Onward, Young Igibys!: A Review of The Wingfeather Saga, Book 1

Summer is often a time for college students like myself to find peace in the aftermath of the chaos that is finals week. For myself, I had a relatively nice first year at Ball State University, making it out with two Dean's List awards and passing with flying colors. But there I was with a wide-open next few months, and aside from exercising with my dad at our local community center, I didn't have much planned.

Naturally, I continued work on my original series concept Eternity Kingdoms once I was home again. However, I found myself pining for more than just drawing, writing, video games, and YouTube videos. My soul wanted more.

One day (don't recall the specific day) early in June 2021, I found an animated short entitled "The Wingfeather Saga- Animated Short Film". I didn't know what it was, or what it related to, but it felt oddly familiar. See, I had read a Gospel Coalition article discussing the book series which inspired the short half a year earlier. However, since I was running on COVID time (as we all were last year), I forgot it and it felt like a lifetime since I read the article.

With a curious mind, I chose to watch the short.

It was excellent and had me wanting more.

I looked into music written by the series's author Andrew Peterson, I gathered what information I could about the upcoming animated series, and I watched many of Peterson's sermons discussing his journey to becoming a follower of Christ and what inspired his written work. And most importantly, I went to my local library in hopes of finding the first book.

While they didn't have it, I was able to have it sent there from another nearby library (see? libraries are useful in this day and age) and waited anxiously for its arrival. And when it came... I couldn't put it down. Peterson has crafted a beautiful world comparable to Middle-earth and Narnia (the latter is notable as one of his influences for the Saga), and there were many echoes of the fallenness of this sinsick world we live in and the Great Redeemer Who sent us out to proclaim the good news of His return.

Of course, you know this means I'm going to discuss what makes this good, true and beautiful. If you've read my other articles (like my Blue Sky Studios retrospective or the "Kirby as Christian allegory" one), then you'll know how I format these things. Also, minor spoilers ahead.

This is my review of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, first chapter of the four-book Wingfeather Saga.

SYNOPSIS

The world of Aerwiar (pronounced as if a Scottish person would pronounce "here we are"; no character in the book is confirmed as being Scottish, though) has known a great evil for some time. The tyrannical Gnag the Nameless and his Fangs of Dang have conquered much of what is in their way, including the righteous Isle of Anniera and the neighoring continent of Skree. Under the Fangs' rule, life is miserable, only compounded by the danger posed by Skree's night creatures.

Enter the Igiby children (listed from eldest to youngest): adventure-craving yet responsible Janner, cautious Kalmar/"Tink", and kindhearted Leeli. They live with their noble, reserved mother Nia, their burly, boisterous, and brave ex-pirate grandfather Podo, and Leeli's little dog Nugget in a cottage east of the Glipwood township and on the edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness*. The story begins with the children visiting town (under Janner's semi-reluctant supervision) for the annual Dragon Day Festival, the one day of the year where the people of Glipwood are somewhat happy and the Fangs are on more edge than usual.

However, a series of escapades catapult the children into a mystery surrounding their family history, the fate of Nia's husband, the identity of the enigmatic Peet the "Sock Man", the location of the "Jewels of Anniera", and their true identity. Why are Podo and Nia so hesitant to tell Janner about his father? What are the Jewels of Anniera, and was Anniera even real in the first place? What part does Peet play in this narrative? And what will happen if the Fangs learn of the discoveries the children are making?

... and that's as far as I'm going in terms of discussing the story. You'll have to actually read the book to learn of the rest.

*Yes, the Dark Sea of Darkness is actually called that. Not because it separates the Nameless Evil's home of Dang from his conquered territory of Skree, but... well, it's got rather murky waters.

WRITING AND WORLDBUILDING

The Wingfeather Saga is described as having "the wit of The Princess Bride, the [history and deeply-thought out world] of Lord of the Rings, and the deep magic of Narnia" on the website for the upcoming animated series, and I'd have to agree with that sentiment despite having not seen the Princess Bride. This has to be one of the sharpest-written chapter books aimed at kids I've seen in some time. (Rick Riordan comes close, but he tends to write more jaded, snarky stuff and I haven't read any of his work since my freshman year of high school) The prose is eloquent without coming off as purple, the character dialogue is distinctive, and the descriptions of actions is fitting for each action. Also, there are many names within this story that would sound humorous out of context.

