I was so ready for Kalmar to sacrifice himself, I was ready to cry, we were right at the part where he tells everyone to sing, and then I realized something. I love names anyway. Andrew Peterson: I had temptations that I struggled with from a very young age, lust and anger among other things. They dont want to do their homework but this is what happens when your running away from evil is chaperoned by your mom and grandpa. But its really bad if youre susceptible to voices, the voice of the enemy. Great interview questions and discussion. Since you still struggle to walk properly, Sara can help you." Sara went and stood by Janner. Andrew Peterson: I was waking up to writers like Wendell Berry, and Walt Wangerin Jr., and. Lets listen to todays book review. I also noticed that name changes seem to be happening at really pivotal moments in a characters life. (We always call it Igiby, even after we found out it was really Wingfeather) Such as. Im working on making the ultimate Igiby trivia. I cried when they found each other, and then Artham realized they were flying and spinning in the air. Andrew Peterson: So, in this story, I wanted to make the parents actual parents, who actually loved and liked their kids. The Maker is good and the people trust in Him. The children would go to sleep at night hoping the Black Carriage does not come for them. Because its hard to write a story where the main character can always be let off the hook by some grownup presence; by a parent who can always kind of swoop in and save them. But the story has such gravity to it that eventually you stop thinking of names like Dumbledore as weird and funny; theyre just woven into the fabric of the world. No dreams and visions of God or from God. All right, well, this has been fun, so thank you so much for-. BEEP. These characters have a very well-developed interior life, in ways that Narnia sometimes gestures toward, like with the roots of Edmunds meanness or Eustaces general unpleasantness, but I think you spent more time working on that. With gods on the screen, havent you wondered how many pastors get the question, Can a Christian watch Marvel movies? While there, she was put in a torture chamber called The Coffin at least once. I have a friend who was an English student at Vanderbilt, which is a very liberal school, but he had a professor, who was not a Christian, who spent the first semester of their English class studying the Bible. You treat it differently if its got a name. I just finished reading wolf king again. My wife I just kind of told her, Just so you know, this is very important to me. You know this, Jake, given what you named your kids. Hes an even better poet. I think that thats something that America could learn from the UK. With Bonifer, though, theres actually this backstory that helps us understand his transformation. The author talks about how in Narnia, we can see that people are eating, but you never see any evidence of where they get their food. If you like the book reviews, please consider supporting. It begins like this: I have three kids, and they devour books like crazy people. The narrow argument is more complicated. But the Maker seems to be an absent God. Jake Meador: Dickerson, Matthew Dickerson. They both had classical training, and could probably read The Iliad in its original language. He can't go out to see the world so he enjoys the next best thing, being there when the world comes to him. A Christian Guide to Leading by Tony Reinke. Youve been warned. If our kids came to us and said, I need to talk to you about something, we dont go, Oh, Im paying the bills right now. That feels like a cardboard thing to me. But other than the cruel Fangs and the constant threat of death and torture, there wasnt much to fear in Skree. Im a Christian, husband of one, father of two, university lecturer, Baptist lay-preacher and Christian Education director. Artham P. Wingfeather, Throne Warden of Anniera--brother to Esben Wingfeather, High King of Anniera. Jake Meador: It doesnt get better. Were over halfway through the fourth book, and Im already dreading the ending, which I will not be able to get through without coming unglued. Its a pretty potent imagination, and has been as long as I can remember, which can be good if youre a songwriter, or a novel writer, whatever. Or Be Eaten, The Monster in the Hollows, and The Warden and the Wolf King.The series chronicles the adventures and transformations of a family . They could probably put together the stories in a way that kids these days probably arent capable of. The hope that Janner had revived Sara, and sparked a revolution as she was determined to lead a rebellion that would escape the factory. Theyre accompanied by Leelis dog Nugget, their mother Nia, and their ex-pirate grandfather Podo Helmer. A Christian Guide to Reading Books. Hes just had to kind of compartmentalize that, almost. This one was very unexpected. And so the why was the story. I read the full trilogy. Havent you heard, the book of Acts has not ended because we are still living in it? So Scripture was the epic that I was [], Your email address will not be published. Jolkien. And what do you think his main-est theme in all the books is? It was getting to the bottom of things. Also, may I just say that Andrew Petersons music is better than Wingfeather, go ahead, disagree, but its just my thought. At the hint of the jewels presence, the evil powers strike for sleepy town Glipwood. Below is a lightly edited transcription of our conversation. But these days, when my oldest zips through a Hardy Boys book in one afternoon? I wont get into it. I have never felt anything so badly at all, even in real life!!!!! And as long as they bore no weapons, and they didnt complain when their fellow Skreeans were occasionally taken away across the sea, never to be seen again. