Kell
23rd September 2006, 15:16
The Curse of the Gloamglozer (Quint 1)
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Publisher: Corgi
ISBN # 0552564251
First Published: 2001
380 pages
Rating: 9
In the floating city of Sanctaphrax, fusty old professors scheme and bicker with each other as they study the weather in minute detail - mistsifting, fogprobing, researching the air blowing in from beyond the Edge. But some experiments are best left alone...Quint is the son of a sky pirate captain. He arrives in Sanctaphrax at the request of Linius Pallitax, the Most High Academe, who needs an apprentice he can trust to carry out a series of highly important tasks. Just how important, Quint is about to find out as he and Linius's only daughter, Maris, are plunged into the midst of a terrifying adventure that takes them deep within the rock upon which Sanctaphrax is built.
Seldom does one come across an imagined world so fully formed as the one portrayed in The Edge Chronicles! This first book in the Chronicles introduces the reader to the magnificent floating city of Sanctaphrax – a place where the study of the sky and weather are of the utmost importance – and its quirky inhabitants. But the most learned and respected professor of them all – the Most High Academe – is about to take science too far in his quest for knowledge, and it is up to his daughter, Maris, and his young apprentice, Quint (the son of a famous Sky Pirate), to find out what terror he has unleashed!
This is a heady adventure and the inventiveness of the authors rivals that of Terry Pratchett. Beautiful line drawings illustrate the action, capturing characters and locations to perfection – there’s even a handy map in the front of the book! This is a must-read start to the Quint Trilogy.
The Winter Knights (Quint 2)
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
ISBN # 0552551260
Publisher: Corgi
First Published: 2005
416 pages
Rating: 8/10
In the great floating city of Sanctaphrax, blizzards howl through the streets as the Edgeworld descends into an endless winter. Quint, the son of a sky pirate, has just begun his training at the Knights Academy - training that involves heading out over the Edge on tethers to develop his flying skills. But when Quint breaks the rules and head out to Open Sky on his own, he runs into the great sky leviathan known as a cloud-eater, and must use all his skill and ingenuity if catastrophe is not to strike the Edgeworld...
Sanctaphrax is gripped in a seemingly never-ending winter and it’s up to Quint, newly enrolled in the Knights Academy, to follow in his father’s footsteps and take the helm of a great Sky Ship and avert disaster. This is every bit as exciting as The Curse of the Gloamglozer, filled with thrills and spills on every page. The illustrations are delightful and the story is so well-written that the reader is instantly transported to a world of floating rocks and strange creatures that control the weather.
Quint’s adventures will continue in Clash of the Sky Galleons.
Clash of the Sky Galleons (Quint Trilogy 3)
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
ISBN # 0385607210
Publisher: Doubleday
First Published: 2006
426 pages
Rating: 8/10
The Blurb:
Quint is travelling with his father, Wind Jackal, on a mission to track down and bring to justice Turbot Smeal, the man who started the fire that killed their family. Having left behind his studies at the KnightsAcademy, Quint is now eager to learn what it really means to be a sky pirate and to learn from his father. But Wind Jackal is consumed by his desire to capture Smeal - and his judgementis flawed. His actions endanger the lives of his crew - and his son. As they travel from the taverns and backstreets of Undertown and the wonders of the shipbuilders' yards, to the dark dangers of the Deepwoods, where Quint and Maris become separated from the rest of the crew and encounter some terrifying creatures - and finally to the mysterious, ghostly sky-wreck in Open Sky, where they discover the truth about Smeal - and face a new terror...
The Review:
The conclusion to the Quint Trilogy has been a long time coming, and greatly anticipated, so it’s just as well that it lives up to expectations! This neatly ties together all the plot twists and revelations from the rest of the Chronicles, encompassing all three of the trilogies in a very satisfying way. This is the kind of high fantasy adventure to which every kid should be treated, even if just so the adults can get in on the action for themselves. A highly enjoyable romp that will delight kids of all ages, from six to sixty and beyond!
