The Crossroads (A Willow Webpage)

THE SAGA

From George Lucas comes "A Magical World Lovingly Evoked" - Los Angeles Times

Filming on the motion picture Willow began on April 27, 1987 at Elstree Studios in London and ended five months later. On May 20, 1988 the movie was released in theaters. It was followed by a trilogy of book sequels published between 1995 and 1999, known collectively as The Chronicles of the Shadow War.

WILLOW

The movie tells the story of a simple Nelwyn farmer who finds himself drawn into a mission to save a baby princess who has been prophesied to bring about the downfall of the evil Queen who wishes to destroy her. There's a movie summary from the Official Willow Movie Magazine called The Chronicles of Willow in the Articles section and a transcript in the Scripts section.

SHADOW MOON

When Bantam Books asked Lucas if he had any stories he would like to develop as novels rather than as films, Lucas turned to his 1988 fantasy film, Willow. "When I wrote the story for Willow, I began with the pre-story," Lucas said, "but the full story was yet to be told." Published in hardcover in 1995, Shadow Moon began the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy. It was written by Chris Claremont based on a story outline by George Lucas.

Description from the dust jacket of the original Bantam Spectra (an imprint of Bantam Doubleday Dell) 1995 Hardcover first edition of Shadow Dawn, © 1995 by Lucasfilm, Ltd.:
Thirteen years have passed since the epic battle of Nockmaar, where a wayward band of heroes brought together by circumstance broke the hold of evil on the land. But the triumph was short-lived. Within a year the land was plunged into an unrelenting storm of war and chaos, lashed by ancient rivalries and unforgiving hatreds in the realms of both flesh and spirit. According to prophecy, there is only one hope for true and lasting peace: the Princess Elora Danan who will be invested with rank and authority on her birthday.
In preparation for this joyous event, a young scout seeks Elora's godfather and protector, a fabled Nelwyn sorcerer, missing and long believed dead after the cataclysmic war. Instead he finds Thorn, an itinerant wanderer whose fate is strangely bound to Elora's. Together, they discover that the girl for whom brave souls fought and died has become little more than a spoiled brat who makes the lives of all around her miserable. Seemingly, she is no match for the forces of unimaginable malevolence that are marshaling against her.
Who is behind the plot to turn Elora into a mere puppet-queen? What sinister purpose do the relentless, dark-helmed Thunder Riders and their mysterious Warlord serve? Who is the demon that haunts the very walls of the palace? And perhaps most intriguing of all, why has the fate of the Great Realms been put into the hands of such a shallow and willful monster as Elora?
To answer these questions and escape from the castle's labyrinthine dungeon, Thorn will have to strike a devil's bargain. He must perform a dangerous and forbidden rite of necromancy to resurrect a powerful warrior from her soulless sleep . . . and try to rescue a child. But even if he succeeds, they are alone in a world of blood and horror, where shadows have declared war on the light, where old loyalties have been cast aside and trust means nothing. The world is tumbling toward the abyss. Only one person can save it. And she couldn't care less.

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

SHADOW DAWN

The second in the Chronicles of the Shadow War, Shadow Dawn takes place three years after the conclusion of Shadow Moon.

Description of SHADOW DAWN from the dust jacket of the original Bantam Spectra (an imprint of Bantam Doubleday Dell) 1997 hardcover first edition of Shadow Dawn, © 1997 by Lucasfilm, Ltd.:
It's been three years since Elora Danan's momentous Ascension. But there has been no peace among the Thirteen Realms. Instead, an intense Shadow War rages, spearheaded by the evil Mohdri, leader of the black-clad Thunder Riders. Elora's allies are the Nelwyn sorcerer and her sworn protector, Thorn Drumheller; the brownies Franjean and Rool; the eagles Anele and Bastian; Khory Bannefin, offspring of a demon who inhabits the body of a long-dead woman warrior; and two friends, Ryn Taksemanyin of the seafaring Wyrrn and a charming champion named Duguay Faralorn.
Together they flee toward the still-free city-state of Sandeni, pursued by the dreaded Black Rose, commando assassins dispatched by Mohdri. But Mohdri himself is just a facade, his spirit and soul consumed by the mysterious Deciever. Who - or what - is the Deceiver and what are its evil intentions? How can Thorn protect Elora from a power he barely understands? One thing is certain: prophecy maintains that the Deceiver can accomplish its goal only by capturing the princess ... and only the princess can stop it.
When the truth becomes clear, it is already too late. How can Elora, Thorn, and their rag-tag band convince the leaders of Sandeni of the coming apocalypse?; Who will believe a mere child? The answer lies in a perilous journey beyond the charted regions, to a land that may or may not exist, a place that has remained undisturbed since the dawn of time. Here the unbreachable citadel of the dragons stands and here will come the chilling climax - and betrayal - that will determine the fate of Elora, Thorn, and the Thirteen Realms.

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

SHADOW STAR

The conclusion to the Chronicles of the Shadow War ties together everything from the previous two novels as well as events in the original Willow film. Definitely not to be missed!

Description of SHADOW STAR from the dust jacket of the original Bantam Spectra (an imprint of Bantam Doubleday Dell) 1999 hardcover first edition of Shadow Dawn, © 1999 by Lucasfilm, Ltd.:
In Shadow Moon and Shadow Dawn, George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, and Chris Claremont, author of the bestselling X-Men adventures, created a new world of myth, magic, and legend unlike any before. Now they bring their epic trilogy to an unforgettable conclusion in a stunningly original novel of blazing imaginative brilliance...
Elora Danan has done the unthinkable. She has slain the dragons that were the embodiment of the soul of Creation. It was a desperate act--the only way to save the dragons from the Deceiver, who would have used them to rule the Realms. Yet in Elora's possession are two last dragon eggs. To protect them, Elora spellbinds herself to her faithful companions Thorn Drumheller, the Nelwyn sorcerer and her sworn guardian, and Khory Bannefin, the long-dead woman warrior whose body is inhabited by a demon's offspring. It is a dire spell that ensures none of them will betray their cause...even at the cost of their lives. And if one of them dies, the magic of the eggs is lost forever.
Pursued through a land of shadow predators by the dreaded Black Rose, the Deceiver's commando assassins, Elora and her allies must reach the free city-state of Sandeni. There they will be reunited with old friends: the brownies Franjean and Rool, the eagles Anele and Bastian, and the young warrior-scribe Luc-Jon. But Sandeni is besieged by mighty armies fueled by the Deceiver's sorcery, warrior wizards, and engines of evil magic. With defeat all but certain, Elora must convince the Sandeni people to continue the fight. What she doesn't tell them is that the greatest enemy lies within her. For the Deceiver is her own dark twin from a potential future of unimaginable evil...an evil that lies dormant in Elora's soul. And the only way Elora can stop the future is to befriend an enemy whose insatiable appetite for destruction could destroy all of Creation. Or is that, too, part of the Deceiver's plan?
Seamlessly weaving together the many strands of this rich tapestry, Shadow Star is guaranteed to satisfy its many fans...and leave them breathless.

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Coda