Le leggende di Shannara - 2. Il potere della magia

by Terry Brooks

Overview

Sono passati cinque secoli da quando una catastrofica guerra scatenata dai demoni ha distrutto il mondo e sterminato quasi completamente il genere umano, avvelenando anche gran parte delle terre un tempo fertili e rigogliose. Da allora i sopravvissuti - umani, Elfi e le nuove razze mutanti - si sono rifugiati in una valle remota, protetta da una magia impenetrabile. Per cinquecento anni hanno goduto di una lunga pace, ma l'incantesimo che li isolava ha cominciato a svanire esponendo migliaia di vite alla minaccia delle forze barbariche che hanno seminato il caos nel resto del mondo.
Sider Ament, l'ultimo dei Cavalieri del Verbo, in possesso del bastone nero - un potentissimo talismano tramandatosi per secoli che proteggeva la valle -, è stato ucciso dai Troll, e il suo successore, Panterra Qu, il giovane cercatore di piste al quale in punto di morte ha affidato il bastone, è ancora troppo inesperto per affrontare le forze nemiche provenienti dall'esterno della valle. Nuovi grandi pericoli si profilano infatti all'orizzonte: un agguerrito esercito di Troll vuole impadronirsi della valle segreta e vi ha già inviato le sue spie, mentre Phryne, la figlia del re degli Elfi Oparion Amarantyne, è sotto accusa per l'omicidio del padre e una tremenda congiura mira a usurpare il trono.
Ma nessuno di questi rischi è paragonabile alla minaccia più tremenda, con la quale Panterra sarà destinato a misurarsi. L'ultimo dei demoni del Vuoto, un essere astuto e senza pietà che da secoli dà la caccia ai Cavalieri del Verbo, vede ora finalmente alla sua portata la realizzazione della missione che persegue da sempre: impadronirsi dell'ultimo bastone nero ed eliminare ogni forma di vita sulla Terra.
Sarà dunque necessario ricorrere alle Pietre Magiche, in cui nessuno più crede, che finiranno per essere usate in modo inedito e sorprendente.
Il potere della magia, proseguimento de L'ultimo cavaliere, è l'episodio che conclude "Le leggende di Shannara", il nuovo capitolo del ciclo di Shannara, la saga fantasy più famosa al mondo che da trentacinque anni appassiona gli amanti del genere e tutti i lettori.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788852029752
Publisher:	MONDADORI
Publication date:	10/09/2012
Series:	Le leggende di Shannara , #2
Sold by:	ARNOLDO MONDADORI - EBKS
Format:	eBook
File size:	722 KB
Language:	Italian

About the Author

"I found my way to fantasy/adventure. When I got there, I knew I'd found a home," said Terence Dean Brooks, creator of the blockbuster, New York Times bestselling Shannara, Landover, and Word & Void series. Not only is Brooks at home in the highly competitive realm of fantasy literature, many would call him the genre¿s modern-day patriarch ¿ Tolkien¿s successor. While that title is debatable, Brooks is, without a doubt, one of the world¿s most prolific and successful authors of otherworld (and our world) fantasy. Few writers in any genre can boast a more entertaining collection of work ¿ and a more ravenous and loyal fan base -- than can Terry Brooks.

The most rewarding aspect to writing for Brooks is ¿when someone who never read a book reads [one of mine] and says that the experience changed everything and got them reading.¿ Because of his very engaging, quick-flowing writing style, countless numbers of young people have been introduced to the wonderful world of reading through Brooks¿s adventures. The miraculous thing, however, is that these same fans ¿ whether they¿re now 20, 30, or 40 years old ¿ still devour each new release like a starving man would a steak dinner. Credit Brooks¿s boundless imagination, endearing characters, fresh storylines and underlying complexities for keeping his older, more discerning audience hooked.

Brooks began writing when he was just ten years old, but he did not discover fantasy until much later. As a high school student he jumped from writing science fiction to westerns to adventure to nonfiction, unable to settle on one form. That changed when, at the age of 21, Brooks was introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien provided Brooks with a forum ¿that would allow him to release onto paper his own ideas about life, love, and the wonder that fills his world," according to his web site.

In 1977, after six trying years, Brooks published novel his first novel, The Sword of Shannara. And quickly it gave him ¿ and his publisher (the newly created Ballantine imprint, Del Rey) ¿ quite a thrill; the fantasy adventure featuring the young Halfling, Shea Ohmsford; the mysterious wizard Allanon; Flick, the trusty companion; and the demonic Warlock Lord, was not only well received -- it was a smash, spending over five months on The New York Times bestseller list. In 1982 Brooks released the follow-up, The Elfstones of Shannara (which Brooks says may be his favorite), to equal success. He closed out the initial trilogy in 1985 with The Wishsong of Shannara, and has since completed two more Shannara sets, The Heritage of Shannara books and the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara books.

As fans of Brooks know, the man doesn¿t like to stay put. ¿I lived in Illinois for the first 42 years of my life, and I told myself when I left in 1986 that I would never live any one place again,¿ Brooks said. He now spends his time between his homes in Seattle and Hawaii; he and his wife also spend a great deal of time on the road each year connecting with the fans. These same nomadic tendencies are also apparent in his writing. Instead of staying comfortably within his proven, bestselling Shannara series, Terry frequently takes chances, steps outside, and tries something new. His marvelous Landover and Word & Void series are the results. While both are vastly different from Shannara, they are equally compelling. Word & Void ¿ a contemporary, dark urban fantasy series set in a fantasy-touched Illinois ¿ is quite possibly Brooks¿s most acclaimed series. The Rocky Mountain News called the series¿ first two books (Running with the Demon and The Knight of the Word ¿two of the finest science fiction/fantasy novels of the 20th century.¿

Hometown:

Pacific Northwest and Hawaii

Date of Birth:

January 8, 1944

Place of Birth:

Sterling, Illinois

Education:

B.A. in English, Hamilton College, 1966; J.D., Washington and Lee University

Website:

http://www.terrybrooks.net