Morgawr (Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Series #3)

by Terry Brooks

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks became the master of epic fantasy with the publication of his legendary debut, The Sword of Shannara. Since then, each new novel in the Shannara saga has brilliantly built upon and deepened the world of breathtaking magic, adventure, and intrigue he created. In The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara—his third enchanting series—he literally took his legions of loyal readers soaring to new heights as a colorful contingent of characters took to the skies aboard a magnificent airship on a quest fraught with wonder and danger.

Now in Morgawr, the quest at last draws to its climactic conclusion, as the forces of good and evil vying against each other to possess an ancient magic race towards an explosive clash—and whatever fate awaits the victor . . . and the vanquished. Harrowing confrontations with the merciless Ilse Witch and the monstrous Antrax have already taken their toll on the intrepid heroes of the Four Lands. But their darkest adversary now snaps at their heels, in the form of the Morgawr—master of the Ilse Witch, feeder upon the souls of his enemies, and centuries-old sorcerer of unimaginable might.

With a fleet of airships and a crew of walking dead men at his command, the Morgawr is in relentless pursuit of the Jerle Shannara and the crew that mans her. For the Morgawr, the goal is two fold: to find and control the fabled ancient books of magic, and to destroy the dark disciple who betrayed him—the Ilse Witch. But the Ilse Witch is already a prisoner . . . of herself. Exposed to the awesome power of the Sword of Shannara, and forced to confront the truth of her horrifying deeds, she has fled deep into her own mind. Now at the mercy of those who seek vengeance against her, her only protector is her long-lost brother, Bek Ohmsford, who is determined to redeem his beloved sister . . . and deliver her to the destiny predicted for her by the Druid Walker Boh.

Once again, Terry Brooks weaves together high adventure, vividly wrought characters, and a spellbinding world into an irresistible story of heroism and sacrifice, love and honor. In Morgawr, fans of the Shannara mythos will find both a satisfying finale and the promise of new wonders yet to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345435750
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/26/2003
Series:	Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Series , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	24,798
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

A writer since high school, Terry Brooks published his first novel, The Sword of Shannara, in 1977. It was a New York Times bestseller for more than five months. He has published twenty consecutive bestsellers since, including The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara novels: Ilse Witch and Antrax, as well as the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas: Star Wars®: Episode I The Phantom Menace™. His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century.

The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

Visit us online at www.shannara.com.

Hometown:

Pacific Northwest and Hawaii

Date of Birth:

January 8, 1944

Place of Birth:

Sterling, Illinois

Education:

B.A. in English, Hamilton College, 1966; J.D., Washington and Lee University

Website:

http://www.terrybrooks.net

Read an Excerpt

One

The figure appeared out of the shadows of the alcove so quickly that Sen Dunsidan was almost on top of it before he realized it was there. The hallway leading to his sleeping chamber was dark with nightfall's shadows, and the light from the wall lamps cast only scattered halos of fuzzy brightness. The lamps gave no help in this instance, and the Minister of Defense was given no chance either to flee or defend himself.

"A word, if you please, Minister."

The intruder was cloaked and hooded, and although Sen Dunsidan was reminded at once of the Ilse Witch he knew without question that it was not she. This was a man, not a woman—too much size and bulk to be anything else, and the words were rough and masculine. The witch's small, slender form and cool, smooth voice were missing. She had come to him only a week earlier, before departing on her voyage aboard Black Moclips, tracking the Druid Walker and his company to an unknown destination. Now this intruder, cloaked and hooded in the same manner, had appeared in the same way—at night and unannounced. He wondered at once what the connection was between the two.

Masking his surprise and the hint of fear that clutched at his chest, Sen Dunsidan nodded. "Where would you like to share this word?"

"Your sleeping chamber will do."

A big man himself, still in the prime of his life, the Minister of Defense nevertheless felt dwarfed by the other. It was more than simply size; it was presence, as well. The intruder exuded strength and confidence not usually encountered in ordinary men. Sen Dunsidan did not ask how he had managed to gain entry to the closely guarded, walled compound. He did not ask how he had moved unchallenged to the upper floor of his quarters. Such questions were pointless. He simply accepted that the intruder was capable of this and much more. He did as he was bidden. He walked past with a deferential bow, opened his bedroom door, and beckoned the other inside.

The lights were lit here, as well, though no more brightly than in the hallway without, and the intruder moved at once into the shadows.

"Sit down, Minister, and I will tell you what I want."

