Waterbrook Wingfeather Tales: Six Thrilling Stories from the World of Aerwiar Series

My boys love this series of books! Arrived quickly and everything was great with it.

Before I start this review, a few things to clear up: Wingfeather Tales is not a sequel. It's a companion anthology of short stories; some take place before the Saga, some after, and some during roughly the same time. It also does not explicitly suggest anything more about what happened with the epilogue of Warden, which is actually good- I have my headcanon and it makes me very happy, and I like not having said headcanon shattered by actual canon. (That said, there is a tiny piece near the end of the last story which hints at how it might have worked out, and which supports my headcanon, so!)Anyway, reviews of each story. For context, I've read this anthology twice, once when it was first released as a Kickstarter reward, and once now.--"The Prince of Yorsha Doon": This one is better on the reread — the first time I read this, I think I was disappointed by everything it wasn't (which is to say, it didn't deal with familiar places or problems and only featured one character from the main series). The second time around, I knew what the story wasn't already, and so I could appreciate it for what it was, which is a delightfully written Arabian-esque tale with a decidedly enjoyable protagonist.--"The Wooing of Sophelia Stupe": I liked this less on the reread, but I think that's because I had a headache when I read it and therefore was not as amused by the particular voice with which it was written. On the upside, there's some nice author-humor, a bit of explanation of Anklejelly Manor, a surprising twist partway through, and the wonderful Sophelia Stupe.--"Willow Worlds": This is my least favorite story in the series, but that's largely because, if you think about it, you can either take this as canon or "From the Deeps of the Dragon King" as canon, and I prefer "From the Deeps." People who've read the 100 Cupboards series, which it connects to, would probably like it more.--"The Ballad of Lanric and Rube" is a pleasant break from the prose. We've got a comic ballad (expanded from a footnote in one of the previous books) about two cousins (more like brothers) fighting (literally!) over a girl, though, happily, not in a bitter way. I saw the twist at the end coming, to a degree, even while forgetting that it was based on a footnote, but it was still very fun to read.--"From the Deeps of the Dragon King" is one of my favorite stories in the book. It showed a significant piece of Podo's backstory in a magnificent way. It's all high-seas adventure here- a cross between pirating and whaling. Young Podo is quite a character, let me tell you- and also quite different from the Podo we know. It's humorous, yet there's a poignant message amidst the lightheartedness.--"Shadowblade and the Florid Sword", a comic chronicling some of the later adventures of our own much-loved Maraly and Gammon, is another of my favorites. This comic was super fun, and I liked how it mixed superhero and noir vibes in with the fantasy of Aerwiar. It was a little hard to read in Kindle form, but I also have a small Kindle with no ability to zoom. I still think it's worth getting in paper if you're really excited for the comic.--"The Places Beyond the Maps": This is a masterpiece. Easily the best story in the book. It's heartbreaking — we see a man driven to the ends of himself, and it's raw and aching, but beautiful in that rawness. It was excellent the first time around, and it's better on the reread. (I will note that I didn't get the epilogue until someone explained it to me, but I don't think anyone else really had that problem?)So, yeah. If you haven't read the Wingfeather Saga, this is not the place to start. But if you HAVE read the Saga, this will be a delight.

My son says it’s good but it’s not as good as the Wingfeather series

This is a remarkable collection of short stories that take you right back to the World of Aerwiar in full force. The back story of Podo's earlier life is very rich and funny. I am still recovering from Douglas Kaine McKelvey's "Places Beyond the Maps." At the risk of spoiling the plot for those yet to delve, I gotta say I'm amazed at the depth of captivity DKM was able to achieve over my heart and soul with his story, and that in a good way. And the kids loved it too. I highly recommend these stories.

First off, let me say, I've been a huge fan of the Wingfeather Saga. Secondly, each of these seven tales is indeed well-written. Talented authors all around. That being said, I have mixed feelings about these tales. Ultimately, I don't think these were as good as the saga (though I know the originals are hard to beat!). Prince of Yorsha Doon I thought was ok (just felt a little contrived to me - seemed very similar to Aladdin, for example), I didn't care for the "Wooing of Sophelia Stupe" or the "Ballad of Lanric and Rube" personally (they just weren't overly interesting to me and were kind of shallow). I did enjoy "Shadowblade and the Florid Sword" and "Willow Worlds" and "From the Deeps of the Dragon King" (appreciated the creativity of these stories as well as additional context about Podo)."The Places Beyond the Maps" I have the most mixed-feelings about. It is beautifully written (minus the plethora of run-on sentences) and obvious the author is extremely skillful. The story he wove was deep and offered beautiful redemption. I really did mostly like it, but for me, it was a difficult story to fully "enjoy" because of how incredibly dark it was (for the vast majority of the story). It felt very heavy, with little humor to offset the intensity (which I thought the Wingfeather Saga did perfectly - balance the immense heaviness with some comic relief). Even with the beautiful redemption at the end, the story felt like it overall left me feeling more heavy than anything. Don't think I would reread it. I also really was taken aback at how much suicide was referenced in this story. There is no way I would let my 8 year-old read that!! I really wish the authors would've either stuck to the same age-range as the Wingfeather Saga is written for, or at least given a different age range on the description. It really is concerning to me that this is advertised as 8-12 given the immense intensity of the final story. (I would recommend it for teens at the youngest, if not older, honestly).So, like I said, mixed feelings! I definitely caution parents to read it first themselves before deciding if you want your kids to tackle this - especially with the last story in mind.