The Wards of Faerie

“Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks is a captivating start to the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy. Set in the richly detailed world of the Four Lands, the story follows the determined Elven Druid, Aphenglow Elessedil, on her quest to recover the legendary Elfstones. After discovering a reference to these powerful artifacts in an ancient diary, Aphenglow becomes resolute in her mission to find them before they fall into the wrong hands. The narrative is filled with thrilling action scenes, including a climactic confrontation between airships and magic.

The characters in “Wards of Faerie” are well-developed and engaging. Aphenglow is a strong and relatable protagonist, driven by a sense of duty and a desire to protect her world. She show more is joined by a diverse group of allies, including her Elven relation, Ard Rhys Khyber Elessedil, and the twins Railing and Redden Ohmsford, who wield the magic of the wishsong. The antagonist, Drust Chazhul, adds a layer of intrigue and tension with his treacherous plans to destroy the magic-using Druids. show less

I have to start this review stating outright that I am a huge fan of Terry Brooks and the Shannara series. I know a lot of reviewers have mentioned that this book just rehashes old plot lines, but I personally don't think that is a problem when you're talking about an epic fantasy series as long as the Shannara series, and more importantly, if the writing itself remains fresh and includes enough surprises along the way to keep the reader engrossed in the story. Having read Wards of Faerie, I can say that I wasn't disappointed. Just when I thought I knew where the story was taking me, it would go in another direction entirely, and, as an avid reader, that keeps me invested and wanting more.

The story begins with the diary of a young elfin show more girl who falls in love with, and is betrayed by, a darkling boy. That is the start of an epic quest for the missing elfstones (something any lover of the Shannara books will understand), involving the druids of the Fourth Order, trolls, gnomes, Ohmsfords, a Leah, and others (including a rather unhinged seer) that they pick up along the way. They fight enemies on many fronts, human and magical creatures alike, and lose many of their own as a result.

The characters are many, but they are woven into the story in such a way that you get to know them intimately. The back stories are worked in effortlessly so you become invested in the characters naturally without feeling like the information given was force fed to you.

One of my favorite things about the books Terry Brooks writes is his use of imagery to describe things that would otherwise be rather mundane. For example: " 'I don't like speaking to other people.' The voice was soft and whispery, the soft sound of clothing being unfolded, hardly more than that." He doesn't just say "He spoke softly," and leave it at that. He takes it just a hint further, and draws the reader an even better picture. I homeschool my son and they are big on teaching imagery in relation to stories and essays the kids write, so I'm always on the lookout for good examples to show him LOL.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much, and, as it is the first book in a new series entitled "The Dark Legacy of Shannara," I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books that follow.

I was given a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. show less

I am a big fan of Terry Brooks' work, starting way back with the Sword of Shannara, which I read when it was first released. Unfortunately this book was a huge disappointment for me. There are far too many plot elements from his previous books for this to be interesting. Without giving any spoilers, if you've read Terry Brooks, you'll find this far too familiar. Leahs, Ohmsords, Elessedils, semi-anonymous dwarf warriors, the usual. Not just the characters, but the locations and plot elements have been overused. Even the 'new' things aren't new - how many times are we going to be told that there is yet another area in the Four Lands that NO ONE has explored. With flying airships, why is that still true? Its a very old plot element. show more There's nothing original about this book, its a mishmash of Elfstones, Wishsong, and the High Druid series. As much as I like Terry Brooks novels, I can't recommend this one. show less

This was a struggle for me, from beginning to end. Of the twenty+ Shannara serues novels Brooks has published to date, I've read fourteen and never have I had as hard a time finishing as I did here with Wards of Faerie. A novel nearly four hundred pages in length should feel and read more than as filler and introductory information. While there is a conflict and climax, both are minimal, predictable, and reminiscent of many other Shannara novels. A disappointment from a well-known author, Terry Brooks can and has done better than this latest effort. Almost uniformly flat and uninvolving, fans of this long-running (and soon to be adapted to tv series) will do better to stick to Brooks' earlier, and much better executed, Shannara show more novels.

While my enthusiasm for Shannara books has waned with each new novel and my exposure to more creative examples of fantasy, Brooks usually at least manages to entertain with his incredibly fleshed-out world and usually interesting and well-rounded characters. Not so is the case with Wards of Faerie. Once again, an Elessedil heir is searching for a set of Elfstones (as seen in Elfstones of Shannara), while wrestling with foes from the Federation (as seen in nearly every Shannara novel written.) Once again an Ohmsford descendant is required to save the world (again, as seen in _every_Shannah_novel_ever), no matter that the popular family tree has whittled down to two heirs (sound familiar?). Brooks clearly has a pattern for these books, and a little invention or deviation from the known path would have done much to save this anticlimactic and formulaic fantasy novel.

This novel is a lot of time invested for very little payoff. It's not rewarding to read those three hundred eighty four pages because the entire novel reeks of set-up and introduction. New characters (even if set on predictable paths) fail to engage, the plot feels extremely recycled and old-hat. There's so little to recommend about this novel - it's really a shame that 35 years after this world was created, it has so little to offer new and old readers. Brooks is comfortable in his ironclad paths of writing, but a little more imagination in Wards of Faerie would have made for a much better, more original novel. It might be written passably well - Brooks definitely has a vibrant setting to work with - but the lack of action, the lack of advancement is a major player in why this novel is such a miss.

