The Guardian (Bantam Spectra Book) [Mass Market Paperback]

Angus Wells (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bantam Spectra Book | Publication Date: October 6, 1998

Angus Wells has imagined a magnificent new novel of vengeance, courage, and adventure--an electrifying tale of a noble warrior willing to lay down his life in the name of honor....

Aided by the dark magic of an evil sorcerer, a merciless army seeks to conquer the peaceful province of Chaldor. After Chaldor's king meets his death in battle, his queen urges the region's fiercest warrior, Gailard the Highlander, to carry out one final mission. She asks--and Gailard consents--to protect the royal daughter, Princess Ellyn, until she is old enough to gain her hereditary powers and win back her father's kingdom. But Gailard knows the enemy is closing in. In desperation, he turns to Shara, an enigmatic sorceress--and the only one with the power to help the pair survive. Shara vows to lead Gailard and Ellyn to their destiny. But will it be one of triumph...or destruction?

Editorial Reviews

Review

A reluctant soldier.  A spoiled princess.  A recipe for destiny. . . or disaster?

From the Publisher

A reluctant soldier. A spoiled princess. A recipe for destiny. . . or disaster?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (October 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553577891
• ISBN-13: 978-0553577891
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,710,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy going fantasy novel, May 17, 2002

By 

Jan-Thorsten Reszat (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guardian (Paperback)

The Guardian is xtra-light fantasy with all the common cliches to be expected in such literature: There're the good guys'n girls, who do (almost) everything right, motivated by most honorful intentions. Then there are the ultimately bad guys, who're soulless powermongers and who get either killed or converted (okay, in that case they werent that bad). And in the end the hero gets the (smart) girl (surprise, surprise: the leading female character actually isn't the guardian's ward, which serves as quite a positive twist), the other girl (the ward) gets the good-looking guy, and the smart guy (the hero's sidekick who is providing the most pleasureable scenes) gets the cute girl. At the end, the good ones are all united and everybody is happy and all smiles. Including the reader who just enjoyed a straightforward, easy-going tale with all the ingredients needed for a solid fantasy novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one kept me up late., October 11, 2001

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guardian (Bantam Spectra Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Queen of Chaldor foresaw the death of her husband in battle. Aided by an evil Vachyn sorcerer, Talon would conquer the castle. She gave the region's fiercest warrior, Gailard (a Highlander), the task of spiriting Princess Ellyn away and guarding her with his life until such time Ellyn was old enough to gain her hereditary powers, defeat Talon, and regain the throne.

Gailard and Ellyn had no love for each other. With Ellyn at the awkward age between child and woman, she had no understanding of the burdens of commanding armies, politics, magic, and zero patience. They gain an unlikely ally in Shara, another Vachyn. Shara promises to teach Ellyn the magic while Gailard teaches the princess how to battle in combat. Then, somehow, they must raise an army, defeat the mighty sorcerer, kill Talon, and regain the kingdom.

It sounded like fun!

***** An excellent Fantasy book! This one will keep its readers up well into the night. Non-stop, I hardly had time to breathe, much less, do anything in reality. Order out for pizza and settle in for a fantastic tale! *****

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Same book, different cover!", October 28, 1998

By 

Giles Krandrannon "Seer of Destiny" (NASSAU Bahamas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guardian (Bantam Spectra Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was most impressed with Wells' previous series "The Book of the Kingdoms" and the "Godwars." So therefore I was eager to read his newest book. I thought I would be taken on another thrilling ride, I was most disappointed. This book for all intents and purposes is a rehashing of the other series, particularly Godwars. Here we have a noble fleeing from his/her troubles with a guardian/protector and being presued by a sorcerer/wizard, we encounter waring clans who are not united, we get past them learn what our magical talent is, use it to solve our problems then triumph. It would have been easier and more accepted, if Wells had just tacked this book onto one of his other series. His style of writing hasn't even changed any. I think that next time, if there is a next time, I will examine his book more thoroughly before I decide to buy it. A great disappointment from a promising author.