''Fablehaven'' is a 2006
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. magic (paranormal), Magic, the supernatural and Legendary creature, magical creatures are common i ...
written by
Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull (born November 8, 1974) is an American author best known for his children's fantasy series, '' Fablehaven'', as well as '' Dragonwatch'', '' The Candy Shop War'', the ''Beyonders'' trilogy, and the ''Five Kingdoms'' series. He also ...
. The book centers on two siblings, Kendra and Seth Sorenson, who visit their grandfather's mansion, which unbeknownst to most of the world, is a reserve for mystical creatures. The grandfather and the caretakers are eventually kidnapped by goblins, forcing the siblings to find and rescue them while a witch named Muriel plans to unleash a powerful demon named Bahumat.
Mull, having wanted to become a fantasy novelist ever since he was a child, submitted a manuscript to various publishers. Though the manuscript was rejected, Chris Schoebinger of
Shadow Mountain Publishing took a liking for Mull's writing style and suggested to Mull writing a different type of novel. The novel would become ''Fablehaven'', which took five months to write. The book was published on June 14, 2006.
''Fablehaven'' was met with commercial success and generally positive reception. It sold 20,000 copies a few months after release, and eventually reached two million copies sold in the United States by 2011. It was the first book of
a five-book series, which lasted from 2006 to 2010 and would become a
''New York Times'' bestseller. Mull eventually wrote and released ''
Dragonwatch'', a sequel series that lasted from 2017 to 2021.
Plot
Kendra and Seth Sorenson, two siblings, visit their grandfather, Stan Sorenson, for a few weeks. When they arrive, they find their grandmother, Ruth, missing, and are informed that she is visiting a relative. Their grandfather informs them that there are disease-bearing ticks in the wood adjoining his house, and forbids them from entering the woods. Seth, however, disobeys him and explores the woods. He encounters an old woman in a shack, who tries to lure him inside. Unnerved by the experience, he returns to the house and persuades Kendra to join him in another woods excursion. Stan finds out about their forbidden ventures and explains that he keeps endangered species of lethal animals in the woods, which is why he told them not to enter the woods. Seth and Kendra convince him to lessen their punishment.
Shortly afterward, Kendra follows a series of clues given to her by Stan, which leads her to an instruction to drink
unpasteurized milk straight from the cow on the farm. She had previously been warned against doing so by Dale, Stan's hired man. Hesitant to sample the milk, she persuades Seth to try the milk first. After he tastes the milk, Seth claims to be able to see
fairies
A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...
in the garden. Kendra drinks the milk herself and sees them too. Stan confronts them and explains that there are still magical beings in the world, mostly contained in preserves. His grounds are one of these preserves, designated ''Fablehaven''. He explains that the old woman, whom Seth met is a
witch
Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
named Muriel Taggert, and finally explains to them the real reason why they are not allowed in the woods: dangerous magical beings such as demons and specters are contained there.
Stan also informs them that
Midsummer's Eve is approaching, a festival night on which the boundaries containing magical entities dissolve. The creatures are free to roam and wreak havoc everywhere on the preserve, except the house; they cannot enter the house unless a door or window is opened to them. Stan places Seth and Kendra in the attic, warning them not to leave their beds till morning. However, a set of
goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...
s trick Seth into opening a window. Though Seth and Kendra are unharmed, the goblins provide entrance to other creatures, wreaking havoc in the house, turning Dale into a statue, and abducting Stan and Lena, the ex-
naiad
In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...
housekeeper. After an unsuccessful attempt to find Stan, the siblings return to the house. A message written with chicken seeds makes the siblings realize that their pet chicken is actually Ruth in an enchanted state. They take her to Muriel to release her from the spell, but in exchange, Muriel demands that they undo the spells binding her to the shack. After Ruth is transformed back into herself and Muriel is released, Ruth persuades Nero, a cliff
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
, to tell them Stan's location in exchange for a massage. Nero informs them that Stan is held in the Forgotten Chapel.
Ruth tells Kendra and Seth that the Forgotten Chapel is actually a containment facility for one of the most powerful demons in existence, Bahumat. They realize that Muriel is trying to release Bahumat, and the three attempt to stop her. However, Muriel and her minions capture them all except for Kendra, who manages to escape. In desperation, she goes to the Fairy Queen's shrine, despite the potentially dangerous ramifications, and begs the Fairy Queen for help. The Queen spares Kendra's life, and provides her with instructions on how to create an elixir to enlarge the fairies and enhance their powers. Kendra creates the elixir and gives it to the fairies.
The enlarged fairies attack Bahumat and turn corrupted versions of themselves back to their original form. They re-imprison Bahumat and Muriel and release the humans imprisoned. Each of the fairies transfers their extra energy to Kendra, returning to their normal sizes in the process. This leaves Kendra with the ability to see magical creatures without consuming milk. As the school year starts and their parents collect them from Fablehaven, Kendra wonders what other magical wonders are present in the world.
Background and publication history
Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull (born November 8, 1974) is an American author best known for his children's fantasy series, '' Fablehaven'', as well as '' Dragonwatch'', '' The Candy Shop War'', the ''Beyonders'' trilogy, and the ''Five Kingdoms'' series. He also ...
had wanted to become a fantasy novelist ever since reading ''
The Chronicles of Narnia
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...
'', ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'', and ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' while growing up.