Sen Dunsidan sat in a high-backed chair and crossed his legs comfortably. His fear and surprise had faded. If the other meant him harm, he would not have bothered to announce himself. He wanted something that a Minister of Defense of the Federation's Coalition Council could offer, so there was no particular cause for concern. Not yet, anyway. That could change if he could not supply the answers the other sought. But Sen Dunsidan was a master at telling others what they expected to hear.

"Some cold ale?" he asked.

"Pour some for yourself, Minister."

Sen Dunsidan hesitated, surprised by insistence in the other's voice. Then he rose and walked to the table at his bedside that held the ice bucket, ale pitcher nestled within it, and several glasses. He stood looking down at the ale as he poured, his long silver hair hanging loose about his shoulders save where it was braided above the ears, as was the current fashion. He did not like what he was feeling now, uncertainty come so swiftly on the heels of newfound confidence. He had better be careful of this man; step lightly.

He walked back to his chair and reseated himself, sipping at the ale. His strong face turned toward the other, a barely visible presence amid the shadows.

"I have something to ask of you," the intruder said softly.

Sen Dunsidan nodded and made an expansive gesture with one hand.

The intruder shifted slightly. "Be warned, Minister. Do not think to placate me with promises you do not intend to keep. I am not here to waste my time on fools who think to dismiss me with empty words. If I sense you dissemble, I will simply kill you and have done with it. Do you understand?"

Sen Dunsidan took a deep breath to steady himself. "I understand."

The other said nothing further for a moment, then moved out from the deep shadows to the edges of the light. "I am called the Morgawr. I am mentor to the Ilse Witch."

"Ah." The Minister of Defense nodded. He had not been wrong about the similarities of appearance.

The cloaked form moved a little closer. "You and I are about to form a partnership, Minister. A new partnership, one to replace that which you shared with my pupil. She no longer has need of you. She will not come to see you again. But I will. Often."

"Does she know this?" Dunsidan asked softly.

"She knows nowhere near as much as she thinks." The other's voice was hard and low. "She has decided to betray me, and for her infidelity she will be punished. I will administer her punishment when I see her next. This does not concern you, save that you should know why you will not see her again. All these years, I have been the force behind her efforts. I have been the one who gave her the power to form alliances like the one she shared with you. But she breaches my trust and thus forfeits my protection. She is of no further use."

Sen Dunsidan took a long pull on his ale and set the glass aside. "You will forgive me, sir, if I voice a note of skepticism. I don't know you, but I do know her. I know what she can do. I know what happens to those who betray her, and I do not intend to become one of them."

"Perhaps you would do better to be afraid of me. I am the one who stands here in front of you."

"Perhaps. But the Dark Lady has a way of showing up when least expected. Show me her head, and I will be more than happy to discuss a new agreement."

The cloaked figure laughed softly. "Well spoken, Minister. You offer a politician's answer to a tough demand. But I think you must reconsider. Look at me."

He reached up for his hood and pulled it away to reveal his face. It was the face of the Ilse Witch, youthful and smooth and filled with danger. Sen Dunsidan started in spite of himself. Then the girl's face changed, almost as if it were a mirage, and became Sen Dunsidan's—hard planes and edges, piercing blue eyes, silvery hair worn long, and a half smile that seemed ready to promise anything.

"You and I are very much alike, Minister."

The face changed again. Another took its place, the face of a younger man, but it was no one Sen Dunsidan had ever seen. It was nondescript, bland to the point of being forgettable, devoid of interesting or memorable features.

"Is this who I really am, Minister? Do I reveal myself now?" He paused. "Or am I really like this?"

The face shimmered and changed into something monstrous, a reptilian visage with a blunt snout and slits for eyes. Rough, gray scales coated a weathered face, and a wide, serrated mouth opened to reveal rows of sharply pointed teeth. Gimlet eyes, hate-filled and poisonous, glimmered with green fire.

The intruder pulled the hood back into place, and his face disappeared into the resulting shadows. Sen Dunsidan sat motionless in his chair. He was all too aware of what he was being told. This man had the use of a very powerful magic. At the very least, he could shape-shift, and it was likely he could do much more than that. He was a man who enjoyed the excesses of power as much as the Minister of Defense did, and he would use that power in whatever way he felt he must to get what he wanted.

"I said we were alike, Minister," the intruder whispered. "We both appear as one thing when in truth we are another. I know you. I know you as I know myself. You would do anything to further your power in the hierarchy of the Federation. You indulge yourself in pleasures that are forbidden to other men. You covet what you cannot have and scheme to secure it. You smile and feign friendship when in truth you are the very serpent your enemies fear."

Sen Dunsidan kept his politician's smile in place. What was it this creature wanted of him?

