Customer Reviews

Bearers of the Black Staff: Legends of Shannara (Legends of Shannara Duology)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

While I am not a big fan of the fantasy genre, I have enjoyed some of Terry Brooks's previous Shannara books. So, when Bearers Of The Black Staff, was offered in the Amazon Vine program, I thought I'd give it, which is the first of two books set in the prehistory of Shannara, a read. Basically, the book is a fast read and it, for the most part, held my interest throughout. That said, however, I felt the book is just an okay story that doesn't rise above the pack (i.e., it's entertaining but easily forgettable). The reasons for this are as follows: (1) the plot and sub-plots seem too reminiscent in several ways to those Brooks has used before; (2) the characters are not developed fully enough to make them memorable and to care that much about; and (3) the dialogue is just average at best and, at times, is too repetitive. While I didn't dislike Bearers Of The Black Staff, it is not a book I'd recommend you have to rush out to buy, unless you are a die-hard Terry Brooks fan. But, even the die-hards, I think will find this book to be a step down from many of this author's other books.

This new series certainly has it's work cut out for it. The previous series, (genesis of shannara) could have been much better and left far too many questions unanswered (IMHO) about the elven & human demons, the knight's lady & the elves' elcrys. While I thought it was clever to merge the two book series, in the end I felt the author did not do justice to either series, let along successfully merge them.

This new novel is focussed on the last "major" event of the Shannara series - the survivors of the great wars coming out from their protected valley. Once we are past this, we're into the regular Shannara world. So, I was really expecting something epic here. This new series starts 500 years after the sealing of the valley and the destruction of our world by nuclear fire. The characters are very strong in this book, I felt Syder, Pan, Prue and Phryne were all well conceived. There were more than a few twists & turns and I was even surprised a few times by the events. That doesn't happen often. I look forward to the conclusion but surprised it's only a 2 book series as normally the Shannara series are 3 books. There were a even a few times that I felt a chill up my spine when characters from Genesis series are sort of reverently mentioned. Nice touch. "The Hawk", for example. On the whole it was a decent read, and I am curious to see how it all ends up.

On the negative side, the plot felt rushed and not "epic" enough. As normal, Terry spends (IMHO) too much time on mundane details that take up a lot of pages (eating, walking, thinking about teenage crushes, etc.,) and not enough on the big issues - like the start of the brave new world that becomes the "Shannara" world (and the 20 or so books going back to the 1970's). Or that maybe, just maybe, the knights of the word become the Druids. I wanted to see direct correlations to what we have read in the other Shannara books. It's sort of a Phantom Menace effect here - instead of going back and explaining the back history of what we have experienced, we get whole new questions & no "reveals" on the stuff we're dying to know about.

Instead of 5 pages on Syder scaling the cliff or Phyrne mooning over Pan, how about more details on life in the valley after it was sealed. Maybe it's still forthcoming, but we barely get a glimpse as to what has happened to the survivors in the last 500 years. I just don't feel the author has respect for how long 500 years is. I was expecting the inhabitants to disbelieve the myths of their being sealed in the valley. Sort of like generational spaceship inhabitants forget they are in a huge spaceship and think it's just a round metal world they live in. Ask the average person on the street what happened 500 years ago and I bet 90% would have no clue. Everyone in this book is an expert on the last 500 years. I thought it would be fascinating to find a group that thought "Hawk" was a fictitious religious creation, etc. But no, even with the absence of magic, everyone believes freely that 500 years ago, a magical savior led them into this magical valley and created an impenetrable force shield to protect them from nuclear devastation.


(spoilers below)


I really had a hard time with Syder's happenstance meeting with a sympathetic mercenary that has 500 year old tools and weapons and ATVs in perfect working order. Please, 500 years?! My car stops working after about 10 years even if I pamper it. 500 years indeed. It was just too much of a crutch for me & it solved too many "no one can survive that" scenario's in the book. The previous set of books also leaned heavily on left over 21th century tech like ATVs with solar cells that would let the characters drive all over the country without fuel or flechette guns that could wipe out multiple foes instantly & never needed maintenance or reloading. It's time to wean off this tech now that we are 500 years later and squarely in the Shannara world. And don't get me started on the "tracking device" that gets used by several people. That was "eye roll" worthy. "Here I can track you with this device". How!? With satellites? Bluetooth? I mean... come on. Why didn't you just give them iphones while you were at it.

