The Measure of the Magic: Legends of Shannara (Pre-Shannara: Legends of Shannara)

by Terry Brooks

2012

Status

Available

Publication

Del Rey (2012), Edition: Reprint, 480 pages

Description

Panterra Qu, a newly anointed Knight of the Word who has been entrusted with the last black staff and its powers, must protect thousands of lives that are put in danger when centuries of protective magic disappears.

User reviews

LibraryThing member QueenAlyss
As always, Terry Brooks writes a marvelous tale of magic and mystery. The characters seem so tangible and magnetic that you can't help but wonder if he once lived such a fantastical tale. I would recommend to anyone who has read Terry Brooks (I read half of the Shannara world) and to those who just
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want a great sci-fi/ fantasy novel.
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LibraryThing member RandyHarper
Like Tolkien and McCaffrey who have introduced us to other worlds, Terry Brooks has, like his world of Shannara, done the same thing with this duology of Bearers of the Black staff and The Measure of the Magic. This second book continues with the bearer of the black staff, the elves, and trackers.
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Although I felt a little rushed through the story and thought that there was more beneath the surface of what I was reading, Mr Brooks was able to enthrall me into a three day read of the book. The basic story was fresh enough that I didn't feel like I was reading a synopsis of someone else's work, and the side story lines could have had books in their own right. An absolute must read if your are the least bit of a Terry Brooks fan or fantasy lover. My earnest hope is that this really is NOT the end of the line for this set. I want to know who will rule the elves, what will happen to the elf stones and if Panterra will learn to control the staff. Where is the boy that led the people into the valley? Where are the rest of the staffs and will the Trolls really stay away from this fragile group of people? Can we learn more about the Elven land of the dead and how much, if any, other interaction do they have with the land of the living? If you have read the the first of this set, get The Measure of the Magic. If you haven't read either, what are you waiting for!
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LibraryThing member elric17
Like all Shannara books an enjoyable tale in a enjoyable universe. It quite nicely tied up all of the plot threads from Black Staff, however, I would hope there are future adventures for Qu, as he is a character, i quite enjoy.
LibraryThing member randirousseau
I have followed the books of the world of Shannara since I was a kid, starting with Shea, Flick and Alanon all the way through. I found myself at this book and, while I enjoyed it, I had a hard time getting past the feeling that the story has finally gotten, well, tired. Like Tolkein, Brooks' books
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have been richly tiered and epic - but this has been winding down the last few.
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LibraryThing member arelenriel
This was everything one can expect out of a Shanarra novel, fantasy, romance, epic adventure, and the good guy always wins. That being said after 20 books the plot storyline and repetitive characters have grown a little bit old. Don't get me wrong, Brooks is an excellent writer, it is just he seems
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very unwilling to move outside a specific comfort zone with his material which has turned a rather enjoyable series into a rather boring read, in spite of a well developed plot, characters and background. Overall I would recommend this to fans of Brooks but if you are just a general reader of the fantasy genre don't bother,
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LibraryThing member DonnerLibrary
The Measure of the Magic picks up right where Bearers of the Black Staff left off. There is no recap of events that took place in that book so it is best to read the two back to back. The series is a good read but not my favorite of the Shannara stories.
LibraryThing member kmaziarz
The second half of the story begun in "Bearers of the Black Staff" picks up where it left off. An army of vicious, murderous Trolls seeks a way into the small valley that has sheltered humanity for 500 years. The last Knight of the Word has died and passed his staff on to a young human Tracker who
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reluctantly takes up his role. Helping and protecting him is his best friend, a young girl who chooses to pay a terrible personal price in exchange for reliable magic to aid her friend...who, though he does not know it, is being stalked by one of the last demons from the old world, a relentless and powerful creature with the cunning of centuries. Meanwhile, the impulsive Princess of the Elves, falsely accused of murdering her father, must find a way to free herself and use the blue Elfstones to save her people and her human allies from the Troll army.

As with "Bearers of the Black Staff," the social commentary directed at the flaws of organized religion, is heavy-handed and unsubtle, a flaw I do not remember from early Shannara titles. However, the plot is fast-moving and the characters have their appeal. This book is perhaps more suited for younger readers as it lacks anything resembling layers of moral complexity, but should still be of interest to long-time fans of the series.
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LibraryThing member Mav.Weirdo
Disclaimer: I did receive a free ARC (advanced reading copy) in return for this review. This novel is part two of a story; it is not a stand-alone book. The edition I received did not include a “what came before” section. On the other hand most major plot threads do conclude at the end of this
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book, so it is not a "middle story".

In case the drastic cliffhanger events at the end of “Bearers of the Black Staff”: “Legends of Shannara” Book One were not enough of a challenge, we open book two by introducing a powerful new antagonist. I think part of the reason for this new challenge is that it justifies a bit of mid-story deus ex machina which seems to be a tradition in Shannara stories. Admittedly some of the antagonists canceled each other out at some points.