One facet of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (You know, let's just call it OtEotDSoD from now on for the sake of simplicity) that I greatly appreciated was Peterson's addition of footnotes that were either taken from in-universe biology and/or historical books or simply added detail that wasn't clarified within the main text. These are often a blend of humorous and informative and add a great bit of detail to an already dense book. Peterson including these footnotes and a map of Glipwood (and a series of appendices near the end) really helps sell this as a world in the same vein as Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Speaking of which, I quite enjoyed the worldbuilding of this first book of the Saga. It's very clear that the culture of each township is distinct, even with the oppression of the Fangs choking out said culture's ability to thrive. We learn of many creatures with humorous-sounding names (like thwaps, cave blats, or the dreaded toothy cow), we see the Igiby family's rural farm life, we read of different sports and various books, and we get a tour of Glipwood and its buildings and businesses.

The world of Anniera is one broken by a great evil, much like our own sinsick world. There's a great moment early in the book where Janner, Tink and Leeli visit with Oskar N. Reteep, bookkeeper and "Appreciator of the Neat, Strange, and/or the Yummy" (Yes, that's his actual title). This chat shows Janner the brokenness of both those who reside in Glipwood and those visiting from towns like Dugtown and Torrborro as well as how many freedoms the Fangs have taken from the common people.

This brokenness is countered by whispers of a world thought to have been wiped out by the Fangs. A bard visiting for the Dragon Day Festival sings of the Isle of Anniera, awakening a feeling of longing and familiarity within Janner. A triumphant, awe-inspiring moment sees the children coming face to face with one of the sea dragons who the festival celebrates. Mr. Reteep archives books detailing the history of Skree to preserve the memories of a culture thought to have been destroyed. Despite the heavy weight of the world's brokenness and the pain of losing her husband in the war against the Fangs, Nia still works to educate her three children and raise them right (having her father Podo help is certainly enough). And Peet the Sock Man... oh, Peet the Sock Man. More on him later.

Pacing is kept at a good rhythm, making sure that the audience has time to get used to locations like the rotting, abandoned Anklejelly Manor and Peet's tree house "castle" in the middle of Glipwood Forest. The reveals and mysteries flowed quite well, with very clear set-ups and payoffs throughout. If you're a careful reader like I am, look for certain descriptive words. You might just guess the big reveal of the final few chapters early!

For the first time in a long while, I felt legitimately invested in a fictional world and wondered what it had to offer beyond what the main characters saw. Andrew Peterson said that he wanted OtEotDSoD and its follow-ups to inspire a feeling of longing for something greater within their audience. And by jove, he's done it. He's made a fictional world capable of inspiring wonder, chortles and even a few tears of both happy and sad varieties. Kudos, good sir.

CHARACTERS

Of course, with good writing, good characters should naturally follow. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness does a very good job of establishing its world, but if the characters were uninteresting, all the work that had been put into developing that world would've felt like a waste. Fortunately, what I said about the writing and worldbuilding is also applicable to the characters.

I greatly admire how multi-faceted Peterson made Janner, Tink and Leeli as child characters. Then again, he described them as having been based on his own three children, so using real kids as a template is bound to result in better child characters than just going off your rose-tinted childhood memories. Each of them feels alive, real, and faced with both a fallen world and their own character flaws.

Janner wound up being my favorite of the Igiby children. This isn't to say Leeli and Tink are lesser (far from it); it's just that he's the one I felt most enamored with. His journey throughout this first book establishes him as a Peter Pevensie type, a young lad burdened with the responsibility of taking care of easily-frightened Tink and frail, little Leeli (I should mention that Leeli has a bad leg and uses a crutch hand-made for her by Podo to hobble around). The story shows that he's initially not pleased with the role Nia and Podo have put him in, but throughout the book we see him learn to take pride in leading and protecting his siblings as well as becoming a more confident lad.

This isn't to say Janner is without flaws. He can be rather self-doubty at times, and there's a moment early in the story where he blows up at Podo over having to take care of his younger siblings. He's allowed to be a jaded boy full of questions in a broken world without coming off as whiny or angsty. He's allowed to cry. He's allowed to be angry. He's allowed to ask questions that may be a challenge to his caretakers. He's allowed to be genuine.

But those flaws are not what makes Janner a truly interesting character. It's the battle between his flesh and his spirit that I saw that made him admirable. Those moments where he doubts aren't because of him not feeling up to the task of taking care of his younger siblings; it's more because of his failure to do so at critical moments (that I won't spoil). He dearly wants to do right by his mother, grandfather and siblings- he really does. And in the end, we learn there's a very good reason why he's usually put in charge of his siblings that smacks of Matthew 23:11.

