An Interview with Andrew Peterson About "The Wingfeather Saga" Jake Meador on October 12, 2020 One of the few highlights of 2020 for me has been getting to read the Wingfeather Saga to my kids. I love names anyway. Theater kid. Im sure there are a lot of loose ends. @anne-of-lothlorien,@zoe-wingfeather,@christi-eaton,@gretald. If you want to get a peek, you can watch a 15 minute animated short in YouTube or the website, www.wingfeathersaga.com. Have you read that book? Janner Igiby is a 12 year old boy who wants to sail the world. All right, well, this has been fun, so thank you so much for-. Andrew Peterson: I mostly hated it. This is my spoiler-free review of the Wingfeather Saga, by that I mean, this review covers the same material in the 15 minute animated short, which itself is a teaser for the eventual full series. Andrew Peterson: The irony is that my pastor is a Dungeon Master now, and he leads campaigns with some friends of mine. There is a Creation story. Tink is 10 years old, and he is Tink by name but not a thinker by nature. "I love you." He whispered to her. I just finished reading wolf king again. Not a drop of water leaked in. I read the full trilogy. (both with InterVarsity Press), "A Protestant Christendom?" Jake Meador: Over real darkness, not the kind of stuff thats minimized or undersold. But other than the cruel Fangs and the constant threat of death and torture, there wasnt much to fear in Skree. How did you approach that challenge of kind of writing adult characters, for kids, while still giving them that kind of depth, even when you cant show it, in the way you could with Janner? I usually tell kids You may be mad at me now, but when you read it to your kids, I think youll understand.. So gratifying to hear you both discussing Tolkien and Lewis in relation to Wingfeather I had intuited a lot of this influence but this took me a lot deeper. The Wingfeather Saga is coming to life as a breathtaking, multi-season TV show, thanks to the 8,000+ Angel Investors helping us raise five million dollars. Janner remembers that sometime before the series, his mother had been crying because Sara had been taken away by the Black Carriage. My kids arent growing up in a house where their parents just dont care about whats going on in their internal world. That was one of the first moments where I was like, This is not what I thought I was picking up. And it really is all building up to the final pages of the story, which felt like the way that story had to end. And in order for that to work, there had to be a paper trail, so to speak, of how they became who they became, because we all have it in us. When the children are not fighting, running or hiding, they are doing their homework. Theyre accompanied by Leelis dog Nugget, their mother Nia, and their ex-pirate grandfather Podo Helmer. Home Page Forums Fiction Writing Book Discussions Wingfeather Saga. Im working on making the ultimate Igiby trivia. But I have always, I dont know what it is about me, but I tend, if Im watching a detective series on Netflix, I tend toward the grittier things. i love those books so much. No sign up. "You know I can't promise that, Mama." After a pause, he glanced at Kalmar with a hint of a smile. But beware of the toothy cows. Its as if the writer intentionally planned for his readers to relate to the characters. Thanks for your support! [] An Interview with Andrew Peterson about The Wingfeather Saga by Jake Meador October 12, 2020 [], [] I didnt have anything close to a classical education, but the Bible was always there, Peterson told Mere Orthodoxy. What will Janner do when Leeli stands between her dog and a Fang of Dang? Some of my favorite parts of the whole story are like, Okay, what happens next?. During the Wingfeather War, Janner was taken to the Fork Factory, and he likely would have not escaped without the help of Sara. its probably cringey, i should read over it haha, I KNOW RIIIGGGHHHTTT ARTHAM IS A PRECIOUS CINNIMON BUN WHO SHOULD BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS, i cried when janner died and im still sad over his death okay like [small sobs]. If theyre present at all, then make them mentally distant; they dont listen to the kids. After your kids read it, they will take care of their siblings, respect their elders, do their homework. But in the Wingfeather books, even with Gnag, you actually realize theres this wound there, that has caused him to be the way he is. But other than that, yes!!!!!!!!! But at no point did I care about the characters. If I cant appeal to either the creative or the theological reasoning part of your brain, then my last resort, the