Yes! The Wingfeather Saga is quite something. I finally finished the fourth and final book (The Warden and the Wolf King) last year. There was one gripping scene right near the end that nearly did me in (emotionally). I do appreciate this series by singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson. I doubt if it is in my top five (unlike Narnia and Middle-earth books), but it is definitely engaging and worth a re-read at some point. And I respect AP so much that I want to support him in his various ventures, whether musical or literary. Yes, the animated brief was well done, and now there is a multi-season TV show forthcoming: https://www.wingfeathersaga.com/the-tv-series.  

Edit: I found the first book or two almost silly at times, so had to push myself through those, but found they grew more engaging in the third and fourth volumes.

I don't know if these vidoes still exist or not (I don't think they do) but during Covid lockdown Andrew Peterson read all of the books out loud on Facebook live. We listened to the first one with our kiddos, but they didn't really engage so we didn't continue. I have all of the books sitting on my shelf so they can read them whenever they wish.  

Unlike the rest of my family and my husband who LOVE these books, I did NOT like the way it ended (and I'm referring to the very, very end, like the last few pages, not the emotional bit Jo is referring to). It's hard for me to reread a series when I don't like the ending. But as many of my NarniaWeb friends can tell you, I'm a book ending snob.  

I still recommend it to many of my friends who like fantasy because there's a LOT of good stuff in the series!  

Welcome to NarniaWeb @blue-jay!  

I've given the books a cursory glance, but never read the series. Seems pretty creative and fun, but for some reason I feel the age gap more sharply than I do with, say, Narnia... 

Nevertheless, I'm glad they exist! It seems like a decent fantasy by a Christian author that's not all about allegory/hitting the reader over the head with a message. (Not that allegorical messages are necessarily bad, but... that's a whole different conversation right there). 

@jo Ah, that is some of what I was hearing as well! I'm a bit more on the silly side of such things, enjoying many works that are targeted for children lol. I suppose I'll see what I think when I get to reading it myself! As for the multi season coming up, I'm very much excited for it!  

@fantasia That's really cool he did a reading live for the fans. I'll have to see if I can find that later on, I'd like to read along if possible. As for endings, I'll have to ask you later on how you wish it ended after I finish the series!  

@the-mad-poet I can understand that. I will admit, there are some I do enjoy with loud messages to the audience however I do appreciate a story that isn't spelling every single thing out for you. The Bible, though not a fictional book, has much symbolism before Jesus even showed up in His human ministry. The Old Testament is quite literally a foreshadowing of Him. Some details so deep there is no end to what you can learn from it. For example, the story of Joseph has a lot of parallels that are worth investigating. I can only hope to write something with even just a small drop of a taste of what The Gospel has been in my life. Perhaps I can seek opinions from here on my writings but I digress. That was a rabbit hole lol. My long about way of saying I love works of fiction that all point to the same main theme of good vs evil, Jesus vs evil. I hope to see the same likeness in The Wingfeather Saga!  

Posted by: @blue-jay

That's really cool he did a reading live for the fans. I'll have to see if I can find that later on, I'd like to read along if possible.

We tried to watch/listen to as many of these as we could during the pandemic. AP did a wonderful job with the various voices! And to hear an author reading his own work is always just so cool! Unfortunately, I think these videos have all been removed from the internet. I recall AP saying they would be only up for a certain amount of time. But if you happen to find any, let us know!

Posted by: @blue-jay

enjoying many works that are targeted for children lol

I do too! In fact, I think I could honestly say that most of us here really appreciate and enjoy high quality children's literature. We're all in good company.  

I hadn't heard of these books at all, so I'm intrigued — I also love fantasy that has a deeply Christian basis (like, well, of course, Narnia and Middle-earth) but that, as @the-mad-poet puts it, is not "all about allegory / hitting the reader over the head with a message". From what I can see, unfortunately, a lot of what gets peddled as "Christian fiction" is likely to be read only by people who are already committed Christians, while to everyone else, it comes across as preachy rubbish. Seriously — speaking as a former agnostic — there are few things that put honest seekers OFF Christianity as fast as getting preached at and hit over the head with "this is right, that is wrong, this is what you must believe, this is how you need to think, and anyone who doesn't agree with us is going to hell." That's putting it a little crudely, but I've seen far too much of that mindset — mostly, I'm sorry to say, from believers in the US — and it is really not doing Christianity any favours at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So it's encouraging to hear that these Wingfeather books are written by a Christian but aimed at a general audience — I'd be very interested in giving at least the first one a go to see what I think. If only my "to read" list wasn't already at least as long as my arm and getting longer!!  

My main concern, just from looking at the author's website, is that these books might be a little bit too much aimed at a juvenile audience. At least, a title like On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and a blurb that promises an "extraordinary journey from Glipwood’s Dragon Day Festival and a secret hidden in the Books and Crannies Bookstore, past the terrifying Black Carriage, clutches of the horned hounds and loathsome toothy cows surrounding Anklejelly Manor, through the Glipwood Forest to mysterious treehouse of Peet the Sock Man (known for a little softshoe and wearing tattered socks on his hands and arms)"... sort of suggests a book we're not meant to take seriously. But I could be wrong, and there's only one way to find out...  

