Faerie Lord (Faerie Wars Chronicles Series #4) by Herbie Brennan

From the Publisher

It has been two years since Henry left the Faerie Realm and he has still not adjusted to life back in the Analogue World. But when Henry finds a middle aged Pyrgus in Mr. Fogarty’s backyard, he is compelled to return to the world he left so suddenly. A mysterious plague is spreading throughout the Realm causing faeries to age rapidly. No one knows what is causing it or how to cure it. Pyrgus has a plan that Henry must be a part of but can’t include his sister, the Faerie Queen, no matter how much she persists. However, almost immiediately upon Henry’s return, an unlikely person transports him away from the Realm and he is forced to fend for himself in a hostile land.
Elsewhere, Lord Hairstreak, Brimstone and Chalkhill are putting their own plan into motion that may be the undoing of the entire Realm without their even realizing it. The final installment of the Faerie Wars Chronicles is riveting presents and exciting and riveting conclusion to the adventures of Henry Atherton and the Faerie Realm.

Children's Literature

In this fourth title in "The Faerie Wars Chronicles," Henry returns to the Faerie Realm after learning that a terrible plague is wreaking havoc and that his friend Mr. Fogarty is in grave danger. Meanwhile, Chalkhill, Brimstone, and Hairstreak, those dastardly Faeries of the Night, are all up to suspicious activities that include calling up mythical monsters and conspiring to overthrow the government (still). When Henry is suddenly transported to the desert kingdom Buthner, Queen Holly Blue finds herself in a desperate race to find him before her whole kingdom succumbs to the mysterious plague. Although moving back and forth between these multiple plots is at times jarring, Brennan weaves the threads into a suspenseful, action-packed story that will have fans of this dark fantasy quickly turning pages. The characters are nicely drawn; some nasty villains, several valiant and plucky heroes, and even more—like Prince Comma and Madam Cardui—that are somewhere in between. A glossary at the end helps with characters and unfamiliar terms of the Faerie World, but readers of the previous books probably will not need it. Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to a popular series. Reviewer: Heather Christensen

Children's Literature

The "Faerie War Chronicles" come to a dramatic close in this fourth and final book. The romance between the human Henry and faerie Queen Holly Blue seemed to end in awkwardness two years ago. Now, the life-threatening illness of crusty old Mr. Fogarty causes Henry to once again enter the Faerie Realm. He finds the Realm in the midst of an age-inducing and fast-spreading plague. With the wizards unable to find a cure, Madame Cardui takes action. As Henry struggles to survive and Blue struggles to find him, the evil Brimstone and Lord Hairstreak work the chaos to their own advantage. While containing many imaginative and vivid new characters, the book's action centers more on Henry and Blue's love story than did the previous books. Fantasy in the other "Faerie War Chronicles" was for the sake of fantasy. Fantasy here provides a backdrop for romance. Thankfully, the added drama takes none of the enjoyment out of reading this last book. Reviewer: Amalia Selle

VOYA

This fourth and purportedly final book in The Faerie Wars Chronicles begins with Henry, who has been back in the Analogue World (Earth), for the two years since the events of Ruler of the Realm (Bloomsbury, 2006/VOYA August 2006). Henry is startled when a middle-aged Pyrgus arrives with alarming news of an aging disease that is sweeping the Faerie Realm. Because Mr. Fogarty has also been stricken, Henry returns to the Realm in spite of misgivings about facing Blue for the first time since his awkward refusal of her marriage proposal. Mr. Fogarty dies immediately after Henry arrives, however, and Henry is whisked away via a transport spell for reasons unknown. In the meantime, villains Chalkhill and Brimstone reappear yet again with more devious plans. Although this series is entertaining and this volume seems to draw events to a reasonable close, Brennan's spasmodic writing can be frustrating, with far too many short and choppy chapters. In addition, Henry's separation from the other characters for most of the book seems little more than an arbitrary mechanism to fill up pages, exactly as was the case in The Purple Emperor (2004/VOYA February 2005). At this stage, it is frankly difficult to care about the seemingly random adventures that this crew keeps having. Libraries that have enjoyed significant circulation of the first three books should of course purchase this one, but in this reviewer's opinion, the time for this series to end has come.

Tasha SaeckerCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 6-10
This book completes a popular series. Henry has been back living with his family for two years when Pyrgus and Nymph emerge from the Faerie Realm and tell him that Mr. Fogarty is dying and needs his help. Henry rushes there to try to rescue his mentor, only to find that he is too late. But soon after, it is Henry who needs rescuing as a plague ravages the Realm and the teen is transported into a desert wasteland to fulfill a prophecy. The strength of this series continues to be its marvelous world building. In this final installment, readers get to travel to unknown areas of the Realm where mountains can disappear, pack animals can talk, and sand can become liquid and breathable. It will be an additional treat for readers to return to these beloved characters, including Queen Blue, the mysterious Madame Cardui, and, of course, the evil Brimstone and Hairstreak. Brennan has capped his series with an action-filled adventure through the wonders of Faerie that will satisfy his many fans.

Kirkus Reviews

The clever denouement of the series is crisper than the middle installments but strikingly obsolete in its depictions of gender and race. Two years after refusing Queen Blue's marriage proposal, Henry's in a rut: Exams are pending, he's expected to become a teacher (boring) and he still lives in that blasted "all-female household." So when Pyrgus and Mr. Fogarty contract a bizarre disease, Henry translates to the Faerie Realm to help. The illness ages Faeries rapidly, burning up their future with untreatable fever. As Henry, Blue, Madame Cardui and others are separated by geography, the narration zigzags from thread to thread, gleefully keeping characters (and readers) in the dark as long as possible. In his quest to save Blue, Henry's aided by a blue-skinned desert boy with "body odour" from a stereotypically mystical, "primitive" tribe. Henry finds Blue inside a mountain, taken hostage-shirt torn, breasts showing, "chained, abused, frightened . . . sexy." The disturbing definition of female sexiness just tops off this queen's notably passive and love-focused role, and may well outweigh Brennan's sweet touches and lovely final revelations. (glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)

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