The Wishsong of Shannara
Encyclopedia
The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks
, is the third and final novel in the Original Shannara Trilogy
, with the other two being The Sword of Shannara
and The Elfstones of Shannara
. The story revolves around Jair
and Brin Ohmsford
, the children of the main characters from The Elfstones of Shannara: Wil Ohmsford
and Eretria
. The siblings, each possessing an inherited magic, must save the Four Lands from the evil magic within a tome called the Ildatch.
created a book of dark magic. This book was so full of their essence that it became a living thing, with a will of its own. When the Druids gathered all knowledge and lore to themselves in the aftermath of the Great Wars, the book of Ildatch was uncovered after countless millennia. It remained harmless until the Druid Brona
found it in the halls of Paranor
and began to read its secrets. Brona was eventually subverted by the very power he sought to control and thus the Warlock Lord was born. Allanon
thought that the dark book had been buried in the destruction of the Skull Kingdom after Shea
triumphed over the Warlock Lord in The Sword of Shannara
, but several of Brona's human servants recovered the book, and began to read.
due to the presence of a new evil, and once more he needed the aid of another generation of Ohmsfords. It is revealed that the Ildatch possessed a new generation of mortals, the Mord Wraiths
, to pick up where the Warlock Lord left off. From their stronghold in the Eastland, the Mord Wraiths enslaved many Gnomes and sent them against the Dwarves. Allanon needed Brin
's magic, the Wishsong
, to enable him to enter the Maelmord, which is a living jungle that kills anyone who sets foot in it, and destroy the Ildatch. Helping her is Rone Leah
, who is the great-grandson of Menion Leah. He wields the Sword of Leah, which is an "ordinary" sword until Allanon dipped it into the waters of the Hadeshorn to help him to protect Brin. Jair
was left at home, despite his pleas to go with his older sister, but he ran north when Gnomes begin searching Shady Vale itself.
here; the ancient faerie creature informed him that unless he went to the Eastland, Brin would die. He offered Jair his help. He gave Jair 3 magics for Jair's three Elfstones and then said to him that Garet Jax would protect him on his way to Brin. In exchange, he asked Jair to purify the Silver River at its source, as the Silver River was being poisoned by the Mord Wraiths. Jair went on his quest, joined by the Gnome Slanter
and a group from Culhaven, including the "Weapons Master" Garet Jax
.
published in Robert Silverberg
's Legends II
, written by Brooks as an epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara storyline.
After the end of The Wishsong of Shannara, Brin has now married Rone and Jair is still with his parents, working in their business when Kimber Boh found him. She told him that Cogline has asked that he travel to the Eastland to destroy the last page of the Ildatch. He does, and so he traveled to the ruins of the Maelmord where the last vestiges of the Mord Wraiths are using their power. Jair found out that his Wishsong became more powerful, allowing him not only to create illusions, but to actually change his physical form. Jair destroys the last page of the Ildatch, by assuming the form of Garet Jax
and returns home.
is a graphic novel
that was released on March 25, 2008. It is set a few years after The Wishsong of Shannara and "Indomitable". Its main characters are Jair
and Brin Ohmsford
, Kimber Boh, the Druid Cogline, and "the evil and dangerous" Croton Witch.
Terry Brooks
Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
, is the third and final novel in the Original Shannara Trilogy
Original Shannara Trilogy
The Original Shannara Trilogy consists of the first three Shannara novels by Terry Brooks...
, with the other two being The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...
and The Elfstones of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara is an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is the first sequel to The Sword of Shannara and the second book in The Original Shannara Trilogy...
. The story revolves around Jair
Jair Ohmsford
Jair Ohmsford is a major character in three novels of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks: The Wishsong of Shannara, a full-length epic fantasy novel, Indomitable, a short story that appeared in Legends II, and Dark Wraith of Shannara, a graphic novel....
and Brin Ohmsford
Brin Ohmsford
Brin Ohmsford is a fictional character from The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks.- Biography :She is the daughter of Wil Ohmsford, making her actually 1/16 Elf, and because of his use of the Elfstones gained magic she named the wishsong. She is described as looking like...