I could say similar things about Tink and Leeli. Neither of them are defined by what holds them back- a fear of heights, fear of the Fangs... come to think of it, he fears lots of things... for the former and a bad leg for the latter. We see Tink make strides towards bravery throughout the story, and Leeli learns to let her brothers take the lead instead of insisting that she can handle herself (bad leg aside). Like with Janner, they're allotted room to be flawed and ergo room to be genuine, believable characters.

All three children find themselves swept up in a feeling of wonder and longing for the world that was before the Fangs took over in an impeccably well-composed scene (that aforementioned scene with the sea dragon) early in the book. Fortunately, this was one of the scenes that made it into the animated short that I'll link below, so if you don't yet have the book, you could just watch that. However, even with my having seen the animated version, the book does arguably a much better job at communicating that aforementioned scene than the short thanks to the visual... erm, stylings of the animation hampering the scene more than it helps.

Similar moments of wonder are seen throughout the book, with Janner being filled with a feeling he doesn't know how to describe when listening to a bard's song regarding the kingdom of Anniera, Leeli's interactions with Peet the Sock Man, and Tink and Janner's exploration of the run-down Anklejelly Manor (that last one almost ends rather badly for the brothers). Again, Andrew Peterson nailed capturing a feeling of wonder within this story, and I can't wait to see what will come from later books in the series.

The adults of The Wingfeather Saga are no slouch, either. As mentioned in the "Writing and Worldbuilding" section, there is a very real brokenness to the land of Aerwiar and within it the township of Glipwood. And it's rather fitting that the adults are more world-weary than the three children whose POV we see most of the story from.

Podo is among my favorite characters following my reading of this first book, and it's not hard to see why. He's a strong, confident, good-natured burly ex-pirate grandpa who serves as the unofficial leader of the Igiby household in the absence of his son-in-law. In the words of pastor Tony Evans, he's what one would consider a "Kingdom [of God] man". He's got his rough patches, sure, but those edges don't undermine the love he has for his family. In addition, Podo has quite the history that made him the way he is now that I'm certain will be delved into more, especially after what happens during the back half of the first book.

Nia, the matriarch of the Igiby family and Podo's daughter, is a character that I enjoyed. While I wish she played a larger role within the narrative (not saying the role she's in isn't big already!), I admire Peterson's efforts to show a true mother and aspirational feminine figure. She strikes me as a woman in the midst of grieving but trying her hardest to ensure that her children are raised well (given that they have Podo, I'm certain they'll turn out fine); she is also one with many secrets to hide for the sake of their safety. These secrets are revealed near the book's end, but I refuse to disclose them here for the sake of encouraging you to read the darn thing. Trust me, it's worth it.

Oskar Noss Reteep (reverse his last and middle names!) is a kindly sort, allowing the Igiby children to go through his bookstore and take a peek into Skree's history and what it was prior to the Nameless Evil's conquest. As the book progresses, though, we learn of other things that he's preserved... again, no spoilers. The standout among the adult characters is Peet the Sock Man.

Where do I even begin with this guy?

After completing my read-through of the first book and checking it over to see where things were foreshadowed, I can say with confidence that Peet is my favorite character in the Wingfeather Saga thus far. His introduction is a strange one, with the Igiby children (as well as the people of Glipwood) regarding him as nothing more than one of the town oddities. However, read further, and you'll find that not only does he have ties to the family at the core of this story, but he can also be seen as a John the Baptist-like fellow.

While he's got more screws loose than John did, there are many aspects of Peet's person that I saw and recognized. There's a beautiful gentleness and hidden ferocity buried underneath his peculiar appearance and humorous introduction. Initially, I believed the bard mentioned earlier was going to be the John-inspired character of the story, but as I read on, I saw much more of the one who proclaimed the imminent coming of Jesus.

There is so much more about Peet I could say here, but I won't to encourage you to read the actual books. Just know that I greatly enjoyed his character and can't wait to see where the story takes him next. With the adults out of the way, let's discuss the Fangs of Dang.

The Fangs are a cruel, violent, and nasty horde, shockingly so when you consider they're part of a book that may be read by or to children. Having read of how they treat the townsfolk, it's no wonder the people of Glipwood are so miserable. One of their number, Slarb, takes sadistic glee in tormenting the Igiby children any chance he gets. The other two named Fangs are Commander Gnorm (a greedy fat Fang who casts a long shadow over the township and its people) and General Khrak (the Nameless Evil's chosen enforcer for the continent of Skree).

I greatly appreciated how nasty the Fangs were written to be, as it made their eventual defeats feel all the more satisfying. Make no mistake, these guys are monsters, and whatever pity you feel for Slarb (he's not well-regarded among his fellow Fangs and suffers a great deal of pain throughout the story) quickly turns to resentment when he attempts to kill Janner and Tink within their own cottage while Podo is gone for a moment. They are evil, and I quite enjoy them.

