1. Yes

2. Someone sent me a private message about them.

3-5 to come. I will be starting to listen to the book soon.

I have the first two books in this series (after they were recommended by someone else on NarniaWeb) and would like to read them, but there are so many other books on my to-read list!! I will get there and would love to discuss them with others when I do read them, so I'm glad there's a thread here. 

1) Is this your first time encountering the Wingfeather Saga?
I've lost count. The Wingfeather Saga is the third fiction book series that I've added to my annual reading routine. I read the Wingfeather series beginning in the fall and finishing up by Thanksgiving, followed by the Chronicles of Narnia which takes me to the end of December, and I finish up my annual fiction routine with The Hobbit and LoTR which takes me into the Spring.

2) How did you first hear about these books?
My wife and I became avid admirers of the Singer-Songwriter, Andrew Peterson, the author of the series. My wife discovered them before me, perhaps a year or so after they were published.

3) Looking at Book 1 - OtEotDSoD (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness), who is your favorite Character and why?
As I made my way through the series, different characters became my favorites, primarily because they each have a story arc. For me, that change over time causes me to gravitate to a particular character based on where they are in their journey within the story. For this book, I waffle between Oskar and Peet. I enjoy Oskar's book geekiness and can identify with some of Peet's struggles. However, if pressed to make a choice, I'd have to say Pete for his steadfastness despite the pain and odds stacked against him.

4) Is there a line or passage that especially resonates with you?
One of the themes that permeates the entire series is the importance of names. In our own world history, we can see how the forces of evil will often dehumanize people in various ways, but very often by means of taking away people's identity (e.g. Jews given numbers leading up to the Holocaust). For this reason, one of this book's subtle but powerful lines is during an early exchange between Janner and Peet. Janner is trying to understand the mystery of who Peet is, asking him if Peet is his real name. In a startling moment of clarity, Peet responds,

"What's a real name?" Peet said finally. He pointed the spoon at Janner. "Is Janner Igiby your real name?" "Yes sir." "Is it?" Peet said, turning back to his cooking.

Admittedly, I did not fully understand how profound this simple exchange was until the end of the series.

5) How many "Easter Eggs" have you found, so far, and (perhaps use the spoiler feature) what are they?
I don't want to ruin the surprises for others, so I'm only going to list two for now. I'm also hoping that others can find those I may have missed.

In case, like me, you struggle with the first few chapters... while the story may be epic, like Lord of the Rings, and thought-provoking/truth-telling, Like the Chronicles of Narnia, it is better to approach the book like that of The Princess Bride. Once you have that humor in mind, you're better prepared for the first few chapters... keep with it, as there is priceless and intrinsic value in this once-in-a-lifetime saga.

@meldred 

I did struggle with the beginning of the book. I'm exactly sure why because I'm used to books with slow starts and usually appreciate the wry style. Maybe I was expecting a faster start because it is young adult literature. Or maybe it was because I was listening to it and was having trouble with the unfamiliar creatures and names.

Like Janner, I found that the more I learned and read the more questions I have. I'm going to try listening to it again to see if I missed somethings.

The best thing about the book is the footnotes. I don't know how much of that is the writing itself and how much is the narrator's use of an intellectual snob tone.

As for quotes and characters, I'll get back to that when I get the ebook version I requested. I realized it is hard to discuss things if I can't spell them.

@twigs 

In regard to the footnotes, I agree, they are delightful and only get better. I don't believe it is a spoiler to say the voice of the footnotes is that of Oskar N. Reteep (Appreciator of the Neat, the Strange, and/or the Yummy).

Speaking of spoilers, your expectations and predictions are one of the things I enjoyed about the Wingfeather series. Some authors feel the need to tell you everything or drop sooo many hints that by the time you get to the reveal... it is not so much of a reveal as it is an eye-roll. Other authors can leave you feeling stupid, like that obscure alleged hint they dropped back in chapter one is supposed to later jump out at you in chapter forty. Andrew Peterson takes a different tack, perhaps to appeal to audiences young and young-at-heart. He provides some satisfying outcomes for the reader's expectations and predictions, YET he is still holding back, he still has twists and turns that he has not made so obvious or plain (at least I was caught off-guard more than once). 😉

@meldred 

I thought that might be Oskar's voice however

He definitely drops hints and clues, although not always very clear ones.

4. There are many quotes that I enjoyed but the one that is the most meaningful is

Spoiler

Into the Forest

It does
no good to worry over what's already
happened. What matters is now. The
past and the future are both beyond
our reach."
[...]
"You have to think hard about the
very thing before you, dear. Nothing
else. To think too long on what might
happen is a fool's business.And the
thing before us is to wait in this old
cottage without giving up hope. Even
if hope is just a low ember at night, in
the morning you can still start a fire."

Those words show strenght and a realistic outlook on life. I need to work on doing what Nia said there.

Other one I love is

@twigs 

Those are great quotes.

i do love the strength of Nia’s character, yet without diminishing her humble/vulnerable nature.

Ah, the rocks, that had me second guessing.

Regarding the voice of the footnotes… we’ll just let that simmer a bit.  

I'm going to drop another hidden gem here. This one is a LOtR reference, a name that my wife and I gave to our daughter for her middle name.

EDIT: I realized after posting this that this "Easter Egg" doesn't show up until much later in the saga. I'll keep all the other spoilers limited to this book only.

I LOVE this book!

1) Is this your first time encountering the Wingfeather Saga? Nope, I've been a fan since covid.

2) How did you first hear about these books? My mom bought me the series for my birthday.

3) Looking at Book 1 - OtEotDSoD (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness), who is your favorite Character and why? Janner, because I can relate to him a LOT.

4) Is there a line or passage that especially resonates with you? Honestly, there are sooo many. I can't decide

5) How many "Easter Eggs" have you found, so far, and (perhaps use the spoiler feature) what are they? THERE ARE EASER EGGS?!

@carithewriter 

There are "Easter Eggs" indeed, as Mr. Peterson's epic is interwoven with nods to many authors, books, songs, and movies. 

Thankfully, they are not over-the-top or so obvious as to be a distraction, but they are there nonetheless. I've listed three in the thread... so far... but there are more, and I suspect there are others I haven't yet found. I heard some of them from the author himself when I had the unique opportunity to talk to him in a group setting.

@meldred This is new to me. I'll have to keep an eye out as I go through the rest of the series. 🙂

@carithewriter 

Here's another one, and this is not a spoiler, but I'm posting it with the spoiler feature for those who want the fun of finding these for themselves.

@meldred That's a fun easter egg. 

By the way, has anyone seen the show? Thoughts?