The Forest Lord (The Fane, Book 1) [Paperback]

Susan Krinard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

Deep in a forest of Regency England dwells The Forest Lord-and there he dwells alone. A living legend, the powerful Green Man of yore has but one chance to escape his forest prison and one hope for love-the very woman he has vowed to destroy.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In an intriguing departure from her popular werewolf romances (Secret of the Wolf), Krinard takes readers to a realm where the Faerie and mortal worlds intersect and spins a darkly magical story of love, betrayal, and redemption. Based on ancient Celtic lore and set in the remote, forbidding forests of northern England, this well-written tale takes a powerful guardian spirit of the forest determined to save his race and a young woman whose innocence has unknowingly been bargained away by her father and gives them a dilemma that only love-and a little bit of magic-can resolve. A cast of exceptionally well-done secondary characters (most notably a villainous aunt and a wise, enchanting child), the excellent use of language, and an intricate, nicely unfolding plot add depth. Although the novel falls firmly within the fantasy romance subgenre, its compelling characters and the universal nature of their underlying conflicts should guarantee an across-the-board appeal to general fantasy fans and other readers. Krinard is a best-selling, highly regarded writer who is deservedly carving out a niche in the romance arena. She lives in Concord, CA.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Fairy Folk are dying out, but they're unable to reproduce without a human mate. The Forest Lord captures Cyrus Fleming, earl of Bradwell, who has broken the age-old agreement with the Fane through his neglect of Hartsmere and his killing of the creatures who live there. Fearful for his life, Cyrus agrees to a match between his daughter and the Forest Lord. Eden is flattered by the attention paid to her by her mysterious "cousin." They elope; she becomes pregnant; her "cousin" disappears, and Eden is grief-stricken when her baby is stillborn. Six years later, the Forest Lord returns for his offspring, then is ready to call on all of nature's powers to punish the woman who lost his child. Magical, mystical, and moving, Krinard's book has a surprise villain and a nice twist at the end. Fans of Nora Roberts' Irish trilogy [Jewels of the Sun (1999), Tears of the Moon (2000), Heart of the Sea (2000)] and Karen Fox's Buttercup Baby (2001) will be delighted by this fantasy and its underlying ecological message. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425186865
• ISBN-13: 978-0425186862
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence, October 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Forest Lord (The Fane, Book 1) (Paperback)

One of the last of Fane, the Forest Lord cannot enter Tir-na-nog until he returns with an heir of his own making. For centuries he has guarded Hartsmere, honoring a long forgotten pact. Then one day Cyrus Fleming, the Earl of Bradwell, enters Hartsmere in search of prey. The Forest Lord threatens to take the bounty and fortune the Flemings have enjoyed unless Cyrus forfeits his daughter. In return, the Forest Lord agrees to wed his daughter for the time a child grows in her body, and then plans to depart for Tir-na-nog with the child. Cyrus agrees, but adds the condition that the Forest Lord must win his daughter's love.

Six months later and desperately in love, Eden elopes with the man she believes to be her cousin Cornelius Fleming. They spend the night together in glorious intimacy, planning to wed the next day. Then Eden overhears a dreadful fight between Cornelius and her father, and she learns that Cornelius does not love her. Worse, she enters the room, and the man that she plans to wed transforms into a monster. Later, she gives birth to a child she believes to have died. Eden then assumes her place in London society in an arranged marriage. Then six years after Cornelius disappeared, Eden returns to Hartsmere a widow, having learned on her husband's deathbed that her child survives.

Fans who love the magic and mystery of Susan Krinard's shape shifter/werewolf romances will delight in this new series of shape shifters who originate in the forests of Ireland. Embodying the timeless theme of Beauty and the Beast, THE FOREST LORD comes alive with truly amazing characterizations. The author's respect for pagan mythology brings the tale a dazzling strength, with endearing, flawed characters that grow and develop in profound ways. Further, Krinard's vivacious style lends the tale a sense of believability and immediacy that will hold readers glued to its pages. As a matter of fact, THE FOREST LORD will appeal to far more than just romance readers. After only reading and describing the first fifty pages to my husband, I accidentally left the book at home. My husband who loves pagan mythology unexpectedly picked it up based on my description, and when I returned home he demanded that I finish it quickly because he was anxious to finish the story himself! A fabulous read that must be added to the keeper shelf, THE FOREST LORD comes very highly recommended.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Paranormal, January 6, 2003

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Forest Lord (The Fane, Book 1) (Paperback)

Eden Fleming thinks that she is in love with her cousin Cornelius Fleming. They become engaged she looks forward to her upcoming marriage. She doesn't question him when he becomes impatient and insists that they head for Gretna Green. They spend the night at an inn nearby, where her father catches up to them. She overhears them and finds out that her father has sold her to a man who just wants her to have a child for him to take to his family. She rushes into the room to find out that Cornelius isn't a man at all, but a fairy from the forest near her father's estate. She is horrified and runs away. After the birth of her child, who she is told has died, her father finds a man willing to marry her. As expected, he is not much good and gambles and wenches away all of his money and much of hers before he dies. All Eden has left is the estate where she met Cornelius. She and her aunt move there and find everything in disrepair. She is determined to rebuild her life and her estate. Her late husband told her that her child was alive and miraculously he is at the estate when she arrives. Unfortunately, so is Cornelius, who wants his child and revenge. He now has changed his appearance and goes by the name of Shaw. He finds that he can't be angry at her and is finding that he has very unfanelike feelings for both his son and his mother.

The author has painted a very vivid picture of the time period and the lore of the forest lords. The storyline is engrossing and is resolved nicely in the end. Great story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Kinard tries something a bit different, August 14, 2003

By 

K. Newman "krazykmcd" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Forest Lord (The Fane, Book 1) (Paperback)

Kinard combines fantasy romance with a little Regency style, and has produced a story about Hern, the Forest Lord, one of the Fane who, in order to return home, must produce a human-fairy offspring with a human woman. Eden Fleming is the woman he chooses, as her father has broken the generations-long trust between the Forest Lord and the Fleming family. He blackmails Eden's father, and poses as a human to seduce her. At the almost last moment, Eden discovers the deception. She rejects `Cornelius' and flees to a new life in London. Six years later, Eden is back at her hereditary home, Hartsmere. Her husband has recently died leaving her in reasonably dire straits. She and her aunt, each with their own agendas, set up house and Eden starts trying to set her house in order. Meanwhile the Forest Lord has been asleep for 6 years, thoroughly disgusted with the Flemings and humankind in general. He is woken and told Eden is back, whereupon he determines to make her pay for his losing his chance at returning home, and meets her as `Hartley' - a man of the `servant' class who seemingly shows Eden nothing but contempt. But even the supernatural cannot escape from their fate, and it would seem he and Eden have more between them than bad feeling - not the least being a six year old boy. The half human son who is his way home...

This is a well constructed and well written story, and I liked the use of the natural world reflecting how things are between Hartley and Eden. However, neither of the central characters were particularly attractive to me - Eden with her short sightedness, her complete self involvement and her always being aware of class to the nth degree. Hartley/Conelius/The Forest Lord is little better, as the Fane cannot love and the only emotions he has at first are hate, a drive to get home, and a calculated manipulation of the Flemings. I became involved in the story mainly because of Donal, their son, but I'm not sure this is enough to carry the book for me. Also, Eden's immediate attachment is unconvincing, given what we know of her character. Ultimately it wasn't enough for me, however the writing was strong and well thought out. If you don't have my problem with the central characters, you'll enjoy this blend of fantasy, and historical romance.