Wards of Faerie

Wards of Faerie is a 2012 fantasy novel by Terry Brooks and the first part of the The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy.^[1] The book was released on August 21, 2012 through Del Rey Books. Set a century after Straken, it chronicles the attempts of Ard Rhys of Paranor Khyber Elessedil as she tries to recover the lost Elfstones.^[2][3]

Plot summary

The story takes place in the Four Lands, 100 years after the previous trilogy. People have grown ever increasingly distrustful of magic and its wielders, ever since the Third Council of Druids. The potential to once again find the lost Elfstones of Faerie could change that for the better, assuming that the Ard Rhys survives the attempt.

Main Characters

• Aphenglow Elessedil: Granddaughter to the current king of the elves and member of the Druids. The Elves view her decision to join the Druids as a betrayal and no longer trust or respect her, with the exception of her younger sister and great-uncle. Her mother refuses to speak to her despite Aphen's repeated attempts to mend things. Aphen is charged by the Ard Rhys with searching the Elven histories for any reference to lost magic, a task she has been at for a year at the start of the story. Aphenglow's discovery of the diary of an ancient Elven princess sets the events of the story in motion.^{[citation needed]}

• Arlingfant Elessedil: Younger sister of Aphenglow. Arling is a Chosen in service to the Ellcrys. She and her sister are extremely close, sharing a cottage in Arborlon while Aphen is searching the histories. Arling looks up to her sister and wishes to become a Druid as well at the end of her service as a Chosen, although it is unlikely that she would be accepted into the order because relatives are discouraged from working together as Druids.

• Khyber Elessedil: Current Ard Rhys (High Druid) of the Druids. She is well over 100 years old at the start of the story, having prolonged her life using the Druid Sleep, a practice only the Ard Rhys uses. Khyber is woken from her current cycle of Druid Sleep near the beginning of the story in response to events related to the discovery of the diary.^{[citation needed]}

• Bombax: A member of the Druids, of the race of Man, and Aphenglow's life partner. Although not officially married, Bombax and Aphen have promised themselves to each other for life and behave as husband and wife. Bombax is tall, strong, and well built. He is very independent and often the other members of the Druid council are unaware of his exact location or actions.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Critical reception has been mostly positive, with RT Book Reviews giving Wards of Faerie four stars.^[4] Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly also gave positive reviews, with Publishers Weekly praising the audiobook's narration.^[5][6]

References