Answers we still don't have and aren't even addressed:

1. Where is the elcrys in this book? It's not even mentioned?!
2. The lady hasn't spoken to her knights in 500 years?
3. Still no explanation for the dual demons (human and elvin) and supposedly the human demons are still around.
4. Where is the "Shannara" in all this? Supposedly an old elven family. Would it kill Terry to give us a "Shannara" character?
5. Apparently a lot of people lived thru the great wars, apparently more are living outside the valley than in (troll army of several thousand, for example). Doesn't this sort of negate the whole 500 yeas spent in the happy valley? Just seems odd to find that the life extinction level event didn't actually extinguish life outside.

It's been five hundred years since the Gypsy Morph, Hawk, led a diverse group of survivors out of the destruction of the Great Wars into a safe haven hidden by magic. Since that time the magic has kept the Men, Elves, Spiders, and Lizards safe from the world beyond. Many have forgotten their roots and distanced themselves from the magic that saved them.

Sider Ament is the last known Knight of the Word and he's just discovered that the magic barrier has been breached. Now he must team up with two Trackers, Panterra Qu and Prue Liss, to convince an unbelieving people that their safe haven is about to be discovered. The Old World they've forgotten is about to collide with their own and nothing can prepare them for the danger that waits.

Continuing his massive undertaking to give us the full history of The Shannara series, Terry Brooks delivers another exciting installment full of new characters, trademark fantasy elements, and heartfelt emotion.

Typically in Brooks' writing, characters don't last longer than a book or two, very few having lived through multiple series. This is to be expected since this series in particular takes place over thousands of years. Nevertheless, Brook continues to craft characters that readers can't help but fall in love with. Sider, Panterra, and Prue certainly fit the bill and readers will be moved and captivated by their journey. We're also treated to some strong supporting roles throughout that would make fascinating main characters themselves.

As a long time fan of Terry Brooks it has been fun to see how the Shannara history is built, and Bearers of the Black Staff feels more like the Shannara books of old and less like the apocalyptic Genesis of Shannara novels that came previously. Some key elements of the series are revealed here that will satisfy hard core fans, while at the same time piquing the interest of new readers.

While there are still plenty of stories to be bridged, this is continually proving to be a journey that is well worth the ride.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Once again I find myself disappointed that a book that starts well and develops into good characters and a good story, ends at a point that leaves the reader frustrated and angry. I understand that the author means to write additional parts in the future, but I believe that it is reasonable to expect that the author choose a breakpoint that will allow the book to stand on its own, but leaving the reader with a sense of completion and looking forward to the next book.

I believe the author to be inconsiderate of the fans who want to read tales such as The Bearer of the Black Staff. I would never recommend this book to a friend. I would tell my friends and anyone who would listen to wait until the author actually completed a viable story that was worth reading on its own. As far as I am concerned this book created great drama and excitement, then left you out to dry with nothing to cling to....

The bottom line on this book is that it is less than complete and not worth the money it cost to read it. Call me old fashioned, but I really do expect a climax after being teased along for hundreds of pages.

It is your story Mr. Brooks and you have every right to tell it as you wish, but as your fan I have to say that you left me feeling neglected. As good as your writing is .... I resent the way you expect the reader to buy the next book to see what happens, rather than completing one part logically, leaving the reader to want the next book to continue on to the next adventure. Sorry, this book will not stand on its own, you forgot to include the last chapter. That sucks.

As a Terry Brooks fan for most of my life, I was eagerly awaiting "Bearers of the Black Staff." It arrived yesterday and I finished it early this morning, so I certainly can't say it didn't hold my interest! This is a world to which my attachment has grown deep - I have come to love and mourn for it in equal measure, and I am always so happy to revisit it and learn more about its history.

