Armageddon's Children

Terry Brooks is one of a handful of writers whose work defines modern fantasy fiction. His twenty-three international bestsellers have ranged from the beloved Shannara series to stories that tread a much darker path. Armageddon's Children is a new creation — the perfect opportunity for readers unfamiliar with Brooks's previous work to experience an author at the height of his considerable storytelling powers. It is a gripping chronicle of a once-familiar world now spun shockingly out of control, in which an extraordinary few struggle to salvage hope in the face of terrifying chaos.

Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family's slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization's downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness.

Across the country, Angel Perez, herself a survivor of the malevolent, death-dealing forces combing the land, has also been chosen for an uncanny mission in the name of her ruined world's salvation. From the devastated streets of Los Angeles, she will journey to find a place — and a people — shrouded in mystery, celebrated in legend, and vital to the cause of humankind...even as a relentless foe follows close behind, bent on her extermination. While in the nearly forsaken city of Seattle, a makeshift family of refugees has carved out a tenuous existence among the street gangs, mutants, and marauders fighting to stay alive against mounting odds — and something unspeakable that has come from the shadows in search of prey.

In time, all their paths will cross. Their common purpose will draw them together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

In Armageddon's Children, Brooks brings his gifts as a mythmaker to the timeless theme of the unending, essential conflict between darkness and light — and carries his unique imaginative vision to a stunning new level. Prepare for a breathtaking tour de force. To those who are new to Terry Brooks, welcome. And to those who have read him for many years: prepare for a dramatic surprise.

"In this exciting first of a new fantasy trilogy, bestseller Brooks effortlessly connects the Tolkien-infused magic of his Shannara books (First King of Shannara, etc.) with the urban, postapocalyptic world of his Word and the Void series (Running with the Demon, etc.). The author envisions a chilling near-future U.S., where civilization has collapsed from environmental degradation, plagues, global warfare and supernatural threats. The last surviving members of the Knights of the Word, Logan Tom and Angel Perez, seek to keep the 'balance of the world's magic in check' as they battle the Void-embodied by demons, their leader Findo Cask and their vicious human mutant counterparts known as 'once-men.' The Ghosts, an endearing tribe of street teens led by the resourceful Hawk, also scrabble for survival. Meanwhile, the human-demon war threatens the coexisting Elven nation. Longtime Brooks fans and newcomers will be riveted as the fate of the human and Elven worlds hangs in the balance." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"In this exciting first of a new fantasy trilogy, bestseller Brooks effortlessly connects the Tolkien-infused magic of his Shannara books (First King of Shannara, etc.) with the urban, postapocalyptic world of his Word and the Void series (Running with the Demon, etc.). The author envisions a chilling near-future U.S., where civilization has collapsed from environmental degradation, plagues, global warfare and supernatural threats. The last surviving members of the Knights of the Word, Logan Tom and Angel Perez, seek to keep the 'balance of the world's magic in check' as they battle the Void — embodied by demons, their leader Findo Cask and their vicious human mutant counterparts known as 'once-men.' The Ghosts, an endearing tribe of street teens led by the resourceful Hawk, also scrabble for survival. Meanwhile, the human-demon war threatens the coexisting Elven nation. Longtime Brooks fans and newcomers will be riveted as the fate of the human and Elven worlds hangs in the balance. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"A great storyteller, Terry Brooks creates rich epics filled with mystery, magic, and memorable characters. If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy." Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and Eldest

"Terry's place is at the head of the fantasy world." Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass

"Brooks...captures the frantic atmosphere of a world on the edge of damnation." Library Journal

Fifty years from now, our world is a very different place. Governments have fallen. Pollution has poisoned the skies, water, and soil. Thousands live in highly fortified strongholds; others roam the landscape, as either predator or prey. The demons have taken over. Standing against them are a very few Knights of the Word. Imbued with powerful magic and sworn to destroy the demons and every evil created by them, are men and women like Logan Tom and Angel Perez. Their quest is to rescue a group of young people who hold the hope of the world.

Terry Brooks is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including The Sword of Shannara, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr, the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken, the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, and 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 the world of Shannara online at www.shannara.com and at Terrybrooks.net.