On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is a 2008 children’s fantasy novel by American author and musician Andrew Peterson. It is the first book in The Wingfeather Saga, which currently has four installments. Peterson’s music and books feature Christian themes and allegories. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness chronicles the start of the adventures of the Igiby siblings, two boys and a girl who live in the fantasy world of Aerwiar. They must try to find a way to liberate their people from an occupying force and keep the fabled Jewels of Anniera from falling into the hands of the evil Gnag the Nameless. This book was a 2008 Christy Award nominee for young adult fiction. The Wingfeather Saga has been adapted into an animated series.

This guide uses the 2008 WaterBrook Press e-book edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide discusses the source text’s depictions of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Janner Igiby lives in the town of Glipwood on the continent of Skree with his mother Nia, grandfather Podo, and younger siblings Tink and Leeli. For the past decade, Skree has been under the control of the Fangs of Dang, a species of lizard people from the eastern continent who regularly kidnap, torture, and kill children. The Fangs also destroyed Anniera, an island nation formerly ruled by King Wingfeather. Nia’s husband died when the Fangs invaded, and she never talks about him. The novel opens during a special day in Glipwood: People have come from far and wide to see the sea dragons rise from the Dark Sea of Darkness, as they do once a year. Janner takes his siblings into town with strict instructions to keep an eye on them, especially Leeli, who is the youngest and who walks with a crutch. The town is bustling, and the children briefly meet Oskar N. Reteep the bookseller, his employee Zouzab, and Peet the Sock Man, a strange man who wanders around town wearing socks on his hands.

In the chaos of the festival, Janner loses track of Leeli. He and Tink find her and her dog, Nugget, in the grips of some Fangs. The boys try to rescue their sister, only for a mysterious, unseen person to throw rocks and knock out all the Fangs. The children flee to the cliffside, where they watch the dragons rise from the sea. The Fangs catch up with them and drag them to the town jail. After a few hours, Nia arrives. She bribes the Fang guard, Gnorm, with jewels. He agrees to let the children go, and they return home with their mother. The next day, the siblings return to town to visit Oskar and sort books for him. Tink finds a map hidden under the floorboards that suggests that something is hidden at the nearby ruins of Anklejelly Manor. He takes the map without Oskar noticing and later tells Janner about it. 

Despite their misgivings, the boys decide to visit Anklejelly to learn more. An inscription on the map mentions something called the “Jewels of Anniera” next to a drawing of a dragon (124). They sneak away from their family and head to Anklejelly. They get chased by dangerous horned hounds and end up falling into the manor’s cellar. The brothers follow a dark tunnel and reach a locked door with a panel of buttons on it. They match up the buttons with a series of small holes in the map and open the door to reveal a room full of weapons. All the people of Glipwood had their weapons confiscated by the Fangs a decade ago; this place is a well-kept secret. The boys manage to evade the horned hounds on their way back home. Gnorm visits General Khrak, his superior officer, who confiscates one of the jewels Nia gave him. One jewel is inscribed with a dragon, just like the Anklejelly map. Khrak realizes that the Jewels of Anniera, which the Fangs have long been searching for, must be in Glipwood. 

The siblings return to Oskar’s shop again, and Tink replaces the map without Oskar noticing. Leeli gets kidnapped by a Fang again. The Fang brings her to the edge of the forest, where Peet the Sock Man appears, defeats the Fang, and then spirits Leeli away to safety in his treehouse deep in the woods. Meanwhile, the boys run home and tell Nia and Podo that Leeli is missing. Podo rushes toward the woods and manages to find her at Peet’s house. He brings her home. The next day, the children see Peet in town. Tink insists on following him to learn more about him. The children end up following Peet across a series of rope bridges that he has built in the forest until they reach his treehouse. He is kind to them. Janner notices a pile of journals in Peet’s house that belong to “Artham P. Wingfeather, Throne Warden of Anniera” (218). 

When the children make their way home, they see that their farm is on fire. The Fangs have ransacked it and are searching for the Jewels of Anniera. They capture the children, Nia, and Podo, and they appear to kill Nugget. The family spends the night in jail. The Fangs are about to send the entire family away in a carriage to their deaths when Peet comes to rescue them again. He has long talons instead of hands, and he manages to kill all the Fangs with Podo and Janner’s help. The entire town now must evacuate, as the Fangs will likely set Glipwood on fire when they learn that so many of their soldiers were killed. Oskar shelters Nia and Leeli in his basement while Podo and the boys return to their cottage to prepare to leave. A Fang is waiting for them at the cottage, but Podo manages to kill him by unleashing small garden pests called Thwaps to attack him and then stabbing him while he is distracted. Meanwhile, Nia and Leeli learn that Zouzab has betrayed them to the Fangs. A massive regiment of soldiers is on its way.

Podo and the boys return to town just as the Fang regiment arrives. Once again, all hope seems lost, but then Peet arrives. He is riding a dog that looks like Nugget, except it is the size of a horse. The entire family escapes again and heads for Anklejelly Manor to arm themselves. Miraculously, the dog that Peet is riding really is Nugget, although Leeli cannot understand how he is alive or why he is so big. Nia, Podo, and the children return to the weapons room at Anklejelly. Podo fights off some of the Fangs and then instructs Janner to set a fire. They both retreat to the weapons room, but Podo is severely injured. In the morning, the fire has killed the rest of the Fangs. Peet arrives and revives Podo with an elixir of life; he did the same for Nugget, but gave him too much, hence his size. Everyone goes to Peet’s treehouse. The children learn that their father was the king of Anniera; he was killed and they fled when the Fangs attacked. Peet is their uncle. Tink is the rightful king, and Janner is destined to be his protector. The children themselves are the Jewels of Anniera.