The Edge Chronicles 6: Midnight Over Sanctaphrax: Third Book of Twig

The Edge Chronicles: The Twig Saga #3

by Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell (Illustrator)

Twig Verginix has gained a formidable reputation as the young sky pirate captain who dared to sail over the Edge. But far out in open sky a storm is brewing. In its path lies Sanctaphrax – the great floating city tethered to the land by a massive chain.

Twig has learned of the approaching danger, but a perilous voyage destroys his sky ship, hurling his crew into and beyond the Deepwoods and robbing Twig of his memories. The race against the storm begins, as Twig struggles to reach Sanctaphrax and save its inhabitants before it is too late . . .

Midnight Over Sanctaphrax is the third book of the Twig Saga – second trilogy in The Edge Chronicles, the internationally best-selling fantasy series, which has featured on the UK and the New York Times best-seller lists and sold more than 3 million copies. There are now 13 titles and four trilogies in the series, but each book is a stand-alone adventure, so you can read The Edge Chronicles in any order you choose.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, High Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2000

About the author

Paul Stewart is a highly regarded author of books for young readers – from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. Together with Chris Riddell he is co-creator of the bestselling Edge Chronicles, which has sold more than three million copies and is available in over twenty languages. They have also collaborated together on lots of other exciting books for children of all ages. The Far-Flung Adventure series includes the Gold Smarties Prize Winner Fergus Crane, and Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, both Silver Nestle Prize Winners. Then there are the Barnaby Grimes books, two Muddle Earth adventures, and the sci-fi Scavenger and fantasy Wyrmeweald trilogies. For younger readers there is the Blobheads series, while for the very young, Paul has written several picture books, including the Rabbit and Hedgehog series, In the Dark of the Night and, his latest, Wings.

Other authors by this name disambiguation Note:
Paul Stewart - business and management books

Reviews

[Charlotte May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Edge Chronicles have been an absolute gem of a find!
A fantastic third instalment of the Twig trilogy!
Sanctaphrax is in danger - its walls are falling apart piece by piece and the high academics have no idea why.

"In our madness we are devouring each other."

Meanwhile Twig and his crew on board the sky ship Edgedancer have gone in search of Cloud Wolf, Twig's father.
What follows is a non-stop adventure filled with the most imaginative creatures and characters I've ever come across with some of the best world building.
I would recommend these books to anyone with a taste for adventure and fantasy!

"Follow your heart, and I will follow mine."

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really thrilling conclusion to the Twig saga, and the edition I have includes the 'Stone Pilot' short story that was released as a World Book Day book in 2006 - and that was a nice little story too!

I absolutely love the journey Twig underwent during his saga - from the timid and rather weak protagonist in 'Beyond the Deepwoods' to the really strong and smart character he is in 'Midnight Over Sanctaphrax'. It is a remarkable journey that he underwent and I definitely grew to love him more over time. While he always has a special place in my heart due to the first book beyond a childhood favourite, it took some time for me to truly see Twig as a worthy main character. He really proves his worth in this one.

The stakes are incredibly high in this book, which starts with how we left our crew at the end of book two, and immediately thrusts us into the action. I forgot how quickly the mission they are given at the end of book 2 is resolved, but it leads to an even more dramatic and intense mission for Twig. He ends up separated from his entire crew and spends the rest of the book trying to reunite with them, from the Undertown beneath Sanctaphrax to the Deepwoods and beyond! All the while, the Mother Storm is threatening to destroy everything unless Twig can ensure it arrives to the mythical Riverrise where order will be restored.

There were some beautiful full-circle moments in this since Twig does return to the Deepwoods, a place he hasn't really been since his introductory book. It led to some nice but also bittersweet moments. I didn't know where the story was going to take him, but it was very entertaining to watch. The world expands even more and it really is one of the reasons I love this series so much - the detail in the world is just so rich and there's always something new to learn and explore.

