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Into the Darkness
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Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
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Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
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147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
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146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
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Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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The Wingfeather Saga: Of Jewels, Dragons, and Toothy Cows

With his wondrous storytelling skills, Andrew Peterson weaves the humorous, hideous, and hopeful into harmony.
Hannah Williams · Jun 30, 2015 · 4 comments

"On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness" by Andrew PetersonWhen I first heard of The Wingfeather Saga, I distinctly remembering thinking, “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness? North! Or be Eaten? What outlandish titles!” I had no interest whatsoever.

But thanks to their glowing praise from author Gillian Bronte Adams, I opened the first page. And from there I was held captive.

Andrew Peterson is perhaps first known as a songwriter and singer, and his talents there translate beautifully onto the pages of a novel. Everything he writes touches something inside us, whether it reawakens the wonder and excitement of childhood, or the deep void of loss, or the shuddering sense of revulsion. It is very strange indeed how he can send our spirits soaring with his heavenly descriptions, and then a few pages later he can make you gag with his boyish fascination with the gross.

His first book opens with cheeky humor and leads into an adventurous search for treasure, full of danger from his various strange creatures (beware the toothy cows) and from the minions of the Nameless Evil (Named Gnag), who desires the treasure for himself. We’re introduced to a loving family of three children, a mother, and a piratey grampa, and as they come to such life, you know Peterson is writing straight from the experiences of his own family (indeed the children are based off his own).

But although the first book is fine enough, it’s the following three that prove these series as so much more than children’s books. The rollicking chases and narrow escapes gives way to the struggles of rivalry amongst families, the sacrifice of responsibility, the recognition of the selfishness deep inside every core, and the wavering grasp of faith.

Very little is what it first seems—the children, the monsters, and above all, the Nameless Evil.

"The Warden and the Wolf King" by Andrew PetersonAlthough humor still abounds, it is seen far less as the children mature to an understanding of their fallen world and prepare to face darkness and death. Even the outlandish creatures of Peterson’s imagination are no longer so funny-seeming, but sad. That which I laughed it in the prologue of the first book drives me nigh to tears by the fourth.

Are there flaws with the books, slight story inconsistencies or a few rather useless scenes? Yes. Does any of that matter while reading the epic tale? No.

The final book, The Warden and the Wolf King, culminates in a deathly quest and the final battle against the enemy, while deep factions threaten to split the family apart from each other and from their faith in their Lord. For where is God in the midst of suffering and tragedy? It is truly the most epic book of the four (and well over twice the size of all the previous) and it ends upon a note of expectation for the future, a future the reader is desperate to know, but which Peterson is quite content to leave to our imaginations. For maybe the adventures to come are too wondrous for us yet, whereas everything else before (to quote another great fantasy writer) “had only been the cover and the title page …”

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Hannah Williams
Hannah Williams is a young, aspiring author, seeking out stories of beauty and quality to inspire her own life and tales. She hopes to bring glory to God through her writing and artwork. You can follow her writing journey and read more of her reviews at her blog, The Writer's Window.
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  1. bainespal says:
    July 1, 2015 at 7:53 am

    I raised an eyebrow at “boyish fascination with the gross,” wondering what kind of sense that might have intended to evoke. I guess I’m not the right gender to have a problem with grossness, though.

    I’ve been wondering about these books for a long time. Thanks for reviewing.

    Reply
  2. Madame Sidler says:
    July 6, 2015 at 9:01 pm

    Hannah, thank you for this review. Would it be all right if we posted it at the Wingfeather website? (Sorry to ask via comment; I couldn’t find a way to email you.)

    Thanks!

    Madame Sidler

    Reply
    • Hannah says:
      July 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm

      If I had ever seen this comment, I would have said, “OF COURSE!” As it is, I am so pleased to see it shared anyway! So sorry for having somehow missed this……

      Reply
      • Madame Sidler says:
        July 21, 2016 at 9:14 pm

        No worries, Hannah! I spoke with Stephen and he assured me that an excerpt and link would be quite all right. I’m so glad you agree—I loved your review. 🙂

        Reply

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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