Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Swamp King (Wilderking Trilogy)

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Once again Jonathan Rogers has given us a lively romp--a "please-one-more-chapter-even-though-it's-two-o'clock-in-the-morning" romp. My husband even had to turn off the TV and come listen to the story when he heard the feechiefolk talking. We all love those he-feechies, she-feechies, and wee-feechies. (They can't help it that they stink. You'd stink, too, if'n you lived in a swamp.)

I can't agree with those who have posted ahead of me, saying the second book is better than the first. The joy of our first meeting with good and loyal Aidan and the . . . um . . . surprising and endearing Dobro would be pretty hard to top. The second book is surely no let down, though. It is simply the continuing story of two kids we came to adore in the last book. They are still as loveable as ever. Still loyal and good and true. Still getting into and out of scrapes in hilarious ways, and all the while reminding us, by how they live, that God is merciful and serving him is a reward unto itself.

This book had the same laugh-out-loud moments as the first but this one, I think, had more sad moments than The Bark of the Bog Owl. Aidan is growing up and facing the world as it is and not as he hoped it would be. It is heartbreaking at times and yet there is beauty in Aidan's strength and in his resolve to do the right thing . . . for the feechies, for his father, and for his king. He is truly a hero.

Masterful work, Mr. Rogers, hurry with the next one.

Book two of the Wilderking Trilogy opens with Aiden Errolson serving in the court of King Darrow of Corenwald. Actually, it opens with Aiden and Darrow's son Steren hunting a wild boar, but Aiden is, in fact, at court. Aiden is loved by everyone at court -- everyone except Darrow.

Darrow is tired of hearing about how heroic Aiden is. About how he defeated the giant Golia -- I mean Greidawl, and helped drive the Pyrthan invaders out of Corenwald. He's threatened -- he thinks Aiden is after the throne.

So he sends Aiden on a quest, to prove his loyalty. Aiden is sent to retrieve a legendary flower that is said to have the ability to cure the King's depression. But the flower is located in the heart of the Feechiefen Swamp -- and nobody who has ever entered the swamp has come out again.

Aiden isn't worried -- he has the friendship of the feechies, and the mark to prove it. But as he progresses, he grows more and more worried. There's something wrong in the Feechiefen Swamp -- there are feechies who pay no attention to the feechie laws, and who use metal weapons. And there's a new king in the swamps.

The Wilderking.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. For one thing, it's less derivative than the first book, even though the close friendship between Aiden and Steren was predictable, as was Darrow's depression and hatred of Aiden. But the focus of this book is on the feechies -- which should please Rogers' fans.

The feechies really make this series. Their simplicity, their sense of honor, and their commitment to their values illustrate everything that is wrong with civilizer society. And they're really funny to read -- especially out loud.

This series is high on my must-read list. I've got to make sure I get a copy of Book 3 (Amazon says it should be out in May of this year) so I can find out how this ends.

"The Secret of the Swamp King," Jonathan Rogers' second installment in his Wilderking Trilogy, is definitely a landmark in Christian children's fiction. Captivating, easy to read, and written in a style that is neither choppy nor lame, this book is a must read for the young fantasy reader...and anyone who wants an exciting read.

While the story follows the basic life of the biblical character David, the world and many of the characters are, without a doubt, Rogers' own. Corenwald is bound to sound like home to the native Georgian and pour memories into the minds of those of us who've visited that beautiful state--whispers of the author's native state flood the story, making Corenwald wild yet not forbidding, unknown yet familiar, and undoubtedly American. Rogers has spun a beautiful tapestry of many colorful threads.

While the first book in this series, "The Bark of the Bog Owl," was also a good read, this was even better. Fans of the first book will be more than satisfied--they'll be delighted!

This book is SOOOO good! I actually like it better than the first in the series. Aiden and Dobro are such awesome friends, that it makes you wish you could be one of them. I like it how they stick together and stand up for one another! I especially like the part where Aiden's in the cage and Dobro tells him "I'm gonna get you out of there!", but of course he can't cause it has a metal lock. Later on, in battle, Dobro gets thrown against the cage by an enemy and it breaks the cage. Dobro looks at Aiden and says, "I told you I'd get you out." It's so adorable. I posotively LOVE this book! I HIGHLY reccomend it!