I found the deaths of named characters significant, especially in who they were and their role in the story. I understand that to be considered “heroic” the odds need to be against the heroes, but I wonder when it counts as the deck being stacked too high.

Now I realize that it is a pet peeve of mine, but having the three main characters (Pan, Prue, & Phryne) names all start with the same letter annoys me.

The elves did not strike me as being different that the humans, in fact most of them acted impulsive and immature which is not how I am used to seeing elves portrayed. I am especially unimpressed by Phryne’s lack of maturity in this book. Between the impulsiveness of some characters, and the inexperience of others, the whole plot felt heavy-handed.

The characters who impressed me most with their maturity were of course the youngest characters; Prue and Xac Wen. They were not perfect or infallible, but they seemed to consider their actions before taking them, while other characters only considered their actions in hindsight. The purpose of hindsight is to learn from it. If the character dwells on the past without learning from it that is wallowing.
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LibraryThing member msellers
The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks is a continuation from The Bearer of the Black Staff and it continues the adventures of Panterra Qu and Prue Liss. Sider Ament is dead and Prue is somewhere outside the valley trying to keep the Trolls from recapturing her. She’s in an unfamiliar place and
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Deladion Inch is dead and can no longer help her. The Trolls have her hideout surrounded, how is she ever going to get out of there and make her way back to the valley and Pan? Meanwhile Pan is dealing with his own problems. He is worried about Prue but he has to find Arik Siq and keep him from showing the rest of the Trolls how to get into the valley. Will he take the Black Staff as Sider asked him to do? Skeal Eile is doing everything in his power to discount the danger and take over as leader of not only Glenske Wood but everyone in the valley. The Elves are working on protecting the valley from access through Aphalion Pass. Declan Pass is no longer protected. Throw in the demon who shows up and you have lots of adventure. The demon wants the bearer of the black staff. He makes his way into the valley and finds Skeal Eile. Phryne, it turns out, is correct about the new Queen of the Elves who also ends up hooking up with Skeal Eile because he promises she will rule over the Elves. All he wants, he assures her, is access to the Elves to try to bring them into his fold as Children of the Hawk.
I read the original Sword of Shannara Trilogy way back in the 80’s but have not read any of the other Shannara books between then and now. Upon winning a review copy of The Measure of the Magic, I purchased the Bearer of the Black Staff because I didn’t want to read this book without reading it first so I have spent the last couple weeks reading both books. This is such an exciting story that I found myself not wanting to put the book down for anything and reading every spare moment I’ve been able to. The book ended in such a way as to appear there will be a continuation and so I look forward to the next installment in the story. I will also need to go back and re-read the Sword of Shannara Trilogy and then read the other Shannara novels so I can get caught up.
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LibraryThing member CharlieCascino
I have read every Shannara book Terry Brooks has written. With the Bearer of the Black Staff, we found out what happened to to people Hawk saved at the end of the Elves of Cintra. The Measure of the Magic continues this story.
Terry Brooks never fails to create real, honest, well-developed
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characters. This book pits them against treachery from both inside and out, with an army threatening, and within, betrayal by power hungry antagonists. The choices our heroes make, their giving of themselves, is not seen as the hokey, cheesy, fantasy-good-guy stuff that you see so often. We are with them when they choose their people over themselves, and we feel their heartbreak as a consequence.
I loved this book, and I really hope Terry Brooks continues to write more within this beautiful world he has created.
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LibraryThing member _Lily_
For five hundred years, the survivors of the Great Wars lived peacefully in a valley sanctuary shielded by powerful magic from the blighted and dangerous outside world. But the enchanted barriers have crumbled, the borders have been breached by predators, and the threat of annihilation looms large
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once more. Sider Ament, bearer of the last black staff and its profound power, devoted his life to protecting the valley and its inhabitants—and, in his final moments, gave stewardship of the black staff to the young tracker Panterra Qu. Now the newly anointed Knight of the Word must take up the battle against evil wherever it threatens: from without, where an army of bloodthirsty trolls is massing for invasion; and from within, where the Elf king of Arborlon has been murdered, his daughter, Princess Phryne Amarantyne, stands accused, and a heinous conspiracy is poised to subjugate the kingdom. But even these will pale beside the most harrowing menace Panterra is destined to confront—a nameless, merciless figure who wanders the devastated land on a relentless mission: to claim the last black staff . . . and the life of he who wields it. (Synopsis provided by goodreads)

This book was good, but not great. I found myself to be a bit let down the ending felt weak, which surprised me as Brooks is a very gifted story teller. It could be because this is book 2 of I believe 3 a book series, I will still pick up the next book though.