big guns is the anti-book. But they should save it for the wedding. Something that intrigued me is that it felt to me like a lot of the time, Podo and Nia, you dont actually get to see their interior life as much, which is kind of a plot necessity in the first book, especially. i actually agree about the kissingkinda wanna go back over it and make it better. Tolkien and Lewis, both in their own way, lifted me out of this world to show me a thundering beauty, and when I read the last sentence and came tumbling back to earth, I could still hear the peal. Hebrews 13:2 says, Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. We show hospitality to angels without knowing it. If I cant appeal to the creative part of your brain, then Ill appeal to the theological reasoning part of your brain. And today, its a special Dragon Day Festival because for once, he is allowed to go to town to see the festival without adult supervision. He had known that it would have to come, but now, sitting in the ruins of Castle Rysen with his family gathered about him it was so much worse than he had imagined. But then the other side of it is that Tolkien and Lewis were students of the classics. Peterson, our redeemed fantasy nerd, draws us into the world of the Wingfeather Saga. Wingfeather Saga Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. Hes Tink in the first two books, and hes Kalmar in the last two. I cried so hard. This I think is the first time Ive read of a death more of a sacrifice that mirrors the cross. It takes place in the land of Aerwiar, nine years after a nameless evil named Gnag the Nameless has devastated all that is good and fair. It was said that he shone with Eremund's Fire, and was much renowned for his swordsmanship, bravery, and protection of the kingdom of Annieria. Andrew Peterson: The Lord of the Rings to me is a combination of the two. And then I heard it. Hes Peet in the first two books, and hes Artham in the last two. I bear the Makers image, and one of the ways that plays out is that I delight in making. It can echo spiritual truth and edify the soul. Just like the orphaned farmboy in Belgariad, to live a lonely life like Drizzt, always caught between two worlds like Tanis Half-Elven. At small Ohio parish, evangelization starts with a candle, The Family of God in a World Without Families, REVIEW: The Children of Men, by P.D. The royal family is on the run, and the Fang armies of Gnag the Nameless are close behind. Andrew Peterson: We call it The Warren. But they just keep fighting anyway. And so I missed the glory of what those books really were, for many years. Which I think a lot of moralistic Christian literature does sometimes. And so, whether that means me interpreting some look or the way a friend said a thing, and then, and at midnight Im lying in bed and Ive constructed this whole false narrative about how they hate me, and how Ive ruined everything, and Why did they say that thing like that? Do you want the next best thing after the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia? I cried so hard. If you havent read them, go away, read them, (theyre by Andrew Peterson) and come back when theyre done. Listen to my in-depth review of the latest titles like Redeeming Our Thinking About History by Vern. Or Be Eaten is the winner of the 2009 Christy Award for Young Adult fiction. The Fangs arent that way, because the Fangs have mostly given up their humanity. Andrew Peterson: I dont get that from the Narnia books, by the way. Or I think about, you mentioned Berry earlier, theres not a super-sympathetic account of Troy Chatham in Jayber Crow. Which one is Janner Wingfeather? Andrew Peterson: Man, can I just thank you for caring about the stories and reading them? (We always call it Igiby, even after we found out it was really Wingfeather) Such as. By putting Wingfeather together with Marvel and DC, this might make it kosher for Christians. Amazon.The Nonicles of Chrania by C.S. If divinity is mentioned, the gods are more like Greek, Roman, Norse, or Egyptian gods: Gods who worship their stomachs. Song Maiden. when you think about it, janner really struggles with being selfish (ok so i am janner guys he is me we are the same). If you know someone who hates fantasy novels, recommend this review. And yet, youre able to convey aspects of what drives them and what motivates them through their actions, and we do get these glimmers into what theyre afraid of, what they care about. Does that make sense? While there, she was put in a torture chamber called The Coffin at least once. When Janner discovers who his father is and where he is from, his journey home