To me, one of Mr. Brooks' greatest gifts has always been his ability to create history and political factions without being heavy-handed with his exposition or giving me *way* more information than I care to know (although there is certainly a place for that kind of fiction as well, a la Robert Jordan). That he is able to do so through a variety of rich, well-drawn characters is extremely satisfying for me as a reader.

I'll skip the plot summary here, as the two reviewers before me did such a great job of it, and concentrate on the reasons why this book left me ultimately feeling somewhat disappointed. First of all, I *know* Mr. Brooks is an amazing, imaginative writer. I wanted something different than a repeat of "Character discovers mortal danger to his world, necessitating an upheaval of the life everyone has known for centuries, but when he tries to warn his people, nobody believes him." I thought this was handled much more deftly and emotionally with Kirisin and Erisha in The Genesis of Shannara series.

Sad truth be told, I felt that neither book nor its characters pack the emotional punch I love so much and have come to expect from Mr. Brooks. I liked the characters well enough, but it just didn't happen for me. Perhaps because the circumstances started out so dire in the Genesis series and in this book are starting from a place of relative peace and happiness, the stakes just didn't seem as high right off and thus a certain emotional intensity was missing. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt there and hope that this improves in the next book.

The richest, most interesting characters to me were the secondary characters - Aislinne and Xak (who I have the feeling will become more of a major character in book two), Mistral Belloruus and Deladion Inch (although it was hard for me to believe that he had enough ammunition, auto parts and fuel for the ATV to last five centuries, and it bugged me. If there was an explanation given, it got past me.)

Of the main characters, Phryne was the most deftly drawn, with enough demonstrated imperfections and immaturities that she has ample room to grow. Pan and Prue, on the other hand, were disappointingly one-dimensional. Other characters kept speaking of their youth and inexperience, but none of that was really shown. Their relationship was spoken of and perceived by other characters in somewhat of an epic manner, but it didn't show, nor were there reasons given for it other than "childhood friends." I keep thinking back to the conflict between Kirisin and Erisha and how beautifully it was played out as their relationship evolved.

As for Sider, well, I *wanted* to feel for him what I felt for John Ross and Logan Tom... but it didn't happen. The most I could manufacture was a tired sadness and pity... and to be fair, maybe that's what Terry Brooks intended. I just felt his storyline demanded that more depth be infused into not only his history, but the way things played out for him.

At the end of the book, I found myself most intrigued by where Brooks left Phryne and what lies ahead for her. It seems inevitable that Pan will take the path offered to him, so the only real suspense for me in that area was my expecting/hoping for the return of The Lady in book 2. Prue was just kind of a big blank for me - competent, loyal and good, but no real personality as of yet.

All that being said, I did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it. My expectations were very high - and Mr. Brooks has never disappointed me in the least up until now, so I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, I guess you can't hit it out of the park every time.

Why? Because the characters make it a point to avoid the obvious.

**SPOILER ALERT**

I don't understand how in a rough and tumble world like the one painted here someone can hire an assassin to kill two teenagers and NOBODY feels that killing the orchestrator, the Seraphic, is not only a good move, but easily accomplished? He's an old man with a silver tongue; take him out. Instead, knowing full well this guy tried to kill people for speaking out against his beliefs, all the characters proceed to involve him in major decisions. This is dumb. An army capable of destroying or enslaving the entire population is knocking at the valley's door, why keep a viper in the nest? All this happens AFTER the Gray Man explains to Pan that the good of the many totally outweighs the good of Prue, basically telling him to think rationally and do whatever it takes to protect the most amount of people from harm. So obviously we shouldn't do anything about the guy everybody knows is either strong-arming people or killing them outright when they don't follow his zealotry.

Reading this I was actually rooting for the Trolls. They were actively looking to make their situation better. It seemed like everybody in the valley was just being stubborn without good reason.

