In a recent issue of ParentLife magazine, author Jonathan Rogers writes, “A virtuous life is a life of adventure: facing challenges, standing firm, rescuing the powerless, righting wrongs. A good children’s book dramatizes that adventure and makes it seem like the kind of life nobody would want to miss. It does not simply tell the reader what is right; it helps the reader to want what is right” (from the July 2005 article, “Read Me a Story”).

If you’ve entered into the kingdom of Corenwald through reading Book 1 of The Wilderking Trilogy, you’re ready for more fantastic adventures in the swamps in Book 2. Just be sure you clear out a few hours in your schedule once you pick this book up — because you’re NOT going to be able to put it down!

The Secret of the Swamp King begins in the court of King Darrow at Tambluff Castle. Aidan has lived here for three years, becoming best friends with the king’s only son, Prince Steren. The bond of loyalty between these two is as strong as if they were real brothers. Yet something evil begins to lurk in the heart of King Darrow — a flame of jealousy. He receives a mysterious message warning him, “Beware the youngest son of Errol. He has convinced himself that he is the Wilderking of ancient prophecy, and the rightful occupant of the throne at Tambluff.”

So, the king summons Aidan and sends him on an impossible quest — to go to the heart of the Feechiefen Swamp and bring him back something he desires — a secret orchid that may or may not even exist. The truth is, no one has ever returned from the swamp alive, so the king knows he’s sending Aidan to a certain death.

Or is he?

Hold on to your swamp rafts in this book — it’s action-packed. Every chapter is a cliffhanger, as Aidan returns to the wilds of the swamps and the world of the feechiefolk. Readers will recognize our much-loved feechie hero from Book 1, as Aidan does when he shouts, “Dobro Turtlebane! I’d know that smell anywhere!”

Before Aidan heads off to the edge of the eastern wilderness, he visits his father’s manor and refreshes his memory with the ancient lore of Corenwald. He must find “in deepest swamp, the house of bears.” Where is this place? The plot spirals around a mind-boggling mystery. Why has the wilderness 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 alligators, and kidnappers haunt the swamps. Will Aidan discover the source of the new evil and return alive from his journey?

Along the way, Rogers breaks up fast-paced action with scenes of hilarity that keep adult readers hooked. When Aidan encounters a band of rough-and-tough plume hunters who block his path, he writes, “But the really mesmerizing thing about the men was their enormous hair. It stood high on their heads and flipped back like great duck wings, plastered with potato starch on either side. It was the past year’s fashionable hairstyle at Tambluff.” (My husband and I just cracked up reading that, thinking of 80s band hairstyles like A Flock of Seagulls… Remember?)

And the feechiefolk dialogue is a constant source of entertainment. Here’s part of what you’ll hear as the feechies sing a love ballad:

My sweet feechie girl is the swamp’s finest pearl —
A treasure, and man, don’t I know it.
And I really do think that she loves me, too,
Though she don’t always know how to show it…

She smells just as sweet as a mud turtle’s feet
Her hair is as soft as a possum.
Once I walked by her side but she knocked me cross-eyed
It took me a week to uncross ’em.

Her voice is as pleasin’ as swamp lily season
She talks kind of froggy and crickety.
Once I give her a rose, and she busted my nose.
My sweetie can be right persnickety.

The Secret of the Swamp King will keep Wilderking fans impatiently turning the pages. “Just one more chapter, please, please!” is what you’ll hear long into the night. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) But more than only bringing readers into a wild fantasy adventure, the author weaves in the source of Aidan’s character and strength — his hope and trust in the “one God.”

In an interview, Rogers says this: “It’s fine to tell our children that courage is good; it’s better to tell them a story that shows them that courage is beautiful and desirable; it’s better still to tell them a story that makes them feel courageous.”

The only trouble with finishing up Book 2 is that we’ve got to wait a few more months before Book 3 comes out!

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