Bearers of the Black Staff, Terry Brooks

   When I was much much younger, I ate up Terry Brooks books like they were on fire. I devoured them. They were among my favorites. I read The Sword of Shannara years before I got around to reading The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit in my late teens. I probably read everything he wrote up to a certain date at around that time. Then, when everything had been read, I stopped paying attention to what he was publishing. Bearers of the Black Staff is the first book of his that I've read since that period in my life.
   What can I say? What expectations did I have when I picked it up. I know myself well enough that I did not have great expectations. My tastes have changed a lot. I did not want to have great expectations and then be let down.
  I will say that the book was good. Not very good. Maybe even closer to OK than good. The story is set 500 years after a series I haven't read, and is supposed to take place before The Sword of Shannara. I got this from reading reviews.
  The story is post apocalyptic. Mankind has had its big war. Everything was destroyed in the big war. There is nothing left except for a massive wasteland and a sheltered valley protected by a magical barrier. That magical barrier's best before date has expired. People can now leave the valley. More importantly, a large troll army can invade the valley. The people within the valley have their petty conflicts and cannot focus on protecting their own interests. Even worse, there are powerful-ish leaders of the Hawk religion who are actively inhibiting their ability to respond to the existential threat.
   It took me awhile to get into the book. I liked it well enough, but I don't feel motivated enough to pick up the next book in the series. Brooks is legendary, and I have tons of respect for him. But I think the days of fantasy novel reading obsession are behind me.