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Wingfeather Saga Book 1 at the best online prices at eBay! You are listening to Reading and Readers, not Watching and Watchers. This was my first attempt at writing, so I can look back and see myself slowly figuring out how it worked as the books were written. That was one of the first moments where I was like, This is not what I thought I was picking up. And it really is all building up to the final pages of the story, which felt like the way that story had to end. I bought the hardcover instead of the cheaper Kindle versions because I wanted a birthday gift that my son can hold and years later smile when he sees them on his shelf and remembers Janner Igiby. I cant remember the author now. Well what does that actually mean? Nope. So we have this idea presented right away in the text that people are made in Gods image in a way that the rest of the creation is not. Andrew Peterson has awakened my inner eight-year-old, and that is a very . Jake Meador: Well and even after Gnag is gone, theres Fangs that are like, We dont know what were supposed to do now., Jake Meador: Weve just been evil for so long, and, Jake Meador: When I was reading that to Davy Joy my wife was in the kitchen and overheard the part where one of the one Fangs is like, What if we like being evil?. Theres not a lot of interest in the world itself, where things come from, where characters come from. By the end of it he feels he would give anything to have his life back the way it was (or almost: without the fangs of Dang would be nice). Or my Logos Book of the Month reviews like A Walk with God by R.C. Andrew Peterson: I would say that that was probably the biggest influence on anything that I would writethe constant presence of the Bible, because I grew up in this conservative church that had me memorizing Bible verses from the time I was little. Andrew Peterson: And it really does change the way you think about your place. Im excited! It's also kind of a Heartwarming Moment, because after reflecting on how selfish he's been throughout his adventures, he finally sacrifices himself to save his brother and many others. Im sure there are a lot of loose ends. Can you talk a bit about names and about what made that such a central theme for you? Janner loves Leeli. Janner, Tink, and Leeli all have surface traits and some attempts to have anything deeper. The day before, Janner and Tink find themselves threatened by one of the region's most fearsome animals, the carnivorous "toothy cow.". The most popular anti-book is YouTube. But in any event, thats the character. Andrew Peterson: I just wanted, if I had to choose one or the other, I wanted The Wingfeather Saga to tilt toward something like the Shire, an actual place that people actually want to visit. Their mother insists they do their THAGS. I mean, he has to. The remaining orphans traveled to Anniera, which had just been restored. Sara Cobbler was one of the children taken away by the Black Carriage. Do you want the next best thing after the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia? Kudos: 3 Hits: 58 The restoring by Ellie_the_Throne_Warden Sara and Janner, Kalmar and whatever-her-name-is-that-used-to-be-nuzzard Rudrick and Nia Leevi and Thorn Kelvey and Maraly Artham and Alma. I think Philip Pullman said it. I like the other characters, but that Podo is horrible! In his autobiography, Adorning the Dark, Peterson reflects on his conversion from a fantasy world escapist into a born-again Christian. Janner had to be the one. For a longer conversation about this remarkable fantasy series, seethis exchangebetween Peterson and Jake []. Thanks for that interview, Jake. The food sometimes just magically appears, but theres no evidence of farming implements or vineyards or anything; everybodys just kind of hanging out in this world and theyve got food. Jake Meador is the editor-in-chief of Mere Orthodoxy. Three Honoured and Great Subjects: Word, Form, and Song. A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke. They pray to the Maker. Jake's writing has appeared in Commonweal, Christianity Today, Fare Forward, the University Bookman, Books & Culture, First Things, National Review, Front Porch Republic, and The Run of Play and he has written or contributed to several books, including "In Search of the Common Good," "What Are Christians For?" If I cant appeal to either the creative or the theological reasoning part of your brain, then my last resort, the big guns is the anti-book. For a different reason this time. So getting to the bottom of why? was part of the joy of writing the story, and the why always comes down to the human heart. Thats a big part of The Warden and the Wolf King. it struck me so hard I sat upright on the couch and cried No! while my family stared at me. He did it to find the jewels. The first to join her