I will say, with so much build-up and detail beforehand, the ending was very quickly wrapped-up. Don't get me wrong, I love how things were resolved, but we spent so much time elsewhere in the story that as soon as we get to the climax, it just feels rather rushed. I am still so intrigued to see if we see Twig again, so I cannot wait to read more of The Edge Chronicles, as I will be reading the Rook, Nate and Cade sagas for the very first time.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twig is now the hero who saved Sanctaphrax and all its inhabitants from floating away into the clouds and being lost forever. He is a proud sky pirate, a captain of his own ship. But then he finds out that a mother storm is coming. What’s worse, Sanctaphrax is blocking the storm from reaching Riverrise, the source of all water on the Edge. If the only source of water is not replenished by the mother storm, life on the entire Edge would simply become impossible. The only way to save all life on the Edge, is to sacrifice Sanctaphrax. Unfortunately, shortly after learning about this, Twig’s ship is hit with an explosion. Twig finally arrives in Sanctaphrax. But without his ship, his crew and even his memory.


A really strong character arc for Twig that finally reaches a very epic and satisfying conclusion. The story is smart in that it does not focus too much on the plot like the previous book, but rather focuses more on Twig trying to find his crew. This opens the story up to an adventure with lots of travelling around the Edge and visiting new locations, much like in the first book in the series. This is a brilliant move as the world building is by far the biggest strength of the series. It’s just unfortunate this story uses the memory loss trope to raise the stakes. Not because it’s a bad trope. On the contrary, I’ve seen and read many great stories that use this particular trope. And that’s actually where my problem with this trope lies. It’s been done really well so many times before, that I’m starting to grow a bit tired of it.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Paul Stewart and wonderful art as always. Though up to now I've figured that the first and/or second books in each trilogy is usually better than the third (just with my experience).

Still a fantastic book though, love the series so far and give 4 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, as always.

[Sophia Wordworld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twig, der Held des Buches stolpert im gefährlichen Dunkelwald von einem wahnwitzigen Abenteuer ins nächste und begegnet dabei allerlei kuriosem Getier und Gewächs. Die Wirkung des Buches entfaltet sich vor allem durch die phantastischen Illustrationen von Chris Riddell ohne die es zugegebenermaßen nur halb so gut wäre. Aber gerade diese Kombination von Sprache und Bebilderung lässt den Dunkelwald in all seiner - manchmal etwas ekligen - Vielfältigkeit vor dem geistigen Auge des Lesers entstehen. Ich kann nur sagen: Hut ab für den Autor Paul Stewart! Sein Einfallsreichtum ist wirklich unglaublich. Er beschwört ein vor Leben nur so strotzendes Umfeld für Twigs Abenteuer hervor - leider ist nicht jedes Leben im Dunkelwald freundlich gesinnt.

Auf seiner Reise begegnet Twig vielen unterschiedlichen Gestalten, Furien, Faulsaugern, Schleimschmeichlern oder anderen sonderbaren Wesen. Er findet Freunde, Feinde und Wesen, die ihm vollkommen gleichgültig gegenüber stehen. Immer wenn er der Meinung ist, endlich sich irgendwo wohl zu fühlen, ist er gezwungen weiter zu ziehen. Dabei trifft er auf verschiedenartigste Kulturen und muss man vorgefasste Ansicht über ein Volk revidieren. Es ist wirklich sehr interessant, wie phantasievoll und einfallsreich man eine Fantasywelt trotz der einfach gehaltenen Handlung und der wenigen Seitenanzahl gestalten kann. Das Ende fand ich etwas vorhersehbar. Aber für Kinder ist das nach den gruseligen Episoden vielleicht sogar beruhigend.

