It's finally arrived!! The Last Druid is the final book of Terry Brooks Shannara Series. 29 books and 40 years in the making The Last Druid ties it together and allows the reader the satisfaction of a well written journey. It would help if you have read some of the other books first to have a basis to what the world of Shannara is. As in previous books we don't follow just one character, there are multiple plots working together that will come together eventually.

There are a lot of long winded reviews on this book. I think you can get an idea what the book is about from them. And if you are looking at this book, you probably already have an idea of what the world of Shannara is all about. Embrace this book, and enjoy the finale you have been waiting for. Thank you Terry Brooks for sharing your tale with us. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review on #TheLastDruid.

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
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I was a late-to-the-game reader of Terry Brooks' Shanara series. The Last Druid is the final book in the 29-book series. The Last Druid is an amazingly written book. While it does not sum up all of the questions that I had about the series it did provide me with some conlusions.

Hope, beyond hope, there is a slightly open door should the author care to revisit this storyline. I was happily satisfied with the way this final book brought the culmination of past books of the series together. A wonderful trip through this fantasy world that felt so real. Book provided by NetGalley.

An amazing ending to an amazing series. Terry has poured his heart and soul into this book and i can not wait to read what he comes up with next. Thanks for the review copy.

Wow! It is hard to believe that after 43 years, this is the final Shannara book, though he did leave himself some open ends. This story is a satisfying end to this great sprawling fantasy series and brings together the threads of the many storylines that make up the Fall of Shannara series of four books. You will want to read it.

I received a copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

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.

What I Loved

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bittersweet, poignant, brilliant, engaging are just a sampling of adjectives that describe the emotional journey the reader enjoys. It is always sad when a long running series concludes but if it does, it should go out with a bang and a flourish. This book succeeded in attaining all of it's goals and the reader, although sad, was left satisfied.

i really enjoyed reading this book, I always enjoy Mr. Brooks writing. The characters is great and I really enjoy this story.

Full disclosure - I’m a long term fan of Shannara Saga and The Last Druid is indeed an epic triumphant conclusion. Some may think Brooks writing has diminished or the conclusion was unworthy, but to me it was perfect!! I can’t say more without ruining it for fans, so sorry. Long term fans and new readers can both enjoy this finale since its a epic fantasy and world building is kind of the given!! Read if you like adventure, Tolkein like fantasy.

Thank you Delrey books, Terry Brooks and Netgalley for the arc. This is my own honest opinion.

Trying not to feel sad over this being the last book in the journey of the Elfstones. Druids and magic. Since I first opened and read the beginning book oh so many years ago I have been fully engrossed and living with the characters, their journeys, miss fortunes, wars, losses, magic and love. The Fall of Shannara, The Last Druid is just as good as the very first book. The main characters Driskar Arc, Tarsha and Shea take you on another amazing adventure including the wishstones, the black staff and magic beyond imagination. Clizia Porse the evil witch who was once a druid throws everyone’s life in chaos through the entire story.
I highly recommend this book for all magical fans and creatures beyond imagination.
This review has been written with the permission of the author Terry Brooks as he was kind enough to provide me an ARC copy. It is no way affiliated with any form on which this review is posted.

Finished! Epic-ly finished! This volume has several characters that I became attached to. I sensed a touch of Grimm in one of the fates met. I now find myself playing out the movie in my head ... I'd ask to have more humorous moments added to the adaptation and the scouting for locations would be very interesting. I enjoy how Terry Brooks has always managed to take the third-person POV and almost make it first-person! You are on the edge of your seat hoping that the life-threatening decisions of the heroes and heroines are what you would make and that they turn out well despite the odds against. I also like that Terry allows his characters to change their viewpoints on things and gives a natural progression of why they did. Overall, I think this last leg of the series was about finding inner strength ... and some did.

“The Last Druid” by Terry Brooks...”The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brooks...” The “Elfstones of Shannara” by Terry Brooks...and so on. As a graduate of the Tolkien school of fantasy from my teen years, to reading, and meeting, Terry Brooks when he was an attorney in northwest Illinois (many moons ago!) I enjoyed the “Middle-Earth Light” saga created by Brooks. The plots did seem to run together but...I didn't really care. I have spent a number of years away from Brook’s writings as I went from father to an old fella grandfather: NetGalley has given me the opportunity to revisit an old friend by allowing me to read an ARC of the final book in the series.
I shan’t spoil the diehard folks by running through the plot points of “The Last Druid.” One can enjoy this book without having read the many books in the series. One can enjoy thoroughly this book if one has immersed oneself in the fantasy world of Terry Brooks. Thanks Terry for the great ride!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiew.