I do wish that this book had more information on the characters ect in it, Brooks normally has loads of information and shows the inter workings of his world.

There were some great action scenes and the dialog was great as usual. I would still recommend this to other Brooks fans, but with a warning that Brooks now has cliff hanger endings and it seems his style is changing.

It was still a good read though.

* Hardcover: 400 pages
* Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (August 23, 2011)
* Author: Terry Brooks
* Cover art: I really like it.
* Over all rating: *** out of 5 stars
* Obtained: Won from goodreads first reads.
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LibraryThing member Lobstersurvivor
I received an advanced reading copy in return for this review. Even If i didn't get an ARC I would still have read and reviewed this book. Terry Brooks in a generations writer. It is amazing how he continues his stories hundreds of years after the last series ends. The Measure of Magic is
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intriguing and fast paced. The characters are interesting and have depth. The story will continue I'm sure in the next book, but each book stands on its own. Terry has a great way of writing stories that pertain to my life. I learn so much from his stories about humanity and my inner soul. When reading his books, i become the characters in the stories.
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LibraryThing member yoyogod
This was a great followup to Bearers of the Black Staff. It tied up all the old plot lines nicely and had lots of adventure and such. Despite this only being a duology, I hope the Brooks will continue with the story of Panterra Qu, as his ultimate fate is very much up in the air at the end of this
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book.
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LibraryThing member puttocklibrary
An excellent continuation of the "Legends of Shannara" series. It's so much fun to see the Shannara we first knew beginning to form, but at the same time, be on the edge of our seat about the fate of our current cast of characters. Be prepared for a few surprises in this volume!
LibraryThing member gimble
Having dipped in and out of the world of Shannara series, going back before the start of the first books was interesting experience. I will have to say that Terry Brooks did seem to obsess with characters names that started with P, but other than that this was a terrific read. The story outlines
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one of the first adventures of the blue elf stones and the one of black staffs after the devastating war that almost brought an end to the human race. I did find a few places in the book where characters seemed to have knowledge that was not available to them, but these where minor and did not effect the over all story. If you did not want to commit yourself to an entire series this book stands very well on its own.
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LibraryThing member Ceridwen83
I have been a fan of Terry Brooks for many years, and have purchased every book in the Shannara series. Imagine my surprise when I read Bearers of a Black Staff and was less than thrilled with it. Terry’s writing style is suburb as always, but the names of the characters in this book are, well I
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am going to say it… just horrible (apologies to Terry; I feel like a traitor saying it). Horrible to the point of distracting me from the story he was trying to tell. As I started The Measure of the Magic, I was concerned that I would encounter the same problem since it was a continuation of the first book. I should have had faith in Terry that he would pull it all together. The second book is loaded with much more action and suspense of what will happen to our two main characters, Pru and Pan. The story was interesting to the point that I was able to focus on it, and not the names. I found the book to be exciting, although the end seemed to go a little too fast. The immediate storyline and conflict is resolved but leaves things open for Terry to unfold more of the lives of Pan and Pru. The reader should begin bonding with the characters during this book and I will say that I was quite sad when one of the minor characters dies. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.
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LibraryThing member kcpavlik
To be honest I was slightly disappointed with this book. It felt to me that instead of ending this mini-series with two books it really needed to be a trilogy. There were so many different story lines and so much side political intrigue that it would have been more fulfilling to either take out
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those side stories or to spend more time to wrap them up. things felt a bit abrupt that way it was written. The other disappointment was that this book seemed to totally disreguard how The Gypsy Morph ended. *Spoiler Alert* In the end of gypsy morph Hawk becomes a normal person and goes back into the valley to live a normal life... so the author couldn't even hint at how this ended up for him... if his decendents ended up being anyone important... It was a bit of a let down. So yeah, still an enjoyable read but not exactly one of my favorites in the Shannara universe.
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LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Book 2 in the Legends of Shannara series where Panterra Qu has assumed carrying the black staff of Sider Ament and all the responsibility that goes with the staff and Prue Liss makes a huge sacrifice to save Pan's life. More characters that I like die. Happily, some that deserve to die, do. Decent
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fantasy fiction.
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LibraryThing member goth_marionette
I have been a fan of Terry Brooks since a high school teacher introduced me to the Shannara series. I was excited to read this latest book but I must admit that I feel the series is getting a bit tired. His books are still enjoyable but a bit overplayed. If you are a Brooks fan then pick up the
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book.
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LibraryThing member bobwaldo1
In typical Brooks fashion, this story is well thought out, well rounded, and flowing. There are threads that link the beginning of the book to the end, and themes that carry on throughout.

However, unlike some of his other books, this story is very slow throughout most of it's journey. The pace
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picks up at the important moments, but the prose doesn't move as well during this book as during others.