, the children of the main characters from The Elfstones of Shannara: Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford is a fictional character from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, appearing in two novels: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. He is the grandson of Shea Ohmsford and the grand-nephew of Flick Ohmsford....
and Eretria
Eretria (Shannara)
Eretria is a character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks; she appears in The Elfstones of Shannara and aids Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil in their quest to find the Bloodfire.- Pre-Elfstones :...
. The siblings, each possessing an inherited magic, must save the Four Lands from the evil magic within a tome called the Ildatch.
Prelude
Before the dawn of mankind, DemonsDemons (Shannara)
Demons is a common name for many different creatures in the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. The 'true' demons were sealed long ago within an alternate universe, named the Forbidding; this prison is 'maintained' by the Ellcrys, a sacred Elven tree; if she dies, the Forbidding...
created a book of dark magic. This book was so full of their essence that it became a living thing, with a will of its own. When the Druids gathered all knowledge and lore to themselves in the aftermath of the Great Wars, the book of Ildatch was uncovered after countless millennia. It remained harmless until the Druid Brona
Warlock Lord
The Warlock Lord is the principal villain of Terry Brooks' novel The Sword of Shannara....
found it in the halls of Paranor
Paranor
Paranor is a fictional location in Terry Brooks' epic fantasy Shannara series. It is the home of the Druids, but it has fallen to enemies of the Druids several times since its initial construction...
and began to read its secrets. Brona was eventually subverted by the very power he sought to control and thus the Warlock Lord was born. Allanon
Allanon
Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
thought that the dark book had been buried in the destruction of the Skull Kingdom after Shea
Shea Ohmsford
Shea Ohmsford is a fictional character and the protagonist of Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Sword of Shannara. In the universe, he is the last known person with the blood of Jerle Shannara, making him the only one who can wield the powerful Sword of Shannara to vanquish the Warlock Lord.-...
triumphed over the Warlock Lord in The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...
, but several of Brona's human servants recovered the book, and began to read.
The Beginning
Allanon returned to the worldThe Four Lands
The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...
due to the presence of a new evil, and once more he needed the aid of another generation of Ohmsfords. It is revealed that the Ildatch possessed a new generation of mortals, the Mord Wraiths
Mord Wraiths
The Mord Wraiths are a fictional organization from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. They were human sorcerors in service to the Warlock Lord who recovered and were subverted by the Ildatch....
, to pick up where the Warlock Lord left off. From their stronghold in the Eastland, the Mord Wraiths enslaved many Gnomes and sent them against the Dwarves. Allanon needed Brin
Brin Ohmsford
Brin Ohmsford is a fictional character from The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks.- Biography :She is the daughter of Wil Ohmsford, making her actually 1/16 Elf, and because of his use of the Elfstones gained magic she named the wishsong. She is described as looking like...
's magic, the Wishsong
Wishsong
The Wishsong is a form of magic that exists in Terry Brook's fictional world of Shannara. The Wishsong is wielded by many members of the Ohmsford family . The Wishsong is a magical side effect of Wil Ohmsford's prolonged use of the Elfstones with predominantly human blood...
, to enable him to enter the Maelmord, which is a living jungle that kills anyone who sets foot in it, and destroy the Ildatch. Helping her is Rone Leah
Rone Leah
Rone Leah is a character from The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks. He is the great-grandson of Menion Leah.-Biography:Rone is, like his ancestor, a close friend of the Ohmsford family, particularly Brin Ohmsford and her brother Jair Ohmsford...
, who is the great-grandson of Menion Leah. He wields the Sword of Leah, which is an "ordinary" sword until Allanon dipped it into the waters of the Hadeshorn to help him to protect Brin. Jair
Jair Ohmsford
Jair Ohmsford is a major character in three novels of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks: The Wishsong of Shannara, a full-length epic fantasy novel, Indomitable, a short story that appeared in Legends II, and Dark Wraith of Shannara, a graphic novel....
was left at home, despite his pleas to go with his older sister, but he ran north when Gnomes begin searching Shady Vale itself.
