The Last Druid

Lore & Background

The novel picks up where The Stiehl Assassin left off. Tarsha Kaynin survives her fall from the cliffs at the Cleeg Hold and returns to Emberen to discover what happened to Drisker Arc and how to rescue him. She buries her brother, reconnects with Fade, and learns from Flinc that Drisker's books of magic offer no help until she finds a symbol matching one at Paranor. She returns to Paranor, enters as Allanon anointed her a Druid, and discovers two volumes by Grianne with hidden text revealing that the darkwand that freed Grianne from the Forbidding is still inside the Forbidding. Meanwhile, Drisker is trapped in the Forbidding, found by Weka Dart, and rescued by Grianne. They learn the darkwand is held by the demon Vendra Trax at the Iron Crèche, but after a failed search, Weka reveals he knew its location. Grianne forces him to bring it, and they use it to escape, but Weka stabs Drisker, who dies upon arrival in the Four Lands.

Reader's Guide

The Last Druid serves as the capstone to Terry Brooks's Shannara series, which began in 1977. It resolves the fates of key characters: Drisker Arc dies from a stab wound inflicted by Weka Dart during the escape from the Forbidding; Grianne returns to Mother Tanequil and becomes a spirit; Tarsha Kaynin destroys Clizia Porse with her Wishsong; and Shea witnesses the Behemoth's explosion and unleashes a violent burst of Wishsong that stops a winter storm over Skaarsland. The novel also concludes political threads: Belladrin Rish, revealed as a Skaar spy, kills the Skaar king and slips away to live quietly in the Four Lands; Ajin is crowned queen of Skaarsland and orders the Skaar army home; Dar leaves after her coronation. The book's significance lies in its role as the final entry in a long-running fantasy series, tying together plotlines from the Fall of Shannara series and providing closure for characters introduced in earlier books.

Did You Know?

• Tarsha Kaynin unleashes a violent burst of Wishsong that ignites chemicals from the exploding Behemoth, stopping a winter storm over Skaarsland.
• Belladrin Rish, a Skaar spy, kills the Skaar king but is then killed by Dar Leah shortly after the assassination.