Family Alive

I just finished reading Andrew Peterson’s latest book, North! Or Be Eaten, and it was amazing! Before I get into the details of my review, here is the summary from the back cover in the edition published by Waterbook Press in 2009:

First they found themselves On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.  Now they must make their way North! Or Be Eaten…

Janner, Tink and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past.  but now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizard-like Fangs of Dang cannot follow.  First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest, the thieving Stranders of the East Bend, and the dreaded Fork Factory.

But even more dangerous is the jealousy and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart, and janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

I undertook this latest book after having recently completed a re-reading of the C. S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia series and the J. R. R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings series. I would definitely include the Wingfeather Saga alongside the works of these great authors, and I am already anticipating the day that Peterson writes and releases the next book in the series. This book is addressed to a more advanced audience than C. S. Lewis’s Narnia, but without the deluge of history and details that sprinkle Tolkien’s novels. Peterson gives just enough detail to let the reader know that the places and towns the Wingfeather’s find themselves in have a rich history without taking away from the nonstop action and exciting adventures that befall the Wingfeather family. In fact, my one complaint about the book is that there never is a good time to set it down!

If you like The Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings series’, I highly recommend the first book in this series, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (book 1 in The Wingfeather saga).  Be sure to have book 2, North! Or Be Eaten close at hand so you can just keep reading this great story. In fact… Andrew Peterson’s site has both books (signed!) listed for $20.

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com