Jair's Odyssey
Jair was left at home to watch over the Ohmsford house and to inform his parents of what had transpired with Allanon's visit. Not long after, however, he found himself in some trouble of his own when he stumbled across the gnome, Slanter, who was tracking the druid for the Mord Wraiths. After leaving Slanter unconscious and sneaking back into his house to retrieve the elfstones in a hope to defeat the Wraiths he headed north to the Highlands. He was soon caught up with by Slanter however. He was captured by the gnome patrol that Slanter and was given over to the gnome patrol he was tracking for. Later on when it seemed like there was no hope of escape and he was to be delivered to one of the Black Walkers, the gnome patrol stumbled on Garet Jax. A dark and mysterious warrior people knew as the Weapons Master. He freed Jair along with a small assistance from Slanter. The small company decided to head east to Culhaven, home of the dwarves, in hopes to find word of Allanon and Brin's passing. Jair met the King of the Silver RiverKing of the Silver River
The King of the Silver River is a fictional character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. He has appeared in many of the novels in the series as a recurring character.- Biography :...
here; the ancient faerie creature informed him that unless he went to the Eastland, Brin would die. He offered Jair his help. He gave Jair 3 magics for Jair's three Elfstones and then said to him that Garet Jax would protect him on his way to Brin. In exchange, he asked Jair to purify the Silver River at its source, as the Silver River was being poisoned by the Mord Wraiths. Jair went on his quest, joined by the Gnome Slanter
Slanter (Shannara)
Slanter is a fictional character from the Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks. He is a Gnome tracker who looks out only for himself traditionally, and does what is needed to stay alive....
and a group from Culhaven, including the "Weapons Master" Garet Jax
Garet Jax
Garet Jax is a fictional character from Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Wishsong of Shannara. He is known as the "Weapons Master", and it is said that no matter what weapon you choose, even your hands and feet, Garet Jax is better with it. He claims to have never lost a fight, and all who have...
.
The End of Ildatch
Meanwhile, Brin and Rone watched helplessly as Allanon was killed by an ancient Demon, a Jachyra, that had been summoned by the Mord Wraiths. The creature was destroyed, but Allanon, the last of the Druids, was mortally wounded. Before he died, Allanon marked Brin's line to succeed him. Rone and Brin pressed on, hopeless. They met Cogline, a partially insane old man who tamed a Moor Cat named Whisper, and his skilled in many techniques granddaughter, Kimber Boh, who helped them on their journey. After a long trek, Brin left the others while they were in the sewers of the castle and finally reached the Ildatch. Brin found herself unable to destroy it because first, she became entranced, and then she was possessed by it. The tome coveted her power and wanted to use her body as a tool to wield its destruction. At the last moment, as he had just purified the Silver River, Jair appeared and found Brin almost deformed by her power and was horrified by her skeletal appearance she had assumed. He tried to snap Brin out of her trance with his illusions but failed, but the love of her brother snapped Brin out of her trance. She finally destroyed the book, and the siblings returned home, but at a price: Allanon was dead, along with nearly all of Jair's companions (all but Slanter). At the end, the shade of Allanon came to Brin and told her never to use the wishsong again then reminded her of her trust, and informed her that magic would soon fade from the world again."Indomitable"
"Indomitable" is a short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
published in Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
's Legends II
Legends II (book)
Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy is a collection of 11 short stories by a number of noteworthy fantasy authors, edited by Robert Silverberg. All the stories were original to the collection, and set in the authors' established fictional worlds...
, written by Brooks as an epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara storyline.
