Major spoilers ahead for Wingfeather Tales.
Ok. I just finished reading Wingfeather Tales.
Wow! Just wow!
I have so many questions!
1 - The Prince of Yorsha Doon
Fantastic. Engaging. Oskar.
2 - The Wooing of Sophelia Stupe
Why? Why have him love her then separate them? Why couldn't he follow? Where is she? What planet did she go to? Is there other humans/intelligent life there? Is she alone? What happens to her next?
3 - Willow Worlds
Ok, seriously?! Is this even a short story? There's no conclusion! Yes obviously Podo makes it back to the Strand, but how? And these cupboards. Since N. D. Wilson has a cupboards book series, does that mean those characters can reach Aerwiar? Obviously Wyle was from Earth so could we reach Aerwiar? These last two stories literally opened up new worlds.
4 - ShadowBlade and the Florid Sword
Andrew Peterson did a great job writing it, but I was disappointed that we didn't actually get to see Maraly and Gammon fight crime besides the first few pages. I can't stand Gammon's long hair. It doesn't fit how I pictured him. And that last page! What's going to happen there?!
5 - From the Deeps of the Dragon King
Really well rounded story, that's slightly horrifying. It explains Podo's past well, but again ending with a cliffhanger of sorts.
6 - The Ballad of Lanric and Rube
Great tale, but couldn't they see that they could've saved years if they just would've asked her? It's fun to read and it rhymes well, but I just can't get over the fact that they weren't all that smart.
7 - The Places Beyond the Maps
Ok. I was not expecting this story to be so heavy, deep, depressing, and then ending in sheer joy. I was expecting a story of the places beyond the Skreean map, not this haunting tale. I knew a few pages in that this was Sara's dad, but I'm really grateful it was confirmed before the end and not just teased. Beadsy reminded me a lot of Gollum (except their endings) and if they ever bring this story to life, they HAVE to cast Andy Serkis. Why, may I ask, did we never get anyone's name besides two Fangs, Armulyn, and Layna at the end? Why was he nameless the whole story? Did Sara's mom ever see her again? Sara had the tricorn, so does that mean that Layna gave it to her? Layna traveled with Armulyn back to the east. Which means she should've been one of the orphans in WatWK. So why didn't she tell Sara about her dad? It said Sara was a princess, so did the water from the First Well work and Janner's alive or is it just referring to Nia raising Sara like her own child? And I'm confused about felling of the lone fendril. What was the purpose?
All this to say that, even with my questions, I absolutely loved this book. Phenomenal storytelling.
And can we just sit in silence and appreciate Doug TenNapel's drawing? It's beautiful, terrifying, and has amazing detail.
I was also very confused about that ending to The Places Beyond the Maps.
Is this a confirmation of Janner being alive or being dead?
"Why was he nameless the whole story? Did Sara's mom ever see her again?"
I am almost certain that both of these questions are answered in the epilogue.
The person in the epilogue is most likely the man, and when he goes to his old rickety home, the woman there (his wife) calls him Karl.
Karl(?)'s wife then calls to her daughter (Sara), and says, "Sweetness! Bring your babies to meet their grandpa! He's come home as I always told you he would!" So according to that, Sara did see both of her parents again, after she had children. But why would she be staying in this old rickety homestead if she had ended up marrying Janner (assuming alive)?
Did she simply come to visit?
I guess it mostly depends on the living conditions of Throne Warden.
But all the same, Janner (still assuming alive) would have lived at least in Anniera or close to it, and most likely not have went to stay with Sara at her family's old homestead. So if Janner is alive and Janner and Sara got married, this scene is all the less likely to have happened. (So do we assume dead?)