is fraught with peril and loss and sadness. And would listen to them if they needed to tell them something. Jake Meador: The greatest pain in his life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. And so I read constantly, I read all those books, tons of sci-fi stuff. Im sobbing because I realize how much it means. Andrew Peterson: Christopher Nolan movie. But on one condition, Janner has to keep a watchful eye over his brother, Tink, and sister, Leeli. So I thought you handled it in a really true-to-life way, where youre a parent and you kind of have to push things to the side sometimes for your kids. The hope that Janner had revived Sara, and sparked a revolution as she was determined to lead a rebellion that would escape the factory. And today, I review the Wingfeather Saga, a four-book childrens fantasy series written by Peter Anderson, sorry, I meant, Andrew Peterson. And if they dont do any of that, there is a greater not-so-obvious prize. You dont want to miss my review Jacob Abbotts 200 year old book, The Young Christian; Or a Familiar Illustration of the Principles of Christian Duty. They Saw the Horrific Aftermath of a Mass Shooting. In the meantime, we read Wingfeather and reflect on what that world there has to teach us of this world here. Or my Logos Book of the Month reviews like A Walk with God by R.C. This was my first attempt at writing, so I can look back and see myself slowly figuring out how it worked as the books were written. But its really bad if youre susceptible to voices, the voice of the enemy. If you have not read the whole series, you may want to save this until you have finished it. You construct a story where the reader and the characters in the book have stopped believing that their story can end well. Or Be Eaten, where hes had to kind of just bracket the defining fear of his entire life. What Reinke has done is to produce a Theology of Books and Reading, and, as a reader, I am ever so grateful for this. honestly, im kind of sad that rudrick diednia needed to be happy!!! when kal howled it should have been me I realized Petersons true meaning. Not only have my tastes changed (the quality of the writing left something to be desired), but they strike me as a way to pass the time rather than enrich it. There is no running away from home in this book. In answer to that question, I want to introduce you to Lit! While I see traces of Pratchett-like humour, Peterson claims a more honourable lineage, the Princess Bride by William Goldman. So, those who have read it, do you like the fact that Rudrick died or not? *apologizes to . He sighed, then limped back to his corner. Instead of being fanged, she was forced to work in the Fork Factory. Theres none of that artificial bickering, I dont think. Andrew Peterson has awakened my inner eight-year-old, and that is a very . I cannot stress that enough. Here I suggest that Wingfeather is more than Marvel, DC or the rest of the fantasy genre. Many Christians are suspicious of fantasy literature despite the progenitors of modern fantasy genre, J.R.R. Should We? Obviously thats not Tolkiens point with him anyway. (We now have the audio books as well and my almost eight-year-old listens to them somewhat obsessively.) I had this sense that Kalmar was going to make some bad choices, and that he was going to turn into a Fang, while I was writing book one. And thats what makes that show feel so real, you feel the weight of it. Coming back to our epic story, Janner goes to the Dragon Day Festival. Janner, you're hurt, so I want you in the middle. So you see the destructive nature of our sinful personal choices. HERES THE LINK TO THE GOOGLE DOC The hope that Janner had revived Sara, and sparked a revolution as she was determined to lead a rebellion that would escape the factory. That idea of inheriting this new name from Jesus is pretty powerful. Andrew Peterson: I would say that that was probably the biggest influence on anything that I would writethe constant presence of the Bible, because I grew up in this conservative church that had me memorizing Bible verses from the time I was little. And so, thats the kind of story that I was trying to tell. But to any readers who may have stopped reading them because of that, I say Stick with it: the payoff is worth it. Andrew Peterson understands Story. The most popular anti-book is YouTube. Andrew Peterson: Yeah. The day before, Janner and Tink find themselves threatened by one of the region's most fearsome animals, the carnivorous "toothy cow.". Even when it seems Leeli raughable, really laughable, to do so. We try to take it seriously. I too though was devastated at