Living Stories

Janner is alone in the dark, in the worst place in the world. He is angry and afraid. He is exhausted. He is near despair. And there is a traitor in his own heart, too.But is he alone?

---

Protect.The word came to him again and again, as steady as a drum beat. Indeed, it had been beaten into him since he was a baby. And now the rhythm of his mother’s word, his uncle’s word, drove back the anger—not completely, but enough that he thought less of his own misery and more of his brother’s.He remembered old tales, stories about self-sacrifice and the way a single, beautiful act done for the sake of another could shine out across the dark of the ages like a breaking dawn. When he was little, he and Kal had made swords out of sticks and defeated dragons, Fangs, and villains, and Janner had lain awake in his bed at the Igiby cottage yearning to be one of those heroes. Maybe now the Maker was only giving him what he wanted. Maybe the Maker was answering the prayer of his little boy heart by leading him here and giving him the chance to live one of those stories.—From chapter 61, "Alone in the Deeps of Throg."

---

Have you also dreamed of being in a story? Does it give you strength?Wherever you're at in the series right now, whether you're reading along with the book club or on your own, I'd love to hear what you loved best this week. Post an excerpt in the comments! And then come join us in the forum. :-) 

Costumes!

Several creative young readers put together awesome Wingfeather costumes for Halloween this year. It's so fun to see you guys get into the series and see yourselves in the characters. And we love the costumes! Here's a smattering of photos for you all to enjoy along with whatever candy you still have left. (For more details, just click the photos to enlarge.)Thanks, everyone, for posting these photos. They made our day.                

---

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading through chapter 61 of The Warden and the Wolf King, starting with the interlude before chapter 55. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own! Until then, we'll see you in the forum!Did you dress up as a Wingfeather character this year? Send your photos to Andrew. He'd love to see them. :-)

The cloven and the boy

This scene is heartbreaking. It makes me long to know that what Artham said so long ago—“Things will be made right”—is true. Knowing the end of the tale doesn't make this scene less sad, but it does make my heart burn. (My eyes, too.)

---

From behind an old log, two stems rose, each of which was topped with a greenish orb that blinked. Eyeballs. Padded frog-like fingers draped themselves over the log, so that they looked like vines or caterpillars resting on the rotten wood. Janner had the troubling realization that the thing was about to jump.Then something crashed in the underbrush behind him. Janner spun. Two hogpig cloven charged toward him, squealing. Their tusks were black with mold and as long as daggers. Janner swung his sword. His first blow missed, but his second made contact with one of the cloven’s front legs—a front leg that ended not in a hogpig hoof but a human foot. Oood roared as he leaped forward and swung his fists, first at Janner’s hogpig then at the other, which was attacking Kalmar.The eyeball thing behind the log loosed a rumbling gribbit and leaped over the fallen tree. Its body was like a digtoad’s but with spikes sprouting from a coat of luxurious white fur. Janner didn’t want to kill it. He knew it had once been human. He knew it probably suffered from the same forgetful madness that haunted Kalmar.Before it landed on him he hunkered down and raised his sword. The hairy digtoad slammed into him and rolled away with a groan. Janner climbed to his feet and realized his sword was no longer in his hand. It was embedded to the hilt in the digtoad’s belly.The cloven’s eye-stalks twitched on the ground as it gasped for air. The hogpigs were several feet away, one of them crackling to dust and the other wounded and struggling to breathe. Oood slowly turned in a circle, braced for any further attack, but none came.Kalmar sheathed his sword and knelt at the digtoad’s side. “Janner, it’s trying to speak.”Janner averted his eyes from the wound he had dealt and knelt beside Kalmar. He wanted to speak but the lump in his throat silenced him.“Are . . . you . . . a child? A boy?” the thing said between breaths. Its voice was gribbity, but there was enough human in it that Janner’s sadness grew. The digtoad took a deep breath and said, “I remember. I was a boy once.”—From chapter 53, "The Angry Ones Attack."

---

What passage did you love best from this week's reading? Post it in the comments! (If it's too spoilery to post here on the front page, we've got a thread in the forum just for that sort of thing.) 

The Stone Keeper and other drawings

Here are a few fantastic drawings from Bridget. Bridget, I love Peet's ragged haphazardry, and agree with you regarding the Stone Keeper as nightmare fuel. And those Fangs are very fierce. Very well done.

---

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 50-54 of The Warden and the Wolf King. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own! Meanwhile, here and here are a couple good forum threads to check out. When you're finished there, just go exploring. :-)Have you had a chance to catch up with Andrew on his tour? Check out his music website to see if he'll be near you. He loves to meet readers!

Slithering, skittering

To think that as recently as a year ago, creatures like this lived only two days' ride from my house! And some may still; who knows? How hideous this mangling. How sad this sadness.

