I recently finished a re-read of Terry Brooks' "The Wishsong of Shannara." This was my fourth read of it...my favorite book from the Shannara series. I last read it while I was stuck in the hospital almost exactly eight years ago now. That time I had read a signed copy that a friend had gotten for me as it was the copy I got my hands on at the time. I seldom read signed books, but I didn't have much to do but read at the time. This time I read the copy that is included in "The Sword of Shannara Trilogy" tome.
There are a number of factors that drive this book to first place in my preferences among the Shannara books I've read. Also, I should disclose that I haven't read them all, but I have read most of them. I love that the main characters are siblings in this book. It's not a lone Ohmsford as it was in the first two Shannara books...and each of the siblings, Brin, the older sister, and Jair, the brother, have their own distinct roles in the adventure. Indeed, for most of the book they aren't interacting with each other at all as their tasks and their paths are totally distinct.
I also love that the ultimate antagonist in this book is a book. The Ildatch. It's not some cloaked warlock or a demon with a wicked name and face...it's a book. A book so evil that it has a will of its own.
I love that Allanon passes away in this book...he falls. This forces the Shannara story to change trajectories so it couldn't just remain a pattern of similar formulas. Allanon approaching an Ohmsford and asking for help that only he or she can provide....and then an epic quest with lots of different characters and surprises ensues. No, the formula gets rattled by Allanon's passing. Actually, his death is a function of his loss of relevance to the story as he wasn't even able to see this last quest through to its completion. He wasn't even aware of the pivotal role Jair would have to the Four Lands or to Brin's survival at the end. Jair's quest had been given to him by the King of the Silver River and apparently wasn't contemplated or anticipated by Allanon at all. Allanon was human. It struck me that the last request he made of Brin near the close of the book was that she remember him. He didn't ask her to always stand for good, or to take steps to preserve the legacy of magic that had become a part of her life. No, he asked her to remember him.
"The Wishsong of Shannara" also has one of the best evil creatures from any of the Shannara books, in my humble opinion. No, it has two of them. The Jachyra. A being that feeds off of not only the suffering of its victims but of its own suffering. A being whose scream has echoes of laughter in it. The Jachyra's poison is almost inevitably fatal - attacking both the victim's body and spirit. It is a creature so evil and so powerful that it takes Allanon's life and, later, provides Garet Jax, the Weapons Master who has never lost a fight, the ultimate challenge near the close of the book. Epic.
I am also drawn to this book by some of the internal struggles and triumphs that are included. Brin and her friend, Rone Leah, both struggle with their relationship with magic. In Brin's case, it almost consumes her and fundamentally changes her as a person. In Rone's, it continues to distract him...captivating his attention even at the expense of Brin, the person whom he has been charged with protecting by Allanon.
Also, Brin and Jair sincerely love one another as sister and brother. They have deep roots together and, even though they are separated for the bulk of the book, it helps drive them forward even when they aren't together. In the end, it arguably saves not only Brin's life but Jair's as well.
Finally, it is stunning to me that this book, my favorite of the series, was also the one that nudged its author, Terry Brooks, to be able to quit practicing law and become a full-time writer. "The Wishsong of Shannara" is a book that has meant the world to me more times than once and I am confident I'll be reading it yet again in some number of years' time. Incredible stuff.