Product Description

Since his childhood in the Deepwoods, young Twig has always longed to soar above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a lowly crew-member on his father's sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser, his dream seems fulfilled. But a much higher destiny awaits Twig.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #304041 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This second book of The Edge Chronicles tells a new, self-contained story independent of, although rooted in, the exuberant fantasy bestiary and travelogue of Beyond the Deepwoods.

Young hero Twig is now reunited with his sky-pirate father as the lowliest crew-member of the flying sailship Stormchaser. In the fanciful physics operating at the edge of the world some stones can defy gravity, like the flight-rock that lifts Stormchaser. Thus the academic community of Sanctaphrax is built on a floating mountain chained to the ground of Undertown below.

Thanks to a tortuous history of corruption in high places the demand for chain-manufacture is forever increasing, leading to massive industrial pollution--because Sanctaphrax's precious, magically superheavy "stormphrax" ballast is gradually being stolen for alchemical use, and Stormchaser undertakes the dangerous mission to find new supplies at the deadly core of a Great Storm. But nothing, absolutely nothing, works out as expected in this madly twisting plot.

Twig's companions are beset by spies, traitors, memorable villains and the living dead and there are perhaps more deaths than might be expected in a "children's" novel, but Stewart's compulsive storytelling, perfectly complemented by Riddell's fine-lined illustrations, makes it all goodstuff. --David Langford

Review
"Action-packed"
--"The Guardian"
"Chris Riddell's superb illustrations are part and parcel of Paul Stewart's excellent fantasy series, The Edge Chronicles. The second, Stormchaser, is as action-packed as its predecessor"
--"Guardian"
"For children who've read the Harry Potter books and want another world to explore.. Just fantasy and adventure, and wonderful line drawings"
--"Mail on Sunday"
"Stewart's compulsive storytelling, perfectly complemented by Riddells' fine-lined illustrations, makes it all good stuff"
--amazon.co.uk (website Jan 2000)
"The story and the vast array of characters are captivating. .I became totally engrossed in this tale of young Twig, the quest for stormphrax, the worldscape and the landscape. The structure of the plot is as delicately poised as a sky-floating rock and the exuberant detail gives constant delight. This is more than a read; it kidnaps and transports the reader"
--"The School Librarian"

Reviewer: A reader from Downham Market, Norfolk
Can Paul Stewart Get Any Better? This series of books has captured my imagination and emotions. All I can say to them is, keep writing them please.

Customer Reviews

Best book ever
This book is great, it is a must buy for those people who liked first one.
This book is the continuation of Beyond the Deepwoods and tells the story of young boy named Twig who has finally found a place that he fits in. You will find this book so good that it will suck you out of this world and transport you to the world where Twig lives namingly the Edge. In this book you will find adventure,death and a story line that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Though this story would not have had that finishing touch if Chris Riddell had not portrayed the book so well with his imaginative drawings that look exactly the way you would picture it. The pictures and storyline complient each other so well that I am confident enough to say that I shall read this book a few times through.

WOW!!!!!!!!!
Stormchaser is totally and utterly brilliant ( as all of The Edge Chronicles are!) I am a huge fan of these books!!! Stormchaser is so imaginative and inspiring with absolutely brilliant illustrations to go with it! The Edge Chronicles are so good, I think they ought to be made into films! Keep writing, Paul Stewart, keep writing!
Look out J.K Rowling, you are about to be dethroned!!!

Better than Harry Potter
This series gets better & better! Twig is charged with the task of collecting Stormphrax - a magical ingredient at the heart of the great Storm. To do this he becomes master of a sky-ship and he enlists the help of several characters, each with differing personalities - my favourite being the Stone Pilot.

Because this imaginary world operates under different physical laws to ours, we are presented with strange, unexpected happenings, worthy of the imagination of Lewis Carroll, complemented by delicious, imaginatively-detailed pen&ink drawings in the same vein as Aubrey Beardsley and Arthur Rackham.

I can't recommend this series too highly - completely different to Harry Potter, and, to my mind, much better!