Also, I totally agree with the others that have stated writing half a book or a portion of a larger story in a single book is annoying. It was annoying when Tolkien did it and it's more annoying now. Give the reader a complete and self-contained tale. Where are the ways of the Elfstones, Wishsong, and Sword? Those were a generational trilogy, all engaging reads, all their own unique stories. PLEASE bring that level of writing and respect back for your readers!

I echo the thoughts of another reviewer who said 'Bearers of the Black Staff' reminded him more of the Shannara novels of old rather than the Word & Void/Genesis series which immediately precede this first of the Legends of Shannara series (a duology)...and for THIS reader, channeling those same feelings of the books of old is nothing if not a remarkable feat. To re-capture the feelings I had as I finished the original trilogy between '79 and '85 is no small accomplishment (IMO). I still rank Terry's original trilogy as 3 of my all-time favorite novels.

Over the years, Shannara has evolved, and with it has come some new and exciting revelations. Beloved characters are cut down in their prime, and no matter how good the characters are and how well meaning they can be, evil always manages to persist--and in some cases thrive. At the end of The Gypsy Morph, a barrier of magic is all that seems to be between our characters and the forces of evil...and this barrier of magic is strong, however, after 500 years, its power seems to be coming to an end. During the same 500 years many of the descendants of those whose lives were spared as a result of the barrier seem to be experiencing an uncomfortable level of magical amnesia. Too bad for them...GOOD for us.

The last Knight of the Word, (Sider Ament) has made the shocking discovery that the barrier as we know it is no longer stable, and has been crossed...but by who--or more importantly: What? Not everyone immediately accepts Sider at his word and heed his belief of an inevitable invasion from the outside. Here is where--as usual--Terry Brooks literally excels. The conflict is tense, heroic, dangerous and absolutely captivating. A new group of heroes to get to know and love are introduced and while I always have a sense of loss when we leave behind past characters that I have grown to appreciate and thrill along with, Terry never lets me down by creating a whole new group to get acquainted with. In particular I MUST point out my appreciation of getting back to the city of Arborlon and the wonderful--and very elusive elves. I must admit that I didn't really enjoy the elves once-upon-a-time, and honestly I cannot tell you why, all I can say is it didn't take long for me to really grow to appreciate them all--both good and bad.

What can I say? Terry, you've done it again. You're boundless imagination has provided me (and the bulk of my family, friends, associates etc) with literally countless hours of pure magical entertainment. I can hardly wait for book 2--as always. Keep up the good--no, make that GREAT work. You remain--as always--on my increasingly short list of authors I will read no matter what.

This book is yet another transformation from the Word and Void setting into the Shannara setting. Here we start to get the beginning of the classic fantasy that the Shannara stories are based on and away from the urban fantasy that was Word and a Void.

It starts 500 years after the last book concluded and the safe haven that Hawk bought for this last group of survivors is starting to finally break away and the protective mist that surrounded the valley is now dissipating. There is one staff bearer from the Word left and he is the first to note the changes and his name is Sider Ament, he quickly finds two human trackers Panterra Qu and Prue Liss who each have a special ability that makes them more than the average trackers. What happens is the two must warn the people of the valley that the apocalyptic wastelands that lay outside their valley are going to be open to them because the protective mist is receding, and that's not a good thing when a troll army has found out about the valley.

I though the story was told well, and it ends on a cliff-hanger with the main characters in limbo on what to do next, the trolls are coming, are the people going to be ready, ect... We will find out in the second book of this two-book series. It has me waiting for the next book in anticipation, which is a good thing!

Disclaimer-If you read the review and feel there is a spoiler in it, please let me know and I will remove that section. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.

Bearers of the Black Staff is the first book in the Legends of Shannara dualogy. The Measure of the Magic is due out later this month. This is the first book I have read by Terry Brooks and not having read any of the others in the Shannara series there were times where I am sure I missed some things due to references to other books. The only reason I read it is I have an advanced copy of The Measure of the Magic and wanted to read this one first before that one.

