Christmas tour LIVESTREAM

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-0PMMFcYh/[/embed]If you'd like to attend Andrew's annual Christmas tour Behold the Lamb of God but live across the Dark Sea of Darkness, never fear—there's a livestream happening TONIGHT! You're welcome to cram as many people into your living room as can fit. For tickets, visit Andrew's music site, or go directly to the purchase page here.

This week, Madame Sidler is reading the last few chapters of The Warden and the Wolf King, starting with chapter 91. Come back on Friday for our very last excerpt of the year!Andrew on tour: There are just a few more shows left for the Christmas tour this year. Find out if one of them is near you by visiting Andrew's music site.

BRBC week 45: Rising from ashes and sea

Anniera, fabled and graceful. Even growing up a short sail away it always felt like a place out of fairytale.

Nia’s whisper woke him. “We’re almost there.”Janner sat up and yawned as Leeli handed him a hunk of sweetbread and a handful of shadberries. The sun stared at them from low in the west, glowing orange in a field of purple and blue. Kalmar sat at the bow, resting his chin on the rail. Beyond him, Janner watched Anniera rise from the sea.Waves spewed up from the feet of the cliffs on either side of a little bay—the same one from which they had embarked the day before. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but there seemed to be less smoke, less desolation than there had been the day before. The land visible between the cliffs was still blackened, and smoke still rose in tendrils, but he was at least able to see the graceful shape of the island. It was easy to imagine how beautiful it would be if it were green and lush.There was no shiver in his bones, no tingle in his spine as the ship floated into the bay’s still waters where the River Rysen met the sea. He didn’t feel the thrill he had always imagined when the boat thumped into the dock and he and his family set foot on the Shining Isle at last, without Gnag or his minions to defy them.And yet, he wasn’t disappointed. Janner wasn’t interested in the feeling of being home as much as the actuality of it. He wanted to help his family build a life here. He wanted to roam the island unafraid, to see the seasons turn from year to year. Oh, how he wanted to be still. No more running, no more terror, no more anxiety or troubled dreams. Just this one place in all the world into which the word “home” would fit unlike anywhere else.
Discussion: Is there a place in your world which feels like everything-right-ness to you? The home you lived in when you were small, your grandparents' house, a place your family talked about moving to often enough that you feel you've already been there? What is it about that place that feels so right?What did you feel or think during the chapter about the Maker? (Discuss here.)What would you want if you were a Fang?What was your favorite passage this week?

Wingfeather starter kits!

Featherheads! Do you know somebody whom you know would love, LOVE the Wingfeather Saga, but they kind of haven't gotten around to reading it yet? Would you like some help indoctrinating them? Behold, the brand-new Wingfeather Saga Starter Kit:Wingfeather Saga Starter KitYep, that is the short film on DVD (an excellent indoctrination tool!), plus stickers and a bookmark and even a pack of character cards—and those cards include two blanks, so they can write themselves into the story or come up with a character of their own. You can get this awesome gift at the Rabbit Room. :-)

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 87-90 in The Warden and the Wolf King. Come back on Friday for an excerpt! Meanwhile, there are some great conversations happening in the forum.Andrew's Christmas tour is in full swing! They just completed the first run and are taking a breather before diving back in on Wednesday. Find out if they'll be near you by checking out Andrew's music site.

BRBC week 44: Aftermath

Readers, I cried through these chapters. No surprise there. I don't want to post anything too spoilery here on the main page, but I don't want to shy away from the real heart of this part of the story, either. Come talk more in the forum if you want to process together.The battle is over. The story is not.

When Janner turned away from Nia’s anguished face, the tragedy of war settled on his heart. Everywhere he looked, the fallen lay. They had given their lives, so there was a kind of beauty in it, but that beauty was only a blanket over a mountain of sorrow. There were slain cloven. Dogs nestled, breathless and still, against the bodies of their masters. There were dead ridgerunners, too. A lament rose to the heavens as the survivors mourned....The next morning was the warmest yet that spring. The sky was wide and high and blue with the breezy promise of new life. The rubble of Ban Rona was a terrible thing to see, but it didn’t seem as insurmountable as it had the night before. ... The streets were mostly empty, and the structures were mostly flattened, but the sky was so clear that it was impossible not to feel hopeful. Every broken building represented a restoration that was already underway.
What surprised you most this week? What made you cry? (If you want to talk about Gnag, come here)What thoughts do you have about the dragons? (Discuss here and here)Why are names so important? (Discuss here)If you had survived the battle, how would you help restore the city? Healing? Building? Singing?Please feel free to start new forum threads, or discuss here in the comments (careful of spoilers!) if you want to talk about anything else! I love hearing your thoughts. :-)

Behold the Lamb, year 19!

No automatic alt text available.This Wednesday, Andrew & crew hit the road for their nineteenth annual Christmas tour, Behold the Lamb of God. Asher's coming with, along with all the usual suspects and special guest Scott Mulvahill. This tour is a big deal—full band, in-the-round songs followed by the entire Christmas story from Passover to the birth of the Messiah. "The true tall tale of the coming of Christ," Andrew calls it. If they're going to be anywhere near you, please go.And if they aren't—well, you can gather up all your friends and family for a live-streamed private party on December 10, live at the historic Ryman Auditorium. :-)Here's Andrew (and a pumpkin) to tell you more!https://www.facebook.com/andrewpetersonmusic/videos/1118239028351528/Dates and ticket info for the rest of the tour can be found at Andrew's music site!

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 81-86 of The Warden and the Wolf King. Join us on Friday for an excerpt, and all week in the forum for good conversations. :-)

BRBC week 43: It's not over

Dear readers, Andrew and I are thankful for you.Did you struggle through this week's reading? The first few chapters of Warden part four are bleak. The Igibys, and all Aerwiar, have been through so much in the last year—the last nine years? the last epoch?—and here at the beginning of the end, all our fears begin to take shape. Take heart.

Oskar and Podo stood together amidst the battle, two tired old men beholding the destruction of their world. Hollowsfolk and Fangs strove about them, and the dogs growled and howled and fell by the hundreds, and above it all Rudric’s voice bellowed for bravery.But the Fangs were too many.“It’s over,” Oskar said, leaning on his sword.Podo lifted his eyes and stared wearily out at the Fang-fraught bay, then at the Bat Fangs overhead. He seemed to have aged a hundred years in the space of a heartbeat, as if all his days and all his sorrows had caught up to him at once. Podo dusted two Grey Fangs as they rushed him, then set his gaze on the sea. The old pirate raised his sword in one hand, his legbone in the other.“It’s not over,” he said through gritted teeth. “There’s always a way out.”
Discussion: Have you ever felt the way Janner does in these chapters—like the Maker doesn't care, like he may not even be real? How do you hold on when you feel that way? (Talk about this here or in the forum.)How did you feel while reading Gnag's reasons for doing what he's done? (Come talk about this in the forum.)What did you most appreciate in this section of the book?How was your Thanksgiving? :-)

Igibys three: More costumes!

We missed a costume photo last time! Check this out: Three siblings dressed as three siblings. :-) Great job, Lancaster kids! I love your smiles. :-)Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people standing and indoor

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 74-80 of The Warden and the Wolf King. Check back on Friday for an excerpt and discussion! Meanwhile, we've got a few great ongoing conversations in the forum.If you've already finished the series and are itching to talk about the ending, come over here. And if you'd like to get in on a group project, we've got one for you! Not finished reading yet? Just poke your head into the forums and see what sounds like fun. There are conversations about everything from first book to last, and we can't wait to meet you.

The stories are true.