---

“Look!” Kalmar said, pointing at something large and scaly as it slithered out of sight. Another rustle came from the other side of the path, and Janner spotted a creature skittering up a tree with spidery legs—it was no bigger than a dog, and he thought he saw human hands grabbing twigs as it climbed. As they walked they saw more and more creatures, some so hideous that they defied description. One lumped across the path, legless and gurgling. Another, visible deep in the trees, had limbs as long and thin as poles and strode through the boughs tearing leaves and munching them with long black teeth. In each misshapen face Janner saw the shadow of a deep sadness, as if the eyes were windows into a dungeon where a prisoner wept.—From chapter 49, "Cave Paintings."

---

What was your favorite snippet from this week, whether from our book club reading or anywhere else in the series? Post it in the comments!We've got berry buns and cider in the forum, and you're invited. :-) 

Into the Monster (a review)

Andrew Joyce over at Into the Book wrote a review of The Monster in the Hollows, and it sounds like he was really into it. Thankfully, nobody (that we know of) literally ended up in the gullet of said monster. Here's a snippet of the review.

The Monster in the Hollows is the third of four, and it lifts the entire series to new heights. Strong characterization and a plot that reaps the seeds of the two previous books makes for a riveting read that ratchets up the tension in the series as a whole. There are few stories that surpass The Wingfeather Saga.

Thank you, Mr. Joyce! Readers, you'll find the rest of the review here. (You may want to check out his reviews of books one and two as well.)

---

This week, Madame Sidler will be starting Part Three of The Warden and the Wolf King, reading from the opening interlude through chapter 49. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to post one of your own!

Bellowed defiance

Thousands and thousands of Fangs. A little army equipped with forks and farming tools. One leader, bellowing ferocity into the hearts of his followers. Read this section aloud—and bellow.Bonus: Check out this video of Andrew reading a different section of this chapter.

---

Then the wind carried a sound out of the darkness, from the direction of Torrboro. It was the sound of oars splashing, of boats thumping against one another, of trolls grunting and growl-moaning, of Fangs hissing and snarling. Above it all they heard the sound of crows squawking overhead, messengers of the coming doom.Maraly stood and drew her knives as the orphans around her drew their forks and held them out in trembling hands. Armulyn the Bard stepped over Artham and moved forward with his whistleharp in one hand.“AWAKE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF SKREE!” Gammon screamed from the end of the dock. He stood with his sword in the air. He turned his back to the river so all could see his black hat and mask. The F and S glowed blood red on his chest. “NOW IS THE TIME FOR COURAGE. WE MEET THE ENEMY WITH STEADY HEARTS, FOR DAWN HAS CONQUERED DARK SINCE THE MAKER SPOKE THE WORLD. THE NIGHT IS DEEP, BUT LIGHT RUNS DEEPER. LET OUR BLADES AND BLOOD PROCLAIM IT!”Every man, every woman, every child in the market that night raised their weapons and bellowed their defiance of the Fang army and Gnag the Nameless and every wicked thing that ever soured the sweet world. Their shouts tore across the River Blapp and echoed off the walls of the Castle Torr, returning to them like a gust of wind and doubling the din.—From chapter 41, "Storytime with Artham."

---

Did you have a favorite excerpt this week? Post it below!Come hang out with us in the forum. We can't wait to hear your thoughts. In particular, I'd love to hear what you think of this—and here's a good conversation, too.

Totato Soup

This last weekend was Hutchmoot, and one of the meals Chef Lewis Graham made was Totato Soup. It's too good not to share, so here you go—and since the recipe makes such a very lot of soup, invite a few friends to help you eat it. While you're all eating, read to them. :-)

---

Ingredients:

• One 3-5 lb. bag of small Yukon gold potatoes
• Two boxes of chicken stock
• One package sausage with sage
• One whole roasted or rotisserie chicken
• Three ears fresh corn (or one bag frozen corn)
• Two whole carrots
• Three stalks celery
• Two medium yellow onions
• One large can of whole, peeled tomatoes (or two small cans diced tomatoes).
• Seasonings: Fresh garlic, dried thyme, sprig of fresh Rosemary, two dried bay leaves, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes

 Directions (in Lewis Graham's words):

1. Two or three glugs of good olive oil in Dutch oven. Make warm, add sausage. When the sausage is done, remove from pan but save the grease.

2. Cut potatoes in half, and rub well with sea salt (About one tablespoon is plenty for the batch). Heat the saved grease up in the pot, add potatoes. Let them sit awhile, frying the skins a little.

3. When potato skins have browned a little, add fresh veggies, chopped up of course. Cook them a little; when the onions are translucent and celery pliable, add chicken stock.

4. Add chicken, pulled from bones, sausage, tomatoes, and everything else.

5. Let that bad boy cook awhile. When it boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer.

The rule with soup is the longer it sits, the better it gets. Mind it occasionally, stirring to keep anything from burning in the bottom. Fresh bread is always good. Be sure, absolutely sure, to do a little celebration dance after each taste, each seasoning.

---

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 38-45 of The Warden and the Wolf King. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own! Meanwhile, go see what's up in the forum. :-)p.s. Andrew's album release tour kicked off on Friday, and will be in full swing later this week. If he's near you, he'd love to say hi.