Henry Atherton has been different ever since his amazing set of adventures with Pyrgus, Prince of the Faeries of the Light, and Holly Blue, Pyrgus’ sister. Together, they foiled an evil plot, and prevented the armies of Hael from completely taking over the land of Faerie. Not bad for a kid from the mundane world, right? With his ex-bank robber friend Mr. Fogarty staying behind in that world to act as Gatekeeper – an important position involving plenty of between-worlds travel, Henry’s been feeling a bit lonely. Luckily, that all changes when Pyrgus, now the Emperor of Faerie since his father’s untimely assassination, calls upon Henry to come attend his coronation. Excited at the prospect of spending more time in Faerie (and with Holly, who seems to like Henry, maybe as more than a friend), Henry leaps at the chance. Little does he know that he’ll be walking right into the middle of a fresh set of evil plots, and a conspiracy aimed at stealing the throne by any means necessary. A zombie emperor, some truly nasty Faeries of the Night, a conspiracy of telepathic and symbiotic worms, demons, and the return of some familiar bad guys will all keep Henry, Pyrgus, Fogarty and Holly Blue on their toes. Should they fail, Faerie’s in major trouble.

The sequel to Faerie Wars, The Purple Emperor continues the complex plotting, sharp characterization and fast-moving story of Henry and his friends. It’s always fun to see a new or interesting take on the land of Faerie; this pseudo-technological, not-quite-Victorian/industrial take is intriguing and ripe for exploration. Brennan excels at creating the sort of bad guys you love to hate (and really want to see dealt with properly once and for all), injects humor without taking it too far, and even throws in a tiny dash of the requisite romantic angle. Memorable characters and a richly-developed storyline both help to make this a series worth checking out. Luckily, there’s at least two more books planned for the series, so we’ll have plenty more of Henry, Pyrgus, and Holly Blue, and a chance to see just what’s in store for them.