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Publisher: Corgi
ISBN # 0552564251
First Published: 2001
380 pages
Rating: 9
In the floating city of Sanctaphrax, fusty old professors scheme and bicker with each other as they study the weather in minute detail - mistsifting, fogprobing, researching the air blowing in from beyond the Edge. But some experiments are best left alone...Quint is the son of a sky pirate captain. He arrives in Sanctaphrax at the request of Linius Pallitax, the Most High Academe, who needs an apprentice he can trust to carry out a series of highly important tasks. Just how important, Quint is about to find out as he and Linius's only daughter, Maris, are plunged into the midst of a terrifying adventure that takes them deep within the rock upon which Sanctaphrax is built.
Seldom does one come across an imagined world so fully formed as the one portrayed in The Edge Chronicles! This first book in the Chronicles introduces the reader to the magnificent floating city of Sanctaphrax – a place where the study of the sky and weather are of the utmost importance – and its quirky inhabitants. But the most learned and respected professor of them all – the Most High Academe – is about to take science too far in his quest for knowledge, and it is up to his daughter, Maris, and his young apprentice, Quint (the son of a famous Sky Pirate), to find out what terror he has unleashed!
This is a heady adventure and the inventiveness of the authors rivals that of Terry Pratchett. Beautiful line drawings illustrate the action, capturing characters and locations to perfection – there’s even a handy map in the front of the book! This is a must-read start to the Quint Trilogy.
The Winter Knights (Quint 2)
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
ISBN # 0552551260
Publisher: Corgi
First Published: 2005
416 pages
Rating: 8/10
In the great floating city of Sanctaphrax, blizzards howl through the streets as the Edgeworld descends into an endless winter. Quint, the son of a sky pirate, has just begun his training at the Knights Academy - training that involves heading out over the Edge on tethers to develop his flying skills. But when Quint breaks the rules and head out to Open Sky on his own, he runs into the great sky leviathan known as a cloud-eater, and must use all his skill and ingenuity if catastrophe is not to strike the Edgeworld...
Sanctaphrax is gripped in a seemingly never-ending winter and it’s up to Quint, newly enrolled in the Knights Academy, to follow in his father’s footsteps and take the helm of a great Sky Ship and avert disaster. This is every bit as exciting as The Curse of the Gloamglozer, filled with thrills and spills on every page. The illustrations are delightful and the story is so well-written that the reader is instantly transported to a world of floating rocks and strange creatures that control the weather.
Quint’s adventures will continue in Clash of the Sky Galleons.
Clash of the Sky Galleons (Quint Trilogy 3)
Author: Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
ISBN # 0385607210
Publisher: Doubleday
First Published: 2006
426 pages
Rating: 8/10
The Blurb:
Quint is travelling with his father, Wind Jackal, on a mission to track down and bring to justice Turbot Smeal, the man who started the fire that killed their family. Having left behind his studies at the KnightsAcademy, Quint is now eager to learn what it really means to be a sky pirate and to learn from his father. But Wind Jackal is consumed by his desire to capture Smeal - and his judgementis flawed. His actions endanger the lives of his crew - and his son. As they travel from the taverns and backstreets of Undertown and the wonders of the shipbuilders' yards, to the dark dangers of the Deepwoods, where Quint and Maris become separated from the rest of the crew and encounter some terrifying creatures - and finally to the mysterious, ghostly sky-wreck in Open Sky, where they discover the truth about Smeal - and face a new terror...
The Review:
The conclusion to the Quint Trilogy has been a long time coming, and greatly anticipated, so it’s just as well that it lives up to expectations! This neatly ties together all the plot twists and revelations from the rest of the Chronicles, encompassing all three of the trilogies in a very satisfying way. This is the kind of high fantasy adventure to which every kid should be treated, even if just so the adults can get in on the action for themselves. A highly enjoyable romp that will delight kids of all ages, from six to sixty and beyond!