was Borley, a boy from the Linnard Woodlands. I was so enchanted by the story, the characters, the fights, the jokes, the challengesI feel so much like Janner. After your kids read it, they will take care of their siblings, respect their elders, do their homework. And the way that that gets expressed is a little bit different for the parents, because I mean you show it really beautifully I think with Podo at the end of North! Its like the long defeat idea that the Elves talk about in Lord of the Rings; that okay, even if the bad guys win, that doesnt let me off the hook; I still fight for what is right. James, What a Democracy Can Lose without Christianity | National Review. Wingfeather Saga is my favorite book series of all time, but only one other person I know has read the entire series and he still like LotR better. And he failed. "But now that everyone's healed, hopefully there won't be a need for me to do that again." Kalmar smiled back, but Janner noticed a hint of something like guilt in his blue eyes. The theological core is Christian. It's set in the world of Aerwiar where Gnag the Nameless and his evil Fangs have taken over. I dont want to expose them to words or situations I wouldnt want my own children exposed to. @zoe-wingfeather (Wait. But even when I was a kid, I was way more interested in stories that demonstrated that the evils not just out there, theres also a brokenness thats in us; that something outside of us has to overcome. Part 1 of Wars of the worlds Language: English Words: 755 Chapters: 4 /? And so, Gnag the Nameless was human, in the beginning. To hear more of Andrew Petersons thoughts on making, read his autobiography, Adorning the Dark: Thoughts of Community, Calling and the Mystery of Making. Drink, he told me, and thirst no more.. Andrew Peterson: Yeah,I think thats a big one. We all have it in us by virtue of the choices that we make, whether we choose to partake of the fruit of the tree of life, or the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I think everybody is looking at the election thats coming up, and were like, No matter what, were hosed.. Andrew Peterson: If I compare that to that scene in Return of the Jedi when the Emperor and Luke are having their final showdown, and Luke is looking out the window and he sees the battle happening a long way away, and you know that Han Solo and Lando and theyre all fighting, and you love these characters. I swear its as bad as Watership Down. Without Christ, can anything be Christian? So I was thinking about someone like Bonifer. End Footnote. Really fantastic interview. So this goes back to something I heard someone say probably 10 or 12 years ago. Click the button. I love these books as much as I love LOTR. Truth-telling with a capital T. I recommend Wingfeather because of what it reveals of God and his ways. During the Wingfeather War, Janner was taken to the Fork Factory, and he likely would have not escaped without the help of Sara. And as I thought about that, I think you do have that element to your songwriting, and its certainly there in the stories. At one point Janner strikes a match, and a friend of mine was like, Matches require gunpowder, basically. They cannot see a way to conquer the bad guy. All of this ridiculousness. In that message, Peterson has a note to parents. The broad argument is: if you are convinced by Reinkes 7 reasons for reading non-Christian books as supported by John Calvin, Martin Luther, the early church fathers, and his interpretation of the Bible and your conscience is not violated when you read popular culture books and movies, then you have slayed the dragon in the room. So it was tricky, but part of the goal was to make it clear that this family works best when theyre together. How did you approach that challenge of kind of writing adult characters, for kids, while still giving them that kind of depth, even when you cant show it, in the way you could with Janner? Most of it wasnt very good. Until next time, keep reading. And so I missed the glory of what those books really were, for many years. And so, Im not going to get into it, because it will get dark and Ill overshare, but the point is, I think shame is a way of allowing the enemy to name you, as opposed to clinging with all your hope to this other name that God gives you. But when the Fangs make the first move and invade Ban Rona, the children are separated. I bear the Makers image, and one of the ways that plays out is that I delight in making. Janners death is so moving but so, so, SO devastating. It just felt like this world that was nurturing to me, because I was growing up in a, I wouldnt say fundamentalist, but pretty conservative evangelical situation, and my imagination was potent, and I didnt really like where I was. I must be an annoyance to them, and blah blah. Yay YouTube! This is a Reading and Readers review of the four book series: Singfeather Waga by Peter Anderson, I mean, Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Hes Peet in the first two books, and hes Artham in the last two. Sproul and Revelation and the End of All Things by Craig R. Koester. Wingfeather Saga Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. Song Maiden. Life itselfthe one I was actually livingfor once outshone the life I had yearned for. Andrew Peterson: At the expense of what couldve been a good