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)

Not one of the best listens

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Having a female narrator distracted from the story in my opinion.

What three words best describe Rosalyn Landor’s performance?

ok, mechanical, oh-hum

Any additional comments?

Scott Brick, Dick Hill and Phill Gigante made this series of books come alive, especially Scot Brick.

mixed feelings

To be honest this is the 1st book I've ever listened to where a female had narrated. It was kind of hard to get used to. Not that the performance was poor at all she did an amazing job. Just kinda threw me off mentally. The story had a hard time keeping my attention and I caught myself going minutes without really paying attention. So I kinda know what's going on but I kinda don't. It's never really happened to me before when I was listening to a Terry Brooks book. Hopefully book 2 will pick the story up really good and round it off.

Refreshing

After the horror that was the narration of the previous trilogy this performance was a breath of fresh air. I found parts of it a little hard to get into at first and pretty quickly figured out the significance of certain people and events...but it's still a great story and I'm looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.

Fantastical Adventure Just Beginning

Have enjoyed the storyline, the depth of politics and breadth of character that Brooks so often brings. If you're familiar with Brooks, you'll have no problem adding this to your library. If you're not familiar with Brooks' writing, and you like druids, elves, magic and fantasy, give it a try!! This is a fantastical adventure just beginning in book 1!

Excellent Work!

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

Top ten for sure

What other book might you compare Wards of Faerie to and why?

It's difficult to compare Brooks to other authors. But it lines up perfectly with some of his earlier work.

back to a new begining

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

it brought back the magic! I like the world he (Terry Brooks) created.
I wish the remainder of the last series was available on audio book but it is not (Word &Void).

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

she did a good job

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

at times yes to both

Any additional comments?

please get the The Word & Void Novels
•Running with the Demon
•A Knight of the Word
•Angel Fire East
on audio.
I am having a hard time with my eyes over the years,
I have difficulty reading

love it

can't get enough of Terry Brooks simply epic great stories every time I won't feel satisfied until I hear them all thanks audible

Different tack on the story.

This book seemed different from the many previous and was interesting to listen to. Very good reader.

Fascinating

What a fascinating story. Truly building on the Shanara legacy. Can't wait to hear the next one in the series.

Well told fantasy

Any additional comments?

Rosalyn Landor is absolutely spectacular as a narrator. The story is a good, well written piece of fantasy, not any new ground, but good all the same. This was an enjoyable listen and again, Rosalyn Landor was the star.