The Warden: A Novel

Written by Daniel M. Ford

Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus

"Lindsey Dorcus smoothly narrates this adventurous audiobook perfect for fans of fantasy role-playing games."- AudioFile

For fans who have always wanted their Twin Peaks to have some wizards, THE WARDEN is a nonstop action adventure story from author Daniel M. Ford.

There was a plan.

She had the money, the connections, even the brains. It was simple: become one of the only female necromancers, pass as many certifications as she could, get a post near the capital, then… profit. The funny thing about plans is that they are seldom under your control.

Now Aelis, a daughter of a noble house and a trained Magister of the Lyceum, finds herself in the far-removed village of Lone Pine. Mending fences and delivering baby goats, serving people who want nothing to do with her. But, not all is well in Lone Pine, and as the villagers Aelis is reluctantly getting to know start to behave strangely, Aelis begins to suspect that there is far greater need for a warden of her talents than she previously thought.

Old magics are restless, and an insignificant village on the farthest border of the kingdom might hold secrets far beyond what anyone expected. Aelis might be the only person standing between one of the greatest evils ever known and the rest of the free world.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250883209

Daniel M. Ford

Daniel M. Ford is a native of Baltimore. He has an M.A. in Irish Literature from Boston College, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University. He lives in Delaware and teaches at a college prep high school in rural Maryland. When he isn’t writing, he’s reading, playing RPGs, lifting weights, or mixing cocktails. His previous work includes The Warden, The Paladin Trilogy, and the Jack Dixon novels.

Reviews for The Warden

[Billie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Warden
by Daniel M. Ford
The Warden #1
Fantasy
Scribd (Everand) Audio
16+

Aelis de Lenti is the daughter of a noble house, but to prove she is more than just one of the youngest children who will rely on the money her family makes, she enrolls in the Magisters' Lyceum to earn as many degrees as she can, and to become one of the only female necromancers.

Graduated, her plans of being posted in one of the cities are dashed, she is instead sent out to a village called Lone Pine, located on the farthest border of the kingdom. But even though the village requested a Warden, they avoid her out of fear of her magic.

Trying to prove she isn't evil, she begins to help out with fence mending and other jobs to help the villagers, but when from the border a group of scavengers stop in the village, Aelis finds that the little village might be the key to stop what has been sleeping since the goblin war ended before it wakes.


Even though this story was a simple read, I liked it! It kept at a mostly steady pace, and the 'side tracks' added more depth to the plot. Aelis' determination to prove herself as worthy and more than what money makes her family, is front and center, and with her 'entitled' reaction when she found she was being sent out into the wilderness instead of a city made her character become real, but I think her struggles with her upbringing and where she ended up should've been a little more active.

Most of the other characters who played a major role in the story were also well thought out, though there were a few who I believe needed just a little more descriptions to give them a little more life.

One irritating thing was how in the middle of something, the MC would have a flashback to when she was in school, learning about something related to what was going on in the village. While I can see how it helped with the story, there were a few times it happened at the wrong time and it interrupted the flow of the story, making me stop what I was doing because I thought the audio glitched.

Hopefully, the intriguing magic system and world will have more descriptions and backstories in the next book, which I will be looking for.

Not a lot of violence or graphic details, so it's suitable for readers 16 and older.

4 Stars