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elysiumdream's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anthoneater's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
hidusty's review against another edition
3.0
If you’ve read any of Terry Brooks’ books then you know what to expect. Great characters. Great adventures. There will be some humans, some elves. Elfstones or a Bearer of the Black Staff. And mainly that is my problem with the series at this point. It feels like there is very little fresh to discover. This book had a dragon in it, which I believe is a first for Brooks. How that dragon plays into the story is fascinating but otherwise I felt like I knew what to expect. Despite the some of the violence in this book it never felt over the top or graphic, which is good for young readers. The book’s lone love scene was a single paragraph where nothing more than a hand touching bare skin was revealed. Compared to some of the books I’m used to reading these days it feels like I’m reading a Young Adult book as opposed to an adult piece of fantasy.
And really my issue is just that it all feels a little stale. At this point I’d like to discover a new elven magic, or a forgotten race, something. It just feels like no effort is put into developing twists. And despite the fact that there is a lot of death in this book, none of it has any impact. I never cared enough for any character to be punched in the gut by their loss. Most of the characters felt paper thin and unexplored. I never felt like I was invested in the story. In fact toward the end I found myself going thread A will be resolved like this, thread B will be resolved like this, and then the last few paragraphs will probably amount to this. And unfortunately I was right.
Another thing worth mention is this is book two in a duology. It continues where Bearers of the Black Staff left off. And I mean it picks right up. No reminders of what’s going on. No reminders of who’s who. It just picks up like you closed book one and picked up book two. I would prefer a “Previously in Bearers of the Black Staff” introduction.
All of my griping aside, it isn’t a bad book. It’s just that I’ve read everything Shannara related that Brooks has to offer and I feel like I’m getting the same meal fed to me. It’s not a bad meal. It’s satisfying. It just doesn’t wow me like it used to. If you’re a fan of Shannara then you’ll likely enjoy this book too but I don’t think he’s going to win any new hearts with it.
And really my issue is just that it all feels a little stale. At this point I’d like to discover a new elven magic, or a forgotten race, something. It just feels like no effort is put into developing twists. And despite the fact that there is a lot of death in this book, none of it has any impact. I never cared enough for any character to be punched in the gut by their loss. Most of the characters felt paper thin and unexplored. I never felt like I was invested in the story. In fact toward the end I found myself going thread A will be resolved like this, thread B will be resolved like this, and then the last few paragraphs will probably amount to this. And unfortunately I was right.
Another thing worth mention is this is book two in a duology. It continues where Bearers of the Black Staff left off. And I mean it picks right up. No reminders of what’s going on. No reminders of who’s who. It just picks up like you closed book one and picked up book two. I would prefer a “Previously in Bearers of the Black Staff” introduction.
All of my griping aside, it isn’t a bad book. It’s just that I’ve read everything Shannara related that Brooks has to offer and I feel like I’m getting the same meal fed to me. It’s not a bad meal. It’s satisfying. It just doesn’t wow me like it used to. If you’re a fan of Shannara then you’ll likely enjoy this book too but I don’t think he’s going to win any new hearts with it.
bigbear73's review against another edition
5.0
This one makes up for any weakness in Bearers of the Black Staff, and is another awesome foray into the Shannara world.
hotsake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really enjoyed the story and when the story ended I was left wanting more which is a good thing. The only real downside was that the main POVs we followed were those of characters that were not my favorites.
thebookstackattack's review against another edition
5.0
I bawled my face off about 4 times during this. brilliantly done.
lonewolfbefree's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
khourianya's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favourite fantasy writers is Terry Brooks. I have been following his Shannara series for close to 10 years now (though it has been in existence for almost 35 years!) I would have to say the biggest argument in favor of my ebook reader is that I can purchase the next book the day it comes out instead of waiting a whole year to buy it in paperback.
Much of this review would require that you had followed the series so there may or may not be spoilers here. Really, this little writeup is only going to prove what a nerd I actually am.
The Measure of the Magic is the latest instalment in the Shannara series...and wraps up the Legends of Shannara Duology. It picks up where the Bearers of the Black Staff left off last year. Panterra Qu has just witnesses the death of Sider Ament and is faced with the decision of whether or not to take up the staff carried by the Knight of the Word. In order to save his dear friend Prue Liss from her fate at the hands of the trolls, who have her captive, he takes the staff wand sets off to stop the escape of the troll, Arik Siq and regain his companion once more.
Prue, meanwhile, has had an adventure of her own, involving her ultimate escape from the trolls and an interesting encounter with the King of the Silver River.
Soon, our friends are reunited and set off on an unusual adventure to save their valley from the outsiders. With an assassin and a demon hot on their heels and a friend imprisoned, they have their work cut out for them and their strengths and loyalties are tested.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. I could write a play by play of the events, but then what would be the point in your reading it. Let's just say that this is another great fantasy from Brooks and really builds on the stories established in the previous books. I'm a little sad that he won't be building on this in the next book that comes out, as it signals the start of another trilogy in the series, but I know he'll make his way back to this point in the timeline again and I can hardly wait to see where the adventure will take us next!
and if you haven't read the Shannara series and want a good epic fantasy series to keep you going for a few years...then pick up a copy of Sword of Shannara and don't let the Tolkien similarities get to you in the first book...those vanish in the rest of the series.
Much of this review would require that you had followed the series so there may or may not be spoilers here. Really, this little writeup is only going to prove what a nerd I actually am.
The Measure of the Magic is the latest instalment in the Shannara series...and wraps up the Legends of Shannara Duology. It picks up where the Bearers of the Black Staff left off last year. Panterra Qu has just witnesses the death of Sider Ament and is faced with the decision of whether or not to take up the staff carried by the Knight of the Word. In order to save his dear friend Prue Liss from her fate at the hands of the trolls, who have her captive, he takes the staff wand sets off to stop the escape of the troll, Arik Siq and regain his companion once more.
Prue, meanwhile, has had an adventure of her own, involving her ultimate escape from the trolls and an interesting encounter with the King of the Silver River.
Soon, our friends are reunited and set off on an unusual adventure to save their valley from the outsiders. With an assassin and a demon hot on their heels and a friend imprisoned, they have their work cut out for them and their strengths and loyalties are tested.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. I could write a play by play of the events, but then what would be the point in your reading it. Let's just say that this is another great fantasy from Brooks and really builds on the stories established in the previous books. I'm a little sad that he won't be building on this in the next book that comes out, as it signals the start of another trilogy in the series, but I know he'll make his way back to this point in the timeline again and I can hardly wait to see where the adventure will take us next!
and if you haven't read the Shannara series and want a good epic fantasy series to keep you going for a few years...then pick up a copy of Sword of Shannara and don't let the Tolkien similarities get to you in the first book...those vanish in the rest of the series.
tarana's review against another edition
5.0
Concluding story. The new Bearer of the Black Staff has to battle trolls and face the Demon. Good finish.
nedjem's review against another edition
4.0
3,5 stars, rounded up to 4 since apparently I'm in a good mood.
Some parts really annoyed me and most characters seemed only copies of the ones in previous books. Still, particularly to the end, some of them did gain some depth and there were some turns that actually were quite intriguing. Still, there was more "hints at depth" in the story than actual depth in the story. A promising start - a little worrying though that this book isn't actually a start, it is in fact one of the newer ones...
Some parts really annoyed me and most characters seemed only copies of the ones in previous books. Still, particularly to the end, some of them did gain some depth and there were some turns that actually were quite intriguing. Still, there was more "hints at depth" in the story than actual depth in the story. A promising start - a little worrying though that this book isn't actually a start, it is in fact one of the newer ones...