Twig is now 16. It is midday in Undertown.
The tale opens with Twig meeting a none too successful slaughterer hawking leather talismans.
A playful prowlgrin cub, Twig’s old friend the caterbird, and the breaking of the chain tethering the floating rock whereupon the seat of learning, Sanctaphrax, is perched add to the excitement of the moment.
The caterbird knows the story behind Twig’s father and how he became Cloud Wolf captain of the sky ship The Stormchaser. A wrecked sky ship caught on a treetop, Mim the leader of the gnokgoblins, Mother Horsefeather, and Twig’s understanding of the woodtroll ways move the tale forward at a dramatic clip.
When Cloud Wolf presents Twig a lesson into the flying of a sky ship they are interrupted by the approach of a leagueship. Near disaster follows when a jammed stern-weight must be freed. Twig volunteers for the job. And things only go from bad to worse. Loss of their load of Iron Wood, a crippled ship and his father’s anger leave Twig feeling more than a little anguish.
A daring plan is hatched between Cloud Wolf and Mother Horsefeather, but Twig is not to be part of it. Chicanery, quartermaster Spleethe’s treachery, stowing away on The Stormchaser, the Great Storm, and storm chasing and a gigantic battle onboard the sky ship lead to more excitement than Twig had ever dreamed was possible.
From the ample imaginativeness of the team of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell comes a thrilling yarn of conspiracy, conniving and complicity. The story presented on the pages of Stormchaser is entertaining, the often eerie and extraordinary characters are not only engaging but creditable as well.
The fantastic world created by writer Stewart is elaborate, marvelously detailed and illustrated to perfection by artist Riddell. This is not a book for the youngest readers, or for the squeamish. Death produced in all manner of gruesome methods leaves the reader more than a little breathless.
Life becomes no easier for Twig in Book two of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell’s Edge Chronicles. Stormchaser brings Twig into the fiendish, malignant machinations of the floating city Sanctaphrax.
Younger readers should be aware brutality is offered in occasional violent bursts. The Screed Toe Taker in particular is a particularly gruesome character with little to redeem him to the reader.
Stormchaser is a abundantly creative fantasy filled with absorbing characters sure to please the most demanding reader. The story line presents an enthralling tale set against a backdrop of fascinating, rather surreal settings. Characters are richly portrayed, illustrations are a genuine asset to the work.
From the opening lines as Twig ponders how to free his friend the caterbird from a cage where he has been imprisoned, straight on to the last pages where we follow Twig on board a new sky ship; the reader is carried on a roller coaster ride of adventure.
We leave the caterbird, Twig and his crew setting sail to find Cloud Wolf who is now in grave danger and in need of help somewhere in the ‘monstrous, misty wasteland beyond the Edge.’
A good addition to the home and school library. Stormchaser is sure to be a hit with middle to upper grade readers
. Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend. Anxious to read book 3
Reviewed by: Molly's Reviews molly martin 30+ years classroom teacher
Genre: fantasy: middle grades/YA
Author: . Paul Stewart
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
Line/Publisher David Finkling Books Random House
ISBN: 0 385 75070 6 Available: Amazon, elsewhere