Sadly for a sometimes/used to be major fan, I found this to be a vastly unsatisfying latest effort from a fantasy juggernaut. In the plainest terms, Brooks' latest effort is a typical, very predictable, slowly paced, usually frustrating 2/5. Some credit is due for the richly imagined world (though that owes more to the multitude of novels before this that helped to fashion it). Far from the best to offer out of the series, Wards of Faerie could use some work - tightening, plotting, and pacing. show less

It was with a little trepidation that I began reading Wards of Faerie. It had been decades since I'd last read a Terry Brooks novel, and the Shannara series was never one I had gotten into too deeply, mostly for a lack of resources. I knew that over the years the breadth of the story had grown, and that series that didn’t used to be related, like the Word and the Void, had been incorporated into the larger mythos. Still, most of my exposure came from a summer reading through the Magic Kingdom books. Could I jump in unscathed?

The Wards of Faerie, as it turns out, is very open to the new reader. A brief run through wikipedia wouldn't hurt the new reader, but Terry Brooks is ever the consummate story teller, and with almost no effort show more gives us a story that is very easy to fall into. It is a world where science and magic are at ends with each other, with many of the secrets of magic lost even to the Druids, caretakers of such knowledge. Aphenglow Elessedil, an elf and a Druid, stumbles upon a lost journal that hints at the whereabouts of the famed elfstones. The Druid’s quest to recover the elfstones will mean the gathering of a party and following a vision beyond the known lands as they seek out the lost elfstones.

It's always a pleasure to read something written by a master of the craft, and this was no exception. Brooks has spent over thirty years developing this world, and the world-building shows. The world that this story is set in has a depth that we can see just beneath the surface without being dragged through it, which helps the story move along at a good pace. The characters that populate it are well developed and believable, rather than the stock two dimensional characters that seem to litter the genre so often.

Knowing in advance that this will be yet another trilogy, though, I do have to say I was a bit disappointed with where the book ended. This isn't just the poignant disappointment of a story that ended sooner than the reader may have wanted. The bulk of the book was spent developing characters and introducing us to the world as it is, but just as the party is formed and the real action began to start up, the book came to an end.

My rating of this book came after a lot of thinking, and ultimately was tied to the fact that the story, the meat of why we are reading, is cut too short too soon. Knowing that we are only looking at a trilogy, it seems as though too much time was spent developing characters rather than moving the plot along. Fans of the milieu will enjoy the book, knowing that it will lead somewhere in the next book. Casual readers, though, I think will be put off unless they are already committed to seeing the story develop in the next volume.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to review this work and providing an advanced reader’s copy. show less

I'm a long time lover of the world of Shannara that Terry Brooks created. Over the years I've read and enjoyed his many series and stand alone which have given greater depth, insight and history into this world. With Wards of Faerie, we begin a new adventure set in the Four Lands many years after the High Druid of Shannara series.

This series, like most of the others, centers upon a quest. This time the Druids are on a quest to find Elfstones that were lost thousands of years ago. In fact they have been lost so long that they have entered into the realm of myth and legend to the point that nobody knows what they do and some even doubt their existence. In many ways it is evident that this book is the first book in a series. The first many show more chapters involve the characters doing a lot of research, talking, thinking and preparing for things to come. There are a few small fights and interactions throughout these first few chapters to help "up the ante" and make it apparent that there is certain danger in the days to come.

Personally I enjoyed the slower pace. Rather than dumping us headlong into an adventure, Brooks takes his time and lets us get to know a number of core characters very intimately. We work side-by-side with Aphenglow as she intently studies the ancient Elven histories in search of clues. We play and race with the twins Redden and Railing and learn about their impulsive spontaneity as well as their close brotherly bond. We are taken deep inside the political intrigue and rise of a new Prime Minister of the Federation. We learn about the new Druid Order and the current Ard Rhs Kyhber. Through the first half of the book, we walk alongside a series of key characters as they make meticulous investigations and preparations for a huge adventure to come.

For those who are fans of action, don't worry. Just because the book spends a lot of time setting up the main adventure doesn't mean that it can't have significant action. As I already mentioned, there are a couple of hand-to-hand fights early on in the book. These are precursors to numerous smaller action sequences through the first half of the book. By the midpoint though, the action starts to pick up and before long there is an all out siege being waged by hundreds of soldiers at the same time as other explorers are facing environmental dangers in a strange new land as they seek out the Stones.

For those who haven't read any of the Shannara books before, Brooks always provides enough exposition and backstory to let you jump into a new series without being terribly lost. However if you've read previous Shannara books, there are plenty of scenes that should make fans very happy including a brief appearance by a character from some of the early books.

While I agree with the critics who say that Brooks's works aren't "high literature", I also have to admit that he does pen fun and compelling stories that really draw me in and keep me turning page after page. In addition to the overall danger of the quest to find the Elfstones, there is a huge conspiratorial battle lurking behind the scenes and ready to explode into sight that could change the face and fate of the Four Lands.

I found it a joy to get back into the world of Shannara and begin another epic adventure. My only complaint is that (as is often the case) the book ends by leaving me with apprehension as to what will happen next…and I have to wait until next year to find out. This book had all the intriguing characters, compelling plot twists and turns (though I admit that I found one of the big "twists" to be somewhat predictable), and exciting adventure that I've come to love from Terry Brooks.

I can definitely recommend this to any Shannara fan. Although I would recommend you go back and pick up some of the earlier series too, if you haven't read any of Brooks's books before, you should enjoy this without requiring any previous reading. As is the case with his earlier works, the action and violence is big enough to be exciting while still being acceptable for younger readers (even down into the tweens).

****
4 out of 5 stars show less

Just OK, yes. With such a promising beginning, foretelling an epic quest, where everybody either die or come back broken, the delivery disappointed. The first book is a getting ready part, where nothing of substance happens. Some people die, but those deaths are received in such a detached manner that it is surprising that we are reading about actual (mainly) human beings with real emotions and feelings. Emotions, though? Scratch that. Sense of duty and sense of duty only, with nothing else being important. I did love the writing and the elevated language and thought processes, but when is some action going to begin? Part two, hopefully.