Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The CSFF Greatest Hits - Number 2

Greetings, wayward travelers. You have come upon the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for August. This month you are treated to a "free-for-all", as we had no specific book or website to promote. Instead, you will find a wide variety of books discussed, from all-time favorites such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to newer books by contemporary authors.

Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary, I am focusing on books from the 4 years I've been doing the tour (o_O). My how time flies...

Coming in at number
The two books of the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten.

I can't think of a better series (other than Narnia) to recommend for kids other than the Wingfeather Saga. Andrew Peterson has created a fun fantasy series with peril, adventures, and toothy cows. Who can ask for more than that?

Peterson is an accomplished singer/songwriter, so his prose, as I've mentioned before, has a lyrical quality to it. He keeps a great pace, leaving my kids dying whenever we hit a cliffhanger as I read to them (which is pretty much every chapter!) It is probably most reminscent of The Princess Bride, with whimsy and suspense. I mean, how great is it to have a bad guy who is a Nameless Evil, (named Gnag the Nameless, natch). This leader of the Fangs of Dang (dang Fangs!) is after the Lost Jewels of Anniera. He thinks the Igiby children have them in the first book, only to find out (spoilers) that the three kids ARE the lost jewels.

The world Peterson has created is a magical place, with a great literary history (Peterson often quotes from these imaginary works, the footnotes are worth reading in this book). There is a thoughfulness about this work, and the deep themes within it, that continue to resonate in me after several readings.

I have to also give a personal story. For a homeschool English assignment, I thought it would be a good exercise for my two older boys to write a letter to Peterson. They asked their own questions and offered their favorite parts of the book, as well as offering their artistic interpretations of key scenes (they each drew him a picture). My boys called me a couple weeks later at work so excited, because Andrew had written them each a personal handwritten letter, refering to their letters specifically, and commenting on their art. What a class act!

So for number 2 in CSFF Tours, I have to give a shout out to a good man, a great musician, and a thoughtful writer, Andrew Peterson! If you have missed these books, you have missed a treat. And bomnubbles. Don't forget the bomnubbles.


See what else is going on for the CSFF Tour this month with the latest at Becky's blog (the mother ship as we like to say...)

Oh, and a note from Becky: "Before I forget, we have just a little over a week left in the voting for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction – Readers’ Choice. I hope you’re planning to vote."

I voted for North! Or Be Eaten. What's your vote?
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2 comments:

  1. I wanted to help review "North! Or Be Eaten," but somehow my book request never came through. So I am still in the company of those who have not yet read Peterson's books, but greatly looking forward to eventually doing so. Thanks for the review :). I'm loving the countdown idea ... yesterday's historical/fantasy books sounded really cool too!

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  2. I loved both books in the Wingfeather Saga, but thought the second even better than the first (which is a good sign for the rest of the series). And I'm quite impressed by the responsiveness of the author!

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