Greetings, Dear Readers!Andrew here, writing from my favorite little afternoon writing spot in Nashville. I don't want to give away my (very) secret location, but I can tell you it's the sort of place Jack and Tollers might have hung out in the afternoons in the Old Country--and it smells really good in here.I'm writing to introduce you to someone who's been hanging about at WingfeatherSaga.com for a few weeks now: Madame Sidler, whom you may remember appearing from nowhere from time to time in the Great Library in Ban Rona. The real Madame Sidler is named Laure Hittle, and she's an actual librarian from Colorado whose enthusiasm for the Wingfeather books led to my inviting her to help curate this esteemed website. She took the toothy cow by the horns, so to speak, and started the Ban Rona Book Club, and has also done an amazing job of updating the website--a website which I hope is a fun place for you to poke around and possibly get lost. Not only has she started the forum, she's hard at work uploading some of the wonderful artwork you guys have emailed me over the last few years. We're also slowly adding Ollister B. Pembrick's drawings from the Creaturepedia, so check back often to see some of the more hideous and mysterious critters that haunt the continent of Skree.So be sure and make her feel welcome! And be sure and check out the "Book Club" link (above) and join in the conversation. I love reading your reactions to the book.Beware the stealthy daggerfish,AP
Talons vs. Fangs
This week your librarian read chapters 35-38 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and once again, my favorite passage featured Peet the Sock Man. If you've not already read this far in the book on your own, I'd encourage you to catch up before reading this excerpt. If you read it here first, it might ruin a surprise!
Running faster than Janner believed possible, Peet the Sock Man bore down on them, mouth open in a vicious cry, wildness in his eyes.The Fangs watched him come, unable to understand what they were seeing, too shocked to react. Peet leapt into the air with an animal-like grace and spread his socked arms wide, his screech still filling their ears, the crows scattering before him.Peet fell on three of the Fangs nearest to him in a fury of talons and shrieks. The talons, Janner saw, were Peet’s— three long talons, in fact, that tore from within the socks on both arms and shredded them to pieces. The remains of the stockings floated to the ground like feathers. The Fang company stood motionless as their fellow soldiers crumpled to the ground, sliced and bleeding from a hundred wounds. Peet wasted no time. Slashing and spinning , his talons now covered in green blood, he felled two more Fangs before any of them had the sense to draw a weapon....Podo’s growl, Peet’s screech, and the snarls of the Fangs mixed with the racket of clashing steel.In a matter of moments, only Peet and Podo were left standing— the pirate and the Sock Man, covered in green blood and gasping for breath, knee deep in a pile of scaly corpses.—From chapter 37, "Talons and a Sling."
If you've got a favorite few lines from this week's reading, I'd love to hear them—just post them in the comments. If you're somewhere else in the series, you may still feel free to post something you read this week. All quotes are welcome here!Before you go, check out our forum. This week, there's been a great conversation about names (Igiby and Wingfeather in particular). You can also find some help with pronunciations! Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:
- Authors, Assemble!
- Andrew's sly sneakery
- Favorite characters
- Remember who you are (A real-life adventure for you)
Designs from a Wingfeather reader
Sam, a young graphic designer, made these awesome images. I love that they look just a little crumply—like they were made on parchment. And the image from The Far Country is a great complement to the dream of Anniera. Thanks, Sam!
This week: Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 35-38 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share what you’ve been reading!
A visit to Peet's castle
This excerpt (from chapters 31-34) is a bit long, so let's jump right in. Follow me, Patee-tee-teeee!
Another rope ladder on the other side of the trunk led up to a trap door in the floor of the tree house through which Peet was already helping Leeli. The boys scrambled up and into Peet’s castle in the trees.Peet was humming as he tore the diggle carcass into pieces and dropped them into a pot.Leeli made herself at home and sat cross-legged on the floor against the wall.“Come in, young men, come in. Diggle cooking, rumple eating, diggle diggle rump food,” he said in a singsong voice.Tink and Janner climbed into the tree house and sat next to Leeli, who wore a very satisfied expression on her face. She looked up at Peet and gestured to her brothers. “Mister Peet, these are my broth—”“Janner and Tink, Tanner and Jink, Jinker and Tan, Janker and Teeeeen,” Peet said without looking up from the pot.“But— how did you know our names?” Janner asked.“Small town, boys. Crazy people hear lots of things, Wigiby,” Peet said.“It’s Igiby,” Tink said.Peet shrugged and lit a small bundle of sticks and moss that sat in a crude fireplace beneath the pot. The fireplace was lined with stones, and above it he had fashioned a chimney of sorts from some kind of hide sewn together to make a tube.Janner was impressed by Peet’s ingenuity—that is, until the tree house filled with smoke. Peet didn’t seem to notice.Tink coughed. “Mister, uh, Peet the Sock Man, sir, aren’t you worried that your house will catch fire?”Peet fished a leather pouch from a small box beside him and sprinkled some of its contents into the pot. A delicious smell rose from the pot and mingled with the smoke.“Worried? Not at all, young Wingiby.” He pointed through the nearest window and the children could see three nearby trees whose branches were charred and leafless in places. “I’ve burned down my castle three times before, and I’ve always survived. I’m not borried a wit. Worried a bit.” He went back to stirring the pot. “But this time I think I figured out the problem, see, problem, see, problem, see,” he sang with a wink. “ Rocks. See these rocks? They don’t catch fire. Nope.” He coughed and for the first time noticed the smoke filling the room. “Eeep!” he cried. Peet tugged on a piece of twine that dangled from the chimney tube, and the smoke slowly cleared. “Open the flue, open the flue, open the flue for me and for you.”Janner began to rethink his opinion of Peet. He was as crazy as a moonbird.—From chapter 34, "Peet's Castle."
