Faerie Wars

by Herbie Brennan Narrated by Gerard Doyle

Overview

Henry doesn't think he'll ever be able to get his mind off his parents' divorce. That is, until he meets Pyrgus Malvae, prince of the faerie world. Now Henry must help Pyrgus return home to fight the evil Faeries of the Night. Best-selling author Herbie Brennan magically combines real-life London with the fantasy realm of faeries while delicately exploring sensitive topics such as divorce, politics, and sexuality.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times

[Brennan] is a master of the hairpin turn, leading readers in one direction and suddenly reversing their expectations. — Elizabeth Devereaux

Publishers Weekly

"Two worlds collide in this humorous tale of warring Faerie factions and their impact on the `real world,' " wrote PW. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Henry Atherton's family is in some disarray when his mother has an affair with his father's female secretary. Henry's escape is helping elderly Mr. Fogarty with chores. Meanwhile, in a parallel world, Pyrgus Malvae, son of the Purple Emperor, is being chased and climbs the fence outside a glue factory where he discovers an evil secret and also comes close to losing his life. His father decides to send his son through a portal to the "Analogue World" for safety, which results in him mistakenly showing up under the lawn mower at Fogarty's where he meets Henry. Pyrgus arrives the size of a fairy, but overnight he grows and his wings disappear. Fogarty, a former bank robber and mechanical genius, sets out to build an artificial portal to send Pyrgus back home. Eventually, Henry and Fogarty cross over into the Purple Kingdom, where they help defeat the forces of evil. This book has a complex plot with plenty of drama and action, but at times the story seems to sink under its own weight. Early on, the transition from contemporary England to the Purple Kingdom is sudden, and the two settings do not intersect until well into the book, which may confuse some readers, and it's difficult to keep straight the many characters in the Purple Kingdom. In the end, Henry's experiences give him the wisdom to craft his own family solution.-Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A clever, sly fantasy with immediate intrigue and plenty of science. Henry begins in England, crushed and wobbly over his parents’ impending breakup. Pyrgus begins in the Realm of Faerie, trying to save a cage of kittens from being boiled in glue. Soon Pyrgus’s life is threatened and he is "translated" into the Analogue World, where he meets Henry. Various sorcerers, slimy businessmen, and a demon prince from Hael are all after Pyrgus’s life. Henry, Henry’s elderly oddball friend with mysterious scientific brilliance, and Pyrgus’s fiercely loyal sister, Blue, help Pyrgus return home and defeat the forces of darkness. Twists and turns provide real surprises along the way; touches of gore are occasional but vivid. The portals between worlds and the overlapping of science with religion may owe a debt to Philip Pullman, but they are welcome here as well. Aside from unjustifiably archaic gender roles, this is the perfect choice for Harry Potter fans who don’t know what to read next. (Fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171053789
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/15/2008
Series:	The Faerie Wars Chronicles , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

CORNERED!
 
            It would only be a matter of time before his pursuers reached the gate.  Pyrgus didn’t think they’d climb over, but they might bribe a guard to let them in.  In any case, he couldn’t afford to hang around.  He was about to make a dash across the yard when a fat rat darted from one of the buildings.  It had got no more than six feet when a cobblestone exploded.
            Pyrgus froze as chips of stone and bits of rat rained down on him.  Chalkhill and Brimstone had laid mines around their factory?  He shivered.  He’d been about to run across those cobbles.
            What were Chalkhill and Brimstone trying to hide?  A minefield was more than the usual Faerie-of-the-Night suspicion, way more than anything you’d do to protect a formula for glue.
            What was going on in the factory?

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