story! And even if that means changing our lives, thats what were called to do. It takes place in the land of Aerwiar, nine years after a nameless evil named Gnag the Nameless has devastated all that is good and fair. I have seriously thought about emailing Andrew Peterson and asking him whether or not Janner gets healed in his mind, like what he thinks happened. Yeah. My goal was for a kid to finish the last page of The Wingfeather Saga, and to know in a way that they didnt know before that there is something stronger than the darkness. Listen to my in-depth review of the latest titles like Redeeming Our Thinking About History by Vern. The royal family is on the run, and the Fang armies of Gnag the Nameless are close behind. And just like the Discworld novels, the footnotes in Wingfeather resent being footnotes. And would listen to them if they needed to tell them something. No theophanies. After helping free Janner, she was put in the coffin again. You also take time to develop it with Bonifer Squoon, who just kind of swings all over the place; first hes this character thats just kind of a trivia item that we come across early on, and then hes this kind of welcome connection to Esben and to Anniera, and then he turns into a villain very abruptly, and then in the end hes not redeemed in any way, but his story is told in a way that makes sense so that you can understand how Bonifer became what he finally turned out to be. Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli are ready and willing to fight alongside the Hollowsfolk. And so, whether that means me interpreting some look or the way a friend said a thing, and then, and at midnight Im lying in bed and Ive constructed this whole false narrative about how they hate me, and how Ive ruined everything, and Why did they say that thing like that? By the time I started working on The Wingfeather Saga, fantasy was only one section of my library. Can you talk a bit about how you wanted to approach some really dark themes as youre writing these books? Andrew Peterson: Lay scholar, I should say. The first book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is the 2008 Christy Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction. Free shipping for many products! North! And in order for that to work, there had to be a paper trail, so to speak, of how they became who they became, because we all have it in us. Its like a cheap version of conflict. The Wingfeather Saga is a series of four fantasy novels, plus a "Creaturepedia" and a collection of side-stories titled The Wingfeather Tales, written by singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson, consisting of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North! No way. Whether its a commentary or a childrens story, from Christology to eschatology, the Reading and Readers Podcast has a book for you. I was growing up in a town that I didnt fit into. If you think about what prophetic speech is doing well, it is trying to kind of catch people, get their attention, help them to see this thing thats happening that is wrong, and we need to repent of it. I really didnt like the abrupt ending, though. He wants rest. Im sobbing because I realize how much it means. And Im sure scripture was part of that, because they both grew up in a Christian culture. Andrew Peterson: Which is in my mind kind of like The Scouring of the Shire, when Frodo and Sam come back home. You can watch the 15 minute animated short, just search Wingfeather in YouTube or watch it in the Wingfeather website. answer choices . And if that last sentence made you smile, prepare to laugh . I thought even the voice of the narrator in these books is distinctive. Smith, Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts by Paul Tripp, Fault Lines vs Cynical Theories vs Ministers of Reconciliation, Prayer: Communing with God in Everything Collected Insights from A.W. He said, Your child is intuiting something about the universe thats true, in that moment, and so you shouldnt be afraid of talking to them about real sin, and real darkness, and I sense the same kind of approach to how you wrote Wingfeather. I think thats the difference between Narnia and Tolkien is that earthiness of The Lord of the Rings. But I didnt know why yet. All truth is from God; and consequently, if wicked men have said anything that is true and just, we ought not to reject it; for it has come from God. The annoying, frustrating, kind-of-smart cliffhanger that leaves you to decide for yourself whether Janner Igiby Wingfeather comes back to life, or stays with the Maker. And in the reflection of that world, this world becomes brighter, not duller; our eyes become clearer, not dimmer. But his father is gone. That was the leaf mould. BEEP. On the surface level, he could kind of scan as a Saruman-type character: Hes this old man with white hair, whos read lots of books, hes always been at the arm of power, and hes been corrupted by it. Theres a lot of well silliness, especially in the early parts the sort of stuff that makes little boys cackle (which worked out, as all I had were little boys). Andrew Peterson: Thank you. The Wingfeather Saga is a series of four books that follow the lives of Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Wingfeather along with their mother, grandfather, uncle, and some friends they meet along the way.