Wards of Faerie

The Dark Legacy of Shannara

By: Terry Brooks

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Seven years after the conclusion of the High Druid of Shannara trilogy, New York Times best-selling author Terry Brooks at last revisits one of the most popular eras in the legendary epic fantasy series that has spellbound listeners for more than three decades.

When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled - and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart.

Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The dwindling Druid order and its teachings are threatened with extinction. A sinister politician has used treachery and murder to rise as prime minister of the mighty Federation. Meanwhile, poring through a long-forgotten diary, the young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil has stumbled upon the secret account of an Elven girl's heartbreak and the shocking truth about the vanished Elfstones. But never has a little knowledge been so very dangerous - as Aphenglow quickly learns when she's set upon by assassins.

Yet there can be no turning back from the road to which fate has steered her. For whoever captures the Elfstones and their untold powers will surely hold the advantage in the devastating clash to come. But Aphenglow and her allies - Druids, Elves, and humans alike - remember the monstrous history of the Demon War, and they know that the Four Lands will never survive another reign of darkness. But whether they themselves can survive the attempt to stem that tide is another question entirely.

©2012 Terry Brooks (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Terry Brooks is] the most important fantasy writer since J.R.R. Tolkien." ( Rocky Mountain News)

Excellent addition to the Shannara Cannon

Another great story from Terry Brooks! Full of new characters, fast paced storyline and awesome cliffhangers .

It's good to go back to Shannara

If you love Shannara; if you love Terry Brooks, you will enjoy this book. Interesting but familiar characters; good story. I wish Scott Brick was back to read the book; even Phil Gigante would be okay. Rosalyn Landor is a great narrator but she just isn't a good fit for a Shannara book. Overall, this is definitely "credit-worthy"! One caveat: this is the first of a trilogy and all sorts of things are left hanging at the end of the book. It is NOT a stand-alone book. But it's a fantasy trilogy, right? So relax and enjoy a trip back to Shannara!

Slightly Disappointed

I was slightly disappointed with this book. I love Terry Brooks' work; however, this one seemed to me to be really slow and lacking some of the storyline detail and finesse I have come to expect from Terry's work. It just seems a little too simplistic and predictable. I will reserve judgment of the overall story until I listen to part two. Also, although Rosalyn did a good job, it was difficult at times to tell the characters apart.

A mystery unfolds......

Where does Wards of Faerie rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number 2 !

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wards of Faerie?

Each scene had special moments through the whole book.

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent voice for this story !!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was captivated by the whole story. Each character, as well !! I will listen to this a few more times.

Great performance, truncated story.

Rosalyn Landor's brilliant performance returns us to Terry Brooks' world of Shannara, where the rise of technology clashes with ancient elven magic. By the way, that's about all that happens in this first book of a trilogy that suffers from what is becoming an all too familiar condition called "trilogy-itis." The plot is thin, the antagonists 2D, and the mysteries are hardly mysterious. This entire book could have fit in a few chapters of a single novel. That being said, Landor brings this world Alice with her performance, and while I realized that the plot was stagnating and stalling, I was never not entertained by her narration.

Terry Brooks has written some of the preeminent trilogies of the genre including the original Shannara trilogy, which consists of three separate narratives, each with fully developed characters and plots of their own, which together to create what can be called a trilogy. This book unfortunately reads like a cash in and is obviously one story broken up into three books. I leave book one moderately interested, but ultimately skeptical due to the complete lack of plot or sense of urgency.

slow to start<br />

the book takes to long to start getong any good 3/4 way throw and by that time I was so bord I could not get in to it

Mmm mmm good!

As always, Terry Brooks keeps you captivated until the end. Can not wait for the next book. Which I will be starting in about 30 seconds.

Somewhat lacking

Though I rarely have a bad word to say about a Terry Brooks novel, I found myself having a hard time getting into this one. Could've been the female narrator, though she did a good job, or the pacing. I can't say. It just didn't do it for me.

This is, simply put, a triumph.

Terry Brooks is one of those writers that's strongly influenced fantasy writing, and also our expectations for what such writing should bring to its readers and listeners.

Granted. We all can agree on that. We can all also agree that on occasion, certain of his works stand out from the others, while some step back into the shadows of his better works. Granted again. All in all, though, each one of the Shannara novels is a VERY enjoyable and rewarding read.

Now, here's where I rant, but not in a bad way. You see, believe it or not, the ENTIRE series, as a whole, could be considered complete. Oh, but no. Not according to Brooks, who has, over the past few years, written a whole series of prequels, then a series of PRE-prequels, as well as other lines of books that start along the Shannara timeline, and then branch out, combining both new and old characters, blending new and old magics, and both twisting and strengthening the story lines.

Now, this isn't a bad thing. Just don't get settled. Don't think it's over, because obviously, in Brooks' Shannara universe, you never really know. And guess what?

He's done it again.

In this first book in the Dark Legacy Series, his latest efforts in the highly popular Shannara realm, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks has decided return to one of the most exciting eras in that series, and in doing so, presents two of his very obvious traits, starting with page one.

First, this novel shows Brooks' well-known bent for setting up a glorious quest, which may seem a bit formulaic to many of his fans. Let's understand that Brooks tends to paint on a large canvas, one that requires much room to live up to the author's, and your, expectations. He does this in Wards Of Faerie with initially modest, then broad literary strokes. Now, when Brooks does this, you can count on the second obvious trait.

It's going to get good. Really, really, really really good. And it DOES.

One hundred years after Brooks' High Druid novel, Straken, which ended with a discovered diary possibly pointing the way to the lost elfstones, we are introduced to new generations of the major players in the Shannara series. We're also treated with the twisted plans and plots that are rife in both the elven kingdom, where magic is fading, and the human-led federation, where technology and science seem to be gaining a questionable foothold.

So, the obvious question: Is this one of Brooks' Shannara novels that stands apart, or hides a bit in the shadows?

This one definitely stands apart, and then some. Brooks' writing style is on the mark, and pulls us in immediately with engaging, descriptive emotional writing that is, at the same time, not too heavy-handed. It was a pleasure to both read, and then listen to this work, and as usual, Brooks surprised me along the way with shifting plots and surprising directions. I just used an Audible credit to get the second novel in the series. And loved it. Read my review for more details on that worthy second tome in the series.

As usual, I will NOT give hints, spoilers, plots, or anything else to take away from the wondrous literary ride this new series offers to you, Audible listener. No whining.

If you want some of Brooks' best writing in the Shannara series, look no further.

This is, simply put, a triumph.

Call It A Comeback!

What made the experience of listening to Wards of Faerie the most enjoyable?

The narrator was great but it was the story itself , this is undoubtedly Terry Brooks finest book since The First King Of Shannara.

What did you like best about this story?

This story had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Some parts of it were so thrilling i had to hold my breath

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

She did a great job of relating the emotions of the characters involved. I liked in particular the scene where the Khyber confronts the Ohmsford Twin's mother. The emotion was raw in that scene and she did a great job of portraying the mother's intense reaction to Khyber's request.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Battle of Paranor was very thrilling, I didn't know what was going to happen from one moment to the next even though it was a mismatch going into it. The Federation had no chance to win the battle but the narrative and the story really made it seem like they were going to do it.

Any additional comments?

This is Terry's finest novel in a decade and i hope he continues the momentum throughout the rest of the decade.