The First Druids of Shannara Series

Return to the world of Shannara with the sequel to Galaphile, and discover how the seeds of the greatest evil that the Four Lands has ever known inadvertently grew out of Galaphile’s dream for peace—from New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson.

Years have passed since Galaphile Joss and his life partner Nirianne established Paranor as a way to bring harmony to the Four Lands. Now, their two sons are growing to men in a land of peace and plenty. Admittedly, it is a land that their eldest child, Abronja, finds rather boring. At sixteen, he longs for a way to prove himself—a chance to show he is every bit the equal of his famous father. But when the excitement he has been longing for materializes, it is in the form of an old evil: a dark sorcerer whom his father had defeated, but not destroyed. And who is now back, stronger and more deadly than ever.

It is an evil whose return Galaphile always dreaded—and not just because of what it means for the wider world. His beloved son Abronja was conceived while the dark sorcerer had control of Nirianne, and Galaphile has always feared the sorcerer’s influence on the boy.

Abronja, for his part, knows he has never been corrupted by evil. He is fully committed to his father’s vision for peace, and is determined to make his name by finally destroying the evil that has so blighted his family. But tangling with dark magic is not a thing to be taken lightly—especially for a young man as yet untested in the ways of magic and the world. Because the repercussions of this encounter could have repercussions for centuries to come.

New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks makes his triumphant return to the world of Shannara, delving deep into the origin story of the druid order and its enigmatic creator that will change the face of the Four Lands forever.
 
One of the most iconic structures in the Four Lands is Paranor, the fortress home of the Druid Order. Legend holds that it was erected by an Elven leader known as Galaphile Joss. But who was this Galaphile, and how and why did he choose to establish this center of magic and learning?

Within these pages we meet the real Galaphile, following him from a friendless teenage orphan stranded in the Human world to a powerful adult and master mage, studying under the infamous recluse, Cogline. We learn of the forces that shaped him—those he loved, and those he lost; those who aided him, and those who stood against him.

Throughout it all, Galaphile’s goal is a noble one: to bring order to a chaotic world, and to make life better for those trying to survive it. To this end, he commences building the citadel which will one day be known as Paranor with the aid of the King of the Silver River. But there is one other who seeks dominion over the Four Lands—and for far less virtuous ends.

For this foe has been corrupted by an ancient evil—one that will not only reach out and touch Galaphile’s nearest and dearest, but also echo down through the centuries, sowing the seeds for some of the darkest times the Four Lands will ever face.