Ban Rona Book Club

To War

Dear readers, we have reached the end of The Monster in the Hollows. We have laughed and cried together. We have yearned and talked and felt deeply. What a joy and a privilege it is to read these stories with you. Next week: The Warden and the Wolf King!

[Rudric] turned to his people and mounted the crate again.“Countrymen! If there is evil in the world, it will find its way into the Green Hollows, no matter how vigilant our watch. If there is evil in the world, should not the warriors of the Green Hollows meet it?”As Janner listened, Rudric changed the Green Hollows forever.The histories of the Third Epoch tell how at the harbor of Ban Rona that night, Rudric ban Yorna and the Wolf King of Anniera mustered the Hollowsfolk to war. Word spread throughout the land that the Durgans were readying for battle. Dogs carried messages to the Outer Vales and the cities of the hills and all the villages between, calling for arms and anyone brave enough to wield them against Gnag the Nameless and the Fangs of Dang.As winter fell, weapons were forged, timber was harvested, ships were built, and food was stored. Among the fields and hills of the Green Hollows, an army prepared for battle. They gathered their strength, and they waited. In the fullness of time, when the winter faded and the spring brought the thaw, the free people of Aerwiar would go to war.And the Jewels of Anniera would lead them.—From chapter 60, "The Keeper and the High King."
Post an excerpt below—one from this week's reading (chapters 54-60), or your favorite from The Monster in the Hollows, or from whatever part of the series you're reading right now. I love reading with you! And stop by the forum before you go. :-) We've even got a special thread for super-spoilery favorite excerpts.See you next week!  

Into the light

Only one more week of The Monster in the Hollows! The last line of this excerpt is one of my favorites.

Sara led the children down the long hallway and paused at the double doors that led to the main room where the Overseer’s carriage had unloaded each of them over the years. She hadn’t seen the room since the night she’d helped Janner escape. She motioned for the throng of children clogging the hall behind her to keep quiet so she could listen. When she was sure it was safe, she pushed through the doors and led the children out of the darkness and into the light.Thick beams of sunlight angled through high windows and lit the floor. The children held their hands up to the light as if it were the first time they’d ever seen it. The moment of awe was quickly broken, however, by squeals of delight and celebration. The children of the Fork Factory danced and ran and tumbled across the floor. They found water in a trough against the wall and splashed it on their faces, rubbing the soot away and meeting each other, in a way, for the very first time.—From chapter 47, "The Fingerless Glove."
Were there lines that you loved this week, from chapters 47-53 or from anywhere else in the books? Post them in the comments, please! We'd love to read along with you.The forum has been busy this week! Come on over and join the fun.On Monday, we'll have a post from Andrew. :-) 

Under the tree

This week's book club reading—chapters 40-46 of The Monster in the Hollows—was hard. If you struggled through the Phoobs chapters from North! Or Be Eaten, you probably felt your heart twisting as you read this section, too. But as Artham said in the Phoobs, "This story will end well. I don’t know how, but things will be made right." And as always, if you need to process this week's reading, come over to the forum, and we'll process together.This excerpt is a short one, but it captures well the great sorrow and trepidation in these chapters.

The branches of the great tree no longer brightened the room with leaves and dangling fruit—the limbs were bare, and the room was cold and gray. Even with the great hall crammed full of people and fires lit in the four hearths, a chill haunted the chamber. The only color seemed to be the dry, rusty smudge of Nia’s handprint on the tree.—From chapter 44, "The Case Against Kalmar."
What passage stood out to you this week? Whether you're reading along with us or from another section of the series, post your excerpt in the comments! And then come on over to the forum for some bibes and conversation.

Snowball fight

I, like Janner, love this rare moment of playfulness.

