So last week I looked into purchasing an old novel by George MacDonald (an inspiration of C. S. Lewis).  When it arrived, I realized that I had not read the “fine print” well- the “scholar’s edition” that I had purchased (on sale) was a replication of the original text in its original setting.  Translation: they had made copies of an original printing and had bound it.  Which meant, old book that it was, many pages weren’t even legible.  So I ordered another copy, a modern resetting of the text.  In the meantime, to balance out the heavy reading of A Secular Age, I broke down and cracked open my copy of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson.  I’ve been a Peterson fan for years, just primarily for his music.  I’ve known about his Wingfeather Saga for years but just haven’t been ready to cross media like that.  But I had some time (at least until Thursday), and I had a copies of books one and two at hand, so I took the plunge.

I’m really glad that I did!  It’s not just easy to read . . . it’s pleasant to read.  It reads quickly, but Peterson has inserted footnotes that add texture and humor.  Plus, at times, the narrative voice shines well.  The characters are formed just enough and the mysteries are parsed out at a good pace.  I’m over halfway through, and I still don’t quite know where things are headed (which is really nice in a world where you know how so many stories are going to go before the curtain falls).  And while the main young characters (Janner, Tink, and Leeli) are a joy to read, it really is the adult cast that adds the mystery and the depth.

The other book will come in Thursday.  There’s nothing fantastical about it: no sea dragons or Fangs, no mysterious jewels with their treasure maps.  But it will be a story about Scotland, which should be nice.  But until then, it looks like I’ll be learning about the town of Glipwood and the world of Aerwiar.

(image from amazon.com)