I make absolutely no apology for
reading and reviewing a children's novel. Stewart and Riddell are probably the
best in their field at the moment, and have created a memorable series of
characters and worlds, not only in the marvellous Edge Chronicles, but
elsewhere with creations such as Barnaby Grimes and Goth Girl.
While strong pre-teen readers will get the most out of these
books (this edition runs to 350 pages) they would also be enjoyed by later teens,
adults looking for some nostalgic light relief, or even precocious 10/11 year
olds.
‘The Nameless One’ picks up the saga after a four year break
since ‘The Immortals’ was published in 2010. ‘The Immortals’ tied together a
lot of threads, and had the feeling of a series closer – but I am delighted
that Stewart and Riddell have decided to continue the series after a break, and
have published the second in the Cade saga, ‘Doombringer’.
The Edge Chronicles are Stewart and Riddell’s finest
creation, a wonderfully detailed and realised world peopled with fantastic
creatures such as banderbears and wig wigs, and locations such as the floating
city of Sanctaphrax. The flora and fauna of the world is sketched in exquisite,
careful detail, and the characterisation is strong. The central characters
changes over the course of the series, but there is a strong narrative thread
running through all 12 books published thus far, with returning characters and
situations. In this novel the third Age of Flight has arrived, and with it the
debate about what if anything is beyond the Edge is causing friction amongst the
academics of Great Glade. We follow the adventures of Cade Quarter, nephew of
the descender Nate Quarter, as he flees Great Glade and tries to build a life
for himself in the Deepwoods. This quickly becomes a survivalist story, because
while cade has everything he needs to survive, including some important
companions, the Deepwoods are a dangerous place for a city boy, including the
memorable and gory carnivorous bloodoak.
The level of genuine peril is to be honest low – we always
know that however bleak the situation Cade will survive into the sequel. But as
readers of earlier novels in the series will know, survival is not always guaranteed,
and there are losses along the way. The narrative development in this novel reminded
me of the first in the chronicles – ‘Into the Deepwoods’ – where a lot of time
is spent establishing a core set of characters and situations, and lots of
plotlines are laid down for later progression. I really enjoyed returning to
the Edge, admittedly partly out of nostalgia, and look forward to seeing how
Cade’s story develops. 
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