The Faerie Wars Chronicles Explained

The Faerie War Chronicles
Books:Faerie Wars
The Purple Emperor
Ruler of the Realm
Faerie Lord
The Faeman Quest
Author:James Herbert Brennan
Translator:mario Silos
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Genre:fantasy action
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub Date:2003 – Present
Media Type:Print (hardcover and paperback)

The Faerie Wars Chronicles is a fantasy action young adult novel series written by James Herbert Brennan. The first book in the series, Faerie Wars was published in the United Kingdom in February 2003 by Bloomsbury Publishing. As of 2011, there are five books in the ongoing series.

Bloomsbury began releasing the series in the United States under its Bloomsbury USA imprint in April 2003.[1] In January 2007, Macmillan Publishers began republishing the series in the United States under its Tor Books imprint.[2] On January 16, 2005, the first novel in the series, Faerie Wars reached number 4 on the New York Times Best Seller list for paperback children's books.[3]

Characters

Demons

Faeries of the Light

Faeries of the Night

Forest Faeries

Humans

Media

Book releases

Title Date Length ISBN

Audiobook

On September 30, 2004, Recorded Books released an 11-hour-25-minute audio book version of Faerie Wars which was read by Gerald Doyle.[4] [5] On September 1, 2005, a 12-hour, 30-minute audio book version of The Purple Emperor, which was read by Gerald Doyle, was released by Recorded Books.[6] [7] In 2006, a 12-hour, 15-minute audio book version of Ruler of the Realm, which was read by James Daniel Wilson was released by Recorded Books.[8] [9] In 2008, Faerie Lord was adapted into a 12-hour, 15-minute audiobook narrated by James Daniel Wilson and was released by Recorded Books.[10] [11]

Reception

The New York Times commends Brennan as "a master of the hairpin turn, leading readers in one direction and suddenly reversing their expectations . . . Brennan excels at maintaining suspense."[12]

Sponsored by The Young Adult Library Services Association, teen readers from the various YA Galley Groups selected Faerie Wars as the Teens' Top Ten book for 2003.[13] School Library Journal stated that Faerie Wars has a "complex plot with plenty of drama and action". However, it criticised Faerie Wars for "sinking under its own weight".[14] Nathan Brazil from SF Site commends Faerie Wars for plot that alternates between "provoking and serious" and " funny, fast paced adventure". He also comments on the lack of depth in the story.[15] Nicholas Tucker from The Independent compares Faerie Wars to Harry Potter for its inventiveness and to Gormenghast for its dark themes. He also commends the Brennan for avoiding "unlimited melodrama in contemporary writing [which] often ends up choking on its own rhetoric" by "infusing his story with affectionate irony as characters are brought down to earth by humour".[16] Kirkus Reviews comments that Faerie Wars is the "perfect choice for Harry Potter fans who don't know what to read next, aside from unjustifiably archaic gender roles."[17]

Carolyn Cushman reviewing for Locus commented that The Purple Emperor "lacks the novelty of the first volume, but the fast-paced adventure and numerous quirky characters keep things lively."[18] Kirkus Reviews comments on The Purple Emperor that "Brennan cuts chapters off sharply, maintaining heated suspense, but the ultra-quick pinballing between threads is sometimes frustrating." The review also comments on the "gross-out factor" with "verbose worms [which] are implanted in people's butts and speak to them inside their brains."[19]

Kirkus Reviews on the Ruler of the Realm criticises "Brennan's characters for seem younger than their ages and his prose is often cluttered". However, "images are colorful, and the ricocheting narrative--each chapter ending in suspense and the next chapter jumping to a different plotline--pulls readers to a surprisingly satisfying conclusion."[20]

Kirkus Reviews on the Faerie Lord criticises the novel for its "disturbing definition of female sexiness just tops off this queen (Blue)'s notably passive and love-focused role, and may well outweigh Brennan's sweet touches and lovely final revelations."[21]

Oisín McGann, writing for the Inis Magazine, praises The Faeman Quest for having "a fast pace, a light-hearted tone and rich descriptive passages." However, it criticised the novel for having "a few key scenes...which seemed to happen while the reader isn't looking."[22]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Faerie Wars . . 2008-12-15 .
  2. Web site: Faerie Wars . . 2008-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080619050409/http://us.macmillan.com/faeriewars . 2008-06-19 . dead .
  3. Web site: Children's Books . . 2005-01-16 . 2008-12-15.
  4. Book: Faerie Wars (Audiobook) (Unabridged) (Audio Cassette). 1402573618.
  5. Web site: Faerie Wars. Recorded Books. 19 November 2009.
  6. Book: The Purple Emperor (Audiobook) (Unabridged) (Audio Cassette). 1402595298.
  7. Web site: The Purple Emperor. Recorded Books. 19 November 2009.
  8. Book: Ruler of the Realm (Audio Cassette). 1428121889.
  9. Web site: Ruler of the Realm. Recorded books. 19 November 2009.
  10. Book: Faerie Lord (Unabridged Library Edition) (Audio CD). 1436154235.
  11. Web site: Faerie Lord. Recorded Books. 19 November 2009.
  12. Web site: The Purple Emperor. Macmillan Publishers. 21 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20080619050524/http://us.macmillan.com/thepurpleemperor. 19 June 2008. dead.
  13. Teens vote for their favourite young adult books. American Library Association. 2003-11-14. 2008-12-25.
  14. Web site: Faerie Wars: The Faerie Wars Chronicles, Book 1 (Faerie Wars Chronicles #01). Powells.com. 2008-12-28.
  15. Web site: Faerie Wars. Brazil. Nathan. 2004. SF Site. 2009-05-17.
  16. Web site: Faerie Wars, by Herbie Brennan . Tucker. Nicholas. February 13, 2003. The Independent. 2009-05-17.
  17. March 15, 2003. Faerie Wars (Book). Kirkus Reviews. 71. 10. 746. 2022-10-14.
  18. Web site: Brennan, Herbie : The Purple Emperor. Cushman. Carolyn. February 7, 2008. Locus. 21 November 2009.
  19. September 15, 2004. The Purple Emperor (Book). Kirkus Reviews. 72. 18. 911. 2022-10-14.
  20. September 15, 2006. Ruler Of The Realm: The Faerie Chronicles, Book Three.. Kirkus Reviews. 74. 18. 947. 2022-10-14.
  21. August 15, 2007 . Faerie Lord: The Faerie Wars Chronicles, Book Four. . . 75 . 16 . 852 . 2022-10-14 .
  22. McGann. Oisin. The Faeman Quest. Inis Magazine. April 2011. 35. 15 June 2011.