Fantasy author Terry Brooks, longtime author of the popular Shannara book series, has a new publication out today -- Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara. Not only will this be his last entry to the series, but it will be his final book overall.
Brooks announced at Emerald City Comic Con 2025 this past weekend that as of today, he's offically retiring from writing. But that doesn't mean the beloved Shannara series is coming to an end. Instead, Brooks is passing the torch to another writer -- fellow author Delilah S. Dawson.
For five decades and nearly 50 novels, Brooks has captivated audiences story after story. The 81-year-old explained to panel attendees that after a year of trying and not succeeding to weave together another manuscript, he finally decided he'd had enough. And after such a rewarding and memorable career, he has more than earned it.
Dawson, who has been publishing books, novellas, short stories, and more, both licensed and original since 2012. She has written for Star Wars and other properties, and has also penned multiple comics. She noted on Instagram along with the announcement that she and Brooks have been friends for a long time. She's the perfect person to pick up where Brooks will leave off.
"It is an honor to get to work with him (Brooks) on such a beloved series," she wrote. "I'm so excited!"
The Shannara series, which published its first of many novels in 1977, is a high fantasy adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world where Earth's population was long ago destroyed. The universe spans multiple series and dozens of books and a handful of short stories following different characters and set in different time periods, and was even adapted into a television series in 2016.
Brooks was both lighthearted and sentimental at the panel, and seems both grateful to Dawson and his longtime readers and also optimistic about his retirement. If you're lucky enough to find a career that willingly keeps you working until your 80s, saying goodbye can be both relieving and bittersweet. I hope he enjoys his well-earned rest, but I'm also looking forward to seeing what Dawson does with this universe in the hopefully many years to come.