@jo It would make sense he would take them down with his series booting up. He just finishes the voice actor line up, I believe. The voices are so rich!

@courtenay It intrigues me to hear you were formerly agnostic before coming to Christ. It's also interesting to hear your view on American Christianity in entertainment such as literature. A view like yours is valued, since you've had the experience and have a view outside of my home country! I grew up in church but didn't truly come to know Jesus until I was older. While I do enjoy entertainment made for a Christian audience, I do agree that people outside of that may feel very preached at and wanting to repell from that sort of thing. I may need to run some ideas by you to get your perspective on my writing, if you were willing! I want my stories to be for all while also presenting truth in them. Some may be for discipleship truths I wish I learned early on that are more targeted for Christians while the big project I have currently is definitely for both the unbeliever and believer alike. There I go rambling again!

Back to the Saga, yes, it did say in its advertising that it had "the humor of The Princess Bride", which was a comical adventure romance story. If it is cleverly funny, I will be ecstatic (though I do like a certain level of slapstick humor). If it's p**p jokes, ehhhh I'll not going to enjoy as much but still will want to see where the story goes. Doesn't hurt trying it out!

Posted by: @blue-jay

@courtenay It intrigues me to hear you were formerly agnostic before coming to Christ. It's also interesting to hear your view on American Christianity in entertainment such as literature. A view like yours is valued, since you've had the experience and have a view outside of my home country!

Well, I wasn't meaning to imply anything about "American Christianity" as a whole, since there are probably more denominations and varieties of Christianity in the US than in just about any other country in the world, so there's a huge diversity of beliefs and practices and attitudes there. I was just referring to the sort of literature etc. that (unlike Narnia) is quite blatantly out to preach and convert, rather than to present readers with an engaging story that just about anyone can enjoy as a good read, and meanwhile it gently offers a deeper meaning for those who are receptive to it.

That's how Narnia worked on me as a child. I just knew Aslan was somehow THE most amazing and important character I'd ever encountered in a book, and I did realise who he is in our world when he says, at the end of Dawn Treader, "But there I have another name..." — even though I grew up not knowing anyone else who took Christianity (or any religion) seriously, and even though I slipped into scepticism by the time I was in my teens and became convinced that it was impossible to know or prove anything about God (if there was one) for certain. But the good seed was planted, so to speak, and then when I did finally find Him, the Narnia books — which I'd loved to bits as a child but hadn't touched for years — just came to life for me again, more than ever before. And they keep on getting better, too!

Back to the Saga, yes, it did say in its advertising that it had "the humor of The Princess Bride"

Inconceivable!  

(those who know The Princess Bride will know exactly what comes next  )

Posted by: @courtenay

Well, I wasn't meaning to imply anything about "American Christianity" as a whole, since there are probably more denominations and varieties of Christianity in the US than in just about any other country in the world, so there's a huge diversity of beliefs and practices and attitudes there. I was just referring to the sort of literature etc. that (unlike Narnia) is quite blatantly out to preach and convert, rather than to present readers with an engaging story that just about anyone can enjoy as a good read, and meanwhile it gently offers a deeper meaning for those who are receptive to it

I know what you meant, don't worry! (It gets really complicated over here sometimes) But I'm just happy to hear another view on it since I grew up in a Christian home watching God's not dead movies.

It's wonderful Chronicles of Narnia could also sort of plant seeds in a way for you. Perhaps other works of fiction could do the same for others, which excites me all the more!

Yes, The Princess Bride... anyone want a peanut?

I've not read this series, and have only heard of it in passing from friends or here on the forum, though if its humor is like that in The Princess Bride (one of my favorite movies), maybe I should check it out!

@stargazer I'd love to share the experience when I begin reading! The Princess Bride comment was directly from their advertising team    I'm optimistic! My book is supposed to arrive Saturday.

I don't know who might care about this, but episode one of the Wingfeather Saga is available for streaming. 😉

https://www.angel.com/watch/wingfeather-saga

Oh man... that was really good. The animation style took a little getting used to, but once I did, I was really impressed overall. And the music was lovely!

If I have one note, I have read the first book, and I did think that some of the humor was lost in translation from book to show. Granted, quite a bit of the humor I remember was in the narration, so that would've been really hard to keep. I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily (I thought they struck the right balance), but those who have read the books more recently/fervently than I have might feel differently.

I have only read the first two books so far, but I deeply enjoyed them (and did fan-art). Admittedly I have a high tolerance for children's lit, but to me the level of silliness in Book One was rather endearing, and the footnote-based humor reminded me at times of a Christian kid-rated Terry Pratchett almost. Also, for those worried about the silliness, it does actually get some serious sea-legs in Book Two. There's a good heart there from the start but by Book Two the world is... more overtly hostile, and the characters have to deal with that.