Es geht auch auf die Gefühlswelt des jungen Twig ein, der sich einsam und unnütz fühlt. Es handelt auch von Freundschaft und Hilfsbereitschaft und nicht zu vergessen: Dieser erste Band bereitet den Weg für die weiteren Bände der "Klippenland-Chroniken". In "Twig im Auge des Sturms" und "Twig bei den Himmelspiraten" geht das Abenteuer ebenso spannend und einfallsreich weiter. Allerdings muss ich anmerken: Das vom Hersteller empfohlene Alter ab 10 Jahren finde ich für alle Bände etwas heftig. Zwar sind die Klippland-Chroniken auf den ersten Blick ist süße Fantasy Bücher für Kinder doch manche Kreaturen im Dunkelwald sind doch vielleicht etwas zu schrecklich geraten, um sie Grundschülern vorzusetzen. Man muss sich auch in traurigen und grausamen Szenen von liebgewonnenen Charakteren verabschieden die zum Teil auf furchtbare Art und Weise zu Tode kommen. Nur um ein Beispiel anzuführen wird sein bester Freund von den süßen aber gefährlichen Wig-Wigs aufgefressen bis nichts mehr übrigbleibt.


Fazit:

Auf gar keinen Fall Kindern unter 12 Jahren in die Hand drücken! Ansonsten kann ich das Buch uneingeschränkt jedem empfehlen, der zwar keine literarisch anspruchsvolle, aber spannende und lustige Lektüre sucht. Man kann die Welt um sich herum vergessen und ganz im Dunkelwald versinken.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ay, me duele el pecho. Hacía mucho, pero mucho tiempo que un libro no me tenía tan terriblemente estresada. Esto de saber algo que va a pasar sin que lo sepan los personajes es lo peor.
Debo admitir que iba con algo de miedo. Los otros dos libros de la trilogía me habían gustado mucho y me daba mucho miedo que no fuera a estar a la altura, pero ha superado mis expectativas con creces. Quiero tanto a todos los personajes tío, y sobre todo al pobre Cowlquape, que de verdad que no le pagan lo suficiente, criaturita. Aunque el primero sigue siendo mi favorito sin duda alguna, este está muy cerquita, ya que tiene todo lo que a mí me gusta en un solo libro y ósea the feelings, the stress, everything. De verdad, que gran final de trilogía, me muero por darle una oportunidad al resto de la saga, porque si son la mitad de maravillosas que esta van a ser increíbles.

[Sol · Rating 3 out of 5]

For whatever reason, I have little memory of all the end-of-trilogy books in this series (Descenders excluded). Whether that's just due to the fact that I didn't own most of them, or something in their quality, remains to be seen. For Midnight, at least, I can clearly see why.

Stewart's bloodthirst in Stormchaser was one thing, the opening of this book is quite another. We're hardly introduced to this new "cast" before they're sent packing, and we're given Cowlquape as a consolation. I'm not so perturbed by the treatment of a bunch of barely introduced characters, but the disappearance of Maugin really rankles. The inclusion of the story The Stone Pilot is cold comfort . The only living link between Twig and Cloud Wolf, and she's absent for all but two chapters. In my dreams, there would be some alternate version of this book where Maugin and Twig form the main duo. Imagine the kind of drama you could wring from her personal knowledge of Cloud Wolf's deteriorating life, and the contrast with the man Twig is growing up to be. Instead, we have Cowlquape.



Now, it's not that I hate him. His role as inept reader surrogate is quite funny, and he satisfies my complaints about Twig's lack of peers reasonably well. His development of some slight courage was more believable to me than Twig's transformation from bullying victim to the hero shown here. No, I think my biggest problem with Cowlquape is that he represents the primary flaw of the first three Edge books: discontinuity.

For whatever reason, the authors seemed to want to keep each of these three books as self-contained as possible, which means a very small recurring cast. I'm loath to make the comparison, but Harry Potter did not dump the cast each book, and it would be a much weaker series if Rowling had. While the problem persists a little throughout, it's at its worst in the Twig books. Even the premises of Books two and three are at odds with each other.