"I tell you all this not to anger you, Minister, but to make certain you do not mistake my intent. I am here to help you further your ambitions in exchange for help you can in turn supply to me. I desire to pursue the witch on her voyage. I desire to be there when she does battle with the Druid, as I am certain she must. I desire to catch her with the magic she pursues, because I intend to take it from her and then to take her life. But to accomplish this, I will need a fleet of airships and the men to crew them."

Sen Dunsidan stared at him in disbelief. "What you ask is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Minister." The black robes shifted with a soft rustle as the intruder crossed the room. "Is what I ask any more impossible than what you seek?"

The Minister of Defense hesitated. "Which is what?"

"To be Prime Minister. To take control of the Coalition Council once and for all. To rule the Federation, and by doing so, the Four Lands."

A number of thoughts passed swiftly through Sen Dunsidan's mind, but all of them came down to one. The intruder was right. Sen Dunsidan would do anything to make himself Prime Minister and control the Coalition Council. Even the Ilse Witch had known of this ambition, though she had never voiced it in such a way as this, a way that suggested it might be within reach.

"Both seem impossible to me," he answered the other carefully.

"You fail to see what I am telling you," the intruder said. "I am telling you why I will prove a better ally than the little witch. Who stands between you and your goal? The Prime Minister, who is hardy and well? He will serve long years before he steps down. His chosen successor, the Minister of the Treasury, Jaren Arken? He is a man younger than you and equally powerful, equally ruthless. He aspires to be Minister of Defense, doesn't he? He seeks your position on the council."

A cold rage swept through Sen Dunsidan on hearing those words. It was true, of course—all of it. Arken was his worst enemy, a man slippery and elusive as a snake, cold-blooded and reptilian through and through. He wanted the man dead, but had not yet figured out a way to accomplish it. He had asked the Ilse Witch for help, but whatever other exchange of favors she was willing to accept, she had always refused to kill for him.

"What is your offer, Morgawr?" he asked bluntly, tiring of this game.

"Only this. By tomorrow night, the men who stand in your way will be no more. No blame or suspicion will attach to you. The position you covet will be yours for the taking. No one will oppose you. No one will question your right to lead. This is what I can do for you. In exchange, you must do what I ask—give me the ships and the men to sail them. A Minister of Defense can do this, especially when he stands to become Prime Minister."

The other's voice became a whisper. "Accept the partnership I am offering, so that not only may we help each other now, but we may help each other again when it becomes necessary."

Sen Dunsidan took a long moment to consider what was being asked. He badly wanted to be Prime Minister. He would do anything to secure the position. But he mistrusted this creature, this Morgawr, a thing not entirely human, a wielder of magic that could undo a man before he had time to realize what was happening. He was still unconvinced of the advisability of doing what he was being asked to do. He was afraid of the Ilse Witch; he could admit that to himself if to no one else. If he crossed her and she found out, he was a dead man; she would hunt him down and destroy him. On the other hand, if the Morgawr was to destroy her as he said he would, then Sen Dunsidan would do well to rethink his concerns.

A bird in the hand, it was commonly accepted, was worth two in the bush. If a path to the position of Prime Minister of the Co- alition Council could be cleared, almost any risk was worth the taking.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Terry Brooks -- whose first novel, The Sword of Shannara, became an instant bestseller upon its release in the late 1970s -- is the author of scads of popular fantasy novels. While the author's ongoing appeal is due to his quick-flowing prose, action-packed sequences, and colorful characters, he owes much of his success to his strict concordance with the "epic quest" model established by J.R.R. Tolkien 40 years earlier.

But give the man some credit -- Brooks writes a killer yarn. (He has millions of diehard fans to prove it.) And while his stories rely heavily on Tolkien-esque elements (such as arduous journeys, magic-wielding wizards, young protagonists who are always more than they appear, and, of course, the obligatory dark evil force), Brooks has a charm all his own, and he consistently keeps his readers guessing and wildly flipping the pages.

Brooks fans are certainly in for a treat with The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Antrax, the follow-up to the series kickoff, Voyage of Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch. If you're unfamiliar with this particular story line, stop reading now and pick up Ilse Witch first -- it's a great deal of fun, even for those unfamiliar with Brooks's previous works. Antrax begins exactly where Ilse Witch lets off.

Some background: Ilse Witch tells of a potentially devastating magic that the forces of good and evil both desperately want to control. The good guys set off on an airship in an effort to find this magic; the bad guys are hot on their trail. At the conclusion of Ilse Witch, the young Bek Rowe learns that he is really Bek Ohmsford, a direct descendant to the fabled Elf King, Jerle Shannara. Because of his lineage, Bek possesses the powerful gift of the Wishsong and the sole ability to use the mythical Sword of Shannara. As if this weren't enough for the lad to digest, he also discovers that his team's deadly adversary, the Ilse Witch, is his sister.

