The Measure of the Magic

The Measure of the Magic is a book that blends fantasy with science fiction. In a world that was devastated by nuclear war, a small enclave of survivors was saved by the creation of a barrier between the valley where life was saved and the nuclear hell that was outside. The Measure of the Magic like its predecessor Bearers of the Black Staff, takes place 500 years after the barrier was first erected, and it is now tumbling down. The main conflict centers on the confrontation between a demon known as the Ragman, and the current bearer of the black staff Panterra after the death of the last bearer at the end of the first book. I find it interesting the way that Brooks drew a world 500 years after a nuclear war. Technology is seen as either a priceless relic or a rusted piece of junk, a tribal society has arisen in most of the world, while technology has gone back to a time last seen during the medieval period. For me, who read all the Shannara books starting with the first one published in 1973, it is strange to find out that what I thought was just a world built from scratch, was actually supposed to be our world made unrecognizable by nuclear Armageddon. The book is action packed, and full of interesting and memorable characters. Though the most interesting would probably have to be the demon, and his or its view of the world and the people in it. Having not yet finished the book, I cannot tell you how it ends, or even if it ends, Brooks has always had a love for trilogies and this is only book two, but I would highly recommend, if not this book than this series to anyone who considers themselves into the fantasy genre,