What's more, this book in particular is very uneven. The first half consists of puttering about in Sanctaphrax and Undertown. While this can make for fun reading, it really doesn't fit the apocalyptic stakes established in the opening. The only thing that stood out from these scenes was Stewart's literalization of the mind altering effects of weather, which is a great idea and fitting for the setting. Things do pick up once the Skyraider is boarded, and the latter half of this book has quite a few memorable scenes.

While plausibility may be stretched with Twig finding his old village, I found it a fairly touching scene, and a good way to tie the end of the story to the beginning. Finally seeing Maugin again was nice, if all too brief. But if you were going to bring up the events of past books anyway, why the cast resets, Stewart? Argh. The fact that the kindly Professor of Darkness ended up being Twig's final "foe" also really stuck with me. How many kid's books have the hero physically fighting a frail old man who really hasn't done anything so wrong? While it goes for a note of hope with the saving of all life on the Edge and the growth of a new Sanctaphrax rock, knowing the whole context of the future sure takes the wind out of its sails. While I can't claim it's a flaw here, the tendency of the authors to smash their toys really gives an odd feeling to scenes like this, which only intensifies with the Quint and Maris books.



Adding new elements to the setting with the Nightwoods and Riverrise was welcome. It's these scenes that were most vividly memorable from readings years ago. I actually find it interesting that in many ways the setting was more or less set from here on out. Even by Immortals Riverrise was the furthest border that we actually witnessed, and the authors resisted inventing some entirely new regions that weren't pictured on the initial map. From Midnight forward they stuck to adding new elements to Sanctaphrax, the Deepwoods, etc. The one thing I would never impugn is their worldbuilding creativity, so I wonder why they stopped here. A sense of shame at going back on their word that Riverrise was the end of the living world?

It's also here that we get the first real treatment of what becomes one of the main recurring sub-themes of the series: slavery. In retrospect, Garble in Deepwoods was pretty clearly a slaver (and wasn't Cloud Wolf's chaining Mugbutt in the hold a little odd?), and finding three of Twig's crewmembers in Flabsweat's pet shop was a sign of things to come, but it's here that it comes into its own. Much like the brutality of the series, this was another thing that went over my head as a kid. I'd hesitate to say every book repeats this theme, but even Curse opens with Tweezel's backstory as a survivor of a slavetaking attack on his colony. It's a fairly convenient way to make the villains hateable and the heroes heroic, but the authors never really explore the topic very deeply as far as I recall. While some of the main characters are affected by slavery, none of them were actually enslaved, which is where most of the drama and horror of the subject can be mined. Still, knowing how violent Stewart is willing to get, maybe I should be glad they didn't go too deep into the subject.

[Charlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twig knows his father's ship has gone beyond the Edge and that's where he must travel if he wants to find his father. Now the captain of his own sky ship, Twig has the vessel tethered to a caterbird, following his father into the vortex of a horrid storm. His crew is a group of devoted followers who trust their young captain with their lives. Twig finds his father who, before he disappears, imparts to Twig the importance of saving Sanctaphrax. Twig and his crew are tossed from their ship by the terrible explosion and each is catapulted back to the Edge.

Twig is rescued and brought to Sanctaphrax, but he cannot remember his father's admonitions. He only knows that, if he is safe, then he must find each of the other crew members of his ship. That search across the treacherous regions of the Deepwoods with its formidable beasts makes up the balance of the book.

Adventure and suspense abound in the third volume of the Edge Chronicles, but I would advise readers to complete Book 2 before joining Twig on his travels here.

[Erin Ure · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the first two entries in the series the setting is imaginative, but the plot lacks focus and most character motivations are difficult to buy into. This is due in part to the lack of space between the events of this book and the previous, but I believe it can largely be attributed to the overall storyline failing to take advantage of an interesting cast of characters by scattering them across the world during the first few pages. At times it overcomes its problems and becomes engaging, particularly in the last quarter.

[Thijmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuke kinderboekenserie met een aantrekkelijke fantasiewereld waar je heerlijk ik kan verdwijnen.

[F.T. Hoffmann · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 stella e mezza.

E siamo arrivati alla fine della prima trilogia del Bordo, con cui probabilmente si conclude anche il mio viaggio in questa saga almeno per il momento. Prima di tutto perchè sono finiti i libri tradotti (esiste in realtà Cronache dll'Ombra, che però è il primo libro della trilogia prequel mai finita di tradurre) e recuperare i cartacei inglesi al momento non mi interessa, ma soprattutto perché questo libro mi lascia un boccone abbastanza amaro.

È abbastanza palese che Stewart non avesse pianificato nulla e che sia andato avanti a botte di retcon e improvvisazioni funamboliche. Ma quello che mi secca più di tutto è la completa mancanza di una coerenza interna fra i libri, di una coerenza stilistica all'interno dello stesso libro, come anche di una costruzione dei personaggi, che dopo tre romanzi continuano a cambiare restando sempre uguali e monodimensionali. Non è un iperbole, chi l'ha letto sa.

Per quanto sia divertente leggere nomi strampalati e avventure macabre, alla fine ci si rompe un po' le balle a fare avanti e indietro da Boscofondo a Santafrasso come pendolari in balia di un autista smemorato.

A questo giro, per quanto belli, anche i disegni di Riddell non bastano a reggere l'avventura sconclusionata.

Un vero peccato

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flew through this book just as much as the other books :) Love the illustrations, they just add so much to the story. I love all of the different characters, especially Cowlquape because he's rather relatable with his scaredy-cat ways. Twig's just grown so much throughout this trilogy, it's been so great to see!

[Jelka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering I read 8 books just to get to this one - this book was pretty disappointing. The plot doesn’t meander as much as it does in other books in the series, quite the opposite, problems are resolved too easily.

[Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly shmoly woly!!! 😂😁

[ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

sensational

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Sanja_Sanjalica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was entertaining and suspenseful, but maybe my least favorite of the Twig trilogy. Still, a great read.

[Ryan Mauldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun trilogy, with an exciting ending. Full of fun characters and unique adventures.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell continue to win my heart in book three of "The Edge Chronicles". This book concludes "The Twig Saga" and what a conclusion! Although things did not work out quite as I had predicted, I very much loved this book!

If "Stormchaser" was concerned with urban infrastructure, then "Midnight over Sanctaphrax" is concerned with slavery and the evils therein. Pretty heavy commentary for a "children's book" in my opinion. I don't mean to give the impression that this is a fictionalized treatise on the matter, but I believe that Paul and Chris manage to introduce some fairly complicated concepts into children's literature which I appreciate.

As to the story itself, well, we certainly go deeper. A creation myth in introduced, a new POV character is introduced, and there is a quest which I found incredibly compelling that dominates most of the book. Also, the growth of Twig as a character was a remarkable journey to watch. To see him start as a frightened whiny little boy in his mother's lap in "Beyond the Deepwoods" to where he ends up in "Midnight over Sanctaphrax" is incredible! In particular, one scene for me really hit home just how much he has grown.

There continue to be great nods to previous events which make the reading even more rewarding for those who are working their way through the series. I have no idea what Book 4 will bring, but I have a feeling there are some unresolved issues that will be addressed later. I may take a wee break before beginning Book 4 so I can address some Book Club reading before beginning "The Quint Saga".

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twigs Geschichte aus dem zweiten Band geht nahtlos weiter und so ist das Buch von Anfang an spannend. Dabei werden parallel zwei Handlungsstränge erzählt. Zum einen droht ein Sturm sämtliches Leben des Klippenlandes auszulöschen, zum anderen verliert Twig erneut seine Mannschaft, die sich über das ganze Land zerstreut. Wird Twig es gelingen, alle Mitglieder seines Himmelschiffes lebend wiederzufinden? Und wird es ihm gelingen, die Folgen des großen Sturms zu verhindern?
Auf seiner Reise durch das Klippenland muss er viele Gefahren überstehen. Dabei trifft er auf neue Wesen, alte Bekannte, aber vor allem auch auf einen neuen Freund. Eines sei zum Schluss noch zu verraten: Auf seiner Reise wird nicht alles gut ausgehen, auf der sicheren Seite ist man bei diesem Buch nie.

