Morgawr

July 29, 2002
This last installment of the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, which chronicles the exploits of the remaining adventurers who set out in Ilse Witch
(2000) and staggered through the tribulations of Antrax
(2001), may not be up to the standard of bestseller Brooks's early work (Sword of Shannara, etc.), but it proves once again that he puts out books that sell because of their quality, not just because of his name on the cover. As newfound mage Bek Ohmsford and his cousin Quentin Leah rejoin the Free Rover crew of the Jerle Shannara
after destroying Antrax, tensions mount, for the Ilse Witch—the Rovers' mortal enemy—has been revealed to be Bek's sister, Grianne, and is now under his protection as she struggles to break out of the catatonic state induced by her encounter with the Sword of Shannara. Worse, the Druid Walker Boh has died, leaving behind only cryptic instructions to those who followed him into Parkasia, and the Morgawr, who trained the Ilse Witch and now seeks her destruction, has captured elven prince Ahren Elessedil and Ryer Ord Star and is using Ryer's talents as a seer to track the Jerle Shannara
and those who ride it. As usual, Brooks leaves at least as many loose ends as he ties up and drops in several surprises. Some references won't mean much to someone unfamiliar with this trilogy or the larger Shannara time line, but otherwise the book's neat and subtle exposition makes it quite accessible to new readers without alienating current fans. Neither groundbreaking nor recycled, this book is simply a good read. (Sept. 1)Forecast:The simultaneous release of Del Rey's 25th Anniversary Special Edition of the original Shannara trilogy, plus a 10-city author tour, should help ensure another run up bestseller lists.

May 1, 2002
In this conclusion to the Jerle Shannara trilogy, the voyage begun by the Druids in Ilse Witch comes to a surprising end.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2002
Brooks concludes the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" ," the trilogy begun in" Ilse Witch" (2000) and continued in " Antrax "(2001), with a ripsnorter that leaves the door ajar for the next trilogy he has planned. The evil Morgawr, who created the Ilse Witch, commands a fleet of airships, crewed by walking dead men, on a journey to destroy the witch before she betrays him. Of the group that the druid Walker led on the voyage to Castledown, those still alive--some of them sorely wounded--are scattered across the land, and the warship " Jerle Shannara" is undergoing needed repairs when the Morgawr's fleet approaches. Thereafter the action is fast and furious, and the focus alternates among the various survivors and their harrowing experiences trying to escape the vicious predators unleashed by the Morgawr. The dying Walker enjoins Bek and the shape-changer Truls Rohk to protect the Isle Witch, who has been catatonic since the Sword of Shannara forced her to confront what she had done and become. According to Walker, she, not their original target, is the real reason for the " Jerle Shannara"" Jerle Shannara." The damaged warship makes it only as far as a mysterious island guarded by a sleeping power. There the climactic battle between the Morgawr and the Isle Witch, conscious again and contrite, takes place. In all aspects, a fitting conclusion to one trilogy and a promising taking-off point for another.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)