The last book in the Fall of Shannara series, but also the final book in the Shannara Saga. More than 30 books over 40ish years.

What can I say about the final book in such an iconic and beloved series in the genre of High Fantasy? Funnily enough, the first Shannara book I ever read I won on a Goodreads Giveaway more than a decade ago. I loved it too. As for this book, Brooks did not disappoint. He gave us endearing characters, plenty of action, danger, rescues, magic, allies and enemies. Terry Brooks paints a picture with words that I can so easily see running like a screen in my mind as I read. I don't get to a lot of High Fantasy these days, but when I do, this is exactly what I'm looking for.

We have several storylines going at once, and they don't really all come together in the end like you would expect. There is some crossover, but there are clearly 3 groups, 3 efforts. We have one group trapped and questing for an ancient staff, the key to escaping the hellish realm in which they're trapped. The second is the group on the ground resisting the invading forces of Skaar. The third is a daring group on a mission to Skaar itself with a mad attempt to change the tide of war.

If I had one complaint, it would be the three running storylines. I understand why, and it really was the only way to tell the story, as there were three important things happening simultaneously. But, at least in the beginning, it affects my being able to really immerse in the story, as just when I start getting the feel of a place/people and begin to sink in, somebody changes the channel on me. Later, it's more that I get attached to some characters more than others (I'm a character driven reader), and get a little cranky when I get taken away from them. I was especially enjoying Drisker's adventures in the Forbidding.

Aaaaaand, he gave me a dragon! Give me a dragon, and I'm a happy girl!

So, a really enjoyable epic ending to an iconic saga. Definitely recommend.

The Last Druid isn’t quite the blockbuster finale that longtime fans deserve, but it's a fast-paced and exciting conclusion to this final Shannara tetralogy. All the elements of a classic Brooks adventure are here, from demons to Druids to Elfstones—along with a satisfyingly ambiguous ending that caps off the series in style.

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

After reading and re-reading the Shannara saga for over eighteen years I am sad to see it come to an end.

As sad as I am that it is over and left feeling like it could continue on as it always has, I am glad that Terry Brooks was able to wrap up all the storylines tied to The Fall of Shannara series. To avoid details with even minor spoilers, I will say that Terry has worked his magic in writing this story once again. I'm looking forward to the new fantasy adventures he has planned and on the way.

I received an eARC from NetGalley for a review, however the hardcover I preordered since the title was announced will certainly deserve a re-read in October when it is released.

Disappointing finale to one of the seminal series of Fantasy literature. I realize series endings must be incredibly hard to write given all the expectations by readers, but there was way too much introspection and self doubt by the main characters, this went on for pages at a time, and repeated throughout the book. Found myself skipping ahead when encountering these sections. Very minimal action and overall the story did show much advancement. The plot really seemed to lag for long sections of the book. I believe this final coda to the Shannara saga really should have been only a trilogy rather than a quadrilogy, as unfortunately it feels like the story was stretched out to fill the four volumes and it suffered as a result. As for ending, very unfulfilling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this final volume in the Shannara series. We go many places and see the end of skaar war. Drisker Arc fights his way through the Forbidding trying to get back an help his friends. His friends and allies are scattered throughout the four lands each with their own task. Should any off them fail all will be lost. You wint want to miss this conclusion.

The this the end of The Shannara saga! It was a wild ride that came to its conclusion after 40 years. The Last Druid wraps to the storyline considering the Skaar, the four lands, and the druids.

The book has high stakes quests, romance, friendship, and magic. I think fans will be pleased with this book.

There are two romantic relationships in this book. Both are a little weird. First, the relationship between Ajin and Dar has always been a bit weird for me because Ajin has an incredible amount of faith in Dar. Overall, they are a great couple though. The second relationship has interesting circumstances that keeps me from being excited about the pairing.

I can't believe a series that my father has been following for most of his life is over!