Das dritte Buch der Reihe hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen, vor allem im Vergleich mit den ersten beiden Bänden. Im Gegensatz zum ersten Buch, gab es keine bloße Aneinanderreihung von Ereignissen. Die Handlungen haben sich schön verwoben, wodurch das Buch zu einem echten Page-Turner wurde. Auch gab es immer wieder neue Sachen zu entdecken, wie den Sklavenmarkt. Nur das Ende war mir viel zu schnell erzählt, so dass man es gar nicht genießen konnte. Statt eines liebevollen Aufklanges gab es ein abruptes Ende, was Schade ist, weil einem das letzter Eindruck vom Buch besonders in Erinnerung bleibt.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

With each new venture into the Edge world, Mr. Stewart has shown us yet another corner of it. In this one, he takes Twig on a perilous journey to find his lost comrades and to the very source of life itself.

Twig’s travels bring him into intimate contact with the workings of the odious slave trade, which had been mentioned in previous volumes. It’s a practice no decent sky pirate ever indulges—but, as Mr. Stewart shows, good and bad people are found everywhere and nothing is safe or certain. The suddenness of how slavery can descend even on freeborn people is grimly penned.

This is a thrilling adventure story, one packed with familiar and strange faces and creatures. The forging of new ties and the rebuilding of old ones form the basis for each volume. If it seems sometimes that friends and enemies are a little too quickly discarded with each new story, the introductions point out that each book is only one tale of a thousand; it makes sense that individuals get lost in the shuffle of history.

These are, after all, chronicles of the Edge itself. People come and go; the land itself is what endures and Mr. Stewart’s exuberant writing keeps us coming back for more.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

note: mrs. lowery i didnt know how to get three posts on the same book for one week so i am doing them all in one post.

Post 1: Twig and Cowlquape are looking around in undertown. They are looking for there lost crew members when they come across a small tavern. In this tavern there are Flat head goblins herassing the owner and are scaring the customers. Twig and Cowalquape kill the goblins and free every one. Also they find one of Twigs crew members.

Post 2: Twig cowalquape and tarp are trapped in the sewers and in somesort of mesh netting bag. It turns out that this is another two crew members trying to make a life off in the sewers. They are Wingnut Sleet and grobo. They then find out that they are glowing and are thought to be spirits.

Post 3: It is back to twig and cowalquape only and they are off to the great shryke slave market. It is a terrible place that keeps inocent people locked up i cages inside hollow trees and then they are sold to the more fortunate. You must have a white cockade or you could be mistaken for a slave and sold.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm done with these books. They have been disapointing. I'm just not excited to read about the "real world" horrors they are introducing to kids. Greed, politics, environmental disasters caused by people, slavery, psychotic murderers... I find the plot detail doesn't keep up with the detail to the scenery and gruesome brutality. Somewhat main characters keep dying off only to be replaced by similar characters (three books = three banderbears). I no longer feel a sense of shock or sadness over the deaths as I am numbed by the frequency of it. Besides all that, nothing really seems to happen. I just don't get it. I know there are a ton more of these books but ugh. I don't think I could stand to read any more. I LOVED the Far Flung Adventures. They were so fun and zany and witty. Why didn't this talented author/illustrator team write more of those?

[Negin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not the book. It’s me.
These days I seem to have a very difficult time focusing when it comes to certain types of books - classics, fantasy, and any fiction that’s not particularly engaging. I have to say that I’m disappointed in myself.
This book, the third in the series was good. I would have enjoyed it far more if only I’d been able to focus. I’m debating whether to continue with the series or not. I’m not usually the series type (other than Harry Potter and the Ken Follett series).

