that is Shannara. Ultimately, this is not a great disservice because it does work so perfectly as the ending of the Fall of Shannara. It takes the four novels of that series and ties them together beautifully while reaching back a ways to complete Grianne's tale.

What it doesn't do is delve into the early novels and weave threads that pull the entire history into a cohesive whole. There are so many touchpoints, ideas and characters that could have been revisited over 40 years. Yes, it does do some, but for an ending of all things, you hope for more after taking such a long journey. And we're left wondering just what is going to become of the Druid Order.

THE LAST DRUID is, hands down, a worthy volume, and anyone who has walked the journey from the days of Allanon, Shea and Flick Ohmsford will absolutely need to open these pages and come to the end alongside Tarsha, Drisker and yet another Shea Ohmsford.

Terry Brooks has long brought enjoyment through the worldbuilding and characters of Shannara. Yes, THE LAST DRUID is the ending. However, don't be surprised if he continues to revisit Shannara, filling in gaps and following paths between novels and series already released. It is still fertile ground for exploring.