Legends of Shannara: The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks

I’ve been reading Terry Brooks since I was 12, he writes about the fictional world of Shannara, this is fantasy at its most basic, there is always a struggle of good vs. evil, the main characters are generally children/teenagers and magic is involved in some way. There are 22 books about the world of Shannara, Brooks’ website gives you a handy reading guide for noobs to the world of Shannara as well as those who’ve read the books and want to revisit.

This book is part of the prequel to the Shannara series itself, it follows the characters as their protective valley is about to be invaded by a species of Trolls. The characters find themselves at odds with their respective leaders, the elves because their King was killed and the Queen takes the throne that’s rightfully the Princess’s, the humans because the Seraphic doesn’t want to lose his position as a leader of the people. There is also a demon who finds his way into the valley following the magic he senses. He’s destined to battle the human Panterra Qu, one of the main characters of the novel.

It’s a classic fantasy novel, a good read, but would be confusing if you haven’t read other novels in the Shannara world.


Date Started: 1/10/12
Date Finished: 1/13/12
Stars: 3 stars
Next Up: 11/22/63 by Stephen King