North! or Be Eaten Book Review

I'm a strong believer that a writer has no need in "dumbing down" his or her stories if they are written for children. Writers only need to write it differently. Andrew Peterson's new children's fantasy novel North! Or Be Eaten is an exemplary piece for this writing philosophy. his latest endeavor, a fantasy children's novel entitled North! or Be Eaten, gives him the credentials that the surging Nashville based, Christian music artist needs to be an established author. The book (the second in the series) tells of Janner; a 'throne warden,' sworn to protect his younger brother; future king of a lost kingdom. Sounds cliché, right? That was my first impression. Peterson has a style all on his own. Admittedly, I wanted to hate it at first, but it drew me in. He also seems to realize that typical fantasy creatures with pointless names have been way over done, so he takes it to another level. Almost as a jab to a currently dead-end genre, Peterson has created relentless advisories for our hero and his misfit family that seem to come from a love child of Dr. Suess and Robert Crumb. The first few pages throw you into a "Toothy Cow" drill. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. A cow with razor sharp fangs that attack without provocation.

If you haven't had the chance to read the predecessor to the novel On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, don't worry; neither have I. This concerned me when I first received the book. I saw no synopsis, no index, and only an appendices of material for this novel. But only in the first chapter I realized that he had included footnotes for information referred to in the last book. This was a big plus, and I was thoroughly impressed by the in-character writing that the footnotes were done in. Later, I found an encyclopedia of characters on the book's website, and also the "creaturepedia" that is referenced to so often within the book.

Also, I was initially discouraged by the chapter set-up. I hadn't seen 3 page chapters in quite some time, and it honestly worried me. How would an author write something long enough to gain your interest and read the next chapter in just a few pages. I refer to J.K Rowling and her style. She has a knack for writing page turners, and within the 10 page chapter, the reader is sucked in for the next one. As stated before, Peterson has a style all on his own, and his style has allowed for him to manage a "cliff hanger" at the end of almost every 2,3,4 or maybe 5 page chapter.

And yes, this is a children's novel, but like so much of the children's fiction out there is enough for an adult reader to sink his/her teeth into. Like 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' or 'Alice in Wonderland,' there is underlying symbolism and philosophy for an interested adult reader to justify picking up a copy. A symbolic scene where Janner and his family gathered on one side of a gully and the "Fangs of Dang" (the orc-like army that inhabits and oppresses the known world) stands on the other. This resinates the story of a Biblical future-king in his own proving grounds against a giant named Goliath.

Theological themes exist as well.

"Artham reminded him that royal blood pumped through his veins, royal not just because of ancestry, but because of the love of those who had gone before him and through down their lives for him."

This resinates a reformed, grace-centered heirship to the kingdom of heaven, and not law or worked based.

Other than that, North! or Be Eaten is simply just a good children's reader. Peterson is careful not to be to explicit with violence; although it isn't absent, it is often implied or against a mythical beast. He also manages to keep the language simple, but fluid.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. You'll read it in no time, and you'll be opened up to a George Macdonald like world, and introduced to a new renaissance that is emerging in America; particularly the South.

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew's Begats. He's also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com