The Edge Chronicles: Stormchaser, by Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell
Book Review by Jeff Edwards
Have you read this book?
After more than two years among the sky pirates, Twig is excited when his father teaches him the
rudiments of skysailing. But Twig's disastrous turn at the wheel scuppers the ship, and he is
stranded in Undertown as Cloud Wolf prepares to set sail on his most dangerous journey yet.
Unwilling to miss out on the adventure, Twig sneaks aboard the newly repaired ship as a
stowaway, and this rash act soon jeopardizes his father's mission - plus the lives of the entire
crew.
Stormchaser, the second volume in The Edge Chronicles, soars above its predecessor: While "Beyond the Deepwoods" suffered from a repetitive, episodic narrative that quickly wore thin, this follow-up is a far more gripping story full of political intrigue and backstabbing. With the floating city of Sanctaphrax about to break free from its mooring, factions form to seek out the solution: a rare substance called stormphrax. Some characters, like the Professor of Light, want to use stormphrax as ballast to keep the city from drifting away; others, like Vilnix Pompolnius, only want stormphrax as a bargaining chip with the Undertown League of Free Merchants. There's no shortage of those who view the city's plight as an opportunity for personal gain: Mother Horsefeather bankrolls a quest for stormphrax in hopes of amassing wealth and power for herself; Slyvo Spleethe plans to betray and murder Cloud Wolf as part of a lucrative deal struck with the Leaguesmaster.
Although this sequel is a dramatic improvement over the original, gritty violence and gruesome deaths still figure heavily in Stormchaser: Within the first chapter, a cloddertrog is crushed by a heavy chain that has fallen from the sky; later, a tiny nightwaif is cruelly tortured and mutilated. But the most despicable acts are committed by Screed Toe-taker, a serial killer who passes himself off as a guide while leading his clients to their deaths; he then hacks off his victims' toes like an evil creature from some twisted, hellish Dr. Seuss story ("There were big toes, small toes, hairy toes, scaly toes").
Just as Twig matured between the first and second books of The Edge Chronicles, so too did Paul Stewart's storytelling prowess. Readers disappointed with "Beyond the Deepwoods" will be rewarded for their perseverance in Stormchaser: It's a thrilling novel for young adults, so long as they (and their parents) are prepared for the general nastiness that goes hand-in-hand with the high-flying adventure.
Stormchaser, the second volume in The Edge Chronicles, soars above its predecessor: While "Beyond the Deepwoods" suffered from a repetitive, episodic narrative that quickly wore thin, this follow-up is a far more gripping story full of political intrigue and backstabbing. With the floating city of Sanctaphrax about to break free from its mooring, factions form to seek out the solution: a rare substance called stormphrax. Some characters, like the Professor of Light, want to use stormphrax as ballast to keep the city from drifting away; others, like Vilnix Pompolnius, only want stormphrax as a bargaining chip with the Undertown League of Free Merchants. There's no shortage of those who view the city's plight as an opportunity for personal gain: Mother Horsefeather bankrolls a quest for stormphrax in hopes of amassing wealth and power for herself; Slyvo Spleethe plans to betray and murder Cloud Wolf as part of a lucrative deal struck with the Leaguesmaster.
Although this sequel is a dramatic improvement over the original, gritty violence and gruesome deaths still figure heavily in Stormchaser: Within the first chapter, a cloddertrog is crushed by a heavy chain that has fallen from the sky; later, a tiny nightwaif is cruelly tortured and mutilated. But the most despicable acts are committed by Screed Toe-taker, a serial killer who passes himself off as a guide while leading his clients to their deaths; he then hacks off his victims' toes like an evil creature from some twisted, hellish Dr. Seuss story ("There were big toes, small toes, hairy toes, scaly toes").
Just as Twig matured between the first and second books of The Edge Chronicles, so too did Paul Stewart's storytelling prowess. Readers disappointed with "Beyond the Deepwoods" will be rewarded for their perseverance in Stormchaser: It's a thrilling novel for young adults, so long as they (and their parents) are prepared for the general nastiness that goes hand-in-hand with the high-flying adventure.
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