The Fall of Shannara is a series of four books by Terry Brooks in his acclaimed Shannara series. Brooks confirmed this series is intended to end the Shannara saga.
The series consists of the following four volumes
- The Black Elfstone, released on June 13, 2017
- The Skaar Invasion, released on June 19, 2018
- The Stiehl Assassin, released on May 28, 2019
- The Last Druid, released on October 27, 2020
Set about 200 years after The Defenders of Shannara, long years of peace comes to an end as mysterious invaders show up in the Northlands. These invaders use a magic that nobody, not even the Druids, can recognize and have unknown intentions towards the Four Lands. A delegation of Druids is sent to investigate under the protection of Dar Leah. The invaders are known as the Skaar, hailing from a distant overseas land called Eurodia. Unable to live there due to bad weather destroying their crops, they want to live in the Four Lands but want complete control of it from the various races.
Meanwhile, former High Druid Drisker Arc has to deal with assassins as well as a young girl named Tarsha Kaynin who has sought out his guidance. Tarsha has the power of the Wishsong as does her brother Tavo...who is driven mad by its power.
These books contain examples of the following tropes:
- Ambiguous Ending : At the end of the series we never find out if Tarsha decides to become the Ard Rhys of a new druid order or decides to end the druid order for good.
- Anyone Can Die: There is a very high body count here of ancillary, secondary and main characters among them Tavo Kaynin, Federation Prime Minister Ketter Vause, Skaar King Cor d'Amphere and even Drisker Arc!
- Big Bad Ensemble: Akin to the Legends duology, The Fall elects to have several different villains whose agendas bump up against one another rather than a single main threat.
- To the Four Lands as a whole, the main threat is The Conqueror, King Cor d'Amphere, a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist who claims to be fighting for the good of his people, but is wholeheartedly intent on sowing destruction throughout the Four Lands even after he has claimed a new home for them.
- Agathien d'Amphere is King Cor's Lady Macbeth, intent not only on egging on his conquests, but eventually disposing him as ruler of Skaarsland. She is the Final Boss for her step-daughter Ajin and her companions, Dar Leah and Breconn Elessedil.
- Finally, there is Clizia Porse, who sold out the Druid Order to the Skaar to remake it In Their Own Image. Her intention to stamp out the last of the old druids makes her the primary foe of Drisker Arc and his apprentice, Tarsha. She, along with a Jachyra she brings under her power, have the distinction of being the very last Final Boss in the series long history.
- Bookends: The first book The Sword of Shannara (in publication order, not in-universe chronological) features a character named Shea Ohmsford. The Black Elfstone features a character also named Shea Ohmsford.
- The Bus Came Back: The Elessedils are once again ruling the Elves, after the Ostrian family replaced them post Dark Legacy of Shannara.
- Chekhov's Boomerang:
- The Elfstones from the previous books return here, being used frequently for their seeking purpose.
- The Stiehl also shows up, being used a number of times for evil purposes.
- The Darkwand from High Druid of Shannara plays a key part in releasing Drisker (just before he dies) and Grianne Ohmsford from the Forbidding and returning to the Four Lands.
- Continuity Cavalcade: And how! Many a Continuity Nod and Call-Back will be found in this series, mentioning characters, places, items and events throughout the Shannara franchise.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The fate of the Jachyra when it fights Grianne Ohmsford released from the Forbidding. This creature is the type that killed Allanon and Weapons Master Garret Jax...and Grianne quickly kills the demon with little effort!
- Earn Your Happy Ending: For Grianne Ohmsford. After the events of The Dark Legacy of Shannara where she is released from the Tanequil but is now evil and banished into the Forbidding, she is freed from the Forbidding in the final volume and is allowed to return to the Tanequil, thus finding peace.
- Everyone Is Related: The Shannara novels had been approaching this point for a while, but The Fall tetraology features the most interconnected family tree in the entire series. The Kaynin and Leah families are all direct descendants of the brothers Redden and Railing Ohmsford, so Dar, Tavo, and Tarsha are all distant cousins to one another. Brecon Elessedil, as a member of the Elven royal family, has ancestry going all the way back to Wren Elessedil, who was herself also an Ohmsford. The Rover Rocan Arneas claims to be a descendant of Panamon Creel which, if true, would also make him a distant relative to Tavo and Tarsha, who have some Creel blood in them way back due to their ancestor Par Ohmsford marrying another of Panamon's descendants. And Shea Ohmsford is added to the mix too, when his ability to utilize the wishsong reveals his name wasn't just a meaningless invention.
- Grand Finale: Intended to the final chapter in the entire Shannara franchise though Brooks hasn't ruled out doing other works set in the Shannara universe.
- Heroic Sacrifice: An unintentional example. Rocan, Tindall and the entire crew of the airship Behemoth are killed along with the weather control device Annabelle. The machine's explosion scatters its chemicals all over the sky and, with Shea's wishsong, clears away the chronic bad weather from the Skaar homeland, saving it.
- Invisibility: The Skaar have the ability to temporarily turn themselves invisible. This is used to devastating effect on the battlefield as well as letting Skaar assassinate enemy leaders. This is never explained though if their invisibility power is magic or an inherent ability.
- Kill It with Fire: How the assassins attempt to take out Drisker; they set fire to his cottage.
- Legacy Character: The Varfleet youth that helps Drisker locate the assassin guild; he reveals his name as Shea Ohmsford.
- Meaningful Name: This set of books is called ''The Fall" for a reason; it's the conclusion.
- The Mole: Kassen Drue. He joins the Druids as a trainee but is working for the mysterious invaders. He lets the invading army into Paranor where they completely destroy the Druids and their Troll guards.
- Morton's Fork: Drisker catches up to Tigueron of the Orsis assassin guild to learn who hired them. Drisker threatens to kill Tigueron if he doesn't reveal the name of his employer. Tigueron replies that his employer will kill him anyway if he talks. Tigueron identifies him as Kassen Drue but Drisker kills him anyway to make sure no more assassins attack.
- Mugging the Monster: Tavo has the power of the Wishsong, which any Shannara reader would recognize as a destructive weapon if used so. Tavo keeps encountering bullies and robbers who seek to hurt him; guess how that turns out.
- Persona Non Grata:
- Drisker Arc; he's banished from both Paranor and the Druid order after he steps down as High Druid.
- Tavo Kaynin; his parents send him away because of his reckless violent behavior and put him with an uncle who tortures and imprisons Tavo in a shed.
- Trapped in Another World: Clizia traps Drisker Arc in the Forbidding much like Grianne Ohmsford was in High Druid of Shannara.
- Weather-Control Machine: One exists, named "Annabelle" by its builder, and a key plot point has it being used in an attempt to help the Skaar homeland.
- The Worf Effect: The Skaar invaders encounter two armies of Trolls, renowned in the Shannara universe as without equal on the battlefield. The invaders easily annihilate both armies of Trolls down to the last. They also completely destroy a Federation army.