In Antrax, the race continues as Bek, the Druid Walker Boh, Bek's cousin Quentin, a few talented Rover flyers, the seer Ryd Ord Star, a score of Elf hunters, and the thoroughly intriguing shape-shifter Truls Rohk battle not only the Ilse Witch but also a relentless army of technological monsters. Brooks devotees will be happy (although not surprised) to hear that Antrax provides a punch of pure adrenaline. It's high-quality, rapid-paced entertainment. (Andrew LeCount)

bn.com review

"If Harry Potter has given you a thirst for fantasy and you have not discovered the magic of Terry Brooks, you are in for a treat.

Rocky Mountain News

If you were delighted and entranced by Michael Ende's The Never Ending Story, you will definitely want to sample one of more of Terry Brooks's books.

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Continuing the saga begun in The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch (2000), bestseller Brooks opens this slick, lightweight fantasy with our band of heroes (Druids, elves, shape-shifters, Rovers, etc.) trapped on an island ruled by the evil artificial intelligence Antrax. Antrax has lured this disparate crew to its underground lair in order to use their assorted magics to expand its influence across the world of Shannara. The expedition's leader, the Druid Walker, wants to steal Antrax's ancient technology, but to gain it, he must engage in deadly combat with the machine. The treacherous seer, Ryer Ord Star, and the young, frightened elven prince, Ahren Elessedil, join the fight. Meanwhile, Bek Ohmsford, a prot?g? of Walker's who's been left mostly in the dark about his own magical potential, must try to convince his sister, the dangerous Ilse Witch, that his version of their shared past is true, as he struggles to keep her from killing him or his friends. Also complicating the plot are the battles of the Rovers to reclaim the group's airship the only means for the adventurers to return home. Some emotionally painful encounters occur with former friends who have been enslaved by Antrax, turned into cyborgs and forced to do the nasty AI's bidding. Brooks's fans are sure to be pleased with this action-packed yarn, which neatly weaves the many plots and characters into a coherent whole. Those readers looking for more depth or less predictability are unlikely to have started on this series in the first place. 12-city author tour. (Sept. 21) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The fiendish creature known as the Morgawr commands a fleet of airships crewed by mindless creatures who were once men. Her goal: to find and destroy the Ilse Witch and any who try to lend her aid. As the survivors of the Morgawr's attack flee aboard the Jerle Shannara, they realize that they must inevitably confront their foe once and for all. Brooks's conclusion to the "Jerle Shannara" trilogy features characters from previous Shannara series as well as compelling new individuals whose tales hint at more adventures to come. Libraries should expect patron demand for this well-constructed and engagingly written series. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/02.] Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Conclusion of the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy, and 12th in the entire Shannara series, with a new Shannara trilogy promised. Morgawr also marks the quarter-century anniversary of the bestselling Shannara epic. In Ilse Witch (2000), Walker Boh, the Last Druid, sets forth in the Jerle Shannara airship on a quest for the legendary lost magic that's stronger than any known in the Four Lands. First, though, he must find the keys that will unlock the magic when be finds it. (He is pursued by the beautiful Ilse Witch and her crew of Mwellrets in their own airship.) Antrax (2001) turns out to be surprisingly science-fiction-y, with Antrax an evil artificial intelligence and a discomforting addition to Brooks's fantasyland. However, Antrax has enslaved many old friends of Walker and his crew, turning them into robotic cyborgs. Antrax ended on a cliffhanger, with many of Walker's crew killed and Walker himself disappearing into the ruined city of Castledown. Throughout this series, iconic items from the earlier six-volume series, such as the Sword of Shannara and the magic of the wishsong, add to the stewy richness. The monstrous, half-human Morgawr, evil mentor of Ilse, makes Sen Dunsidan Prime Minister of the Coalition Council, gets two dozen airships from him and sets out after Ilse, who has betrayed him. What he plans is to get the lost magic himself, but he discovers that he's not meant to discover the magic of the Old World and, dying, instructs Bek Ohmsford to return Ilse to the Four Lands, for the Sword of Shannara has awakened Ilse, his sister, now bearing her childhood name Grianne, from the power of Morgawr. Even so, Grianne must eventually face down the Morgawr to complete herjourney homeward. Will the Druid Council then be reformed in the Four Lands? Kid stuff-but magic sells.

Kirkus Reviews