When I heard a year ago that Terry Brooks would be writing a book that would bridge the gap between Word & Void and Shannara, I was excited. I had always known that the Four Lands was somehow related to our world. Now, with publication of Armageddon's Children, that story begins. And what a layered and dramatic story that is. This book in itself is a first step but also seems to be two books in one. We begin by meeting Logan Tom, a Knight of the Word, who is trying to survive in a world destroyed by the humans who live on it. Unlike Knights of old, Logan dreams of the horrifying past instead of a bleak future. I like how Terry writes through Logan that the future is uncertain so there isn't any reason to dream about it anymore. But I have a sneaking suspicion that Logan (if he survives) will be dreaming of the future again before this trilogy is over. We first see him taking down once-men (humans turned by demons) in the slave camps. He is then given a mission by the Lady through Two Bears (of Word & Void). He learns of Nest Freemark and of the Gypsy Morph, which he is asked to find and protect. We jump to the second parallel story in the wasteland that is the U.S. We meet Hawk and his fellow Ghosts. They are a tribe of children that live on the streets of Seattle. We learn of their struggles and that Hawk has visions of a better place. Some suspense follows, as signs of something terrible coming out of hiding are found around the city. Next, we meet the elves, which are in hiding ever since the humans became the dominant species. We once again see the life of a Chosen (Elfstones of Shannara) and how they protect the Ellcrys. Kirisin, one of the chosen is talked to by the tree and is told to fin the Loden and transport her to safety with it. This leads us to meet Angel Perez in Los Angeles. She is a Knight of the Word also. During her story we are introduced to Findo Gask who is a ruthless and evil as ever and his new partner Delloreen, who is become something different. Angel is eventually asked to find and aid the elves. This all leads up to the revealing of the identity of the Gypsy Morph and a battle between Angel and Delloreen. The book does have a wicked cliffhanger that leads me wanting more. At times the blending of the two different worlds seems forced but all and all the book was good and held my attention. Rating: *****
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