Faerie Lord: The Faerie Wars Chronicles (Book 4) (The Faerie Wars Chronicles)

Two years after leaving the Faerie Realm, Henry Atherton finds a middleaged Pyrgus and his new wife, Nymph, in Mr. Fogarty's backyard. They explain that a terrible plague has taken hold of the Faerie Realm, causing faeries to age so rapidly that Pyrgus had to flee in order to save himself. Determined to help his friends, Henry returns to the realm, hoping to find a cure and perhaps win his way back into the heart of Queen Holly Blue. But the plague isn't what it seems, and when the treacherous villains of the Faerie Realm are involved, anything is possible. Readers are guaranteed to find themselves enmeshed in this final heart-stopping adventure from fantasy master Herbie Brennan.

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.

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.

Henry has all but forgotten the Faerie Realm since he returned to his normal life two years ago, but now his past has followed him home. Out of nowhere, Henry's old friend Pyrgus appears-looking like a middle-aged man-and his life is turned upside down once more. Determined to help his friends, Henry returns to the Realm, hoping to find a cure, and perhaps win his way back into the heart of Queen Holly Blue. But what Henry, Pyrgus, and Blue don't know is that the plague is hardly an ordinary disease... When a terrible plague takes over the faerie realm and causes its inhabitants to age unnaturally quickly, Henry and Blue must find a cure in order to save the realm.