the end of the saga when Janner died and wanted to rewrite the ending but the second time I read it I realized what the ending truly means. Three Honoured and Great Subjects: Word, Form, and Song. How I wish I could tell you more but there isnt enough space and Im only a footnote. I want to start by asking about some of the stories that were contributing to the leaf mould for you, as you were writing and coming up with characters and the plot line. Amazon. Calvin understands what we discovered in the last chapter: a cohesive biblical worldview makes it possible for us to perceive and cherish the truth we read in non-Christian books. Andrew Peterson: Yeah. BEEP. Andrew Peterson: Thank you. Before I get to that reason, I need to address the dragon in the room. But those are, in many ways, fantasy novels, too. Your children think they are reading a story of boys and girls fighting against dragons and monsters. Hes an even better poet. The children set up an orphanage at an abandoned factory called Thimble Thumb's Threads. The author talks about how in Narnia, we can see that people are eating, but you never see any evidence of where they get their food. I think everybody is looking at the election thats coming up, and were like, No matter what, were hosed.. You see people working and celebrating and having a beer at the pub. Its one of those classic Christian songwriter conversations, I expect, which is about the legacy of Rich Mullins. The Fangs walked about like humans, and in fact they looked exactly like humans, except for the greenish scales that covered their bodies and the lizard-like snout and the two long, venomous fangs that jutted downward from their snarling mouths. Spoiler warning: This interview discusses the entireWingfeather Saga. As I hope I did today. It's set in the world of Aerwiar where Gnag the Nameless and his evil Fangs have taken over. Whether its a commentary or a childrens story, from Christology to eschatology, the Reading and Readers Podcast has a book for you. The sadness in the ending is the beauty. Far ahead, the others neared the bridge that led to the fifth and final tower. A podcast where I review Christian books for you. The true love the sacrificial love. She also befriended Janner. I had no need for it, so I thought, because the world I was in pulsed with loveliness. He is stuck in this backward village called Glipwood. I remember just letting my imagination run wild, and thinking up Gnag the Nameless as a funny kind of name for a villain but you cant stop there; you have to figure out why hes named Gnag the Nameless, and so, I have these documents that I was writing before I started book one, where it was kind of like an archeological dig, trying to figure out why somebody would be named Gnag the Nameless, and why would he want to destroy the world. Sara Cobbler was one of the children taken away by the Black Carriage. Not a half-boy half-animal. . Free shipping for many products! When Im watching Marvel movies, and the cities are getting blown up, Im always like, Who cleans this up? Im always just kind of like, My goodness, all the work that they put into that building, and its just rubble now. If there are real consequences to our decisions, then it begins to smack of the real world in a way that is more moving than otherwise. Thats a big part of The Warden and the Wolf King. The Wingfeather Saga. He said, Your child is intuiting something about the universe thats true, in that moment, and so you shouldnt be afraid of talking to them about real sin, and real darkness, and I sense the same kind of approach to how you wrote Wingfeather. Jake Meador: It doesnt get better. And what do you think his main-est theme in all the books is? One of the most frustrating moves that I see in stories is when the kids are trying to tell the parents, Hey, theres this crazy thing happening, and the parents arent listening, they arent paying attention. Frodos ring. Hogwarts is a goofy name for a school. Smith, Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts by Paul Tripp, Fault Lines vs Cynical Theories vs Ministers of Reconciliation, Prayer: Communing with God in Everything Collected Insights from A.W. Janner's death is so moving but so, so, SO devastating. Afterwards they reassembled the lodging in the cellar that was still necessary until at least some part of the castle could be reconstructed, and Kalmar hung the flagon of First Well water in a safe place in case of further emergency. : Notes on Ideology and Enemies, Meritocracy, the Wingfeather Saga, and Civility - Front Porch Republic, New animated series 'The Wingfeather Saga' teaches Christian values