The title, and particularly the Monty Python-esque subtitle (Adventure. Peril. Lost Jewels. And the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree) inspired me to grab this from the new books shelf. The very first page made me laugh:A Brief Introduction to the World of Aerwiar
The old stories tell that when the first person woke up on the first morning in the world where this tale takes place, he yawned, stretched, and said to the first thing he saw, "Well, here we are." The man's name was Dwayne, and the first thing he saw was a rock. Next to the rock, though, was a woman named Gladys, whom he would learn to get along with very well. In the many ages that followed, that first sentence was taught to children and their children's children and their children's parents' cousins and so on until, quite by accident, all speaking creatures referred to the world around them as Aerwiar . . . By the Fourth Epoch, the harsh land east of the sea had come to be known as Dang and has little to do with this tale (except for the Great Evil that came to exist there and waged a Great War on pretty much everybody). That evil was a nameless evil, an evil whose name was Gnag the Nameless.
The story focuses on the Igiby children, Janner, Tink and Leeli, their mother and grandfather Podo. Janner and Tink find a mysterious map that promises to lead them to a hidden treasure. They are eager to go searching, but first they must contend with the evil Fangs of Dang (loathsome reptilian creatures who have taken over the town), their sister Leeli going missing, Peet the Sock Man, and fears of the Black Carriage, which comes to town with regularity to whisk people away to slavery or worse.
The author populates his world with creatures like Thwaps, Cave Blats, Quill Diggles, Flabbits, Bumpy Digtoads, Ratbadgers, and of course, the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree. He fills in bits of the "history" of his fictional land with funny footnotes, including my favorite:
1. Snot wax is too repulsive a thing about which to write a proper footnote.
He also invents "books" from which the footnotes were taken, like Eezak Fencher's Comprehensive History of Sad, Sad Songs, and B'funerous Hwerq's Ready, Set, Chube! A Life in Gamery.
This is a light, quick, enjoyable read. I was actually surprised it is cataloged as adult fiction, since it reads and looks very much like a young adult fantasy. Other than some violence, there is nothing in this book that would keep me from recommending it to a teenager. The author identifies this as Book One of the Wingfeather Saga, so the Igiby's tale will continue. I will definitely tune in for the next installment!
Recommended for young adult/adult fans of light/humorous fantasy.
