As the United States has been transformed into a desolate dystopia the champions of the Word and the Void collide in battles that will determine the future existence of the world and the fate of mankind.

Leader of the Shadowen, Rimmer Dall, sends his four Horsemen against Walker Boh and the scions of Shannara.

Together, Ament, two young Trackers, and a daring Elf princess must defend their ancestral home. But suspicion and hostility among their countrymen threaten to doom their efforts from within. Meanwhile, beyond the breached borders, a ruthless Troll army masses for invasion. And in the thick of it all, the last wielder of the black staff and its awesome magic must find a successor to carry on the fight against the cresting new wave of evil.