Book IV of Shannara. Three hundred years have passed since the events in The Wishsong of Shannara. The Federation now controls the SOuthland; in the West the Elves have vanished; in the East, the Dwarves are enslaved. Par Ohmsford, descendant of Shea, Wil and Brin has retained some of his magical powers which work in a manner he does not entirely comprehend. Travelling the Southlands with his brother Coll he is troubled by dreams in which Allanon, the mysterious Druid who died during Brin's search for the Ildatch, is calling him. Escaping the Federations Head Seekar, Rimmer Dall, in the city of Varfleet, Par and Coll are taken to safety by a green-clad outlaw who has connections with the Ohmsfords. They fall foul of a malevolent witch-woman who is driven off by an old man named Cogline, another name from the Ohmsfords' past. Cogline tells them of the Shadowen, a deadly peril which now haunts the Four Lands and may lead to their destruction. He summons Par to Hadeshorn to meet the shade of Allanon. Cover art by Keith Parkinson.