As an adult working in the marketing field to support his family in Utah, he would secretly write fictional stories off-hours,
[ a hobby he had since he was teenager.] Mull eventually wrote the manuscript for his first novel and tried to have it published. While various publishing companies rejected the manuscript, it caught the attention of Chris Schoebinger, the public director of Shadow Mountain Publishing.[ Schoebinger liked Mull's writing style and suggested writing a different type of novel to him, which would become ''Fablehaven''.]
Mull cites the three childhood books as his main influence on ''Fablehaven''.[ The setting of ''Fablehaven'' is based on Mull's daydreams in ]Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
forests.[ As a child, he would daydream about fantasy creatures in the forests and think of an excuse of why those creatures would be in the forest; they lived in secret wildlife parks. Various other details of ''Fablehaven'' were based on aspects of Mull's life. The character of Seth was based on Mull's brother, Bryson, while Muriel was based on an Arabic word associated with witchcraft that translates to "one who blows on knots".
''Fablehaven'' took five months to write][ and was the first book written by Brandon Mull to be published.][ Brandon Dorman is the illustrator and cover artist of ''Fablehaven''. The book was released on June 14, 2006, with Shadow Mountain Publishing publishing the hardcover editions and ]Aladdin Paperbacks
Aladdin Paperbacks is one of several children's-book imprints owned by Simon & Schuster.
It was established by Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Books where she was the founding director of the children's department (1961). Atheneum merged with or was ...
publishing the paperback editions.[ As of 2012, ''Fablehaven'' is available in more than 25 languages and territories.][
]
Reception
''Fablehaven'' was a success; it sold 20,000 copies by September 2006, as reported by ''Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
''. In May 2007, the ''Pleasant Grove Review'' reported that the hardback edition of ''Fablehaven'' sold over 75,000 copies. Later that same year, the '' Daily Herald'' reported that ''Fablehaven'' and its sequel, '' Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star'' sold 200,000 copies together. ''Fablehaven'' entered the ''New York Times Best Seller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
'' in November 2007. ''The Daily Universe
''The Universe'' (formerly ''The Daily Universe'') is the official student newspaper for Brigham Young University (BYU) and was started in 1956.
History
BYU's student-published newspaper was first titled ''White and Blue'' (1898–1921), later b ...
'' reported that ''Fablehaven'' had sold 2million copies in the United States by 2011. ''Deseret News'' stated that ''Fablehaven'' "ha been sold in more than 25 languages and territories" and particularly sold well in France, making it in its best-selling lists for six weeks.
The reviews for ''Fablehaven'' were generally positive. Various reviewers have favorably compared ''Fablehaven'' to the ''Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' series, including author Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. , he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award in List of joint ...
.[ Card praised Mull for successfully writing a story "in which magic and fairy realms intersect", a style he considers "devilishly hard to write", with ''Fablehaven''. He also defended its religious themes in response to an email. ]Obert Skye
Robert Farrell Smith (born 1970) is an American humor writer. Starting in 2005, he publishes children's books under the pseudonym Obert Skye. He is known for the ''Leven Thumps'' series, the ''Pillage'' trilogy, and ''The Creature from My Closet ...
, another author, found the world of ''Fablehaven'' to be creepy in some aspects, but inviting in others.[ Stacy Whitman of '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' opined that the book "skirts the edge of the line between telling a good story well and allowing the message to overshadow the story".
'']Columbia Daily Tribune
The ''Columbia Daily Tribune'', commonly referred to as the ''Columbia Tribune'' or the ''Tribune'', is one of two daily newspapers in Columbia, Missouri, the other being the '' Columbia Missourian''. It is the only daily newspaper in Columbia wh ...
'' Holly E. Newton wrote that the book is "so compelling and so well written" that readers will not be able to stop reading ''Fablehaven''. Scott Iwasaki from ''Deseret News'' called the book "a quick-paced read" that successfully explores a fantasy world. In contrast, ''Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' criticized the book having Seth disobeying an adult being used as a frequent plot device
A plot device or plot mechanism
is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward.
A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...
, and stated that " tty repartee between the central characters, as well as the occasional well-done set piece, isn't enough to hold this hefty debut together". Matt Berman of Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. similarly criticized the plot device and called the characters of Seth and Kendra "stereotypes".
Franchise
''Fablehaven'' was followed by four sequels; '' Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star'' was released on May 1, 2007, '' Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague'' on April 21, 2008,[ '' Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary'' on March 24, 2009, and '' Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison'' on March 23, 2010. The series has become a New York Times Bestselling series, and Mull has visited over 600 schools in over 30 states to promote it to students. The potential of a film adaptation has been discussed, with the rights to one even being optioned a couple of times. Mull has stated that he believes that one will eventually be released.][
Mull later wrote and released a five-book sequel series to the ''Fablehaven'' series, known as '' Dragonwatch''. ''Caretaker's Guide to Fablehaven'', released on October 13, 2015, was written as an encyclopedia of the setting of ''Fablehaven'' in preparation for the release of ''Dragonwatch''. ''Dragonwatch: A Fablehaven Adventure'' was released on March 14, 2017, ''Dragonwatch: Wrath of the Dragon King'' on October 23, 2018, ''Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle'' on October 1, 2019, ''Dragonwatch: Champion of the Titan Games'' on October 13, 2020, and ''Dragonwatch: Return of the Dragon Slayers'' on October 26, 2021.]
References
External links
Official ''Fablehaven'' series site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fablehaven (Novel)
Fablehaven series
2006 American novels
2006 fantasy novels
American fantasy novels
American children's novels
Children's fantasy novels
Novels about fairies
Novels by Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain Publishing books