The final entry of author Terry Brooks’ Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy opens with the introduction of the eponymous Morgawr, mentor to the Ilse Witch, whom an aspiring Federation Prime Minister named Sen Dunsidan encounters. Sen secures airships for the Morgawr, and months later and thousands of miles away off the coast of the continent of Parkasia, his fleet that is placed under the command of the Morgawr and his Mwellrets closes in on the Jerle Shannara. Meanwhile, the Ilse Witch continues to struggle with her past, and Elven Prince Ahren Elessedil and Ryer Ord Star are in the ruins of Castledown.
The shapeshifter Truls Rohk finds himself in conflict with the Ilse Witch, and Rue Meridian commences her search of Castledown’s ruins. Bek Ohmsford also seeks to reconcile with his sister Grianne, with several climactic battles erupting within the book and characters regularly finding themselves knocked unconscious and awaking in strange environs. Meanwhile, the Morgawr yearns for the power of the magical Elfstones, and the crew of the Jerle Shannara is gradually shaved down. Loyalties among characters regularly waver, with a grand airship battle concluding the text, along with a hook for another Shannara sequel series.
Overall, this was an enjoyable conclusion to the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, with plenty of action and twists, although reminders as to the races and appearances of specific characters, as with other entries of the franchise and its various subseries, would have been welcome. There are, moreover, occasions where the novel refers to certain characters specifically with pronouns, and one can find difficult keeping track of whom they’re referring to. The plot point of a character being torn between good and bad, moreover, parrots the themes of the Star Wars franchise, but I would certainly recommend the third book to those who enjoyed its precursors.
The shapeshifter Truls Rohk finds himself in conflict with the Ilse Witch, and Rue Meridian commences her search of Castledown’s ruins. Bek Ohmsford also seeks to reconcile with his sister Grianne, with several climactic battles erupting within the book and characters regularly finding themselves knocked unconscious and awaking in strange environs. Meanwhile, the Morgawr yearns for the power of the magical Elfstones, and the crew of the Jerle Shannara is gradually shaved down. Loyalties among characters regularly waver, with a grand airship battle concluding the text, along with a hook for another Shannara sequel series.
Overall, this was an enjoyable conclusion to the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, with plenty of action and twists, although reminders as to the races and appearances of specific characters, as with other entries of the franchise and its various subseries, would have been welcome. There are, moreover, occasions where the novel refers to certain characters specifically with pronouns, and one can find difficult keeping track of whom they’re referring to. The plot point of a character being torn between good and bad, moreover, parrots the themes of the Star Wars franchise, but I would certainly recommend the third book to those who enjoyed its precursors.
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