The epic of the Wilderking continues with book two of Rogers' fantasy adventure trilogy. A growing flame of jealousy ignites in the heart of Corenwald's King Darrow against the secret boy-king, Aidan Errolson. Since Darrow is raising Aidan in his own Tambluff palace, he's watched the thick-as-kin friendship develop between blood-prince Steren and our hero -- whose destiny is foretold in the ancient legends.

Scene after scene, the novel reads like watching a fast-paced action film. Aidan's deepest desire is to please his majesty, yet Darrow's jealousy turns to rage when Aidan captures a wild boar and impresses the court with his hunting skills. The king schemes to send the brave teen hero on an impossible quest, one that will lead him to the heart of the Feechiefen Swamp. Ah...he thinks. Aidan will never survive.

Keep turning the pages. Away from the civilized world, Aidan returns to the swampy environment readers loved in book one, THE BARK OF THE BOG OWL. The plot spirals around a mind-boggling mystery. Why have the swamps become so dangerous? A new band of unfriendly feechies terrorizes the landscape. Where did they get their cold-shiny weapons of steel?

The peril of Aidan's quest increases. Rattlesnakes! Man-eating `gators! And kidnappers haunt the swamps. Will Aidan discover the source of the new evil and return alive from his journey?

One of the most delightful aspects of the book is the laugh-out-loud hilarity of the feechie dialogue and backwater culture. Kids will love the ick factor of feechie hospitality - (Ever been offered a bowl of wiggling grubs?) Parents will love the strong character that drives Aidan to go beyond his own strength...in a book that reveals the hidden source of our hero's devotion to uncovering truth. Wilderking fans will be impatient to journey toward what lies next in book three.

Once again, Jonathon Rogers has created a fantastic story that is as much fun for the reader as for the listener. All three of our kids (ages 7, 9 and 11)were completely caught up in the story as I read it aloud while on vacation. Every night the cry went up, "Keep reading!" It is also, however, a great book to be read alone -- but why should it be kept to oneself?

Rogers has a wonderful gift of creating action, suspense, fun, and many voices for his characters, all while developing an engaging story line. Our kids were in suspense until the last moment to find out who the Swamp King really was, and they were engaged in every battle of the feechie folk. We can't wait for the next book to come out!

Susanne Thompson, Atlanta, GA

It would be hard to top Bark and expecting a sophomore jinx we read Secret to our kids on a long car trip. It starts slow and that's mainly my perception because we've come to expect so much from Jonathan. But as it picks up speed it doesn't disappoint! Once again my children were clamoring for more. The childlike Feechies, Aidan on a quest that has unexpected results on several levels, and the rough true companions he meets along the way. BTW Feechie-speak has entered our vocabulary; "rude swaps", "head butts", "cold shiny", and of course "Our fights is his...". I would love to hear a country cover of "The thing I done". Applause for this installment and high hopes for the third one!

We love this series! The books are a well written and engaging allegory of King David as a boy and up through his coronation as King. We've read through them as a family once and my 10 year old son loved them so much he asked for his own copy so he could read them again and again!

Like its predecessor, The Bark of the Bog Owl, this book is loosely based on the life of David (of The Bible), but set in the mythical land of Corenwald, which is very much like the southern coastal swamps of the United States where the author grew up. In this installment, King Darrow becomes jealous of Aidan, who triumphed over the Pyrthens and whom the prophet Bayard says will be the Wilderking. After Aiden's three years of study at Tambluff Castle, the king sends the young man on a fool's errand into the Feechiefen Swamp (from which no one has ever returned alive), to bring back the frog orchid that might cure Darrow's melancholy. Of course, Aiden finds help among his feechiefolk friends, but he also finds a new enemy waiting in the swamp's deepest recess masquerading as the Wilderking. The book ends on a somewhat sad, though not entirely hopeless, note and sets the stage for the climax of Book 3, for which we eagerly waited.

This is a great series of stories. The main character is a hybrid of King David, as a youth, and Tom Sawyer. The language is vivid and written in a most enjoyable fashion. Where were stories like this when I was a kid? I may not have read them but I am sure my brothers would have enjoyed them. There is not a lot of religion in these, just enough to show the boy keeping to his principles. It wonderfully displays how making the right decisions today will prepare you for whatever you face tomorrow. The imagery includes plants know in the U.S. south, as well as reptiles and animals. If you want your children to read a wholesome trilogy, this is a great pick.