Are you reading along? I’d love to hear what lines grabbed you (possibly literally!) from your own reading. And if you're at another spot in the books, that's fine, too. :-)There are some great conversations happening in the forum this week! We’ve been talking about our favorite Oskar quotes, Leeli's compassion, and what to do when we can't feel the Maker's presence. There's also a brand-new thread about the feeling of homesickness. Come join us!
Drawings from two talented Smiths
Anne (then 7) and Josiah (then 5) created these wonderful drawings a few years ago. I love the quotes and the lizards and the sea dragon and the tree house, and look—the swords have scabbards. Excellent. Thanks, you two!(Anne and Josiah's dad is the author of The Green Ember, by the way. It's a great book. You can't go wrong with sword-wielding rabbits.)
This week: Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 31-34 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share what you’ve been reading!
The first sign of glory
This week, I (Madame Sidler) read chapters 23-30 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Quite a lot happened in Glipwood this week—a treasure-hunt, a ghostly encounter, a portent, a kidnapping, a murder. This is also where we see the first hint of the glorious glory of my own favorite person in this story. I'm sure I shouldn't have favorites, but I'm a librarian, not an historian. Historians are welcome to be objective if they like.Do you know what else is glorious in this chapter (28)? Leeli's sweet heart. Come over to the forum if you'd like to talk about that; I've started up a new discussion thread about her.
Slarb flew through the air toward Leeli, fangs bared in a vicious snarl. Too frightened to move, Leeli forced away the thoughts of the Fang’s long teeth sinking into her, the poison coursing through her veins; in that heartbeat she thought of the warm cottage, the only home she’d ever known. She was sad that she’d never get to see it again.Leeli imagined Janner, Tink, Podo, and Nia standing on the front lawn waving to her. And she thought of Nugget. She hoped that Janner and Tink would remember to feed him, and scratch his belly once in a while.Suddenly, Slarb’s growl was cut short. Trembling, Leeli opened her eyes and saw the Fang’s claws clutching desperately at an arm locked tight around his throat.She couldn’t see the person’s face, only a tuft of white hair sticking up from behind Slarb’s shoulder— but the arm around Slarb’s throat had a dirty knitted sock pulled up to the elbow.—From chapter 28, "Into the Forest."
If you’ve been reading along with us, which parts did you love best? Feel free to post a quote from elsewhere in the series, too. We'd love to hear it!Come on over to the forum! This week, we've been talking about your librarian's existential state (dead or not?) and the feeling of being abandoned by the Maker. Join in on one of these or several other topics (such as blindplopping and Oskar's quotes), or come start your own discussion! We are eager to hear your voice. :-)
Invasion of England
All this week, Andrew and his good friend Eric Peters are roving about the UK as traveling bards, much like Armulyn traveling through Skree (except that they wear shoes). They spent today treasure-hunting in used book stores in Wales. (Did you know that Wales has a whole town dedicated to books? Oskar would be delighted!)There are five shows left on this little tour, and if you're anywhere near one, you can grab a ticket here. Meanwhile, you can keep up with Andrew and Eric's shenanigans by following them on Instagram and Twitter. Here are just a few of those shenanigans.
This week: Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 23-30 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share what you’ve been reading!
Into the Manor
Happy Friday, readers! It is I, your librarian, with another excerpt for you. This passage includes lyrical creepiness, a haunting description of a haunted house, and one breathtakingly beautiful line, right at the end.I loved the part, too, where Janner and Tink struck out running through the high weeds. As I read I could feel the sun on my back and the weeds on my legs. I left that part out, just to keep the excerpt short, but please do go back and read it. Don't you love it when a book makes you feel like you're right there in the story?
Be you friend or be you foeBeware to all who followFor in the catacombs belowIs hidden in the hollowA way that leads to pain and woeSadness, grief, and sorrowThe hungry ghost of Brimney StupeAwaits your bones to swallowSo think you long before you goExploring here tomorrow...For an hour Janner and Tink followed the ancient lane as best they could. Each time the road began to blend into tall stretches of heather and disappear, they would search anew for the faint depression of the path in the swaying grass. The line of the forest loomed ever closer, and soon Janner was pointing to the shape of what must be the ruined structure of Anklejelly Manor.Tink picked up his pace and soon they stood before the manor, its craggy back to the forest. The two gaping second-floor windows made Janner think of the eye sockets of a skull watching their approach. He stopped in front of a rusty iron gate that hung sad and crooked on ancient hinges. Neither brother spoke, unwilling to admit they were afraid and wondering what foolishness had made coming here seem sensible.It was clear that the manor had once been a beautiful place. Several tall and mildewed statues of people in various poses dotted the courtyard. One was of a fat man eating a lamb chop (the sight of which caused Tink’s stomach to growl loudly, the sound of which made Janner jump an inch off the ground). Another statue nearer the house depicted a laughing woman swinging a terrified cat by its hind leg. Another statue, covered in vines, was of a weeping man scratching his large belly with a rake. Dangling from the rake handle was a cluster of stone grapes.The roof of the mansion had long ago collapsed, and everywhere weeds and vines had begun the slow work of pulling the stones and aged timbers back to the earth.—From chapters 18 and 20, "Stumbling onto a Secret" and "Into the Manor."
If you’ve been reading along with us, which parts did you love best? And if you’re somewhere else in the books, that’s fine—I’d love to read your favorite lines, too!In the forum this week, we’ve been talking about the themes we've found in the series, what we treasure, the meaning in names and naming, and the sneaky references Andrew's slipped in when he thought we weren't looking. Come join us!