[Allyson Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think what I love most about the Edge Chronicles...

The fact that it's middle grade, fun, whimsical, and almost fluffy but yet it still has this hard 'edge' (not intended but I'll take it) to it. It's dark and almost gritty at times. If it needs to have a bit of 'gore' or death it does. If bad things need to happen they happen. Everything doesn't just work out. Our characters have hard times and have to work for a 'happy ending'.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

love

[Ari Fe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy!

[Art Enyedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Over Sanctaphrax is a children's book, the third in a twelve book series called The Edge Chronicles. The twelve books are divided into four trilogies. This is the third and final book of the Twig Saga. (Twig Verginix is the hero of the trilogy, he began as a 13 year old boy in the first book, and now, in Midnight of Sanctaphrax Twig is the young, heroic captain of the Edge Dancer - a ship that sails through the air.)

The series is called The Edge Chronicles because all the tales take place at the edge of seemingly vast continent that floats in the air. The edge of this continent is partitioned into various environments: The Deep Woods, The Edgelands, The Mire, The Stone Gardens, and teeming tough city called Undertown. Floating above Undertown (and anchored by an immense chain to prevent it from floating away) is the city of Sanctaphrax - it is upon this huge floating rock that the elite have built their university. Beyond the edge of this floating continent is endless open air - a terrifying infinite space of storms and wind currents. No one ever sails out beyond the edge.

At the start of this tale, Captain Twig stands at the helm of the Edge Dancer - he is following the caterbird on a quest to find his father, the Cloud Wolf. But the caterbird has led the Edge Dancer outward from the edge, flying into empty air where no one ever goes. Even worse, a giant storm vortex appears ahead, and the caterbird is flying straight towards it.

Twig has gathered a loyal crew on the Edge Dancer, rescuing each from desperate circumstances, and they have pledged to follow him anywhere - but sailing out into the void? Leave the safety of the land behind? The crew grows apprehensive, but Twig is determined. His motley crew consists of Spooler the oakelf, Goom the young banderbear, and Woodfish the waterwaif (who has such huge super-sensitive ears that Woodfish can even hear the thoughts of those around him). There is Tarp Hammelherd the slaughterer, Bogwitt the flathead goblin who is a fierce warrior, and the enigmatic quartermaster Wingnutt Sleet. Finally, there is the Stone Pilot, who is really the beautiful young girl named Maugin. Sensing the fears of his crew, Twig assures that he will look out for each them, that he is as loyal to them as they are to him - and so they continue until they encounter the Mother Storm.

At the heart of Mother Storm, Twig miraculously finds the ruins of his father's ship, The Stormchaser. Twig also learns some incredible information - every few centuries, the Mother Storm comes crashing against the Deep Woods, bringing life renewing waters to Riverrise. Yet now the floating city of Sanctaphrax lies directly in the path of the Mother Storm - if the Mother Storm is deflected from reaching Riverrise, the life-bringing waters will not be recharged, and the flora and fauna of the edge will perish. As soon as Twig learns this vital information, disaster strikes...

Stewart loves creating odd ball characters, various creatures, and giving them odd names. A major character introduced in this book is Cowlquape - a poor university student at Sanctaphrax who loves studying the ancient scrolls. In his dreams, Cowlquape imagines that the legendary Kobold the Wise speaks to him. Naturally, Cowlquape and his useless old knowledge prove to be critical to aiding Twig in his quest.

After the disaster that destroys the Edge Dancer, Twig must reunite with his crew members. This search takes him all over the various lands, from the dangerous alleys of Undertown to the frightening Great Shryke Slave Market. Twig and Cowlquape are constantly in peril, from the treacherouus captain Thunderbolt Vulpoon and his massive enforcer Grimlock, to the terrifying Wig-Wig arena, to dark heart of the Deep Woods, populated with fearsome denizens Waterwaifs, Flitterwaifs, Barkwaifs and Nightwaifs - who can hear your fears and attempt to lure you to your doom.