in an epic fantasy world - FISM TV, New animated series The Wingfeather Saga teaches Christian values in an epic fantasy world ReviewLocate : Books , Book Reviews And More, Navigating the Scylla and Charybdis: Paul Ramsey and Contemporary Political Theology. But he was saved by Christ because his faith on God was counted as righteousness and Abrahams saving faith was ultimately found in Christ. Click to contribute one-off or be a member. Its not just a generalized pride or ambition. If you like this childrens book review, you might want to listen to my other childrens book review: The Green Ember series by S.D. The annoying, frustrating, kind-of-smart cliffhanger that leaves you to decide for yourself whether Janner Igiby Wingfeather comes back to life, or stays with the Maker. And so, I think that happens at a deeper theological level, when it comes to naming humans. Their mother insists they do their THAGS. Wonder Woman is the daughter of the Gods of Olympus. The animal forces the two boys to find refuge in a tree: Only when Tink sticks a "gloop fruit" on an arrow and shoots it into the forest do they find the space to escape. Janner wondered. Avengers and Superman are god-like men. You see what Nias greatest fears are, and she has to also confront those. Reinke lists seven benefits of reading non-Christian books. Janner and his family hope to find refuge in the last safe place in the world: the Green Hollowsa land of warriors feared even by Fangs of Dang. Water from the First Well. Andrew Peterson: Okay. But then I was listening to some of your music last night, as I was just getting ready for this, and you have a line in Dancing in the Minefields that says, when I forget my name, remind me. So it seems like its a very central concern, not just in Wingfeather, but with your art more generally. Andrew Peterson: I think it comes down to the fact that I wanted the world to feel real, and therefore, I wanted the characters to feel real. Whos Your Authority? So I abandoned fantasy. Shaper. I didnt care about their spaceships when they blew up. I was growing up in a town that I didnt fit into. She and the other children helped the Kimeran rebels retake Dugtown from the fangs. It blew my mind how obvious his spite was. Fork Factory Janner was captured by an old lady and taken to the Fork Factory, the place where children were forced to make weapons and armor for the Fangs. He could have chosen a non de plume, a pen name, but instead he prefers to answer the same question, every where he goes, Are you Andrew Peterson, the songwriter and musician extraordinaire?. He can't go out to see the world so he enjoys the next best thing, being there when the world comes to him. One job. Andrew Peterson: Well, there are two answers to that question. Read Tony Reinkes book, Lit! He disappeared for years after the Great War and little is known about what happened to him before he resurfaced in Glipwood under the name of Peet the Sock Man He failed his mother and his grandfather. Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 222 total), https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ACmjZb4GsKDWRadYKYIMxvaJyxN_lE2GJTKSvfZjuoQ/edit?usp=sharing, How To Sneak Past Those Watchful Dragons: What C. S. Lewis Knew That We Should Know, The Doctors Daughter -March 2023 Short Story Picture Prompt Contest Winner, This topic has 221 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated. Arriving back at the ruins of Castle Rysen, the family again gave thanks to the Maker for restoring Janner. I also noticed that name changes seem to be happening at really pivotal moments in a characters life. Janner, Tink, and Leeli all have surface traits and some attempts to have anything deeper. He sat down, and leaned against the wall while Sara grabbed the bandages. I also didnt want to make the bad guy so sympathetic that you were sad that he got what was coming to him. So, anyway, I think that back then, the idea of receiving a new name from Christ was part of what was at the root of that idea that Tink was the metaphor that was playing out was that Tink was afraid of being a king, he didnt want to be, so the name became a very tangible way to convey that idea. In that message, Peterson has a note to parents. I found a wing-ibbythread! Andrew Peterson: When youre a little older, youll get it. Ollister Pembricks seminal work on the woeful and wonderful creatures of Skree. The teacher said, If you want to understand Western literature, you have to have an understanding of the scripture first.. So that was part of what I was going for. