Gailard is banished from the Highlands because he refuses to marry the daughter of a rival clan. He then becomes a trusted hired sword for the kingdom of Chaldor. When Chaldor is at war with (and losing badly to) the bad kingdom of Danant and their evil Vachyn sorcerer, Gailard is beseeched by the dying king to protect his daughter, Ellyn (who has some extra-special latent powers) from the evil ruler of Danant, Talan. Our hero whisks the reluctant Ellyn off to the Highlands where she must remain incognito until the dust settles and she can re-claim Chaldor, which is now in the hands of Talan and the sorcerer, Nestor (did I mention they were evil?). Once in the Highlands, Gailard and Ellyn are captured by clans (he was banished, remember?) and our hero is stoned to death. But just as the buzzards are arriving, so does the good sorceress, Shara, who brings Gailard back to life. Shara, who just happens to be the evil Nestor's sister, vows to train Ellyn in the ways of magic (for good, not evil) and provides a love interest. Gailard and Shara combine their strengths and create a wise, powerful young queen. The threesome returns to Chaldor, along with the now unified Highland clans, to defeat all the evil people. Not as gripping as the Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series, The Guardian is a typical epic, good vs. evil, fantasy complete with adventure, magic, and gory fight scenes. Readers will like some of the unique subplots, but they are not likely to yearn for more tales of Chaldor. Too often melodramatic and choppy ("I slept not at all that night; I could not, for fear of the dawn"), the writing further contributes to the mediocrity of the book. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P S A/YA (Readable without serious defects, For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).