“What’s this?” Nia asked.“My houndrick.” Leeli clicked her tongue, and the six dogs sat.“Your houndrick?” Nia climbed down from the carriage to inspect it.“Thorn and Biggin O’Sally commissioned it from the woodwrightery last month, just for me. It was finished today." ...Nia mounted the carriage. “It looks solid. Well made. The woodwrightery guildlings did areally good job of it. Now,” she said, making sure the boys were seated, “let’s see how fast it is. Hya!”Janner and Kalmar nearly tumbled off their seats when the horses lunged forward. Janner looked over his shoulder at Leeli and waved as they sped away. She looked shocked for a moment, and then Janner saw her mouth move and heard the dogs bay. The snowfall was so thick that Leeli disappeared in swirling curls of white as they passed through the gate, but he could hear the dogs and knew Leeli was close behind.Nia laughed as the carriage careened through the streets. Kalmar whooped and crouched on his seat, nose into the wind, howling at the snow. He looked more like a wolf in that moment than Janner had ever seen him, and Janner loved him for it, because in that moment Kalmar didn’t care a hoot what the Hollowsfolk thought.The horses were winded by the time they crossed the bridge at the foot of Chimney Hill. Nia reined them in and turned in her seat. “Do you hear her?” she asked, and they all listened. Janner heard nothing but the wind and the trickle of water in the creekbed. Nia’s face fell. “I should go back for her.”“Look, Mama.” Kal pointed at two parallel lines in the snow that ran over the bridge and up the hill. “She beat us.”When they rounded the bend and climbed up to the front lawn, they found Leeli loosening the straps of the last dog and scratching it behind the ears. Freva greeted Nia and the boys, then led the carriage to the barn, muttering about how much she disliked snow.Nia calmly stooped and gathered a pile of snow into a ball. She aimed it at Leeli and let it fly. It hit Leeli in the back and exploded, and she spun around with her mouth hanging open.“That’s your prize for winning,” Nia said. She threw another snowball. “And that’s for no reason at all.”—From chapter 26, "Snaphounds and Snowfall."
Whether you're following along with us, or are somewhere else in the books, share your favorite passage in the comments! I had multiple favorites this week. If you'd like to read the others, visit the B-sides thread in the forum. 

Snickbuzzards? Woe!

Of all the creatures in Aerwiar, the snickbuzzard is perhaps the most lobidious. Why? Read on to find out, although I warn you—I haven't slept since seeing the picture at the bottom of this post.

Podo was sipping thick black bean brew and half-listening to his new friend Lennry Gardensmith blab about the superior quality of his wife’s apple crunch recipe when he saw Paddy Durbin Thistlefoot emerge from the patrol office. Thistlefoot marched across the street, fists pumping, and burst into Gully’s Saloon, demanding bean brew.“Strongest you got,” he said, kicking his muddy boots off at the door.“What’s got you all sizzled?” asked Lennry.“They don’t believe me, that’s what.” Paddy pulled up a stool at the table where Podo and Lennry sat. “They said my math was bad. I said that may be true, but I didn’t think it could be bad four mornings in a row. They thought that was pretty funny.” He took a long, noisy sip of his bean brew and shook his head. “But the more I think about it, the more certain I am that I had eight hogpiglets yesterday. And the day before I had one more than that. Ten!”“That’s not right,” Lennry said.“Eh?” Paddy counted on his fingers and moved his lips.“You said you had eight yesterday, and the day before you had one more than that. That makes nine, not ten." ...Paddy furrowed his brow and nodded slowly. “Nine. You’re right. Plumb forgot about that one.” He and Lennry raised their mugs to math and sipped. ...“If you’re so smart, what’s taking my hogpiglets?”Lennry shrugged. “Could be wolves.” ...“Pah,” Podo said. “Wolves run in packs. They don’t slip into pens and swaller a hogpiglet whole. Was there any sign of struggle?”“None,” said Paddy.“Footprints?” Podo asked.“Hard to tell in the slop.”“Well, then, I’d say you’ve got snickbuzzards.”Lennry gasped. “Snickbuzzards?”“What’s a snickbuzzard?” Paddy asked.“I don’t know,” Lennry said, “but they sound mean.”“Aye,” Podo said. “They are. Terrible mean. Razor sharp beaks. Talons like daggers. And the worst part?”“Yes, yes?” Lennry and Paddy said.Podo sipped his bean brew and raised a bushy eyebrow. “Bellybutton.”“No,” said Paddy with a shiver. “Not on a bird.”Snickbuzzard
Sorry about that, everyone.Thankfully, there are no snickbuzzards here in the Hollows, so it's perfectly safe to head over to the forum for some bibes and conversation. A few topics to get you started: Movie casting, visiting the library, Janner and Grigory, and books that tell us who we are. See you there!

Find your story

This, dear readers, is what I love about the Great Library—my library. Our library. Everyone can find their own story here. It is a wonderful glowing feeling to see a reader connect with a book that helps them know who they are.Can I help you?

Janner had never seen so many books in one place. He wandered from room to room, perusing books that struck his interest and others that didn’t. He couldn’t resist pulling them from the shelf to smell them, to feel their pages, and to skim their contents no matter what the books were about. He read a few disturbing poems by Adeline the Poetess in a collection called An Anthology of Maniacal Verse; he browsed through pages of illustrations by someone named R. Smackam, mostly of fairies and witches and gnoblins; he found a biography of Connolin Durga which he tucked under his arm for later; and to his delight he found a whole section of Annieran history. ...Janner stood in the aisle, ears ringing and skin tingling, turning pages with trembling fingers. Here, among all these books, was one about his family—and it wasn’t just a list of names hung on a family tree. Each name was listed with the date and place of birth and a short biography, and some included a gallery of portraits. ...He felt as if he were glowing from the inside out.—From chapter 29, "A Lineage of Kings."
Was there a scene that resonated with you this week? Share it in the comments!If you've got questions or thoughts about the books, or just want to connect with other readers, come to the forum to hang out with us. :-) In particular, I'd love to hear what Aerwiar stories you want to read!  