However, an immensly enjoyable read, and one that hints very strongly at further books to come.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Brooks was right in creating a duology to complete this phase of Shannara's history, which keeps it tight and controlled. The story is really a series of chase scenes, for there very few action orientated scenes which aren't as a result of the hunter and hunted meeting. Of course it's not as linear
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as that and there's a new villain in the mix to ramp up the danger, with which Brooks succeeds. The 'ragpicker' is a malevolent and wise creation, sowing disharmony and disrupting relationships in a manner akin to the horror wrought in Stephen King fiction. The chases take the characters in to new territory keeping the story fresh and unpredictable. The characters are well developed and there is a clear feeling of good versus evil, with a required wild-card to keep the intrigue flowing. A good entry in the series where the characters are as important as the plot.
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LibraryThing member theokester
The Measure of the Magic is the second (and final?) book in the Legends of Shannara duology and the bridging stories that take us from our "modern" world of science and technology (from the Word/Void and Genesis of Shannara series) into the fantasy realm of the rest of the Shannara series. I felt
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like the first book in this series was interesting generally but at the same time it felt to me like it dragged on and moved a bit slower than necessary. The cynic in me felt like these two books would have been better had they been edited into a single book but for revenue purposes there was a push for two books. It could have been a larger single book as there wasn't a lot that I felt extraneous or in need of culling. Like I said, I found the first book interesting, just a little slow.

With that introduction, it should come as little surprise that I enjoyed this second book in the duology much better than the first. The first book left a large threat (an army of trolls) looming over the inhabitants of the valley and in this book that threat is off the page for a good chunk of the reading. The trolls aren't completely ignored or forgotten by the text. It's just that most of the action of this book takes place inside the valley and the various schemings and machinations of the inhabitants there.

I really loved the way this book started. While the trolls were only a peripheral threat until near the end of the book, this book introduces a new antagonist for our heroes to deal with. The book begins with a seemingly crazy old man wandering through the post-armageddon world outside the valley. He calls himself the Ragpicker and for the first little while it's unclear whether he will be friend or foe to our protagonists. When he is finally noticed and confronted, we quickly learn his true nature. He is a demon and he hunts the Black Staff that figured so prevalently in the first book and the Genesis series. The Demon can sense the magic and he is trying to track it to its source. He discovers the troll threat and the presence of the valley and he works his way into the valley to subvert and manipulate the inhabitants in an effort to draw the staff Bearer to him.

I enjoyed the added tension and adventure throughout this story. As is very familiar in other Brooks books, we have a handful of key characters each out on their own mini-quests. Where in book 1 these treks felt like busy work, in book 2 these adventures felt compelling and exciting. I enjoyed the political intrigue among the elves and the quest undertaken by the princess Phryne. I really liked the way Prue works to help Panterra and the sacrifice and adjustments she has to make. I felt like a few plot points and events stretched a little thin but they were still enjoyable.

As far as bridging the historical gap between our post-armageddon world and the world of the rest of the Shannara series, I'm still left a little dissatisfied. My interpretation of the maps and the reading of the "Voyage" series led me to interpret the Shannara world to exist somewhere out in the South Atlantic Sea (since they seemed to sail north east to reach what appeared to be the Florida area). And yet as this book ends we are still somewhere in middle America. Unless the geography changed immensely after the wars, this didn't sit exactly right with m. And so I suspect we may still see another set of travelogue adventures with our heroes leading the races out of the valley into some new distant safehold. Still, any additional stories in that vein are just speculation on my part. It's entirely possible that Brooks will leave the historical bridge behind and continue with new, more compelling (at least to me) adventures. I know I'm enjoying and excited for the continuation of the "Dark Legacy" series.

Anyway, for the completionist Shannara readers (like myself), I can recommend The Measure of the Magic as a fun adventure story that is better than the first book in the series. However, even though the story is interesting, I didn't feel like this series progressed the overall Shannara world in any meaningful or necessary way. As with the other books, there are some fun and intriguing characters but there aren't any new artifacts, histories, or enemies to be revealed (except the minor revelation about the heritage of the race known as Trolls). An average read, but not one of Brooks's best works (nor is it my least favorite *grin*).

***
3 out of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member atwalter
The Sword of Shannara was the book that introduced me to the fantasy genre, and I've been in love ever since. In The Measure of Magic Terry Brooks continues in the world that was masterfully blended with his Word and Void series. While I do not like the more recent Shannara books as much as I
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enjoyed the originals, they never leave me unsatisfied. The character development and the plot pacing of the story was fantastic. If I had to, however, I would have gone back and re-read a great of the series leading up to this because I feel as though it would have furthered my enjoyment. That said, while not great, this book was a solid and thoroughly entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member Linyarai
A great read by one of my favorite authors.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2011-08

Physical description

480 p.; 4.2 inches

ISBN

9780345484222

Barcode

1602144
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