On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga)

From Publishers Weekly Playwright Peterson ( Behold the Lamb of God ) spins a whimsical fantasy novel that will appeal to both adult and YA readers. When the three Igiby siblings find a mysterious map, they embark on an adventure to discover family secrets about the father they never knew and a hidden treasure that many have long desired to find. Leeli, the youngest, can sing with a beauty that captivates dragons; Tink, the middle sibling, has the makings of a king; and Janner, the eldest, possesses a bravery that will protect them all. But the children's curiosity get the entire Igiby family into trouble with the Fangs of Dang—frightening, scaly-skinned, lizard creatures that drip venom—who have ruled the land of Scree since the Great War. Soon, the Igibys are scrambling for their lives. Peterson's style is lighthearted and funny, but following the Igibys' story requires patience and attention to detail and character so as not to get lost. The sheer amount of names, places, creatures and history Peterson invents will frustrate some readers—it is so complicated that he inserts explanatory historical footnotes throughout (though many are amusing). (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Praise for the Wingfeather Saga “I love all the adventure and the wild inventiveness and, most of all, the heart in Andrew’s books. He is a poet and a master storyteller. I want to read anything he writes.” —Sally Lloyd-Jones, New York Times best-selling author of children’s books “An experience your family will never forget. I can’t recommend these books highly enough!” —Sarah Mackenzie, author of The Read-Aloud Family and founder and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast “The Wingfeather Saga is witty, imaginative, and full of heart. Highly recommended for middle-grade readers who’ve run out of Narnia novels and are searching for their next great series.” —Anne Bogel, creator of the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog and host of the What Should I Read Next? podcast “A wildly imaginative, wonderfully irreverent epic that shines with wit and wisdom—and features excellent instructions on how to cope with thwaps, Fangs, and the occasional toothy cow.” —Allan Heinberg, writer and coexecutive producer of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and cocreator of Marvel Comics’ Young Avengers “Immensely clever!” —Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales Andrew Peterson is critically acclaimed in the music industry, and his lyrics and songwriting are compared by reviewers to James Taylor, Marc Cohn, and the late Rich Mullins. He’s married to Jamie; they have two sons, Aedan and Asher, and one daughter, Skye. Artist Justin Gerard has illustrated several children’s books, including The Lightlings storybooks for young readers by R.C. Sproul. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, and works as the chief creative officer for Portland Studios. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1The Carriage Comes, The Carriage BlackJanner Igiby lay trembling in his bed with his eyes shut tight, listening to the dreadful sound of the Black Carriage rattling along in the moonlight. His younger brother Tink was snoring in the bunk above him, and he could tell from his little sister Leeli’s breathing that she was asleep too. Janner dared to open his eyes and saw the moon, as white as a skull, grinning down on him through the window. As hard as he tried not to think about it, the nursery rhyme that had terrified children in the land of Skree for years sang in his head, and he lay there in the pale moonlight, his lips barely moving.Lo, beyond the River Blapp The Carriage comes, the Carriage Black By shadowed steed with shadowed tack And shadowed driver drivingChild, pray the Maker let you sleep When comes the Carriage down your street Lest all your dreams be dreams of teeth And Carriages arrivingTo wrest you from your berth and bower In deepest night and darkest hourAcross the sea to frozen tower Where Gnag the Nameless pounds youAt Castle Throg across the span, A world away from kith and clan You’ll weep at how your woes began The night the shadows bound youAway, beyond the River Blapp, The Carriage came, the Carriage Black By shadowed steed with shadowed tack The night the Carriage found youIt’s no wonder that Janner had a hard time sleeping once he heard the faint thud of hooves and the jangle of chains. He could see in his mind the forms of the crows circling the Carriage and perched atop it, hear the croaking beaks and the flapping of black wings. He told himself that the sounds were only his imagination. But he knew that somewhere in the countryside that very night, the Black Carriage would stop at some poor soul’s house, and the children there would be taken away, never to be seen again.Only last week he had overheard his mother crying about the taking of a girl from Torrboro. Sara Cobbler was the same age as Janner, and he remembered meeting her once when her family had passed through Glipwood. But now she was gone forever. One night she lay in bed just as he was now. She had probably kissed her parents good night and said a prayer. And the Black Carriage had come for her.Had she been awake?Did she hear the snort of the black horses outside her window or see the steam rising from their nostrils?Did the Fangs of Dang tie her up?Had she struggled when they put her into the Carriage, as if she were being fed into the mouth of a monster? Whatever she had done, it was useless. She had been ripped away from her family, and that was the end of it. Sara’s parents had held a funeral wake for her. Being carried off by the Black Carriage was like dying. It could happen to anyone, at any time, and there was nothing to be done about it but to hope the Carriage kept moving when it rattled down your lane. The rattles and clinks and hoofbeats echoed through the night. Was the Black Carriage getting closer? Would it make the turn up the lane to the Igiby cottage? Janner prayed to the Maker that it would not. Nugget, Leeli’s dog, perked his head up at the foot of her bed and growled at the night beyond the window. Janner saw a crow alight on a bony branch outlined by the moon. Janner trembled, gripping his quilt and pulling it up to his chin. The crow turned its head and seemed to peer into Janner’s window, sneering at the boy whose wide eyes reflected back the moonlight. Janner lay there in terror, wishing he could sink deeper into his bed where the crow’s black eyes couldn’t see him. But the bird flapped away. The moon clouded over, and the thump-thump of hoofbeats and the creak-rattle of the Carriage faded, faded, finally into silence. Janner realized that he’d been holding his breath, and he let it out slowly. He heard Nugget’s tail thump against the wall and felt much less alone knowing that the little dog was awake with him. Soon he was fast asleep, dreaming troubled dreams. Read more