Lucky me! Tuesday was my birthday and I got some nice presents. One was the Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers. I had read them over a 3 month period, starting last December and completely enjoyed them. However, since the copies I had read belonged to the library, I let my family know I’d be happy to have my own copies because I knew I’d read them again several times over the years to come.
While these books are out and out adventure, primarily aimed at boys age 10 and up (though I think both boys and girls, and kids in the young adult age group and older will enjoy them, too) the books are quite intelligent and full of humor, too. I frequently found myself making my wife stop whatever she was doing to listen to me read long passages out loud, just so we could share a good laugh.
The three books of the trilogy are
The hero of these books is young Aidan Errolson, who we meet as a boy, twelve years old and longing for adventure and glory. He is the youngest son of Errol, Lord of Longleaf Manor, on the island kingdom of Corenwald, is a noted warrior, having served in the previous wars to protect the small kingdom’s freedom. There is an ancient rhyme, the prophecy of the Wilderking, who, it is said, will deliver the kingdom from its oppressors. Is Aidan that king? Many events seem to point to it, but Aidan has his doubts.
The first book, The Bark of the Bog Owl, tracks closely with the events and themes of the story of David from the Old Testament in the Bible. Though the story uses the events of David’s life, it still is very original in its development. The second and third books rely less on the life of David and take on lives much more their own.
The Wilderking Trilogy has a strong sense of place and culture. Evoking the swamps of Georgia and Florida, author Jonathan Rogers places much of the action in the rivers, dense bogs and swamps on the island. This barely penetrable terrain is rumored to be home to the Feechies, the legendary race of swamp people, of whom stories abound, yet no one has seen.
The Bark of the Bog Owl begins one day, when, tending his father’s sheep, young Aidan Errolson encounters a strange creature, seemingly half-turtle and half-alligator, who challenges him to a fight. It is Aidan’s first encounter with a real feechie, and one that changes the course of his life. (Imagine a world where Granny Clampett, of the Beverly Hillbillies, is as typical as the next person, in both thought, speech, and feisty spunk and then you’ll have a good start on understanding who are the feechies.)
In The Secret of the Swamp King, King Darrow of Corenwald sends Aidan sent on a quest into the deepest swamps, from which no one has been known to return. This, though, is the fate for Aidan that is hoped for by the jealous king. Captured by feechies on his journey, Aidan is brought to the man who calls himself the Wilderking and his plot to overthrow the kingdom of Corenwald, and taking it for himself and his feechie army. Bound and caged, Aidan is still determined to warn King Darrow of this plot, but escape seems impossible.
In The Way of the Wilderking, Corenwald is slowing falling into ruin. King Darrow, slipping further from reality, has taken Longleaf Manor from Aidan’s father and the family is living in hiding, fugitives from the wrath of their king. Aidan, now a young man, returns from the swamps to rejoin his father and brothers in exile, only to discovers that every village and town expects him to lead a rebellion against the dottering king. Rumors of impending war with the Pyrthen empire are growing and Aidan struggles against the expectations of the people to do what he knows is right.
This series is really fantastic. I recommend putting a copy into the hands of every middle-school boy you know. They’re described as Fantasy, but most, if not all, of the elements that I’d associate with Fantasy are not present. There’s no magic, no super powers, special powers, or any other sort of make-believe. There are no elves, no vampires, and no wizards, warlocks or witches. The only element of fantasy is the prophecy of the Wilderking. I know parents who like to steer their kids away from magic/sorcery Fantasy, and they would do well to steer their kids to the Wilderking Trilogy.
I’m curious if others have read these books, and if you’re aware of other books as excellent as these, along the same lines. There are quite a few good reviews of the books here and there on the internet, such as the reviews on Sally Apokedak’s blog at her All About Children’s Books Website.
Here is the Wilderking website and Sally’s book reviews and her interview with the author, Jonathan Rogers:
The Wilderking website: Wilderking.com
Sally Apokedak’s interview with Jonathan Rogers over at her All About Children’s Books Website
and her reviews of The Bark of the Bog Owl, The Secret of the Swamp King and The Way of the Wilderking.
Just a quick note about this book: I found Lily and the Paper Man