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Andrew Peterson: Which is in my mind kind of like The Scouring of the Shire, when Frodo and Sam come back home. BEEP. "I love you . So Im curious to hear what authors and books helped shape you and shape this series. Hes giving me names that arent mine. Jake Meador: Okay, so this is circling back around to the Gnag thing, a little bit. She silently changed them, then cuddled up with him. Jake Meador: I had been reading the whole series without realizing it and then I got there and was like, huh, thats actually a huge plot problem., Andrew Peterson: Yeah, well, okay, so thats a good example of what were talking about. Its a pretty potent imagination, and has been as long as I can remember, which can be good if youre a songwriter, or a novel writer, whatever. In fact, he and his family are at the center of a great mystery that will change their lives forever. One of the few highlights of 2020 for me has been getting to read the Wingfeather Saga to my kids. But it happens with other characters too. It gave us a bedtime routine and something to look forward to every night for several months as we made it through the whole series. Peterson likes to mix things up in his stories and his career. Oh, and @anne-of-lothlorien, if you hadnt already found it, the former fang girls name is Galya. All of this ridiculousness. That was when Derek was doing Mockingbird, and those kind of things, and I remember tracking with it at the time. Yeah. Janner tells himself he is just looking out for Tink but he enjoys every bit of the adventure. Two weeks after the healing of the cloven and Fangs. Jake Meador: So this was another thing, and you kind of touched on it a little bit in your letter to parents on the website, but it struck me as I was reading that theres a lot of darkness and evil and pain in these stories. I remember in North! By the end of it he feels he would give anything to have his life back the way it was (or almost: without the fangs of Dang would be nice). Some stories tend toand theres a place for thisthey tend to write about heroes, and theres this nobility, these aspirational characters, and I dont think thats a terrible thing to make characters that kids who read them want to be like. Or Be Eaten, The Monster in the Hollows, and The Warden and the Wolf King.The series chronicles the adventures and transformations of a family . The Dragon Day Festival. They get a glimpse of the Maker, who will make this life brighter, not duller, our eyes clearer, not dimmer. Janner sighed and looked back at her with a heavy sadness. That ending scene stands as the first time I cried while reading. Theyre horrifying. In his autobiography, Adorning the Dark, Peterson reflects on his conversion from a fantasy world escapist into a born-again Christian. But the Maker seems to be an absent God. No dreams and visions of God or from God. Youve been warned. No way. Jake Meador: To get his kids to safety, and yet its still there. But when the story of our life ends, we will know. Sara was very sad and wept about the news of Janner's death, and is adopted by Nia Igiby, Janner's mother. Because its hard to write a story where the main character can always be let off the hook by some grownup presence; by a parent who can always kind of swoop in and save them. And in the reflection of that world, this world becomes brighter, not duller; our eyes become clearer, not dimmer. So with new hardback editions of books three and four releasing last week, I thought now was a good time to talk to the author of the series, Andrew Peterson, about the books. Footnote. Because there will most likely be spoiler alerts this thread, and you DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT want those for Wingfeather. And he failed. Nope. *quietly sneaks in* I love these books, I actually wrote a book review on them, its around here somewhere on the website, if you havent checked it out, please do. through all the books he learns to put others before himself, coming to that COMPLETELY UNNEEDED PART AT THE END ANDREW I WILL FIND YOU AND MAKE YOU REWRITE IT, now that youre finished *slides you $20* would you be interested in reading my fanfic? It should be considered Christian literature. The anti-book is a dangerous mind-bending weapon because it can backfire. But the people pray to the Maker in a world occupied by evil Fangs, where children are carried off in the Black Carriage and Janners father, a good man, dies. We spoke for about an hour a few weeks ago. So getting to the bottom of why? was part of the joy of writing the story, and the why always comes down to the human heart.
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