Bearers of the Black Staff focuses on the people who live in the valley after their ancestors were lead there 500 years previous during the Great Wars which have all but destroyed the whole world. The valley they live in is protected by a mist barrier keeping the people safe from the outside world. The barrier, however, is diminishing and sets into motion the struggles of what the people of the valley are about to face. Some subplots involve the Grey Man, his past and what he needs to do, a couple trackers who discovered the failing barrier and the struggles they face when trying to report it to the village, an elven princess has some family problems, the ambitions of a human and an elf, a love interest, and a couple others that would lead to spoilers.

I will say for a book that does not have a whole lot of action, I was still engaged with this one. There is enough intrigue to keep things rolling and some action which is well detailed. The pacing moves up and down a bit but is steady enough to keep things flowing evenly. The characters are richly detailed and everyone has their own voice and quirks about them. They felt real and were easy to connect with. The setting is also detailed well and really draws the reader into the scenery.

Some criticisms:

1. Lack of real magic. There really is not much magic in this book aside from the wielder of the black staff, though there are hints of some magic later on, but most of it is the talents that some of the people possess and what the elves use to heal and nurture the land.

2. Cliffhanger. For those who don't like cliffhangers, this one leaves all the plotlines open with them. Thankfully the next book will be out soon for those who want to see what happens.

Some positives:

1. I really enjoyed the characters. They are well fleshed out and easy to connect with. Even the villains are written well and draw out the hated emotions I felt for them and hope to see them thwarted by the end of the series.

2. There are some good suspense points that kept me turning the pages wanting to see how things pan out. Mr. Brooks does a commendable job of keeping the reader interested in the story and keeps things moving along at a nice pace.

3. There is enough background to provide meaning for the events in this one, but not so much that it takes away from the story at hand. The reader is not slogging through pages and pages of backstory to explain all the details from the past, but enough so that everything make sense.

This was a very enjoyable read for me. If the next book turns out just as good or better, I will consider putting the rest of the other Shannara series up on my to read list. For a post-apocalyptic type fantasy, it was really good. For those who don't like guns and bombs mixed in with fantasy, you may not like this one much. For those who do, I would recommend picking this one up. I will say that I feel reading the other Shannara series will help to provide more background so that some of the things that are hinted at will have more relevance.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr

Terry Brooks is a fantastic writer. By that, I mean, he is extremely skill at writing something that is engaging and readable. I could probably read an essay on his Thanksgiving dinner and be captured and entertained.

However, the stories he tells are not necessarily the best, and prequels are notoriously hard. This was a well-told really bad story.

I was a big fan of Terry Brooks way back when, with the original Shannara books, then lost interest for about 20 years, and came back during his whole Genesis of Shannara trilogy, which got me into the Word and the Void trilogy. I liked the two trilogies because they seemed real. They took place in a world I knew, people had normal sounding names, and most importantly, the characters were believable. The plot was also somewhat believable, once you accepted a few key fantastic elements.

It was a slow path back into the less real world of Shannara, but I was okay with it. If he wanted to establish that Trolls were not actually Trolls but humans mutated by crazy chemicals & radiation, blending Fantasy and Sci-Fi, he did it, and did it well.

There are some things I take minor issue with, like the weird names. ("Prue Liss," really? What ever happened to "Jennifer?") Why do names have to have so many random single apostrophes in them?

I have a real problem is with the plot, and even more so, the characters of this book. They just seemed so implausible, even in the reality that he set up, that it spoiled the book. An elven princess, fine, that's plausible (within the world of the novel)... but it basically seemed like Terry Brooks couldn't figure out how to get things set up for his next novel without her doing something that - to me - seemed completely out of character, just to make the plot go where he wanted. Further, Brooks invented a completely implausible character, put him in a completely implausible place, and had him take completely implausible actions, again just to move the plot along. (Think Jar Jar Binks, but far more likable.) It just didn't work, but - without spoiling too much - at least with an equally implausible exit, stage left, we probably won't see him in future novels.

I don't mean to be too critical, but the story was almost ridiculously bad. The Star Wars prequel reference above is actually a fairly good analogy: the story sucked, but I still enjoyed the experience!!!