The Lost Barkscrolls by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (The Edge Chronicles: Book 11)

9/10

Synopsis
Cloud Wolf - the story of young sky pirate Quint's first extraordinary battle in the sky, high above the perilous Deepwoods. The Stone Pilot - the truth behind the mysterious hooded figure that tends the mighty flight-rock at the centre of a magnificent sky ship. The Slaughterer's Quest - the tale of Keris, daughter of the legendary sky pirate captain, Twig, and her terrifying quest to discover her father's fate. The Blooding of Rufus Filatine - a Freeglade Lancer's epic encounter with a monstrous creature which will change the Edge for ever...

Review
The Edge Chronicles consist of eleven books, and the tenth, The Lost Barkscrolls is a collection of four short stories that delve deeper into the history of the Edgeworld and its many weird and wonderful inhabitants.

The first story, Cloud Wolf, tells of the young sky pirate Quint and his first sky battle above the Deepwoods. It forms a prequel to The Quint Trilogy and will appeal to those who believe in fighting bravely for the things they believe in.

The second story, The Stone Pilot, tells of Maugin and how she came to leave her home amongst the termagant trogs and find her calling as a Stone Pilot. It also tells of her frightening brush with slavery and how she came to join Quint and Wind Jackal aboard the sky ship Galerider.

The third story is by far the best of them all. The Slaughterer's Quest is the tale of Twig's daughter, Keris, and the journey so must undertake to find out if her father is lives alive. The recounting of Keris's life within the Slaughterer's camp and of her epic journey with the webfoot goblins is a real treat.

And finally there is The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, a story that recounts the forming of the Freeglades and the battles that have been, and are still being fought so they may remain a safe haven where peace and harmony can still thrive.

The Lost Barkscrolls is a fine collection of stories that will be of great interest to fans of the Edge Chronicles. The writing and illustrations are of the highest quality and the themes that link these four seemingly disparate tales together are the abhorrence of slavery and the damage that greed and the manufacturer of weapons can have on lives and the environment.

This is probably not a good place to make your first steps onto the Edge and it is advisable to read at least one of either the Quint, Twig of Rook trilogies first.

About the author and illustrator
Paul Stewart is a highly regarded author of books for young readers – everything from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. Together with Chris Riddell, he is co-creator of the Far-Flung Adventures series, which includes Fergus Crane, Gold Smarties Prize Winner, Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, Silver Nestle Prize Winners, and the Barnaby Grimes series. They are of course also co-creators of the bestselling Edge Chronicles series, which has sold over two million books and is now available in over thirty languages.

Chris Riddell is an accomplished graphic artist who has illustrated many acclaimed books for children, including Pirate Diary by Richard Platt, and Gulliver, which won the Kate Greenaway Medal. Something Else by Kathryn Cave was shortlisted and Castle Diary by Richard Platt was Highly Commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The Edge Chronicles Fan Club
Join the FREE Edge Chronicles Fan Club: read Paul and Chris's diary and find out how they work together, check out the awesome character gallery, wonder at the interactive map and download wallpaper. Plus loads of other stuff to see and do! www.edgechronicles.co.uk