lemiacd17

This is the second book in the Legends of Shannara duology which is another of the prequel series that takes place before the original Shannara trilogy. I read this latest book after just finishing "Bearers of the Black Staff" the first book in this short series. I quite enjoyed the first book which in many ways was standard Fantasy fare but written capably. Brooks is very good at creating solid characters that you care about and want to find out what happens next. "The Measure of the Magic" does add quite a lot of escalation to the first novel. The first book ends with a very serious situation of an invasion coming into the valley that had been protected for 500 years. A new danger enters onto the scene that is much more serious and a greater threat to the new holder of the Black Staff and his friend and companion. This really adds to the story and makes it something more than just the end of the duo logy wrapping up previous plot points. I really liked the character development and the sacrifices some of the characters made and the book is more bitter-sweet than the other novels in the series. Other plot elements and new characters round up the story. Considering the young age of the main characters this novel though does feel more like a transitional novel than the end of the duology. The characters were certainly strong enough for a continuation of the story and I certainly liked it enough to have wanted this to be more than a duology, but there always has to be a cutting of point when working with young heroes such as the Harry Potter series. If you like Terry Brooks style I am confident you will enjoy this addition. I had forgotten how much I liked his writings and need to go back and read the other series again involving the Shannara world.

2020-08-09 12:09