Much of what I said regarding the general writing and worldbuilding can also be applied here. Peterson clearly understands where his characters are going to end up and what led to them being the way they are now, and I admire that. In an era where many modern writers struggle to properly define their characters or communicate their motivations, I found someone who has a plan for them and an endgame in mind. Again I say kudos, good sir.

BONUS: ANIMATED SHORT REVIEW

Since I've mentioned it many a time throughout this article, I've chosen to also review the animated short based on OtEotDSoD's first 15 or so chapters. Prior to reading the book, I was rather impressed with the short, especially considering that it was the product of an incredibly successful crowdfunding campaign (the actual series's Kickstarter made a million dollars in the span of TWO DAYS). Now having read the book which inspired the "pilot" of the forthcoming animated series... I have thoughts.

First, let's consider the visuals. The art style of the short is excellent, looking painterly and stylized all at once. The character design is well-done and communicates what the book describes rather well. The children look appropriately young (disproportionately large heads aside), Nia and Podo are designed to reflect their current state of living, Peet looks gloriously off-kilter for what little time he's onscreen, and the Fangs are quite gnarly. I'm a tad disappointed that we don't get to see Mr. Reteep in person, but perhaps they're saving his design for the potential series.

The animation of the short, however, is one I'm a touch more mixed on. Rather than a smooth, elegant form of CGI (computer-generated imagery) that's so common nowadays, the Wingfeather Saga "pilot" is rendered using fewer frames per second, resulting in a choppier, somewhat stop-motion-looking feel. This isn't unlike Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (a film which those working on the upcoming show felt "vindicated" their choice to animate this way) or The Dragon Prince (a Netflix series from one of Avatar: The Last Airbender's creators). J. Chris Wall, the man in charge of the adaptation process, said in a livestream that he wanted the animation for the WFS short (and by extension, the series) to feel more hand-crafted than most TV-budget CGI shows.

In some areas, I can see what he was going for. The blend of hand-painted backgrounds and the cel-shaded character models work well together, but the actual gaps between frames somewhat annoys me. Unlike Spider-Verse (which utilized faux-motion blur to recreate the "smear frames" originated by Chuck Jones; yes, really). the short feels unfinished thanks to its animation, not authentic.

Second, the narrative of the short is a heavily, heavily compressed version of the first 15 chapters. Now, the goal of a "pilot" episode is to convey the general feel of the eventual television series, and in this regard, the short does well. It communicates the Igiby children's relationships with one another, it faithfully adapts Slarb's introduction, and its adaptation of the scene in which the children interact with the sea dragon is the visual highlight of the short.

However, after having read the first book in the series, I can't help but feel like this compression may hurt those who've been introduced to the books through the short. I get why they couldn't have crammed Janner and Podo's early-book discussion about the former's father and taking responsibility for Tink and Leeli, Mr. Reteep's discussion of why he's preserved so much pre-Fang literature, the bard who comes for the festival and the aftermath of the Sea Dragon encounter into the short- otherwise, you'd have no reason to read those first fifteen chapters. These scenes may be adapted into the forthcoming animated series (I particularly look forward to watching everyone flip out over a certain set of reveals late in the book), but their absence now leaves me longing for more.

Finally, I must critique the short for revealing who knocked Slarb out with a stone. In the book, there's a mystery surrounding who threw the stone (the children assume that it was Peet... the truth is much darker), but the short reveals that it's Peet. This is a rather frustrating change (especially after having read the book and learning who the true stone-thrower was), and I hope it is rectified within the animated series proper.

On the more positive side of things, I think abolishing Kalmar's nickname of "Tink" was a good idea on the writers' ends. Tink made little sense as a nickname within the book, and I'm happy that someone in the show's writers' room seems to have agreed with me (no offense, Andrew Peterson). Another thing I should praise is the voice acting. While composed almost entirely of the production team, their children, and friends (Wall and his two kids voice the Igiby children), they do a fine job and were the voices I read the book with in my head.

And how could I forget the score? Since I haven't mentioned it yet, I should note that Mr. Peterson is a songwriter in addition to an author, and the books contain songs written specifically for the world of Aerwiar. While he's performed one of these songs ("My Love Has Gone Across the Sea") before the short was produced, the short offers us a lovingly crafted score by none other than Kurt Heinecke.

That's right: The Wingfeather Saga animated series managed to snag the composer for many, many songs from VeggieTales! And Kurt's work here is just phenomenal. If anything, I'd have mistaken this for the score of a feature film had I heard this out of context. His rendition of "Yurgen's Tune" (a song which Leeli sings to a sea dragon) is beautiful, and I highly recommend watching the short just for the scene which it accompanies.

