The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers

The Wilderking Trilogy is set on the island of Corenwald, home to two very different peoples: the Corenwalders (or Civilizers) and the Feechies — wild, mud-covered swamp dwellers who are considered to be urban legends by most Corenwalders. Their biggest outside threat is the Pyrthan kingdom, a powerful enemy nation that has tried to conquer Corenwald many times in the past. The series follows a young boy named Aidan Errolson as he grows from a twelve-year-old tending his father’s flock into the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: the Wilderking.

In Book 1, The Bark of the Bog Owl, Aidan is watching sheep near the woods when he encounters a young Feechie boy named Dobro Turtlebane. Soon after, the prophet Baynard visits the Errolson home, bypasses Aidan’s four older brothers, and declares Aidan to be the long-foretold Wilderking. When the Pyrthans betray a peace treaty and war breaks out, Aidan’s brothers march off to fight. Aidan follows with supplies. When Aidan arrives at the battlefield, he discovers a Pyrthan giant taunting the Corenwalder army. Trusting in the one God for victory, he faces the giant alone and defeats him with a stone from his slingshot.

Book 2, The Secret of the Swamp King, picks up three years later. Aidan, now fifteen, has been living at the palace as a companion to Prince Steren. When King Darrow’s jealousy reaches a breaking point — fueled by an anonymous letter accusing Aidan of treason — he sends Aidan on what is meant to be a suicide mission: retrieve a rare frog orchid from the Feechiefen, a flower no one has ever returned from seeking.

In Book 3, The Way of the Wilderking, Aidan is now eighteen and living fully as a Feechie — climbing trees, covered in mud, wearing a rattlesnake-skin kilt. In his absence, a movement has formed, calling themselves Aidanites, and it has enraged King Darrow.

Reading Level: Ages 8-13
Read Aloud Age: 8+

This series is a particularly wonderful choice for boys. Jonathan Rogers has crafted a series that is genuinely exciting from start to finish — full of the kind of adventures that make young readers forget they’re supposed to be going to sleep. Aidan wrestles alligators, noodles for catfish (catching them underwater by letting them bite his arm), kills a rattlesnake and cooks it for dinner, navigates a raft down the River Tam, travels through underground tunnels, and swings through the trees like a Feechie. This is the kind of hero boys love: brave, clever, physically capable, and humble.
The series closely follows the life of David from the book of Samuel. Parents who know their Scripture will recognize the parallels immediately: the shepherd boy chosen over his brothers, the giant felled by a stone, the jealous king, the years of exile while remaining loyal to that king, and the moment of mercy when Aidan spares the king’s life in the night. Families who know the David story will find the reading experience enormously enriched, and the books offer wonderful opportunities for discussion about loyalty, courage, humility, and trusting God even when circumstances seem impossible.

One of the most delightful elements of the series is Aidan’s friendship with Dobro. The Feechies have a rich culture all their own, including the “rudeswap,” a ritual exchange of insults that leads to a wrestling match. It is played mostly for laughs, and the insults are generally along the lines of “you smell like you brush your teeth with mashed garlic.” The Feechies are looked down upon by the Civilizers, but the series treats this prejudice thoughtfully: by Book 3, Aidan and his community discover that Feechies and Civilizers are actually descended from the same original colonists of Corenwald. It is a meaningful thread for families to discuss.

There is moderate battle violence across the series, including war scenes, a beheading (Aidan uses the giant’s own battle ax), and the deaths of significant characters. None of it feels gratuitous. The violence serves the story and mirrors the intensity of the biblical source material. This is a great family read-aloud for families with older children, and most boys who pick it up will be hooked from the first chapter.

Language:
Mild insults exchanged during Feechie “rudeswaps” throughout all three books (e.g., comments about looking greasy and similar taunts); in Book 2, Aidan uses more pointed insults including calling a character a coward in order to draw him out.

Questionable Behaviors:
Frequent wrestling and physical fighting between characters, primarily played for fun as part of Feechie culture.
King Darrow acts with unjust jealousy and abuse of power throughout Books 2 and 3.
Deception and trickery: Aidan’s brother Maynard poses as an impostor Wilderking and leads a group of Feechies astray. During a Feechie contest, one Feechie sabotages the other Feechie’s tree. Aidan sends the plume hunters to his dad under the guise of sending them to a buyer.
Battle violence and deaths of soldiers across all three books.
SPOLIER: Death of a parent: Aidan’s father dies saving Maynard in Book 3. Kind Darrow dies off scene during a battle.

Sexual Content:
In Book 3, a character tells a joke about a man so unattractive that his fiancée was caught kissing a cow to practice kissing him.
At the end of Book 3, Dobro develops an attraction to a Civilizer girl; she admires him in return. Nothing further is described.

Other Things to Know:
The series is a clear and intentional allegorical retelling of the life of David from 1 Samuel; families familiar with Scripture will recognize the parallels throughout.
The Feechiefolk are looked down upon and treated as lesser by Civilizer society, a prejudice theme that is addressed and resolved meaningfully by Book 3.
War and battle scenes are present in all three books, including a beheading in Book 1.
A grassroots movement called the Adanites, people who post the Wilderking prophecy and question King Darrow’s rule, forms during Book 3.
Aidan’s entire family is exiled by King Darrow in Book 3 due to their association with him.
References to the One God and the spiritual components are strongest in book 1 and seem to wane a bit in the following books.

This review was written by Good Book Mom contributor, Kelli. To learn more about Kelli, click HERE.

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