Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks

Wards of Faerie
by Terry Brooks

This is the first book in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy and while it’s very reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy it is distinct. Set in a fantasy world with technology like airships I think is a really nice blend creating a fresh new world to delve into. Not having read any Terry Brooks before, I can’t compare this one with his others or discern how the story, characters, items, and places relate to the other books. While it’s a bit difficult to say if there is a main character at all, I considered Aphenglow, an elf and druid, to be the protagonist because the story starts with her, but as I read she merges into a group of characters that are all central to the story. The elves used to have what are called Elfstones, multiple sets of them in different colors that do different kinds of magic. The only stones still in the possession of the elves are the blue seeking stones. While doing Druid research Aphenglow comes across a diary of an elven girl in a time when all the Elfstones were still held by the elves and tells how they were all, save the blue ones, stolen away by a boy she loved of a different race. The leader of the Druids is told about the diary and decides that a quest must ensue to look for this lost magic before it falls into the wrong hands. The tale is very full of fighting, monstrous beasts, thrills and dangerous adventures but nothing is terribly graphic in nature. There is a variety of characters that all have their strengths and weaknesses; the leader of the Druids does not always have the answers, the young ones don’t always have physical strength, and the Elven king does not have all the power. While they are all brave, intelligent and strong, as they must to be involved the quest, they all show self-doubt from time to time and have thoughts of abandoning the hunt. However this is an epic undertaking and the fate of the world is at stake – more than they all realize till the next novel. If this sounds interesting, you really should read it. I don’t want to reveal more details, but I will say I really enjoyed it, even if it might not be Brook’s best according to some.

[If you enjoy this, there are two books that follow this, Bloodfire Quest and Witch Wraith.] [ official Wards of Faerie page on the official Terry Brooks web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!