Official Review of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

LINK TO BUY: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073847

I sat up until 1 am finishing this off. Trying to get the review in at the appointed time and, well, really I just wanted to know what happened and NOW I cannot wait until the next installment.

Initially I thought this would be a C.S. Lewis comparison or even a J.K. Rowling comparision, but its not. Not at all. I have to say this should be in a category of its own. The closest comparison I can come up with is Lord of the Rings-ish with a HUGE dose of humor infused. I say LOTRs simply because of the following: the land of Aerwiar is so clearly described its as if it really exists (much like Tolkien was able to create, but here's hoping that Andrew does NOT create his own language, that's a bit too much); its a fantasy, but a fantasy that kids will enjoy, a more well rounded fantasy world than a space setting kind of thing; and Andrew's characters are clearly defined here as good and evil. Thus ends my comparison to other writers and books....

Andrew has the weirdest sense of humor and its scattered thru the book in footnotes. The footnotes are essentially laugh out loud moments in the midst of the adventure. It gives the reader a break from either an intense moment or a largely descriptive set. I loved this technique. (I read these footnotes to myself when I was reading the first part of the book out loud to Cam, its too far above his little 5 year old head.) Anyhow, the humor that's scattered throughout Edge creates a fun read out of an otherwise action packed read.

The characters:
3 Kids (Janner-oldest boy; Tink-middle boy; Leeli-youngest, girl)
Mom (Nia)
Grandpa (Podo)

The protagonist is Janner. You easily will identify with this young man, though he is set in a fictional land with strange creatures, his internal struggles are ones that we have, more than likely, experienced. The grandpa adds a bit of whimsy and adventure to the tale and is often a source of humor and fun. Mom, Nia, is the voice of wisdom. Many of the quotable parts of Edge are from Nia. Tink and Leeli - they add the trouble, without meaning too!

All in all, Edge was an extremely enjoyable read. Full of good adventure, battles, unexpected heros, villains, secrets, treasure and a brief scene with Dragons. I'd highly recommend this book to adults and children alike. There is nothing too scary for kids (I'd say at least 5 and up, 8 year olds would have a better understanding...) and its really fun for the adults!

THANKS!!! I'm DONE... And remember ANDREW PETERSON...On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

LINK TO BUY: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073847 (not that I'm pushing anything at all....)