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The Talismans of Shannara brings together each of the Scions from the first three books in The Heritage of Shannara series for a climatic finish to the story. Wren has discovered the elves and returned them to the Four Lands and more importantly, she has become their Queen. Walker Boh has accepted the mantle of ancient druidic magic and transformed himself into the first of a new generation of power magicians. Par Ohmsford, the final member of the triumvirate, still questions the legitimacy of the sword he carries. Is it truly the fabled Sword of Shannara? Or is it a trap laid by the devious Shadowen overlord Rimmer Dall? Par is plagued by a twisted, dirty, half-man, half-Shadowen which tracks him relentlessly. Perhaps most importantly, Par must discover why his magic will not obey his will. As Par wrestles with these questions both Wren and Walker Boh face challenges of their own. The Four Horseman have been sent by the Shadowen to put an end to Walker while he is still uncertain of his new powers. Walker finds himself trapped in the druid's stronghold of Paranor, but must escape to help his brethren in the final struggle against the Shadowen. Meanwhile, Wren fights to find a way to unite the elves behind her for the coming battle with the Federation. Again, she must prove her worthiness to lead the elves and gain their trust if the elves are to survive. Ultimately, each of Scions must overcome the evil in their midst in order to prevail over the Shadowen. Brooks does a fantastic job of weaving the disparate threads of The Heritage of Shannara back together for the conclusion of the series. I won't ruin the final showdown for you, but I think you may have an idea of who wins. This final installment in the Four Lands has most of what I read fantasy for, betrayal, murder, magic and plenty of surprises. If you have read my reviews of other Terry Brooks novels, you know I am a big fan of his work. I must say the first three books about Shannara are my favorites, but this series definitely had enough action for me to be satisfied after finishing all four books. New characters like Matty Roh, the Mole and Padishar Creel reminded me of how good Brooks is at making me forget that these people do not exist, sometimes I expect them to get off the page and walk around. If you are a Terry Brooks fan, or even a moderately devout Fantasy fan, you will thoroughly enjoy this series.
Reviewed by Chris Hart
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