"Can I sit with you?"

This week's reading includes one of my favorite chapters in The Monster in the Hollows, and this is my favorite part of that chapter.

One day as she sat sipping her soup and thinking with pleasure of Janner’s wild ride away from the Fork Factory, she felt someone tap her shoulder. She snapped out of the daydream with some difficulty and turned to see a little boy. He was so short he only came up to her shoulder while she sat. His face, like all the other faces, was dirty, and his teeth had begun to blacken. His fingernails were crusted with dirt, and his shirt was several sizes too big and hung from him like a rag on a clothesline.But his eyes! They were looking at her. He wasn’t a tool but a boy.“Can I sit with you?” he asked, and his voice was as small and sweet as a piece of candy....He looked up at her and smiled, and flakes of ash broke from his cheeks and fell to the floor. He put his head on her shoulder for a moment, and Sara felt in her heart a joy so heavy it hurt.—From chapter 23, "The Light He Left Behind."
What did you love best from this week's reading? Share it in the comments!I can't tell you all how much I am loving our conversations in the forum this week. We have a sweet community growing up there. We're talking about homesickness, pronunciations, growing up, decision-making, favorite characters—but in the midst of all that, we've been making friends. Please stop by! We'd love to become friends with you, too. :-)

The Durgan Guild: A fellowship of warriors, spies, and fruit-defenders

As one of Olumphia's fellow guildlings, I shall respectfully decline to comment regarding the hedgerow. But I will say that she is not wrong about the scandal of the fruit fires. I have read, reread, and wept over Riggin Dagorma's The Wailing Orchards: A Tanjerade Tragedy any number of times.

The guildmadam was already striding away, and the boys ran to catch up. They followed a walkway to the edge of a flagstone courtyard, where she stopped and held out a hand for silence. Janner counted fourteen students sitting in a circle in the center of the yard, watching two other students as they tumbled about on the ground in vicious combat. A man sat among the students in the circle, pointing at the wrestlers and speaking from time to time.“This,” Olumphia said in a voice just above a whisper, “is the Durgan Guild. It’s the oldest of the Hollish guilds, named after Connolin Durga. Oy!” She gave the boys a meaningful look as if they should know who Connolin Durga was, but all she got were blank stares. “Pah. You mean to tell me your mother didn’t teach you any Hollish history? Well. You saw the statue in the courtyard, didn’t you? The man on the horse was Connolin Durga, one of the great warriors of our land. He drove out the ridgerunners in the Second Epoch when they invaded and set fire to the Outer Vales. They infested the Hollows like groaches, creeping into homes and barns at night to burn them and scare us away. The house fires lit the trees, and a hundred miles of orchards were consumed. Whole acres of fruit, gone! Fruit!” She looked at the boys again to be sure they appreciated the gravity of the loss. They pretended to be shocked, and she continued: “Connolin Durga was the only chief cunning enough to muster us in the chaos to defeat the ridgerunners and their allies. The Bannick Durga is named after him, as is the Finnick Durga. The Durgan Guild is a fellowship of warriors and spies.”“Spies?” Kalmar whispered.“Oy. For as long as we can remember, the ridgerunners have crept into our borders to steal fruit and animals and tools—but mainly fruit, the little swipers. They love it, and who can blame them? We actually do a bit of trading with them, under the strictest protocols, of course, and only at the border. But it seems there’s no end to their appetite for sneakery. Our Durgans counter their efforts. Now, of course, it’s more than ridgerunners we fight. It’s Fangs and the cloven too.”As annoyed as Janner had been, he was warming to the idea of creeping through the forests with a company of fellow watchmen, sending signals by the light of the moon and chasing ridgerunners over hill and vale.“That’s Guildmaster Clout.” Olumphia sniffed. “He’s a despicable man. Arrogant, short-tempered, and rude.” She glared at him for a moment and muttered, “I’d marry the old rotbag faster than I could pluck a whisker. But he acts like I don’t exist. Despicable man.”The guildmadam scratched at her bony jaw with one hand and twirled a lock of hair in the other. Janner imagined her as a young girl, lanky and outcast, spying on her more popular classmates from behind a hedgerow.—From chapter 20, "The Durgan Guild."
What was your favorite Wingfeather passage this week? Share it in the comments!This week in the forum, you're invited to pick a guild! (I hear Guildmaster Clout and the Durgans are looking for a few new recruits...) 

The stories are true.