The Edge Chronicles, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

[dwndrgn]

This is a YA series that fell into my lap by chance and the books were so pretty I just had to read them. It is a fantasy story about a boy named Twig who goes on a journey because he doesn't fit in. The books are nicely bound with beautiful black and white ilustrations that truly give the reader a vision of this unique little world.

Twig, while having grown up with the Trolls knows he doesn't fit in and finds out for sure when his Mother tells him he must leave. In order to do so he must make a scary journey through the Deepwoods on his own. His adventures begin in earnest when he forgets his mother's admonishment 'Don't ever stray off of the path!'. He finds out that while some other classes of people may look different and even sleep different but they all are similar in some ways. Twig has to survive an accidental flight tethered to a boy who has been poisoned with a substance that makes him fill with hot air. He then narrowly escapes being eaten by a Bloodwood tree, being destroyed by a newly made Termagent, finds and loses his real father, and later witnesses the hatching of a Caterbird and makes friends with a formidable banderbear.

This is an extremely enjoyable and easy read. I read the first two books of the 'chronicles', Beyond the Deepwoods and Stormchaser in two days in between work and housework. While there are quite a few graphic violence scenes, they are mostly done for atmosphere and backstory, and they fit in nicely with the rest of the stories.

I would recommend these to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy with tons of fun and interesting new creatures and peoples with unique problems and issues. The illustrations are also worthy of note on their own. It quite reminds me of Jabberwocky and certainly incites the imagination.

[Mark Robson]

It's strange really, as I like easy reading fantasy, but I didn't get along with this. I read the first one, but for some reason didn't click with the main character. The story felt to me like an excuse for the pictures. The artwork is very good, but each chapter felt like it was written to introduce another of the artist's flights of artistic fancy. The fact that twig's destiny was obvious gave the book direction of sorts, but as he bounced from one disaster (and set of unusual creatures) to the next, I found that I was just wishing for the end to hurry up and come along!

There is no denying that this is a very popular series with the children. Sadly, it's not my cup of tea.

[Teresa Edgerton]

I'm about a quarter of the way through the second book in this series (thought I was picking up the first, but proved to be mistaken), and find myself agreeing with both of you (even though dwndrgn likes the series and Mark doesn't). I'm enjoying the whimsy and the imagination, but so far it does seem sort of episodic, and less than compelling (I'm not so sure that I CARE what happens next, but I am sort of curious to see what that is). Perhaps it will draw me in more as the story progresses.

Love the illustrations and the whole book design, though. It's nice to have a book that is a pleasure just to hold in your hand, even before you start reading. It would be incredibly wonderful if this sort of approach caught on and was applied to repackaging some of the great Juvenile and YA fiction of the past.

[dwndrgn]

I think that it's episodic nature lends itself more naturally for younger readers. The way it is set up with new adventures and creatures in each 'episode' does lend itself to spotlighting the illustrator (who does a terrific job imo) but it also is widening the reader's imagination. I got the feeling, from reading something in the back of one of the books that they encourage their readers to write them with new and interesting creatures and beings so that they can be included as well. This involves the reader and their imagination even more than a regular book would do. I just felt that the author and illustrator were 'dialed in' to use a popular phrase, to their particular audience. They obviously understand what children are looking for in the fantastic. I would think that each chapter would make a wonderful bedtime story read for or by the child.