And Now for Something Completely Different...

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across the opportunity to participate in a blog tour. I'd never heard of such a thing, but it's a fun idea. Andrew Peterson wrote a book. And as a blogger, I've been invited to write about it. Other AP fans all over the place are writing reviews this week as well. Hence the "tour" part. I finally finished it tonight (it's been a busy week). It was good stuff!

The book is called On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and is filled with all sorts of adventure, peril and humor. Andrew Peterson makes me laugh, that's all there is to it. The fantasy world in which this tale takes place is Aerwiar ("The old stories tell that when the first person woke up on the first morning in the world where this tale takes place, he yawned, stretched, and said to the first thing he saw, 'Well, here we are.'"- Aerwiar). Aerwiar is filled with all sorts of strange and bewildering creatures frolicking around in all sorts of strange and bewildering circumstances.

Here's the skinny: "In the once-quiet land of Skree, Janner Igiby, little brother Tink, and crippled sister Leeli stumble upon lost jewels of the mysterious King of the Shining Isle Anniera. But Gnag the Nameless seeks the treasure for purely evil ends, so our brave trio, accompanied by their trusty dog Nugget and ex-pirate grandfather, must escape his minion Fangs."

Pieces of spiritual truth are woven throughout the pages of this story. It's subtle, but it's there. I've always said that all good stories come from The Story. And this one's no different. Early on in the book, I found myself relating to Janner's sentiments about his hometown of Glipwood- even though he'd never been anywhere else, let alone lived anywhere else, the town made him feel homesick. I can't describe it, but I understand that feeling.

It's been awhile since I've read fiction like this. I always forget how much I love a good story until I get lost in one again. The book speeds from one life-threatening adventure to another. The town feels oddly familiar from the get-go. The footnotes are hilarious. And I pictured little Leeli as a miniature version of my friend Aleeta (is the name pronounced Lee-lee or Lee-lie?) But the best part of reading books like this is getting towards the end, when all the previous 200 pages worth of mysteries start to come together. And I felt that excitement tonight as I turned page after page leading up to the 'Aha' moments at the end of this tale.

But for as much fun as it was to put the pieces of the mysteries together, a lot is still up in the air at the end of this book. It's definitely begging for a sequel, and I'm already looking forward to reading the next chapter of the Wingfeather Saga. Now, for those of you who were children of the 80's and grew up watching Reading Rainbow, you'll appreciate this segue: It's a good book. But don't just take my word for it...

Charlotte read it, too (and much quicker than I did!).
(This is Charlotte posting now!) and yes, I did read it much quicker than Nicole. When Nicole (who is my roommate by the way) told me about this blog tour, I almost started a blog just so that I could participate; then when she told me she would be getting 2 books, I gave her no option but to give the other one to me. In fact, when I found the package on our front doorstep when I got home from class late one night, it took all my willpower not to rip it open right then (or at least go wake Nicole up so she could rip it open!) I started the book on a Tuesday and I think I was finished by Thursday morning. And ever since then I have been pestering Nicole to hurry up and finish!

Let me start by saying that I am a relatively new AP fan. When I first met Nicole 4 years ago, she told me about this singer/songwriter whom she knew that I "would just love." I resisted even listening to any AP songs for a long time I was so sure that I was not going to like this guy from Nashville. And then Nicole dragged me to a concert in Lincoln...three minutes in I was hooked. Ever since then I have been an AP and the Captains Courageous fan because of the way they can tell stories and their ability to draw me in not only to the old, old Story, but also the way that I feel I have known these people for years as opposed to them actually being complete strangers. So when I heard about Andrew's book, I couldn't wait to experience the transition from song to written story. I wasn't disappointed.

Because Nicole did such a fabulous job outlining the story, I won't repeat anything here. But I too enjoyed entering Aerwiar and the lives of Janner, Tink and Leeli Igiby as well as all the other residents of Glipwood. I found myself seeing myself, my older sister and my little brother reflected in the lives of the Igiby siblings and heard rumblings of Truth echo throughout the pages. My God is a God of emotion, a God of humor, a God of Truth and most importantly, a God of Love. God was really able to use Andrew Peterson to show characteristics of Himself through this book. Thank you, Andrew Peterson for allowing yourself to be used this way.

I think I can speak on behalf of both Nicole and myself when I say that we would highly recommend this fun book for people of all ages! But our copies will soon be well worn out, so you should just go ahead and buy your own!

For more information about Andrew Peterson, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, or this blog tour, visit: http://www.andrew-peterson.com/