After the end of The Wishsong of Shannara, Brin has now married Rone and Jair is still with his parents, working in their business when Kimber Boh found him. She told him that Cogline has asked that he travel to the Eastland to destroy the last page of the Ildatch. He does, and so he traveled to the ruins of the Maelmord where the last vestiges of the Mord Wraiths are using their power. Jair found out that his Wishsong became more powerful, allowing him not only to create illusions, but to actually change his physical form. Jair destroys the last page of the Ildatch, by assuming the form of Garet Jax
Garet Jax
Garet Jax is a fictional character from Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Wishsong of Shannara. He is known as the "Weapons Master", and it is said that no matter what weapon you choose, even your hands and feet, Garet Jax is better with it. He claims to have never lost a fight, and all who have...
and returns home.
Dark Wraith of Shannara
Dark Wraith of ShannaraDark Wraith of Shannara
The Dark Wraith of Shannara is a graphic novel produced by Terry Brooks in his Shannara series. The story is set several years after the events of The Wishsong of Shannara and Indomitable.-Background:The novel was released on March 25, 2008...
is a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
that was released on March 25, 2008. It is set a few years after The Wishsong of Shannara and "Indomitable". Its main characters are Jair
Jair Ohmsford
Jair Ohmsford is a major character in three novels of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks: The Wishsong of Shannara, a full-length epic fantasy novel, Indomitable, a short story that appeared in Legends II, and Dark Wraith of Shannara, a graphic novel....
and Brin Ohmsford
Brin Ohmsford
Brin Ohmsford is a fictional character from The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks.- Biography :She is the daughter of Wil Ohmsford, making her actually 1/16 Elf, and because of his use of the Elfstones gained magic she named the wishsong. She is described as looking like...
, Kimber Boh, the Druid Cogline, and "the evil and dangerous" Croton Witch.
Characters
- AllanonAllanonAllanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
- Brin OhmsfordBrin OhmsfordBrin Ohmsford is a fictional character from The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks.- Biography :She is the daughter of Wil Ohmsford, making her actually 1/16 Elf, and because of his use of the Elfstones gained magic she named the wishsong. She is described as looking like...
- Browork
- Cogline
- Edain Elessedil
- EretriaEretria (Shannara)Eretria is a character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks; she appears in The Elfstones of Shannara and aids Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil in their quest to find the Bloodfire.- Pre-Elfstones :...
- Elb Foraker
- Helt
- Garet JaxGaret JaxGaret Jax is a fictional character from Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Wishsong of Shannara. He is known as the "Weapons Master", and it is said that no matter what weapon you choose, even your hands and feet, Garet Jax is better with it. He claims to have never lost a fight, and all who have...
- Grimpond
- Jair OhmsfordJair OhmsfordJair Ohmsford is a major character in three novels of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks: The Wishsong of Shannara, a full-length epic fantasy novel, Indomitable, a short story that appeared in Legends II, and Dark Wraith of Shannara, a graphic novel....
- Jeft
- Kimber Boh
- King of the Silver RiverKing of the Silver RiverThe King of the Silver River is a fictional character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. He has appeared in many of the novels in the series as a recurring character.- Biography :...
- Radhomm
- Rone LeahRone LeahRone Leah is a character from The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks. He is the great-grandson of Menion Leah.-Biography:Rone is, like his ancestor, a close friend of the Ohmsford family, particularly Brin Ohmsford and her brother Jair Ohmsford...
- Stebb
- SlanterSlanter (Shannara)Slanter is a fictional character from the Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks. He is a Gnome tracker who looks out only for himself traditionally, and does what is needed to stay alive....
- Spilk
- Stythys
- Whisper
- Wil OhmsfordWil OhmsfordWil Ohmsford is a fictional character from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, appearing in two novels: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. He is the grandson of Shea Ohmsford and the grand-nephew of Flick Ohmsford....
External links
- The Wishsong of Shannara official website
- The Wishsong of Shannara excerpt (Chapter 1)
- The Wishsong of Shannara author's note
- "Indomitable" official website
- Indomitable excerpt
- Dark Wraith of Shannara official website