For a kid's book, there is a lot of violence. Characters good and bad meet untimely ends. The adventure never flags, it is always a case of out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire. But Twig never falters. Undeterred by danger, unswerving in loyalty to his scattered crew, Twig displays heroic traits (and a good deal of luck!). As always, the book is accompanied by many delightful illustrations by Chris Riddell. Riddell must get a kick out of drawing the monsters Stewart describes - Wig-Wigs and banderbears and the sinister shrykes. I will have to look into starting the next trilogy of the Edge Chronicles

[Grace Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the first two previously, and had much to say about them on my instagram. They were strangely brutal, and Twig failed—a lot. But he also rose up and did better and I found them very inspiring.

This one...not so much. It's not terrible, but it doesn't seem to hold the same charm, brutality, and themes of rising again after great adversity that the previous two had.

The shooting star theme that occurs with Twig and his crew is super cool. I loved it when we found each crew member after they got separated, I liked the detail that they all glowed around one another and how much they all seemed to care.

But already, my troubles begin. At the very beginning, Twig and his crew are pulled into the Mother Storm, and Twig is given the information that when the storm hits the Edge, it needs to reach Riverrise in order to restore life. But it won't if it hits the floating city that blocks its way, so Twig needs to cut the chain and send the city off.

Problem? He forgets he has to do it. Yea. Shooting off and getting separated has him confused and he doesn't remember a thing. So then the story becomes a fetch-quest for the scattered crew members, and...Idk, I have conflicted feelings about it, so I'll put a pin in it for now.

And then we're introduced to this new guy. First off, his name is awful and I refuse to write it solely because I don't want lol. Now he's from Sanctaphrax and he's more academic than Twig is. He's frightened and weak and...he's alright. I was mostly annoyed at the beginning with how much time is devoted to him, this character I didn't know nor cared for. He gets a bit better later on, and at the end of the book, he becomes the Most High Academe, which is kinda cool.

He forms this student/mentor bond with Twig, and honestly? I wish he was a girl lol. This book made me realize how few and far between they are, not to mention there is only one girl on Twig's entire crew (and we find her dead last—yipee). It would have been cool, and nice to have the boy be a girl instead. I think it would be adorable, having a little academic, frightened chick who gets braver along the way trailing after Twig. It would have been a lot more engaging. But alas.

So the journey itself feels like it takes a looong time to get started, but once it does, it's pretty good! We still go to interesting places, we still get some exciting scenes. My only problem is that, in the previous two books, you had this great sense of persistence. Twig persisted, despite horrible goings-ons that affected him, through the Deepwoods. He persisted through the bogs, despite the fact that he failed time and time again, that everything horrible that could happen, did.

In this book...for some reason, it just feels easier. Less pressure. One of my fav parts of the feeling of persistence was that it was encouraging, to see Twig get back up time and time again. With this not being the case as much...idk, it just takes away from the story imo.

I do like Twig in this older, slightly more mature role. It's pretty cool, to see him mentoring someone else, after learning some pretty hard lessons previously.

The ending is where we bring that pin back. I thought it sounded interesting, to try and convince the people of Sanctaphrax to cut the chain and leave the city. I thought it would be a debacle between generations worth of information, and saving the Edge, and...it just isn't. There is only a small moment IN THE VERY LAST CHAPTER about some academics staying behind because they refused to leave. The Professor of Darkness himself ends up floating away because he refused to leave. It was as if the author knew this had the potential for interesting things, but decided to do something else instead.

It's a shame, really. I wanted to like this one as much as the first two. Or maybe they are really alike, and I'm not remembering right. It has been a while since I've read them.

Oh well. Still a fun read overall, can't say I will revisit it tho.