Edge Chronicles 1: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles) [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Paul Stewart (Author), Chris Riddell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Edge Chronicles

Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn’t one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, dangerous world beyond the Deepwoods. He meets a collection of odd companions, such as his wise guardian, the Caterbird; the Slaughterers, a peaceful race who butcher animals for their livelihood; and the vicious, bile-swilling Rotsucker. Always watching out for the horrible Gloamglozer, whose presence haunts the thoughts of all the inhabitants of The Edge, Twig steadfastly pursues his quest until he discovers his roots, not among the trees, but in the skies. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The U.S. gets a tremendous treat with the introduction of the Edge Chronicles, a fantastic boy-meets-world saga from British author-illustrator team Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.

An un-traditional coming-of-age story, the Edge Chronicles begins with Beyond the Deepwoods, in which our put-upon protagonist, Twig (a misplaced human boy who's being raised by woodtrolls) gets a hint of his true heritage, sheds his Deepwoods upbringing, and does the unthinkable: He strays from the path. Alone for the first time and surviving by his wits, Twig must surmount all manner of perils to pursue a destiny that is whisperingly, mysteriously promised to him "beyond the Deepwoods." From one frying pan to the next (but never quite into the fire) Twig either bests or befriends a ferocious, Carroll-esque menagerie of Deepwoods denizens--from foul-mouthed halitoads and red-faced slaughterers to galumphing banderbears and piranha-Tribble wig-wigs.

Paul Stewart lays the foundation for some pretty terrific storytelling in this first book--only hinting at what lies ahead in this world where rocks float and sky pirates ride the sky above--but the contribution of illustrator Chris Riddell can't be overstated. Whether in the jowly cheeks of the gyle goblins' Grossmother or the menacing gaze of the supra-evil Gloazgomer, Riddell (an accomplished political cartoonist) manages to match Stewart's descriptions blow-for-blow in evocative pen-and-ink. Grownups and kids alike will rush to the store to pick up the second adventure, the tantalizingly titled Stormchaser. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. The first volume in the Edge Chronicles series, which is set in a well-articulated world called the Edge, tells the story of a boy named Twig, from his childhood through his first adventures as a sky pirate. Twig, who learns that the woodtrolls who raised him are his foster parents and that he was abandoned as an infant, leaves the only home he knows and sets off through the Deepwoods to find his destiny. Along the way he makes a few friends, encounters many strange and dangerous creatures, and endures a long series of trials, triumphs, and misfortunes before locating his birth father, the captain of a sky pirate ship. Some children may eventually tire of Twig's ongoing encounters with strange creatures, such as the spindlebugs and the terrible gloamglozen, but those with hearty appetites for adventure (and strong stomachs) will find this a tremendously exciting fantasy. Riddell's wonderfully detailed ink drawings, on nearly every page, create a strong sense of the believable, well-imagined otherworld and bring its strange creatures to life. An inventive, promising start to a series originally published in Britain. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: David Fickling Books (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385750684
• ISBN-13: 978-0385750684
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Promising Fantasy Series, January 15, 2005

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edge Chronicles 1: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles) (Hardcover)

If this first book is any indication, The Edge Chronicles promises to be an enthralling series, possibly a young reader's warm up for Discworld.

The binding is similar to other popular series such as Lemony Snickett or The Spiderwick Chronicles, but the maps and illustrations are superior in this one. The fauna and flora are new creations, numerous, vividly described and many of them are awesomely evil to the point of being absolutely disgusting.

The places are also intriguing - The Deepwoods, the Edgelands, the Twilight Woods, the Mire, the Stone Gardens, Undertown, Sanctaphrax and the River Edgewater, each with different types of inhabitants and topography.

The main character is a youngster named Twig, who discovers that the Woodtrolls he lives with are not his true family. When he comes of age, he is forced to leave for his own protection, after being spotted by sky pirates.

Against all warnings, Twig leaves the safe path, and finds himself in predicament after predicament, meeting dangerous foes, but also making a few valuable friends.

This episode ends with Twig discovering who he really is, as he struggles towards his destiny "beyond the Deepwoods".

A great start to a promising series.

Amanda Richards, January 15, 2005

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A caution regarding young readers, December 16, 2005

By 

N. Ferguson "Two, Daisy, Hannah, and Kitten" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edge Chronicles 1: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles) (Hardcover)

As an adult, I love this series, but I would caution parents to be sure their kids are old enough to be exposed to the dark content which is interspersed throughout each volume. For example, in one of the earlier books in this series, a villian ruthlessly murders anyone who ventures by, chopping off their toes and collecting a huge pile of mutilated remains. The scene in which the young hero finds this pile of severed body parts is truly horrifying in its detail, very frightening, and surprising -- definately not suitable for a young child. I would reserve these books for young adolescents, definately not for kids under 9-10, and probably best for older kids. (It's probably best for parents to read one of these books themselves, then decide if their kids are old enough for them)

*** The illustrations are very special-- really a wonderful achievement. The book design itself lends great appeal, too.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars weak start to series but improves in second book, August 29, 2004

By 

B. Capossere (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edge Chronicles 1: Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles) (Hardcover)

Beyond the Deepwoods is the start to a series which is already long-running in England and is just starting here in the states. This first book does what one would expect, introduces the world, the major characters, and the major conflicts, but it does so in such shallow fashion that one might be hard-pressed to consider reading on. I don't know how the rest of the series goes, but I can say that the second novel, Stormchaser, improves in many ways upon the first.
Deepwoods, aimed obviously at a younger audience, is highly episodic, following the breakneck adventures of Twig, a young boy brought up until now by a family of trolls, as he is sent out into the woods to avoid being picked up by Skypirates. As mentioned, the book moves at breakneck speed as Twig is rushed from one crisis to another, usually involving meeting up with a horrible deepwoods dweller-trolls, goblins, bloodoaks, etc. The problem is that each encounter is so brief, each creature so quickly met and dispatched or left behind that none of them ever really linger in the reader's mind; they fare only slightly better than if they had been listed in a glossary at the back. It reminded me of nothing so much as a group of dungeons and dragons guys sitting around trying to come up with odd monsters to add to their personal monster manual. Some of the creatures are highly inventive, others somewhat dull. Their names are consistently the best part of all, wonderfully Lewis Carrol-like and just begging to be read aloud. Older readers may tire of the "cuteness" by the end, but younger kids are sure to enjoy just repeating the names out loud to themselves again and again.
The end is pretty formulaic and anti-climatic and isn't really earned by what has come before. What saves the book somewhat are its brevity, the likeability of the main character, and the occasional flashes of inventiveness that showcase the series' potential. What saves it even more is the fact that the second book is much more focused, has much more of a sense of narrative, and delves more into Twig's character as well as others. Though it still suffers a bit from shallow side-characters and some moments of weak plotting, it is much better written, more compelling, and finally gives the reader a real reason to continue. I wouldn't recommend Deepwoods if it stood alone, but as the necessary entry into the better second novel, it's a required step that won't hurt too much. One final note, while the book will appeal on many levels to young readers, it can turn dark at times. Death does occur and much more frequently and gorily in the second book.