The Warded Man [Hardcover]

Peter V. Brett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

The time has come to stand against the night.

As darkness falls each night, the corelings rise–demons who well up from the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form and substance. Sand demons. Wood demons. Wind demons. Flame demons. And gigantic rock demons, the deadliest of all. They possess supernatural strength and powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards–symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery, and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile.

It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms. Once, under the leadership of the legendary Deliverer, and armed with powerful wards that were not merely shields but weapons, they took the battle to the demons . . . and stopped their advance.

But those days are gone. The fighting wards are lost. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault.
Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past.

Arlen will pay any price, embrace any sacrifice, for freedom. His grim journey will take him beyond the bounds of human power.

Crippled by the demons that killed his parents, Rojer seeks solace in music–only to discover that music can be a weapon as well as a refuge.

Beautiful Leesha, who has suffered at the hands of men as well as demons, becomes an expert healer. But what cures can also harm. . . .

Together, they will stand against the night.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brett's debut builds slowly and grimly on a classic high fantasy framework of black-and-white morality and bloodshed. Young Arlen battles demons to save his mother while his father watches in terror; when his mother dies, Arlen runs away. Leesha leaves her village to work in the city hospital of Angiers after her betrothed claims to have taken her virginity. Jongleur Arrick Sweetsong saved himself from demons at the expense of a female friend, but he honors her last request and raises her son, Rojer, as his apprentice. Only near the end do the three strands of the story begin to intertwine. With its nameless enemies that exist only to kill, Brett's gritty tale will appeal to those who tire of sympathetic villains and long for old-school orc massacres. (Mar.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—In his debut novel, Brett catapults readers into a world in which demons rise at night and the human population lives in fear and seclusion. Only those who brave the unsheltered night and survive see what lies beyond their birth town or city. The setting itself is spare and underdeveloped with the focus instead being on the flawed heroes of the tale. Brett spends a majority of the novel—the first of a series—establishing the backstories of the main characters, three humans who come from different towns and backgrounds and are thrown into the battle at a young age. Readers are held in suspense until the three finally meet. Brett uses the demons and magic to examine issues prevalent in our own society, such as religion versus science. The book is captivating and well written, quickly drawing readers in. The Warded Man is a must-read for anyone looking for a new fantasy world to explore.—Kelliann Bogan, Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345503805
• ISBN-13: 978-0345503800
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (197 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new classic, June 26, 2009

By 

Rich Gubitosi (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Warded Man (Hardcover)

Not since Mistborn have I been so captivated by a story and charmed by its setting. The Warded Man is an impressive debut and probably my favorite book of 2009 in any genre. If Peter Brett continues to write this way, he will need to clear space on his mantle for awards.

The Warded Man is about Arlen, a villager who must survive in a grim fantasy world ravaged by demons at night. His character arc propels the narrative once he realizes that survival is not enough. Two other characters eventually join him in his exploits against the demons: Rojer and Leesha. I like how they are regular people--too many fantasies deal with long-lost princes, wizards, queens, and knights. The best thing I can say about the three main characters is that I cared about them. Since the author takes his time developing them from children to adults, you almos feel like you are growing up alongside them. When they suffer, you will cringe, but when they excel, you will cheer.

The author's depiction of village age is authentic and folksy. Everything feels right--the gossip, the neighborliness, the barter, the sense of feeling apart from the other villages and cities. The world is dangerous, and not everyone gets along, but people set aside their differences when the demons strike. Later in the novel, the author describes city life just as well as village life, especially once Arlen reaches Krasia, a hub of a warrior society with Arabic influences.

The novel packs action, adventure, romance, and substance. I like how it considers the nature of heroism, the futility of passivity, and even the plight of women. The scenes of combat between man and demon are gratifying, and the one romantic scene is heady with tenderness and passion. The author has a pleasing, crisp, lively style that serves the story and does not overwhelm it.

Like many fantasies, The Warded Man ends with a teaser for the next book. For once, I am glad that a book does not end conclusively. I am counting days until Brett's next book. If you only read one fantasy in 2009, The Warded Man is the one to read.

50 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rousing Fantasy Debut, March 10, 2009

By 

N. Bilmes "bookaholic" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Warded Man (Hardcover)

Brett's debut novel is well-told, action-packed, and as addictive as any book I've ever picked up. The main characters are introduced to us in separate vignettes detailing the momentous turning points in their youths that spur them to become the heroes they will later prove to be. In the world created by Peter Brett humans fear the night, and seek protection from the demons that rise from the ground at sunset to wreak havok (which mostly involves eating human flesh).

The storytelling and snippets of humor keep the narrative lively and fresh, and while Brett's main character turns out to be rather humorless, the other people in the story are more than colorful enough to make up for that failing.

This book has similiarities to Elantris (the wards of power) by Brandon Sanderson, Mystborn (creatures arise by night) also by Sanderson, Robert Jordan's earliest books of the Wheel of Time, and a speck of George R.R. Martin. There is more humor in Brett's novels than those of the other authors, and the action is taut and frantic.

If you enjoyed any of those authors' books, or the writing of Patrick Rothfuss, you're going to love The Warded Man.

119 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Predictable Stuff., May 6, 2010

By 

Nick - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Warded Man (Mass Market Paperback)

The Warded man is another hero's journey of a boy who is thrust from the womb of his home and into the terrible reality he lives. This novel follows Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, each following similar coming-of-age arcs, jumping years, until they finally converge near the end of the book. Structure is good, but you must stray from it to keep things interesting. The story almost turns into Dune while Arlen is in the desert, but thankfully Brett decided to stop there, and instead give Arlen a Edmund Dantes-esque return as the titular Warded Man. There are some funny bits, some sweet revelations of the good in the hearts of some lowly characters and the action was often bloody and thrilling, but overall the inner story of the characters was flimsy, and Arlen essentially becomes the Batman of his world.

Brett's prose would have gotten me flayed in school, he almost entirely tells instead of shows, often repeating the obvious multiple times in the same paragraph, then having the dialog repeat it again, never allowing for subtext. He bashes the reader over the head with the apparent, yet neglects details like describing what the demons actually look like until quite a few chapters after they appear. The world that he created feels more like a rough sketch, which would work with a cast of strong and complex characters, but those are missing here.

Another odd and bothersome aspect of this book is the constant examples of rape, incest, and molestation that permeate the story. About every other chapter has the characters in some conflict with sexual predators, or their own juvenile sexual issues. Particularly Leesha, who in the story is so beautiful that she turns any man alone with her into a drooling rapist. Well written, this may have lent itself to the complexity of the story, but it was not well done. This aspect was clumsy, predicable, and left me cringing more than once, and actually less interested in the character's fates. By the end, it felt like a heavy handed attempt to shape Leesha's and the others characters, but failed to do so.

Certainly not the worst fantasy you could pick up, but if you want a well done, gritty, fantasy, check out Joe Abercrombie and the First Law series. Or just a great, original fantasy book, try The Name of Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and see how it's done.