Edge Chronicles: Stormchaser (The Edge Chronicles) - Softcover

Stewart, Paul; Riddell, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440420881 ISBN 13: 9780440420880

Publisher: Yearling, 2008

Synopsis

Since his childhood in the DeepWoods, young Twig has always longed to soar above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a crew member on his father’s sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser, his dream seems fulfilled. But a much higher destiny awaits Twig. The lofty city of Sanctaphrax—built on a giant rock, floating high in the sky—is at the point of disaster. The city’s future is dependent on stormphrax—a valuable substance available only from the heart of a Great Storm. And only the Stormchaser, with Twig onboard, could risk entering a storm. . . .

About this title

Review:

In this second installment to Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's fabulous Edge Chronicles, life doesn't get any easier for young Twig. He's left the behind the monstrous, tooth-and-claw dangers of Beyond the Deepwoods, only to find himself plunged into the more diabolical, deadly intrigues of Undertown and the floating city Sanctaphrax.

Serving aboard the magnificent sky-ship Stormchaser, Twig is still trying to prove himself to his pirate father Cloud Wolf--with mixed results. As old plots and schemes unfold, Twig learns that his father was once known as Qunitinius Verginix, "the finest Knight Academic in a hundred generations," entrusted by the Professors of Light and Darkness to secure "stormphrax" (the sacred, super-heavy substance that keeps the city of Sanctaphrax from sailing skyward). Betrayal forced Twig's father into piracy, but the seeds sown by that misdeed have only now come to fruit, through a convoluted conspiracy of corruption. Now the Stormchaser must sail again--Twig, in tow, of course--chasing the Great Storm in search of stormphrax.

The pace only quickens in Stewart and Riddell's well-done, slightly scary series, and younger readers should be warned that these books don't pull too many punches. Fortunately the occasional violence is much like you'd find in Grimm's tales: brief and often just. Addicted American fans slavering for the next book in this British series will be glad to know they can look forward to many more installments. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From the Back Cover:

PRAISE FOR THE EDGE CHRONICLES:

“Stunningly original.”—The Guardian (UK)

“A richly inventive fantasy . . . one of the most exciting collaborations between a writer and illustrator for a long time.”—The Literary Review (UK)

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0440420881
• ISBN 13: 9780440420880
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400