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I wish I could freeze our kids at their current ages. Timothy is in third grade, just finished his first soccer season, and is into all sorts of “older kid” fun. Julia is four, loves going to preschool, and is in the “I’m Daddy’s princess” phase.

Parenting is hard, but there are seasons where you just want to squeeze your kids as you think to yourself, This is so much fun!

During the past few months, Timothy and I have gotten in the habit of reading together every evening. My uncle let us borrow three fiction books for older kids – The Wilderking Trilogy, written by Jonathan Rogers and published by B&H a decade ago.

I wasn’t sure how the whole “Let me read to you, son” thing would go over at first. We tried Narnia a couple years ago, but only got through a couple books. (Timothy was a little young for Narnia at the time, but we are currently enjoying The Magician’s Nephew.) I didn’t have any expectations that the Wilderking trilogy would hold his attention.

Boy, was I wrong! Timothy was hooked from the first two chapters.

As we worked through all three books, there were evenings where he cried (literally) for me to keep reading. There were evenings when I was so engrossed in the story that I wanted to keep reading too. We often stayed up past his bedtime for another chapter.

Based loosely on the story of King David, these books tell the story of Aidan Errol and his adventures with the Feechiefolk in service to his homeland, Corenwald.

Here’s a description of each book:

The Bark Of The Bog Owl:

The prophet Bayard arrives at Longleaf Manor, the estate of Lord Errol with an unanticipated announcement. Aidan Errol, Lord Errol’s youngest son, is the Wilderking. But the weight and glory of this pronouncement is yet to be shouldered.

In the meanwhile, Lord Errol and his sons attend a Treaty Feast celebrating a pact signed between Corenwald and the Pythen Empire. But Corenwald is double crossed by the Pyrthens and they go to war. The story unfolds as Aidan begins to walk the way of his destiny through the feechifolk and a showdown with the Pyrthen champion Greidawl ending with an epic battle to save the kingdom of Corenwald.

The Secret of the Swamp King:

As book two opens, Aidan is living in the court of King Darrow. He has become best friends with Darrow’s son Steren, and he enjoys great favor among the courtiers. But King Darrow’s suspicion is growing and his insecurity causes him to hate the young man who saved his kingdom. Concerned about his king’s spiral into ever-darker moods, Aidan asks what he can do to help. Darrow sends him on an imposible adventure to the recesses of Feechiefen Swamp, thinking he is sending Aidan to his death. Afterall, no Corenwalder has ever returned from Feechiefen alive. But Aidan’s fate is not sealed yet for Aidan has allies among the feechiefolk who know him as the hero Pantherbane.

The Way of the Wilderking:

In book three of the acclaimed Wilderking Trilogy, civilizer Aidan returns home from three years in Feechiefen Swamp to discover that a party known as the Aidanites has arisen among his fellow Corenwalders. They believe the “Wilderking Chant” makes reference to Aidan, and that he is destined to overthrow Corenwald’s tyrant King Darrow. Aidan has no intention of leading any such rebellion. But when the Corenwald kingdom continues to weaken, and the enemy Pyrthens threaten to invade, it’s clear the Aidanites are the only army his people have left. What soon transpires among civilizers, feechiefolk, Corenwalders, and Pyrthens alike, no reader could predict. When all is said and done, who will be the Wilderking?

The neat thing about living in Nashville is the proximity you have to singers, songwriters, and authors. Mid-way through the second book, I realized Jonathan Rogers was a Nashville local, and I found his blog online. Jonathan was gracious enough to have lunch with me and Timothy and talk about the “feechies.”

I highly recommend The Wilderking Trilogy. Try it with your kids. I bet they will like it too.

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