Bearers of the Black Staff

July 5, 2010
The horrors of a war-ravaged world again invade a hard-won peace in Brooks's intense follow-up to 2008's The Gypsy Morph. Five hundred years have passed since Hawk led a tattered band of survivors into a valley protected by a magical barrier. Now the wall has been breached by demons. The last known Knight of the Word, Sider Ament, wields a powerful black staff that he hopes to pass to a new leader. After rescuing talented teen Trackers Panterra Qu and Prue Liss, Sider asks them to warn the Children of Hawk. Unfortunately, their council leaders don't share Sider's certainty of an impending invasion. While Sider explores the other side of the barrier, the young Trackers find help from Arborlon Elves in this superlative Tolkien-style fantasy tweaked with a contemporary vibe.

July 1, 2010

Brooks (A Princess of Landover, 2009, etc.) returns with the first book in a new fantasy duology set in the author's Shannara universe.

Set 500 years after the events of Brooks's recent Genesis of Shannara trilogy (The Gypsy Morph, 2008, etc.), this books tells the story of a large valley populated by Men, Elves and other races, surrounded by a magical wall to keep out hostile demons. When the magic staff–wielding Sider Ament (also known as the Gray Man) finds the wall is weakening, allowing terrible creatures through, he enlists the help of two Trackers, Panterra Qu and Prue Liss, who soon embark on a journey to inform the valley's inhabitants of the demonic threat. It's a fairly standard epic-fantasy plot, but it's guided by a sure hand. Brooks has written more than 20 Shannara-related works by now, so a truly notable aspect of this novel is its accessibility. There's enough back story provided that newcomers to the series won't be lost, but not so much that the story bogs down. Indeed, it moves along nicely, the battle scenes are expertly handled and the ending will make readers look forward to the second book in the series.

A highly approachable continuation of the Shannara saga.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2010
Five centuries after demons and near humans ravaged the modern world, a group of survivors, made up of humans, as well as Elves and other magical races, have lived in safety behind a mystical barrier. When Panterra Qu and Prue Liss, young Trackers trained to watch the perimeter of their safe zone, discover that the barrier is breaking down and outside dangers threaten their home, they also realize that some of their leaders have an interest in not believing them. The two flee to the only ones who they know will listen—their distant cousins, the Elves. After chronicling the destruction of modern civilization in "The Word and the Void" series ("Running with the Demon, A Knight of the Word, Angel Fire East" and "Genesis of Shannara" series ("Armageddon's Children, The Elves of Cintra, The Gypsy Morph", Brooks now joins the two lines in this series opener, which lays the foundations for the original Shannara novels. A skilled storyteller and character builder, Brooks demonstrates an ability to bring together ancient magic and postmodern characters in a new look at his fantasy universe. VERDICTThe author's fans should relish the coming together of two series into one dynamic whole.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
This first volume of Legends of Shannara opens five centuries after the worldwide holocaust that ended the Genesis of Shannara trilogy. Elves, humans, and other races are slowly restoring a modest civilization in a mountain valley protected by their combined magic. Now this sanctuary is threatened by the assault of monstrous creatures that seem to be either magic wielders or creations of magic greater than the valleys and of mysterious origin. Another stalwart band of heroes, the title characters, is drawn from all the races to fightalthough this time they are not marching out on a quest but fighting in the last ditch. The forthcoming sequel, The Measure of the Magic, will, as it were, measure their degree of successfor the time being. The authors success needs no measuring anymoreit is enormous, thanks to a growing gift for characterization, pacing, and world building, not to mention magic that may not be supremely original in conception but manages to be increasingly enthralling to literally millions of readers over what is approaching two generations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)