The Wingfeather Saga "pilot" short is a bit rough around its edges. The animation isn't quite "there" yet (understandable, given that it uses a rather experimental art style), there was a lot truncated to get the first 15 chapters of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness to fit within 15 minutes, and the attempts at translating the worldbuilding footnotes to visual form aren't exactly ideal. But the short, like the Igiby children, is more than its flaws.

It's faithful to the spirit of the books and even made a change that I think should've been put in the source material (Tink being referred to by his actual name). What it adapts, it adapts well. And most importantly, it can serve as a gateway to the books. I wouldn't advise watching this before you read the books (unless you want a sampler of what the books have to offer), but if you've read the first book, then go right ahead and watch it.

Here's a link to the short!

CONCLUSION

July 6th, 2021.

I've finished reading through On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. My heart's been warmed significantly, my theories were proven true (and some things took me by surprise), my mind has been renewed, and my soul has been leaping with joy. For a book first published in 2008 (which means 2023 will be the year the Saga turns 15), it felt immensely comforting and relevant.

In a world overcome by a great evil, a world full of people searching for the right answer to the problem of sin... sometimes the right answer is just sitting on your back deck/balcony/porch/lounge/place where one feels most comfortable with a good book in hand.

I believe that God directed the short inspired by the books toward me so that I might see reflections of Him within the first book of this wonderful little series. And I couldn't be more grateful for that. As I followed the Igiby children as they learned of their family history, I found myself further enthralled in the world of Aerwiar and just as curious as Janner, Tink, and Leeli were about their father.

Having finished the final pages of the final chapter (and the appendices), I can safely say that The Wingfeather Saga is pure, unadulterated noblebright. What is "noblebright", you ask? Noblebright is a breed of fantasy fiction that instead of taking the grim, gritty, dire, and sometimes nihilistic direction of Game of Thrones or Warhammer 50K, chooses to emphasize the good, true and beautiful of the world.

There may be great evil within the world of Aerwiar- the Nameless Evil continues to hunt for the Jewels of Anniera, the Fangs of Dang continue to terrify the people of Skree, and the Igiby children can never go back to life as they once knew it at the end of the book. But they've come out of their trials and tribulations stronger, wiser, and closer to their parents and Peet the Sock Man (all will be revealed if you simply read the book) and they've gained a great victory over the Fangs. Good triumphs over evil, even when it seems like that evil is ever-pervasive and the light of the world is only a blip on the radar.

Mr. Peterson has a quote on the official Wingfeather Saga website in regards to the contrast between the great evil of the Fangs and the small yet powerful good of the Igibys that really resonated with me as an artist and writer.

"...the storyteller has to be honest. He has to acknowledge that sometimes when the hall light goes out and the bedroom goes dark, the world is a scary place. He has to nod his head to the presence of all the sadness in the world; children know it's there from a very young age, and I wonder sometimes if that's why babies cry. He has to admit that sometimes characters make bad choices, because every child has seen their parent angry or irritable or deceitful- even the best people in our lives are capable of evil. But of course the storyteller can't stop there. He has to show in the end there is a Great Good in the world (and beyond it). Sometimes it is necessary to paint the sky black in order to show how beautiful is the prick of light. Gather all the wickedness in the universe into its loudest shriek and God hears it as a squeak at best. And that is a comforting thought."

Thank you, Andrew Peterson. You've crafted a fine world not unlike our own and wrote a marvelous introduction to it with this first book. To those who are currently working on the upcoming animated series, God bless you. You're going to do great, and I wish you the best in all that you do. J. Chris Wall stated that he wanted the Wingfeather Saga animated series to be like "epic more-than-a-kids-show cartoons" (my wording, not his) like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (the latter I'm still a huge fan of; thanks for giving it a proper ending, Disney+).

But I think that with the creative team they have working on the show... it'll be better than both those shows combined. Sure, it won't be as well-recognized or culturally impactful as Avatar or The Clone Wars. That won't matter to God. What matters is that His Kingdom's goals are advanced by His redeemed vessels, the clay in the hands of a Great Potter who's making us more like the excellent vase that is our Savior Jesus Christ.

In summation, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is a phenomenal introduction to the world of the Wingfeather Saga and those who live in it. I highly recommend reading it, whether you're a parent tired of picky readers who only want Diary of a Wimpy Kid or you're someone who just needs a burst of wonder and intrigue. Mr. Peterson has done a good, true and beautiful thing with this book, and I'd love for more people to give the Saga a shake.