Indomitable

This coda to Brooks's mega-selling Shannara series is essentially prose adaptation of his 2008 graphic novel, Dark Wraith of Shannara. It is some years since innkeeper's son Jair Ohmsford and a band of warrior colleagues helped to destroy the Ildatch, an evil book whose pages were endowed with life. Informed that a page of the book survived the destruction, Jair travels back to the prison fortress Dun Fee Aran to do battle with lizard-like Mwellrets that have been enthralled by the book's malignant power. Jair possesses only the minor magical power of illusion, but it proves enough to sneak him inside the fortress%E2%80%94and to lead to a startling revelation about his hidden talents. Though it reunites several of Brooks's best-known characters, this slight tale is mostly an afterthought to the series. Only fans who missed the graphic novel will appreciate it. (Mar.)