Wingfeather Saga #01: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga) Paperback – 18 Mar. 2008

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The humour is eccentric and satirical. The world is original and creative. The characters are believable and I love seeing them work together as a family.This is the first book in a series that has just be rereleased with new hardcovers. I love the new covers and the illustrations, as well as the humorous footnotes!This series is described as Junvenile Fantasy. I’m not sure which age group it is aimed at but I would guess at upper middle grade — that is 12+. The comedy in this book would be suitable for a much younger age but it does contain a fair bit of violence (of the sword fighting kind).The story has a Christian ethos to it (the character’s pray to “The Maker”) but there is no obvious allegory or message. The faith element is subtle.

My children and I read together every evening and we're just coming to the end of the final installment of the Wingfeather Saga. What a journey it's been! This is the first in the series. In many ways, it's the one I least enjoyed but it does a lot of necessary setting up of characters, backstories and describing the fascinating world of Aerwiar. The main characters, the Igiby children, are all distinct and wonderful in their own ways and it's particularly good to see an example of positive family and sibling dynamics in fiction. Peterson has an amazing imagination and the series is an allegory of an even more wonderful story. Buy all four and enjoy the world of Aerwiar with your children!

My children (9 & 11) and I are half way through the adventure. We absolutely love the rich history of the characters and the place they live. The footnotes are a bit lengthy and distracting but the story, illustrations and beautiful imagery are brilliant! We have already ordered book 2 and love the fact there are more to come! We can't wait to see what happens next and have so many conversations between ourselves with where we think the story is headed. I'm so pleased we bought this book!

I consider myself well read across fantasy literature, from the greats to lesser known one shots, and across the breadth of whimsy, low and high fantasy. I am also an artist and worldbuilder in this genre myself, so I have high standards.This series of books is one of the best I have ever read.It's a slow start, admittedly; it took almost the entirety of this first volume for it to truly click. The tone is an interesting blend of weird humour and serious adventure, but it does actually manage to straddle both and have the laughs enhance the drama (and vice versa) without compromising either. If it seems like a frivolous adventure at first, stay with it: there is plenty of genuine peril to come.Every trope you encounter is quickly undercut and freshly re-served, the overall narrative travels far across both geography and character change and the people at the heart of it: both heroes and villains - are superbly drawn, genuinely grow and will surprise and delight you.The later books gain momentum and are arguably better, but this first one isnt just a stepping stone to endure but a crucial and critical part in its own right.The last thing I will say is the greatest compliment I can pay any book: I constantly wanted to illustrate it!Highly, highly recommended.

What an amazing adventure. Brilliant characters, strong leads, villainous baddies. Everyone in our house loved this first book in the series.

This book was so good with lots of twists and turns. I am age 10 and would recommend it to anyone who loves true adventure and excitement.

It is very good indeed, cleverly written and good fun. But (I’m reading it to my kids) it’s a little bit pretentious and unnecessarily complex. Tries a bit too hard to impress with the tiring footnotes, etc. Hence three stars from me.

The first book in the Wingfeather saga. It grabs you and never let's lets go. I highly recommend this book by a serious good author.