The Wingfeather Saga (Andrew Peterson)
There is something incredible about fantasy fiction. Not only the ability to conjure up a new storybut to create a new world with different landscapes, creatures and dialects. None in my view have accomplished this so well as CS Lewis or Tolkien. Nevertheless, I do enjoy a venture into a new world and enjoyed my foray into Aerwiar, the world created by Andrew Peterson in his Wingfeather Saga. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, particularly the reflection of character development in the young protagonists’ lives, though I believe the author’s aging of these characters doesn’t match their actions or evident emotional maturity throughout the saga. What perhaps sets out to be a young children’s novel in the first book quickly develops into a series that seems to have an older audience of young adults in mind. The four books follow three siblings on an adventure to discover who they are and challenge the forces of evil in their world.
Like Tolkien and Lewis, Peterson’s faith shapes the creation of his world and the story he creates. Whilst not being such an explicit allegory as Lewis’ work and not the same sense of sweeping epic as Tolkien’s, certain aspects of the story are reflective of Christian themes. One of the key themes that I found interesting was that of identity and the importance of names. This becomes a dominant theme in the series: the Wingfeather children’s journey to discovering who they are, to the revealing of the identity behind the dark force of evil, only described as the Nameless One. Whenever the protagonists are struggling in their quest, they are always called upon to remember who they are. The same can be said of our lives in Christ. Do you remember who you are? As Christians our identifies are placed on the sure foundation of Christ, a foundation that will not shift or change with the circumstances of life. In him we can cry “Abba, Father”, given the identity of children of the kingdom and disciples of Christ. There is no surer and better identity. Do you need reminded as the Wingfeather children of your identity, so that you too may complete your mission in Christ?
