Bearers of the Black Staff

2010 novel by Terry Brooks

Bearers of the Black Staff

First edition (publ. Del Ray Books)

Author| Terry Brooks
Genre| Fantasy
Publisher| Del Rey Books

Publication date

| August 24, 2010
ISBN| 978-0-345-48417-8
Followed by| The Measure of the Magic (2011)

Bearers of the Black Staff is a fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks, released on August 24, 2010, as the first of a two-part series called the Legends of Shannara. In the series' timeline, it falls between the Genesis of Shannara trilogy and the First King of Shannara.[1][2] It takes place 500 years after the events of the final Genesis book, The Gypsy Morph.[3] The people who were saved by Hawk's magic are able to head out into the World once again, since the effects of nuclear holocaust have dissipated.

The sequel to this novel is the 2011 novel, The Measure of the Magic.

## Synopsis

[edit]

As described by Cristina Donati of FantasyMagazine (translated),[4]

> The story begins about 500 years after the events of The Gypsy Morph. The heirs of the survivors of the war with the Demons and the magical boy named Hawk are facing a terrible challenge: the enchanted seals that have defended the valley from the horrors of a global catastrophe have been disrupted. Humans, elves, and mutants are therefore devoid of that protective shell that seemed like it would last forever.

> One day, Sider Ament - a direct descendant of the Knights of the Word - finds unknown predators in their own little paradise, and fears the worst. He finds two men who are brutally murdered. Sider Ament warns the other inhabitants of the valley of the danger and the need to develop appropriate plans. This, however, will not be easy, since just across the border an army of trolls is massing for an invasion.

> The descendants of the survivors of the Great War face incredible challenges in this new novel, set in the pre-history of Shannara.[5]

## Reception

[edit]

Bearers of the Black Staff received reviews from Booklist,[6] Kirkus Reviews,[7] and Publishers Weekly.[8]

It was nominated for the 2010 Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Brooks, Terry (November 25, 2009). "2009 Holiday Letter". Terrybrooks.net. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
2. ^ Speakman, Shawn C. (2009). "What's Next?". Terrybrooks.net. Archived from the original on December 9, 2004. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
3. ^ Speakman, Shawn C. (December 25, 2009). "Terry Reading Bearers of the Black Staff". Terrybrooks.net. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
4. ^ Donati, Cristina. "Terry Brooks: pubblicato Bearers of the Black Staff ∂ FantasyMagazine.it". FantasyMagazine.it (in Italian). Retrieved August 23, 2024.
5. ^ FantasyMagazine, August 30, 2010
6. ^ "Bearers of the Black Staff: Legends of Shannara". Booklist. August 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
7. ^ "Bearers of the Black Staff". Kirkus Reviews. June 15, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
8. ^ "Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks". Publishers Weekly. July 5, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
9. ^ "Bearers of the Black Staff (Legends of Shannara, #1)". Goodreads. Retrieved August 23, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Works by Terry Brooks

Shannara|

| Novels|

| Word & Void|

* Running with the Demon (1997)
* A Knight of the Word (1998)
* Angel Fire East (1999)

|

The Genesis of Shannara|

* Armageddon's Children (2006)
* The Elves of Cintra (2007)
* The Gypsy Morph (2008)

Legends of Shannara|

* Bearers of the Black Staff (2010)
* The Measure of the Magic (2011)

The First Druids of Shannara|

* Galaphile (2025)

Prequel|

* First King of Shannara (1996)

Original Shannara Trilogy|

* The Sword of Shannara (1977)
* The Elfstones of Shannara (1982)
* The Wishsong of Shannara (1985)

Heritage of Shannara|

* The Scions of Shannara (1990)
* The Druid of Shannara (1991)
* The Elf Queen of Shannara (1992)
* The Talismans of Shannara (1993)

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara|

* Ilse Witch (2000)
* Antrax (2001)
* Morgawr (2002)

High Druid of Shannara|

* Jarka Ruus (2003)
* Tanequil (2004)
* Straken (2005)

The Dark Legacy of Shannara|

* Wards of Faerie (2012)
* Bloodfire Quest (2013)
* Witch Wraith (2013)

The Defenders of Shannara|

* The High Druid's Blade (2014)
* The Darkling Child (2015)
* The Sorcerer's Daughter (2016)

The Fall of Shannara|

* The Black Elfstone (2017)
* The Skaar Invasion (2018)
* The Stiehl Assassin (2019)
* The Last Druid (2020)

Standalone|

* Dark Wraith of Shannara (2008 graphic novel)

Other|

* The World of Shannara (2001 companion book)
* Shannara (video game)
* The Shannara Chronicles (2016–17 television series)

Short
stories|

* "Imaginary Friends" (1991)
* "Indomitable" (2003)
* "Allanon's Quest" (2012)
* "The Weapon Master's Choice" (2013)
* "The Black Irix" (2013)
* "Walker and The Shade of Allanon" (2013)
* "Warrior" (2018)

Magic Kingdom
of Landover|

* Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! (1986)
* The Black Unicorn (1987)
* Wizard at Large (1988)
* The Tangle Box (1994)
* Witches' Brew (1995)
* A Princess of Landover (2009)
* An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians (2015)

Other works|

* Hook (1991 novelization)
* Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999 novelization)
* Sometimes the Magic Works (2003)
* Why I Write About Elves (2005)

This article about a 2010s fantasy novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template